blueovalman14

Hey y'all:

I'm looking at trading in my 6.0 diesel for a brand new f150.

I'm trying to decide which engine to go with.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

engineermike

In before the . . .

"Oh crap", "face palm, and "search is your friend" comments.

Oh, and in before the . . .

"nothing sounds like a v8", "the Ecoboost gets crappy mileage", "the Ecoboost gets crappy towing mileage", "the regular cab 5.0 is the fastest truck EVAR", "the 5.0 tow rating REALLY is as high as the EB", and "your turbo's will blow up" comments.

dajohu

Both are very good choices.

5.0l will sound friggen awesome, and can support tons of mods, even forced induction

3.5l will never sound like a V8, can support less mods, but is more powerful stock, and a tuner makes it even better (cheap HP & TQ)

My bet is you can get better mileage with the 3.5l even though they are rated about the same.

It may sound shallow but it almost comes down to the sound, if you care about and want the sound of a nice V8 get the 5.0.

I can't beleive MPG matter that much, but many 3.5l are mid 20's in MPG, most likely the 5.0 will be a few MPG lower with the same driver, same route.

Al Kohalic

That depends on what the intended purpose of this truck is.

ford4261

Really depends on what you like. I traded in my '04 6.0 for a 2012 5.0 and I love the truck. The only thing about it is with a diesel, the power comes in down low and I noticed the same attributes with my dads ecoboost. My 5.0 makes great power but does it higher up in the rpm range. Not a bad thing, just not what I'm used to.

TwinTurboFx4

Test drive both

blueovalman14

Thanks for all the replies guys....

I'll try to answer all the questions below:

It will be used as a all around truck (light towing/hauling & driving around town).

I did test drive both this afternoon and the closest eco boost truck they found w/ most of my options was around $37600 but they have the exact truck I want in stock but w/ a 5.0 for close to $34000.

They both felt really strong but the seat of the pants feel goes to the ecoboost. It feels like driving a turbo diesel.

Al Kohalic

I would have said EB either way but what you would be using this truck for would have changed its configuration.

If light towing is less then 7.5K lbs and good mpgs as a daily driver is more important in a 2wd then I would go with the EB 3.15. That will net you great mpgs for a daily driver while still having a tow rating of over 8K lbs. If you are wanting a 4wd with more of a concern with mpgs then I would go for the 3.31 which still gives you a tow rating of 8K lbs although I would be a little leery about a 3.31 if you plan on putting bigger tires. Keep in mind that gearing does not effect the EB like it does the 5.0L (or other N/As) in towing or performance. For example, the tow rating for a 5.0L Screw 4wd 3.55 axle is 7,700lbs towing while an EB Screw 4wd 3.55 axle is 9,600lbs towing. I see a few people on this forum complain about mpgs on the EB driving a 3.73 ratio when a 3.15 2wd or 3.31 4wd EB would have suited their towing requirements just fine without them sacrificing that much if any performance. Even though the 5.0L gets close to the mpgs of the 3.73 EBs, they don't even come close to the fuel mileage I have seen out of the 3.15 or 3.31. I would go with the 3.55 if you need to tow over 7.5k lbs but have not need for the max tow package, and the 3.73 if you do.

HoustonFordGuy

I have owned the 6.0 diesel. Great for towing, but it cost in maint. $$$$

The EB might be worse than the 6.0 in that department $$$$. The high dew point to temp ratio (early morning 3AM to 9AM) driving in SE Texas does not work on the EB. When it creates the condensation it causes the CATS to clog up and that is preceded by the surging and missing etc. In the first 9,000 miles of driving my dealer has yet to fix it.

If you are driving mostly between 9AM to 9PM in SE Texas you will almost never have this problem; except when a fast moving cold front comes in and crushes the dew point down to the current temp and you are on the high way steady state.

So if you are not towing, then the 5.0 F150 is the way to go.

If you want to tow some serious loads with a half ton with this climate early AM driving, you may wish to consider other brands.

HoustonFordGuy

Your statement above is the qualifier.

If you stay away from steady state early AM driving high way driving in SE Texas you will almost never have the condensation, surging, missing, and clogged CATS problems with the EB.

If the EB stays in a city environment it does not have the opportunity to build the condensation, regardless of climate.

The 5.0 is great for light towing and that engine works the same in any climate