preproduction 2011 F-150's

[johndeerefarmer]

I participated in the Ride and Drive event at the Texas Motor Speedway and they probably had 20 new 2011 F-150's there. It got me to thinking- does Ford have a special assembly line that they build these pre-production units on, or are they built in the R&D Lab sitting in one spot and one piece at a time?

 

Thanks

[denp]

I participated in the Ride and Drive event at the Texas Motor Speedway and they probably had 20 new 2011 F-150's there. It got me to thinking- does Ford have a special assembly line that they build these pre-production units on, or are they built in the R&D Lab sitting in one spot and one piece at a time?

 

Thanks

Have you tried an ecoboost ??

[tailhook]

Have you tried an ecoboost ??

 

tried the ecoboost today here in houston...wow, it is quick. i was smoking the hemi 5.7 all day and going toe to toe with the 6.2 harley. the 5.0 is no slouch either. i consistently running around the 7.7 to 7.9 with the ecoboost and im no expert drag racer.

[johndeerefarmer]

Have you tried an ecoboost ??

 

Yes, very nice. Accelerates like a muscle car- maybe a slight turbo lag but hardly noticeable. Towed 6700 lbs in a cargo trailer on flat roads at speeds from 30-55. Couldn't tell that the load was back there. It definitely feels like a diesel (I currently drive a F250 with 6.0). As soon as i find out what mileage will be both loaded and unloaded I will see about getting one ordered

[HoustonPerson]

Got to play with the new 2011 F150’s today. Nice truck. They will now have a choice of 4 new engines, finally getting rid of the Triton 3 value psycho stuff which was a real dog for me. My only interest is the 5.0 which is standard in FX4 or Lariat OR the 3.5 EcoBoost which is a $750 add on if you want it – Yikes!

 

Look to me there were about 75 Ford employees there. Maybe about 60 peeps there, so you just about had a one to one ratio the whole time. I played about 2.5 hours.

 

http://www.drivef150.com/

 

To put this in perspective so most know where I am coming from, I have spent a be-zillion years of towing. 50 years ago it was Airstream trailers (any size). The last 10 years it has been boats, most in the 8,000 lb range. Being in a wakeboard club means we/I have driven just about every truck made the last few years – so I do have my likes and dislikes. Now on to this mini-review.

 

 

The three main driving events were:

 

Economy testing on city streets – you were placed in competition with other drivers, but really sort of meaningless since driving conditions, traffic, accidents etc. always changed – but hey that was real world.

 

 

The two driving tests that were most important to me were the drag strip racing and the towing test. You could go through all the tests as many times as you want. Essentially the Ford employees let you do exactly anything you wanted to with the trucks being tested.

 

 

Drag Strip:

 

This was set up in the parking lot to the Horse track. All trucks were CrewCab 4x2. That was way kewl, never done that before. They had the countdown tree lights etc – Yep it was real. I raced a 5.0 Lariat CrewCab against the 5.3 Chevy CrewCab – The Ford smoked the Chevy. I got scared at the end of the ¼ mile when I looked up and saw the ambulance on stand by at the end of the track – then you got to do pop o wheelies and some other high speed stuff, then finish the loops and pick out another truck and start over again. The next one I tried was the 3.5 EcoBoost. It was a dash slower off the line; but the top speed was faster, finished the 1/4 mile about ¾ second faster (this me driving), as the turbos wound up and did their thing. You could test against popular Chevy and Dodge half ton configurations – No Tundra’s to test – bummer.

 

 

Towing:

 

The tow sleds were all 6,500 lbs with double axle – normal 23’ wakeboard boat weight. But tongue loads were 900 – about 300 more than most boat set ups. “Equalizer” hitches were used all around on all their test trucks – something none of use on our boats, because of light tongues. The trailers where equipped with electric brakes tied into the Ford Tow Command; we all use surge brakes.

 

The truck I tested was a black FX4 EcoBoost against Dodges and Chevys – No Tundras? I actually got the feeling Ford would be embarrassed to compete against the Tundra? The Ecoboost does have a very nice wide torque curve with a max torque of 420. My 06 SuperDuty is 550 torque?

 

IMO if you are taking two trips a week to Riverside you still need ¾ ton with torque and springs to get her done with a fully loaded 23’ boat. Occasional or short distance towing with that size boat would be fine. Long distance driving would sort of beat you do death on the highway and/or rough roads; just not enough springs under the truck to hold it all together. Those half ton Fords and the other trucks where bouncing all around on the rough broken concrete surrounding the Horse track – lots of pitch and yaw. Yes I did break the speed limit on Fairbanks N. Houston and went 60-70 mph more than once. IMO the half tons still will not tow a 23’ at 90mph like the SuperDuty and ride stable at the same time.

 

I tried several standing starts; 0 to 60 at full throttle. It was very good; but you could tell it was working “hard” and it was not the 550 torque I am use too. It did blow away the Dodge and Chevy half tons, so there is no comparison. They did not have any of the 5.0 set up for towing – bummer

.

