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Ford eco boost 3.5L vs Tundra 5.7L for towing

Discussion in 'Towing & Hauling' started by Dansly56, Apr 24, 2022.

  1. Apr 24, 2022 at 4:21 PM
    #31
    knoxville36

    knoxville36 New Member

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    It is funny you mentioned this. I was literally going to post on this tonight. We took my 2500 HD this weekend from Knoxville, TN down to Huntsville, AL for a soccer tournament.

    we went 75 South from Knoxville to Chattanooga. Left Friday night so we hit stop and go traffic leaving Knoxville. Also hit a little stop and go traffic in Chattanooga getting I-24 East. Then the last 60 miles was in a 4 lane country road, 72w to Huntsville. I had cruise set the whole time at 75 in the interstate, on 72W I had it set to 68. This trip also included 3 stops. 1 for food, 2 for kids bathroom breaks.

    The attached photo is from this past Friday when we arrived in Huntsvillle. I filled up before leaving for Knoxville, then topped off Friday night in Huntsville. I got a confirmed 17.5 when dash said 18.

    The dash is always .4 to .6 high, but it is very consistent!

    Through 39,000 miles I am averaging 14.2 over the life of the truck with every gallon charted.

    Truck weighs 7,600 pounds with me and a few family members. I have 3,050 pounds of available payload with some goodies and a few family members in the trucks.
    1DD0C51D-3AC1-4FA6-AF58-B2F72B38D302.jpg E974B9A2-F5F2-473A-8489-79C9D4ADF898.jpg
     
  2. Apr 24, 2022 at 4:29 PM
    #32
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

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    Thanks Mike. Always give us honest reviews on your personal trucks and fleet trucks. Appreciate it. Hopefully the tournament went in your kids favor.
     
  3. Apr 24, 2022 at 5:06 PM
    #33
    Dansly56

    Dansly56 [OP] New Member

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    So what’s the better truck a f250 or the GM 2500HD? I’m not going to go with the 3.5L eco boost after all. I’m looking for a used 3/4 from years 15-17.
     
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  4. Apr 24, 2022 at 5:13 PM
    #34
    knoxville36

    knoxville36 New Member

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    Honestly, pick your poison. Once you step up to the HD platform these trucks are pretty equal. A lot of the problems reside in the 1/2 ton market. The HD trucks are made pretty well and really can't go wrong.

    The hardest part is going to actually be able to find one. I would plan on waiting for 3-6 months for something you really want, or might be able to get lucky if you are flexible.
     
  5. Apr 24, 2022 at 6:09 PM
    #35
    Terndrerrr

    Terndrerrr guzzling dealer repellent

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    Agreed with this. Modern half tons are trying to be too many things at once.
     
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  6. Apr 24, 2022 at 7:14 PM
    #36
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

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    Sooooo, do you like to play around with tuning and boost?

    The 6.0L in the GM can be built up very nicely for reasonable cost and tuning is endless. So far to my knowledge the 6.6L gasser has no real tuning/boost options that are cost effective. For 6500.00, you can have 45% more HP on a relatively stock motor.

    Build the trans a bit and have a tow pig that’s damn good.
     
  7. Apr 25, 2022 at 5:04 AM
    #37
    GODZILLA

    GODZILLA Hail to the King, Baby.

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    I agree, but it also made the 1/2 ton the perfect single vehicle option when I was buying. More durable than unibody, enough interior space to haul adults in the back seat comfortably, a bed big enough to move furniture and appliances, enough weight and power to bust snow drifts as needed, and better towing than the SUVs out there. As the saying goes “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
     
  8. Apr 25, 2022 at 5:36 AM
    #38
    Terndrerrr

    Terndrerrr guzzling dealer repellent

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    Yeah I agree with that. Especially since your truck is a very simple, old school, honest truck. Until I need to tow more than 8k, my Tundra is going nowhere.
     
  9. Apr 25, 2022 at 5:44 AM
    #39
    GODZILLA

    GODZILLA Hail to the King, Baby.

