Deerhunter4

I can't get over how much better my 2011 FX4 Ecoboost 112k miles than my 2015 Lariat FX4 Ecoboost 22k miles. They are both similarly equipped except that the 2011 has 3.73s and the 2015 has 3.31s. I mostly haul my Mule Pro FXT or my 23 HP Kubota to my hunting areas. The experience in the 2011 is just much less stressful. I normally use the 2011 since it is mine and the 2015 is my wife's but we just made a 1,000 mile trip in the 2015 towing my UTV. The 2011 has more power and pulls hills much easier, which I guess is due to gearing. That is not the point though. The 2015 vibrates from multiple angles including the dreaded gas pedal. The trailer is 10x more noticeable especially on rough roads in the 2015. The 2015 does get slightly better MPGs though. The intercooler on the 2011 must be larger because IATs run about 20 degrees above ambient while in the 2015 they run 30 degrees above ambient (I use an SCT Livewire to monitor).

Not sure why I shared this other than it blows my mind since I guess I expected the next gen truck to tow better when I bought it. The vibrations are the worst. I guess I'll keep the 2011 as long as I can and hope some improvements are made over the next few years before I'm ready to buy again.

montanaman

Gears make all the difference in the world.

I once owned a '77 Ford Granada Ghia, 2 door, with a smogged-out 302 V8 that was rated at 134hp. In their search for mileage they put a 2.47:1 gear in the differential.

That thing wouldn't get out of it's own way, and after I built a 289 for it, I discovered that my 289, cammed to pull to 6500 rpm, would go 60mph in 1st gear !

If you choose to re-gear it, go big, or go home, I'd go 4.10:1.

Spiky

That's a pretty important "except".

Deerhunter4

I agree. I lock out 6th on both and the difference in RPMs at 70 mph is 200-300 so it's nothing to overlook. The Eco makes more than enough torque to get things moving and keep them moving regardless of gearing. Don't get me wrong I didn't really mean to complain. I guess I was just saying that the vibrations and overall feel with the 2015 isn't great in comparison. If I didn't pull the same load with both trucks or didn't have the 2011 as a close comparison I'd probably say that the 2015 tows great.

Spiky

I don't go over there much, but when I was shopping I did...the 2015 forum seems to have a lot of people that try to quiet down their truck in various ways, sway bar in back for instance. There are going to be differences in feel due to weight changes.

But the gearing has got to be the issue for how it pulls.

SkiSmuggs

The 2011-12 models had the largest CAC of the series as they went smaller to "fix" the condensation problem which was most likely a spark plug problem. Even so, I put the Wagner IC on my 2011 and never had a heat problem. And once I replaced spark plugs every 30K, gapped at .030, I never had the condensation problem again.
If you really want to be wowed by Ecoboost towing power, the 2017 is an amazing upgrade with another 50 ft/lbs of torque.

Deerhunter4

I have changed plugs every 20-30k. Just did the 2015 at 20k miles. Also I have drilled the weep hole in both ICs. I have an itch to drive a new Eco 10 speed but I have no reason to. I really want a new Raptor but can't justify that and it's not really practical for towing even though I only tow 5k lbs or less.