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preach
preach GRM+ Memberand UberDork
11/9/24 12:22 p.m.

Tacoma may make the winter, but it needs work. Also need a dog car.

How about a suicide door F-15? Super cab or whatever.

Need the 4wd because New England.

Do not want the 2.7. What is the pros/cons of the 3.5l vs. 5.0?

Max towing would be 5k probably.

Puddy46
Puddy46 HalfDork
11/9/24 12:34 p.m.

5k max tow, you'll be fine with either the 3.5 EcoBoost or the 5.0L.  I believe the 10 speed auto showed up in 2018, and that is a good unit to have.  The 3.5L seems to have issues with cam phasers, but other than that, it's pretty reliable. 

For everyday use, do you like V8 rumble, or turbo whistles?  

 

EvanB
EvanB GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/9/24 12:36 p.m.

I went 5.0 because I didn't want to deal with the cam phaser issues or replacing/fixing leaks on the turbo. Just over 200k miles and mine is great. 
 

Highway trips at 75-80 net 18mpg, daily around town it stays at 15.5 average, towing is more like 13-14. Mine is a 2014, not aluminum body.

Fueled by Caffeine
Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
11/9/24 12:53 p.m.

I have a 2019 super crew f150.  It has the 2.7. I towed 6500lbs up to 5400 feet daily with it.  I wouldn't want another engine.  I get 25-26mpg on my commute with a light foot. 
 

the late teens 5.0's had oil consumption issues.  There is a tsb I think.  The 10 speed transmission has a few known issues.  I bought the super duper long warranty.  It'll need a transmission before I'm done with the truck probably.  So I'll just use the warranty.  
 

tbr 2015 and 2016 2.7's seem to be about the most robust of the trucks. The 6 speed and the first gen 2.7 seem to be just incredibly reliable. 

A 401 CJ
A 401 CJ GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
11/9/24 4:15 p.m.

Why not a 2.7?  I've heard really good things about them.  

yupididit
yupididit UltimaDork
11/9/24 4:59 p.m.

I heard the 2.7 is the most reliable of the 3.5, 5.0, and 3.0 (diesel). 

Spearfishin
Spearfishin HalfDork
11/9/24 5:49 p.m.

Our corporate fleet of white half tons just got its first 2.7. I have the 3.3, which has been great for reliability, but doesn't have any grunt. We've had a handful of 5.0's develop oil burning issues and 3.5s with cam phaser issues.

Pete. (l33t FS)
Pete. (l33t FS) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/9/24 6:55 p.m.

Why not the 2.7?  Just asking for clarification.

 

I am very much team 6sp.  The 10sp has valve body issues and a lot more sealing rings on the shafts that degrade with heat, which feels just like a valve body issue.

Not that the 6sp is perfect, but it seems more robust.

93gsxturbo
93gsxturbo UberDork
11/9/24 7:16 p.m.

The only reason not to get the 2.7 is that the 3.5 exists.  The 3.5 is an absolute ripper, even moreso with a tune.  Silly fast in a pickup truck, like 13.5@100 in the quarter with nothing but 93 octane, 12 flat @ 110ish with a tune, cat-back, and intercooler.   Thats some serious muscle in a regular street trim box stock pickup.  If you want a putt-putt a 2.7 is fine.  I am not sure of the reason to get a 5.0, they get the economy of the V8 and the power of the 2.7.  According to Ferd the 3.5 makes 470 ft/lbs in a 2020 vs the 5.0 and 2.7 at 400 ft/lbs.  Yes, the difference is real.

Real world MPG they deliver almost the same.  1-2 MPG difference regardless of powertrain.  Its gonna come down to the driver, the tires, the route, and the use case in most instances. 

If you want some hard data, head on over to Fuelly and take a look.  Its a whole lot more of a representative sample than one dude on a forum claiming to get something silly like 25 MPG while yanking a backhoe through the Eisenhower Tunnel every day with his truck.  

Dont sleep on the early build 2021s either, they were real optioned up in the XLT package compared to the 2020s and the 2022s due to a refresh (got more content) and then supply chain issues (lost content in 22). 

The big screen in the 21+ is worth the price of admission if you spend any time behind the wheel, especially if you want to use Carplay or Android Auto.  