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    Agreed, and I just plan to keep my needs below that. :D
     
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  10. Apr 25, 2022 at 6:35 AM
    #40
    Melikeymy beer

    Melikeymy beer No cooler for you!

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    I agree with you regarding that specific trailer. But while many of us might love to be towing our RV with a Super Duty, they just don't make sense the other 95% of the time we're using the vehicle. Too big to fit in the garage, suck to park and navigate in town, etc.

    It's all give and take. To me, it was just limiting the size of the RV. But as soon as we no longer have a trailer I'll be back in a mid size truck. Not a fan of a full size for every day use.
     
  11. Apr 25, 2022 at 6:42 AM
    #41
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

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    100% agree. Daily driving anything larger than a Tacoma sucks. My truck sits in the garage until work is needed.
     
  12. Apr 25, 2022 at 6:45 AM
    #42
    Fiesta346

    Fiesta346 New Member

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    I've been researching HD trucks and was leaning toward a diesel until the $5+ a gallon on fuel. It does scare me to give up the tundra for any HD but im also in need of something with more towing capability
     
  13. Apr 25, 2022 at 7:08 AM
    #43
    GODZILLA

    GODZILLA Hail to the King, Baby.

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    Unless you are towing all the time, diesel is a losing proposition. I played that game and for short trips/commuting it's a miserable and maintenance intensive PITA.
     
  14. Apr 25, 2022 at 8:46 AM
    #44
    PermaFrostTRD

    PermaFrostTRD Tumescent Member

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    yes towing over 10-12k greater than 50 miles, 2x or more per week? Diesel.

    If I only met 1 of the above criteria, it would be an HD gasser for me. Probably the GM 6.6 flavor.
     
  15. Apr 26, 2022 at 9:17 AM
    #45
    frichco228

    frichco228 Valued Member

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    If you make the move, I would suggest that you purchase an extended warranty on the Ford.
     
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  16. Apr 26, 2022 at 10:17 AM
    #46
    PLC721

    PLC721 New Member

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    FWIW my Cummins gets about 22mpg cruising on the highway and 17ish around town, deleting will also increase these numbers. I just hit 50k miles and besides 1 power folding mirror being replaced I haven't had a single issue.
     
  17. Apr 26, 2022 at 7:07 PM
    #47
    Terndrerrr

    Terndrerrr guzzling dealer repellent

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    It amazes me how much more efficient diesel engines can be. If you picture a gallon of diesel in your mind (like a milk jug but full of diesel), that 1 gallon can move a very heavy HD truck 22 miles down the road. My buddy had an old diesel VW Rabbit in high school. His dad was an airplane mechanic, and they kept it running like a top. He averaged 65mpg. Lol. My 2015 Prius couldn’t do that.

    Diesel fuel at 17/22 (say 19mpg combined) still costs more per mile than 87 unleaded at 14mpg combined, although not much. My fuel cost is 24.8 cents per mile (that’s 14mpg @3.48/gal). Your fuel cost per mile is 28.9 cents (best diesel price I saw today was 5.49/gal @ 19 combined).
     
  18. Apr 26, 2022 at 7:29 PM
    #48
    PLC721

    PLC721 New Member

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    Yikes, diesel here is about 4.99 I think and 87 is just is about 4.49 if i remember correctly. I normally just close my eyes when I fill up.

    What i'm impressed with it the towing efficiency. Towing my families 21' Ranger bass boat on a double axle trailer and loaded with camping gear my Tundra would get about 9mpg (on 35's) my Cummins gets about 16mpg (on 34's).
     
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  19. Apr 27, 2022 at 8:29 AM
    #49
    Silver17

    Silver17 Used, but returned and sold as new member

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    I agree with this idea. If I didn’t have a tundra I’d have a lightly used Chevy 6.0 crew cab 6.5’ with a magnuson or Whipple on top for sure. Lots of power, and still reliable with better towing and payload. The 6.6 gas doesn’t seem too impressive until they can offer some tuning for it at least. If I had not supercharged my tundra and invested all that money into it before buying my larger camper I may have considered that route. I have always wanted a supercharged tundra though, so I cannot complain. I’m still working within the ratings of the truck at least.
     
