WVMoose

iTrader: (2)

So...I'm in the market for a newer F150. At first, I was looking for either a 5.0 or the 3.5 EB. Well, I was at the Ford dealer the other day and test drove a 2.7 EB and I was really impressed. Drove it in Tow mode and in Sport mode.

So here is my concern. 4 years ago I had a 2012 Sierra with the 5.3. My only complaint is that thing felt like it was hauling 20,000 pounds when I was towing less then 2000 pounds. Fast forward to now. I own a 2014 Ram with the 5.7L and the 8spd tranny. Now I tow a small popup camper, everything combined weighs less then 3,000 pounds. I have had no issues towing obviously, cant even tell the thing is back there.

So for those with the 2.7 EB that do light towing, 3,000 pounds maybe 1 weekend a month at the most...do you regret it? How does it tow? Does it struggle?

Ive been on this forum for well over 2 weeks now I think and have spent hours searching and still feel the need to ask. My main thing, I can get the 2.7EB with nicer options at a lower price then the bigger engines.

ford4wd08

Buy it and don't look back. In my opinion, Ford has always been a winner with their trucks in the towing game. Even back to only V8's. Chevy and Ram's V8's might have been faster, but they couldn't always match the Ford low end grunt of engines past.

As for the 2.7 Eco, I am a recent new owner of one. I have a boat that weights around the same as your popup camper. I haven't had a chance to pull the boat yet, but I have no doubt that it will do just fine.

Mine impresses me each day I drive it!

Livernois Motorsports

We've had plenty of customers that use their 2.7L trucks for towing and have had good things to say. This is usually running one of our towing specific performance tunes which help to wake the truck up quite a bit, but wouldn't actually affect how much weight they can handle of course. Since you're only planning to tow 3,000 lbs I wouldn't see having any issues with the truck struggling since our 3.5L shop truck has been able to tow an enclosed car hauling trailer successfully which weighs much more than that. But you can definitely tell it's back there when towing something of that magnitude.

If you said you were planning to use the truck primarily for towing or were towing something a lot heavier, I would say go for the larger engine. But towing 2-3k lbs every few weeks shouldn't be a big issue for the 2.7 in my opinion. How well the weight is distributed can also play a huge role in how well the truck handles the added weight also. So running a weight distribution hitch set up is something that can help with how well the truck is able to turn, brake, and steer with a load. Adding a good towing tune with premium fuel is also another tool that can help how sluggish the truck feels when towing as well since the these 2.7L trucks pick up a significant amount of torque as well. We do offer towing tunes for most all octane levels 87-93 , but these turbocharged trucks really should be running premium even on the stock tune when towing to get the best power and efficiency possible which is usually mentioned in the owners manuals on the EcoBoost trucks as well.

WVMoose

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, and i know the engine choices are a heavily discussed topic. Im just having a hard time i guess...the used low mileage trucks around here, you either get a 2.7 with a lot of extras and nice stuff or you get the 3.5 EB and its all basic stuff on the inside, unless you jump to a Larait or higher.

bisonp

The 2.7 only has 10 ft/lbs less torque than your 5.7 and it makes that at a much lower RPM. So power-wise the 2.7 should actually feel better with that amount of weight. Key word is should.

edit: Oh I see you are looking at used, so that would be a 35 ft/lb difference in the 15-17.

One caveat is that any F-150 is going to be significantly lighter than your Ram so that may affect how it feels towing.

Livernois Motorsports

Yeah that sounds similar to the offerings in our area also. I've seen some pretty great deals on low mileage 2.7 trucks that come pretty nicely equipped, but it always seems like the 3.5 trucks either have way more miles or do not have as many extras included around the same price ranges. Decisions decisions

Good point bisonp, definitely shedding some weight coming from a 5.7 Ram and not sacrificing too much torque. Throw a tune in the equation and BAM, you have a 5.7 killer haha.

westdraw

dhmcfadin

Drive them all and decide.

kkonyha

It makes sense why the 3.5's would have lesser equipment. It is the most expensive engine. A budget sometimes makes one choose what is the true priority. If I didn't have a camper that weighed 8,000 lbs, I would definetly have the 2.7. We tow it 8-10 times a year. The rest of the time the truck is a people hauler. The 2.7 would save in fuel. With the op's towing figures, I would not hesitate and get the 2.7. I believe longevity wise it is also a good choice.

UnkLeRaRa

I tow a sled trailer with 2 ATV's one in the box, and a pop-up trailer with my 2.7.

In either case, it felt like nothing was back there.

With 3K lbs, the 2.7 will tow like a champ.