 

Pete. (l33t FS)
Pete. (l33t FS) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/9/24 7:38 p.m.

The 2.7 feels like a big block V8.  It's far from a slouch.  

dps214
dps214 SuperDork
11/9/24 8:32 p.m.

Not an expert but I would imagine that a transmission that's made it 5 years and probably 50k miles or more is going to be fine. 3.5EB with the cam phasers replaced is what you want unless the 5.0 or 2.7 are significantly cheaper. Occasional 5k towing is fine without the max tow package but my memory is that the tow package swaybars seem to make the truck drive better loaded and unloaded. Probably something worth investigating at least.

Fueled by Caffeine
Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
11/9/24 10:57 p.m.

The one negative to the 2.7 is the towing mpg is pretty not awesome. 10mpg ish. 

dj06482 (Forum Supporter)
dj06482 (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UberDork
11/10/24 8:48 a.m.

My friend has a '17 4x4 SuperCrew with the 2.7.  For your use case, that's what I would recommend.  I drove it, and underpowered is definitely not how I'd describe it.  Towing mileage varies wildly (open vs. enclosed, vehicle weight, flat vs. hills, etc.).  My friend towed his '15 Mustang GT on a heavy Uhaul trailer from CT to Pittsburgh and back and said it did fine and the mileage was in-line with his expectations.  I think he added some kind of helper spring or airbags to the rear of his truck.

buzzboy
buzzboy UltraDork
11/10/24 9:22 a.m.

Dad's got a 2020 Supercrew FX4 3.5EB. It knocks out 22mpg around town and closer to 20mpg at highway speeds. I've towed my E36 on a Uhaul trailer with it once. Very nice power and plenty of brake. On flat land with the cruise set at 55mpg I pulled off 20mpg towing.

It is a Ford though, so it did have warranty injector replacement within the first 1000 miles of ownership.

SV reX
SV reX MegaDork
11/10/24 9:34 a.m.

I can't speak to the aluminum bodies, but I can speak to the engines. I have a 2013 5.0L and a 2013 3.5L EB. I drive both regularly.

The EB is superior in all ways. It really makes the 5.0 look pitiful.  Power, torque, towing capability, enjoyable driving.  The EB is an absolute joy.  The 5.0 is a turd.

My 2012 EB has a rated towing capacity of 11,400.  It's a beast. 
 

It's also super quiet. Like luxury car quiet.  
 

I've never driven a 2.7L.

 

Good luck!

Spearfishin
Spearfishin HalfDork
11/10/24 9:58 a.m.
SV reX said:

My 2012 EB has a rated towing capacity of 11,400.  It's a beast. 
 

It's also super quiet. Like luxury car quiet.  

 

Funny you say that. I rode to lunch in one of our exec's top of the line EB Expeditions (Limited, 2022ish?) and was struck by the amount of both wind/road noise and how much I could hear the turbos. Neither rose to the level of "this is a problem", but for a truck that stickers where that one does, it was way too noisy in my humble opinion.

OHSCrifle
OHSCrifle GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
11/10/24 10:00 a.m.
buzzboy said:

Dad's got a 2020 Supercrew FX4 3.5EB. It knocks out 22mpg around town and closer to 20mpg at highway speeds. I've towed my E36 on a Uhaul trailer with it once. Very nice power and plenty of brake. On flat land with the cruise set at 55mpg I pulled off 20mpg towing.

It is a Ford though, so it did have warranty injector replacement within the first 1000 miles of ownership.

Is there a typo in your states highway mpg number? Otherwise it seems odd to do better around town. 

buzzboy
buzzboy UltraDork
11/10/24 2:25 p.m.

Wind resistance! We don't have stop and go traffic where we live so it spends a lot of time at 35mph. It does better there than at 75+ on roadtrips.

Pete. (l33t FS)
Pete. (l33t FS) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/10/24 2:50 p.m.
Fueled by Caffeine said:

The one negative to the 2.7 is the towing mpg is pretty not awesome. 10mpg ish. 

On the other hand, it also doesn't have exhaust manifolds to warp like the 3.5 does.

 

I still don't understand the 2.7 voodoo where you have to wait ten minutes after shutting it off to check the oil.

wearymicrobe
wearymicrobe PowerDork
11/10/24 11:13 p.m.
EvanB said:

I went 5.0 because I didn't want to deal with the cam phaser issues or replacing/fixing leaks on the turbo. Just over 200k miles and mine is great. 
 

