Drchuper

I own a 2011 FX4 EcoBoost, that now has just under 80,000 kms. (50,000 miles). Though equipped with the tow package, it has never towed. While mostly used for family driving around Vancouver BC, we did take it on an epic family trip in mid-2012. We went south through SLC and Las Vegas, east following old Route 66, south to Houston, east to Florida and right down to Key West, then back NW through Atlanta, St. Louis, Nebraska and on home.

Needless to say that included a lot of "high and hot" highway driving. The truck has also made a number of summer and winter trips through the Rockies between BC and Alberta. I drive fairly conservatively at or near the speed limit, though occasionally the automatic transmission kicks down into "passing gear" to pass a long load, etc. The truck loading is lots of family luggage; I ran it over a scale in Oregon at one point: 7050 lbs. GVW which is probably typical for our trips.

I'd like to know whether the EB turbos are being activated/utilized under these driving conditions? Indeed I have no idea whether they have EVER come into play, and don't know how to determine that.

As a related issue, I am considering installing a Road Armor "Stealth" winch bumper (which is advertised as EcoBoost compatible), and am of course cognizant of the varying strong opinions on airflow vs. intercooler overheating, etc. If indeed my driving does not tend to bring the turbos into play, then perhaps the heating issue is not all that important? I did install a protective grille in front of the intercooler at the outset and have not experienced any overheating problems to date. I welcome any informed comments from the Forum .. thanks.

Bryce919er

"I'd like to know whether the EB turbos are being activated/utilized under these driving conditions? Indeed I have no idea whether they have EVER come into play, and don't know how to determine that."



Go to the mpg screen. When the green bar drops you are using the turbos, when it goes up you are not. If you want a slightly more accurate reading get a boost gauge & watch the magic happen.

Matt6951

Anytime your on the gas, getting up to speed, going up a hill, etc, your turbos are being "activated" lol
Hell as soon as you turn the key and fire that bad boy up, your turbos are activated/utilized..

ClaySlayer

The short answer is yes, the turbos are being utilized to some extent unless the engine is under light to no load (coasting or just maintaining highway speed on flat ground).

13'TwinScrew

Depending on the truck...the turbos can actually be making 1-2lbs in that scenario, too.

I would say the 2011's more so than my 2013 due to the slightly smaller turbos.

jcain

The turbos are always spinning,if the motor is running, period, end of story. The amount of boost made depends on the engine load. You'd be hard pressed to see zero boost much, if ever, when the vehicle is in motion in a day to day scenario. Itty bitty turbos, always doing work.

13'TwinScrew

Exactly, I just saw someone post in another thread that they feel like their turbos aren't moving until 4K rpms....I think his turbos are broke.

SkiSmuggs

As for your winch concerns, Ford started out threatening to void the warranty for merely installing a grill in the opening. Now they use a smaller IC and put plastic shields in front of the older ones. I would only be concerned about a winch if 1) it was a 2013 or 2) if the plastic shield was added via TSB.

TJPlatinumEB

If you really are interested in educating yourself about turbos and how they work and their benefits, there are tons of videos and articles out there that go into extreme detail about it, but the cliffs notes version is this:

1. Turbos are driven off of the exhaust gasses generated by the truck. If exhaust is generated, the turbos are doing something. The more exhaust energy generated, the more boost and power it will make.

2. They can not be "turned off" or "deactivated" in any way. They are always doing something. They may not be always making positive boost pressure, but they are always spinning when the engine is running.

3. Ford very carefully selected the sizes of turbos for these trucks and it shows with how quickly they spool up and how very little lag there is in getting them going. Given the same size engine, the smaller turbos will always spool up faster than larger.

If you really want to know what your engine and turbos are doing, and if you happen to use an Android phone or tablet, look into the app called Torque and get a wireless OBD2 scanner online. You can view all sorts of gauges and other engine vitals at any given time. There is a huge thread on this and many of us use that setup for that very reason, myself included.