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  20. May 3, 2022 at 10:41 AM
    #50
    Dansly56

    Dansly56 [OP] New Member

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    I decided to keep my tundra and will look at a 3/4 ton in the future
     
  21. May 3, 2022 at 10:46 AM
    #51
    Dansly56

    Dansly56 [OP] New Member

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    A56F6357-59CB-4832-96D5-15C0061F9481.jpg
     
  22. May 3, 2022 at 10:53 AM
    #52
    r1-superstar

    r1-superstar Kailua Boy

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    Not sure what happened to my post. I remember that picture you posted earlier on and I'm glad you found one. But they aren't that readily available.

    I'm glad you kept the Tundra. My friends have the F-150 EB and they don't tow worth a shit up Parleys Canyon here and they have many issues...
     
  23. May 3, 2022 at 11:09 AM
    #53
    Terndrerrr

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    They actually are pretty common. These are both XLT 4x4 supercrew short bed F150s. First one is an EB; second is a 5.0 v8. Don’t get me wrong; I would still never drive an F150. Ever. My perfect truck would be my ‘21 Tundra with payload numbers like this.
    903B9B2E-EA93-42C4-89AA-F02888F15677.jpg

    4C81AD9E-AA56-4508-8B74-2A3C00E26924.jpg
     
  24. May 10, 2022 at 6:49 AM
    #54
    mass-hole

    mass-hole New Member

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    I own a 2014 F150 3.5 Ecoboost with the max tow package(3.73’s, higher axle rating, higher gvwr, cooling upgrade). I use it to tow a 24’ 5500 lb JayFeather X213 around UT, WY, ID, MT and some other surrounding states. So generally at ~6500’ elevation. I have around 16000 miles towing this trailer in the last 4.5 years.

    I can tell you that it pulls like a locomotive, even at this elevation and I really think the only V8 that rivals it here is the Ford 7.3L or maybe GM’s 6.2L. It will pull at 70 mph up and down any hill and rarely ever needs more than 3500 rpm to do it.

    They love octane(as would the 2022 Tundra). The more octane the better.

    MPG’s can vary wildly. I’ve seen anything from 6.7(towing from Black Hills in SD to Utah as a winter storm was blowing into WY. 30+ mph headwinds doing 65-70 mph for 9 hours straight) all the way up to 10.8 mpg(slight tail wind going from Park City Ut to Flaming Gorge in Ut). In normal good conditions its 9-10 mpg at 70 mph, but I’m rarely not fighting some kind of wind so I probably average 9. Thats said, I cannot fault the Ecoboost on mpg’s. Very few other trucks can pull has hard and fast and easily as the Ecoboost so naturally it will use more fuel. When you can just casually climb any hill you point it at at any legal speed, it’s easy to get crappy mpg.

    The biggest issue I have is with the cooling system. The 2011-2014 trucks have a truly pathetic cooling system. My truck would have issues once it got to be >80F outside(again at 6500’ or more) and if it got up near 90-100F I had to be really careful on climbs.

    That said, the 2015 trucks got a decent bump in radiator size, and then the 2018+ max tow trucks got even bigger. I still hear people having issues with the 2018+ trucks if they are towing in extreme conditions(high elevation+high temperatures) but are much better. Its usually only people towing in the Rockies or Sierras that I’ve heard of having issues. If you are willing to upgrade the truck, a Mishimoto radiator and an upgraded intercooler make the 2015+ trucks pretty bulletproof cooling wise.

    My suggestion is to find a 2018+ Max Tow if you can. Its the biggest factory cooling, has huge turbos that stay more efficient at high elevation, and you get the second gen 3.5L with the power bump and dual injection.

    Cooling I think is where the Tundra has a pretty significant advantage. The radiator is huge and it has a proper mechanical cooling fan.
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2022
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  25. May 10, 2022 at 7:04 AM
    #55
    Dansly56

    Dansly56 [OP] New Member

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    I ended up buying a f250 yesterday
     
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