CoreyMS

I think you'll be happy either way. I love my eco and if money wasn't a problem I'd have a sc rcsb 5.0 too. Ford trucks throwing you back in the seat > anything. Blown rcsb 6.2 anyone..ah <3.

But honestly, to your original question...with no more than the basic 3 mods the eco is going to win out...with everything being equal. Intake/exhaust doesn't add that much on any of the engines..as far as trap speed/time. 13s with just a tuner on the eco.

Like I told guys a couple weeks ago, I got 21.5mpg on the way to the track a couple Saturdays ago...then ran a 13.947. You can't beat that....

BMWBig6

I agree but I'm not sure a 1/4 mile is long enough a stretch to (convincingly) demonstrate this (certainly not a 0-60 MPH match), which is why most of the races posted online have come down to the driver/launch/conditions. (Plus those heavy 22" Harley/Limited wheels have to count for something.) But your point is valid that once out of the hole, and you're keeping the RPM's up in the higher rev range with each shift, the advantages of the Ecoboost are less pronounced.

I personally LOVE keeping my 6.2 at full boil, because it literally feels alive (a sensation I never felt when test-driving the more refined but also "colder" anesthetized Ecoboosts). At full roar you can feel the 6.2 in the seats, floor, steering wheel (could be the 6.2-specific hydraulic power steering) and everything else your body is in contact with. Not to mention the sweet music for your eardrums. I could care less about a couple tenths or bragging rights.

Or even better, save some coin and just get a 5.0 unless the magic 14 sec barrier is so important to you. Though it seems strange (to me) to base an entire vehicle purchase on its capabilities in a very narrow measurement like that (how often are you really going to drive the truck in that manner, and how important is that result?). But it's your money, not mine.

Shan

Nah, most of us eco owners based our decision on day to day drive ability, LOTS of low end torque, good gas mileage, and dead silence while doing it. The last thing I want to hear when I'm using my truck as a truck is any engine for hours on end.

Al Kohalic

X2.
The massive low end torque sold me on the Eco, not the 14 second quarter miles. Just taking a test drive and seeing how the engine responds below 3k rpm without a hint of any sluggish feeling like other n/a engines I test drove was jaw dropping. WOT with the EB and other engines did not feel too different even though the EB felt slightly quicker. I didn't care about that since I normally drive between 1k and 3k rpm not 3k+ like the others I drove. I wanted the power down low not up high.

straightaxle

I just dont get why people are "SO suprised" that a properly engineered turbocharged vehicle has massive low end torque...... It's simple physics really. at peak torque I have seen spikes of 17 psi on stock trucks, but they average about 12-13 psi. 14.7 psi is one atmosphere, so 12 psi is about 82% of an atmosphere. 3.5l times 82%= about 6.3 liters at 100% v/e. a better than average n/a/ motor runs at 85% v/e, so 6.3l divided by .85%=7.4l. So, with f/i the "little" v-6 performs like a 7.4l n/a motor, no wonder they make so much massive low end torque! Add some great tuning, and no wonder they run like Big blocks!

bignfast

I can vouch for it performing like a big block. I owned a 2002 2500hd with the 8.1L v8 and Allison trans. It also had 4.10 gears. Obviously it towed like a beast. The Ecoboost is the only gas truck that I have driven that would even come close to the towing power of the 8.1 vortec/allison combo. If my Ecoboost had 4.10's instead of 3.55's I would say it would outperform the big block towing anyday. Oh and that 8.1 got 10 mpg's in the city and most I ever saw hwy was 11.2 mpg's. It only dropped to about 9 towing my boat on the hwy.

TurboSalsa

Yeah, most people don't know how turbochargers work. It is basically displacement on demand. When you are cruising unloaded doing 70 on the highway, you are probably using little or no boost. When you are towing, the turbochargers are cramming more air into the cylinders so that you can add more fuel.

Both the EB and 8.1l big block will get similar towing economy since they are both using the same amount of fuel and air. However, when the EB is unloaded, it is using much less fuel and air, which is something the 8.1l cannot do without affecting it's stoichiometric ratios.