2WD

I've got a '13 5.0 SCrew 3.55 that i'm loving - this is not a complaint.

This is not 5.0 vs. Eco post. Eco tows more and tows easier. This is about Ford V8 towing vs. other V8 towing.

I'm going to be towing 6-7K so the 8000 lbs is just what I needed. I was having a look at tow numbers of various other vehicles and thought it was a bit odd that the F150 SCREW 5.0 has the same tow rating for 3.31/3.55 axles. So there is no gain from the 3.55? ok

It gets even more unusual when you look at some other vehicles.

For example, the 2014 Chevy Suburban can tow more than my F150 (8100 lbs) while being deficient vs. the F150 in the following:

3.08 ratio
320/335 (HP/Torque)
~400 lbs heavier than my 2wd screw

What am I missing?

Is Ford holding back for the sake of marketing to further separate the 5.0 and Eco on paper? Looking at other vehicles of similar size, axle ratio, and engines (naturally aspirated V8's), an F150 5.0 with 3.55 should be in the 9000 lb range.

mechanicboy

Tow numbers are currently generated by the manufacturer. If they want to lower or raise tow numbers for competition reasons they can.

Physically can a 5.0 tow as much as a eco, yes. Will it tow it as easily (as in not revving the engine as high) no.

The eco is available with 4.10 gears but max tow rating is available on the 3.73. It really comes down to how much ford wants to sell and how must weight they want to warranty.

packplantpath

Manufacturers ratings are bull.

The suburban can tow it sure. But it will be miserable. By that standard a 5.0 with 3.73 would rate 15000.

And frankly the ratings are even more bogus when you figure in payload. I guarantee you would be over payload at your Max tow rating.

mechanicboy

Yea, that's the weird thing. My brothers eco has a higher tow rating than my 5.0 but lower payload. Weird.

zx12-iowa

This backs up the fact that these trucks are all under rated. Eco can tow 13-14k and 5.0 10-12k safely....

mechanicboy

Nope. Safety in towing is the tow vehicles ability to control what's behind it. This means weight, handling, and braking. The eco and 5.0 are matched in this (except braking which the 5.0 would do a little better because of the extra compression).

I could easily tow 20k lbs, but it would be stupid to do because I couldn't control the load. To tow more you need a heavier tow vehicle. Unless you're towing with a 5th wheel, you shouldn't tow more than 1.5 times the weight of the tow vehicle. If the truck is 6k lbs, you really shouldn't tow more than 9k lbs if safety is your concern.

packplantpath

Yep. But once you consider that ford wants to be able to differentiate models based on towing I expect we will see major changes to rear ratios when sae standards start. If you read the standards they are not that tough. So I suspect they will all be rated by load bearing, stopping, and handling. Pulling won't matter.

11screw50

I thought there was an acceleration test up a grade? (I guess maybe not?)

Anyway, as with any other standard, the SAE test will set the maximum rating but nothing says they cant rate certain models lower...and if there is no pulling component, that is how they will differentiate to push people to what they want to sell.

buck91

Figure the '99 F250SD I had was rated for something like 15,000lbs towing. Wouldn't be much fun behind the NPI 5.4L in there, though.

packplantpath

There is. Here is a description I've found: http://www.caranddriver.com/features...ined-tech-dept









I have no doubt the 3.7 could pass large parts of that with 7,000 lbs. It looks to me like the standardization will pigeonhole the manufacturers into less categories for towing which would remove the need for so many rear gear ratios. Basically, they become limited by handling and stopping and they are all basically equal on that footing in that regard since the brakes/springs/etc are largely the same except in max tow/hd payload.