When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I build both the 3.5TT eco and the 5.0L Coyote; I know the internals of both engines very well. From a design stand-point, the Coyote is more refined and well thought out. Ford clearly chose their A-team designers to work on the 5.0L platform. The bottom end is real solid, cam caps are doweled and the head gaskets seal real well, even under boosted applications. The main bearings always look perfect when we tear them down.
All the external oil & coolant connections at the heads, block and turbos on the 3.5 are opportunities for additional leak paths. Historically the DI-only 3.5 engine suffers from VCT phaser issues, chain stretch and carbon on the intake valves with high mileage. I don’t see those issues on the 5.0L to-date.
If you typically own your vehicles for 5 years or less, it probably doesn’t matter and either engine will be fine (no arguing the 3.5 eco is quicker), but if you tend to keep a vehicle for a long time or put a lot of miles on your truck the turbos and all their related complexities can make for a more expensive cost of ownership over the long haul. Highly stressed engines tend to have more issues.
I owned my last F150 for 17 years. When I bought my ‘15 new I chose the 5.0L for all the reasons above, since I plan on keeping it just as long as my last one.
Gotta be careful to avoid mentioning the OTHER engine so we don't have a fight on our hands here(FWIW, I think all of Ford's current truck engines are great).
The 5.0 seems to have been very successful since it was first introduced in 2011. It had some teething issues during the first couple years(Issues with cyl #4 IIRC, total block replacement required), but overall the engine has been solid. I have the gen 2(2015-17) and it's been nothing short of stellar at 52k.
It's far superior to the 5.4 that it replaced in terms of reliability, efficiency, and power. Some will say that the 5.4 was better at towing because it had more of its torque at the lower end of the peak....but while the 5.0 peaks higher, it still makes more torque than the 5.4 at any given RPM, especially the Gen 2 5.0, which brought the peak down to 3700.
I won't make a recommendation in regards to which current engine to pick, because I don't want to start a fight. But I will say that you can't go wrong with the 5.0. The others will do what you want as well.
07-30-2018, 02:22 PM
