KEVININCHICAGO

Mine was great until this past Wed at 130,000 miles. Just got totaled by a stolen car in a police pursuit here in the Chicago ghetto when three "locals" bailed and ran and one dropped his gun. 50 mph hard hit broadside right before the front right wheel pushing the frame towards the driver's side a foot and moving the whole cab support framework about 6 inches over also. The hit snapped the steering shaft off of the electric steering unit so after the hit I was just along for the ride unable to steer spinning around in circles. Almost bought the exact same truck again with a 3.3 na but a Leadfoot 2018 Rousch with a 5.0 was out front of the dealer and I was hooked and bought it. The 3.5 na 6 speed was the most reliable powertrain I have ever had. Nothing happened, broke, no idiot lights, check engine lights, nothing... It was a good truck I will miss. It plowed snow for 4 winters too.

javelina1

d*mn dude, good to hear you're ok!

jetjoe

At great risk I will chime in once again. I made the mistake of trying to explain the differences between the NA's and Eco's and nearly got my head tore off. Those Eco guys love their turbo's.

Previously I posted my trip from Naples to Chattanooga with my 16 3.5 NA. The total gross weight of the trailer and truck was well over 10,000 lbs. (Yes, I weighed it) I don't normally tow this sort of weight with this truck but we were moving and I had to buy a trailer to haul what didn't fit in the Pak-Rats. This engine performed very well especially in the flat lands of south Florida. The mileage dropped a couple but I never did put it into tow mode until we reached the hills of Georgia. But even then I did so only occasionally. It just kept chugging along at 70 only occasionally dropping out of OD in the steeper hills. Once or twice it would drop another. As I recall the overall mileage for that trip was around 16 MPG using the pump and mileage figures, not the dash board numbers.

The negative side, and this I believe has nothing to do with the engine was with every passing truck we would get a double kick from side to side. As the semi would pass the trailer, the truck would want to veer to the right and as it passed the front quickly jump to the left. It's a very uncomfortable feeling to say the least! This was a single axle 16 ft. enclosed trailer, no brakes. Also, I managed to toast the front brakes at one time or another. ( I hate that pulsing feeling) I'm usually very careful about this and I think I know when this occurred. But, I ended up replacing the front pads and rotors with vented rotors. I would attribute the veering to the rather light tires installed on the base F150's. Michelin 245/70R17's the standard base tires. Again, as I mentioned in several other threads, the tires have just as much effect on towing as the engine if not more.

Since then, I purchased a set of takeoff wheels and tires (275/65R18's) which are standard on the 4X4's and much higher load ratings. I got rid of the enclosed trailer but now have purchased a boat which the dry weight is listed at 2800 lbs. I would guess the trailer is around another 800 lbs. So I would say the total with all the junk I haul along with it to be around 4000 lbs. And I can say I don't even know the boat is there. Totally different situations but I think its a good example of what these 3.5 NA can do. I really don't think the engine is a factor at all and the 6 speed tranny really smooths things out well.

To sum up. I would say at 5000 lbs. towing weight the brakes and tires are much more likely to cause issues then the engine. It was total curiosity that I weighed the rig half way to Tennessee. In the future should another situation like this come along, I will be more careful with the loading. Another thing. The boat ramps in this area could better be described as cliffs. I now somewhat regret not buying a 4X4. But how often would I use it? Life is a compromise.

Sorry about the length of this. I get bashed about that also but its hard to answer some questions in a short paragraph.

atldude

I have stock everything except rear shocks (bilstein) 3.5NA with 3.55 gears. I tow boat and trailer total just under 5,000lbs with all the gear, fuel etc. several times a year 20-30mi on 55mph highways without issues. Engine will rev up on occasion when i go over steeper hills and that's just about all the "drama" I've noticed. Boat ramps here at Lake Lanier are pretty steep but have not been an issue. Have not had the need for 4x4 since I bought it.

jetjoe

That's good to hear. I haven't tried it yet. I traveled around the area today looking at different public accesses and noticed most of them have towing company signs posted nearby. Hmmm..

atldude

My boat came as an afterthought and I get the need piece of mind of 4x4. Plus if you ever want to go bigger boat ... the steepest one I've seen so far is at Port Royale next to the front office but again no issues even with that one. I have not tried all of them though. Stuff happens to everyone occasionally so I'm not surprised about the presence of tow company signs. Every now and then I get the bug to trade and upgrade (mostly due to the trim level .. have an XL with 101 sport package I believe) but then I quickly dissuade myself since there's really nothing I *need* at the moment that my truck doesn't already have and I paid it off shortly after I bought it.

jetjoe

Again, I agree. I've had nothing but 4X4's over the past six or seven trucks. Back then there was an advantage as the capacity was quite a bit more than 2 by's. But the days of solid front axles are gone and current models tow capacity is actually less. One of the ramps in the area even has a large plate with steel rings embedded in the ramp. Plenty of burn marks also and it's not even season yet. I 'm a bit dismayed with the boating situation around here. (Chatt area) Only the Tennessee river close by. Before I up for a new truck, the boat will go. Right now it's more of a "keep me busy" project than a desire to do any sort of boating. Likely just give it to my daughter who loves the misery of boat ownership.

cal50

iTrader: (1)

My 3.5 SCAB 4X4 has been the best truck I have owned. Summer driving I average 22 mpg and one highway trip moving my daughter home from school was a 5 hour drive @ 75mph with the AC full blast the entire time and I average 23.7 mpg.
I think its rated around 300 HP which blows away my old 3/4 ton chevy with a 350 engine 2WD yet some people want you to believe you have to downshift hauling a bag of groceries. The 3.5 is perfect for my use.

BigBubba83

Anyone recommend a good sounding exhaust for my 15 f150 with the na v6 dont like super loud just a nice rumble and might help with the power was suggested to magna flow but would like to hear from some of u who have the na v6 and not shops thanxs in advance

T Diddy

Catback exhaust is about the only thing that sounds good on these 6 bangers. Everything else just makes it sound like a street car

Truck looks awesome btw