Highway trips at 75-80 net 18mpg, daily around town it stays at 15.5 average, towing is more like 13-14. Mine is a 2014, not aluminum body.

I thought the 5.0's had phaser issues as well. 

I love my 2016 5.0 Regular Cab, ex fleet truck and still ticking along just fine. It has had il changes every 3K since new though. Paid a premium over the cheyvs that were local but I ended up with a better truck at a bit more cost. 

Fueled by Caffeine
Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
11/10/24 11:40 p.m.

In reply to wearymicrobe :

They do have cam phaser issues and oil burning issues. But hell if they don't sound great. 

Driven5
Driven5 PowerDork
11/11/24 1:24 p.m.

As best I can tell...

Sound: 5.0 > 3.5 = 2.7

Track performance: 3.5 > 5.0 > 2.7

Tune performance: 3.5 > 2.7 > 5.0

Real world performance: 3.5 > 2.7 > 5.0

Max available tow rating: 3.5 > 5.0 > 2.7

Moderate towing: 3.5 > 2.7 > 5.0

Fuel economy: 2.7 > 5.0 = 3.5

Reliability*: 2.7 > 5.0 = 3.5

Personally, the last three were most important to me, so I ended up with a 2019 2.7+10spd that I literally could not be happier with. Boundary cases and unfounded perceptions aside, the existence of the 3.5 is less of an actual problem for the 2.7 than the games Ford plays with payload/towing between options and packages that most people don't pay much attention to.

There are only 3 reasons I can think of that I'd have gotten a different engine. First, if I could not wait to find one with the 2.7 Payload Package that brings the rest of the mechanicals back up to 3.5/5.0 spec. Second, if I desired a lux-spec truck where 2.7 is not offered. Third, if I was towing heavy and/or often enough to warrant something even heavier duty.

When the first of those was starting to look like a real possibility during my search, I was leaning 3.5 and probably still would.

 

* 3.5 owners tend to claim the 5.0 has more problems. 5.0 owners tend to claim the 3.5 has more problems. Owners of both admit the 2.7 has less problems than either.

Toyman!
Toyman! GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/11/24 1:39 p.m.

I have a 2017 Supercab XLT with the 2.7 in the work fleet. It has been outstanding. I stayed away from the 3.5 due to all the reported leak, exhaust, and turbo issues they suffer after 100k miles. The 2.7 doesn't seem to have those issues. It routinely knocks down 21-22 mpg around town and 27 mpg on the highway. 

My next couple of truck purchases will likely be the exact same truck. Cheaper buy-in because everyone is blinded by the HP numbers. Better reliability. Better fuel economy. 

Untitled photo

Fueled by Caffeine
Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
11/11/24 1:51 p.m.
Driven5 said:

* 3.5 owners tend to claim the 5.0 has more problems. 5.0 owners tend to claim the 3.5 has more problems. Owners of both can't deny the 2.7 has less problems than either.

Your comment resonates.   I watched this video and had to laugh.    Dude is ford tech. 
 

sumary is

3.0 power stroke and 3.5 cohost:  lots of issues but can take care of them. 
 

5.0:  has issues but v8 noises so I rate it the top

2.7:  I just don't see enough of these in the shop so I don't know how good they are but it's still below the 5.0 becuse v8 noises. 
 

I had to laugh at this guy. If you don't see it in the shop it's because they don't come it because they aren't broken. 
 

Anyway. Back to the regular scheduled goofiness. 

93gsxturbo
93gsxturbo UberDork
11/11/24 1:52 p.m.

When you are talking problems, its all decimal point differences in the grand scheme of things, there are so many dang F150s out there, none of them are what would be considered "unreliable"

The 3.5 is the best motor for the F150 by leagues.  The 2.7 and 5.0 are underpowered in comparison, but at least the 2.7 returns in theory decent MPG even though real world MPG figures are like 1-2 MPG better for 100 or more less horsepower.  Not worth it in my opinion.  

There is a good reason the 2.7 and 5.0 trucks are quite a bit cheaper to buy used even though its only a $1600 difference in the price new, and a 5.0 is the same price to upgrade to as 3.5.

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