Keep in mind I have never done full throttle from standing start in my SuperDuty with Boat attached. If I did, it might implode/explode? I dunno?

 

It would have been much nicer to test the towing configurations out on a run to Riverside. All of these newer half tons should be able to pull a 21’ boat like it is not there. And with even significantly lighter tongue loads pitch and yaw should start to fade away as well.

 

Ford claims the towing capacity of the 3.5 over the 5.0 is an additional 1,500 lbs or so. To me they felt very similar; but not knowing the axles used (type and ratio), it made doing any type of real world comparisons meaningless.

 

Impressions for today’s test:

 

The new 5.0 is no slouch, the only V-8 that could be better would be the Tundra, IMO. The 5.0 is completely silent, exceptionally fast, and super outrageously smoooooooth – like is this thing even turned “on” at any RPM? It’s that smooooooth and quite. IMO the new 5.0 is significantly better than the 2010 5.4 and it is also significantly better than what Dodge and Chevy have to offer.

 

The 3.5 EcoBoost may be a real winner; but honestly it was not enough driving for me to really tell. For me it made more noise (strain) than it should at full throttle with 6500 pounds on the back. IMO under normal day to day drive and even under “sane” towing it should be quite enough – but under heavy load – um? I really did not like the noise?

 

I know that when the time comes the local Ford dealers will let me borrow one for a day or two and even take it on a 250 mile tow loop, that is probably the only way I could tell which engine to get.

 

None of the Ford employee’s there could tell what type of axles the 5.0 and 3.5 EcoBoost had on the drag strip. The way the 5.0 started I think it might have been one of the Auto Limited Slip – like chirp and lock, release, chirp and lock release, and so on. The EcoBoost made no chirp at all; but like any turbo it could have been waiting to “spool up” and actually go (just like my diesel). None of that is real world for me and I certainly would not tow that way.

 

I really could not tell if EcoBoost is worth $750 more, even if it does get 3 or 4 more MPG than the 5.0?

 

Ok, someone do the math. When do you break even on that?

 

I am glad Ford spent the money to put on this event. It is something you do not get to do every day. And I did learn a lot. The most informative employee was the guy in the engine room – he knew enough to answer my questions (except the axle question).

 

It would have been nice if Ford had also included the 5.7 Tundra CrewMax 4x4 Off Road Bilstein package for towing comparisons - both full throttle test, and the broken concrete test. Side by Side with the FX4 makes the comparisons easier.

[Pioneer]

I participated in the Ride and Drive event at the Texas Motor Speedway and they probably had 20 new 2011 F-150's there. It got me to thinking- does Ford have a special assembly line that they build these pre-production units on, or are they built in the R&D Lab sitting in one spot and one piece at a time?

 

Thanks

 

 

Very early mules are done at the R&D center. After that, pre-production builds run down the same assembly line as the 2010's. In fact, we did another run of them on Friday. Looked like close to 50 from the number of parts they used out the 2011 racks.

 

The pre-production units are for the benefit of getting the line ready to run just as much as checking the final product.

Edited October 3, 2010 by Pioneer

[johndeerefarmer]

Very early mules are done at the R&D center. After that, pre-production builds run down the same assembly line as the 2010's. In fact, we did another run of them on Friday. Looked like close to 50 from the number of parts they used out the 2011 racks.

 

The pre-production units are for the benefit of getting the line ready to run just as much as checking the final product.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for that information Were any of those engines ecoboost?

 

Thanks again

[pjulios]

I participated in the Ride and Drive event at the Texas Motor Speedway and they probably had 20 new 2011 F-150's there. It got me to thinking- does Ford have a special assembly line that they build these pre-production units on, or are they built in the R&D Lab sitting in one spot and one piece at a time?

 

Thanks

Those units were run down the line with 2010. Here at KCAP we've probably build close to 200 units in preparation of the 2011 launch.

[Pioneer]

Thank you for that information Were any of those engines ecoboost?

 

Thanks again

 

I don't work in Final. I have no idea what engines were in them, just that they were 2011 bodies.

[EdselBryantFord]

I drove an 04 ecoboost test mule some time ago seemed to do the job nicely

[johndeerefarmer]

Those units were run down the line with 2010. Here at KCAP we've probably build close to 200 units in preparation of the 2011 launch.

 

 

Thanks Guys.

[HoustonPerson]

After you sleep on things they become more clear. And perhaps I could have made my post more clear.

 

The new 5.0 may very well be the best all around V-8 Ford has ever put in a production vehicle. To me it was that good. I can’t wait to find out what the MPG is in 4x4. That engine was very well refined and polished – I could not fault it on any point.

 

The new 3.5EB is at the top of its class for half ton towing – whether it is now 1st or 2nd I do not know. I was particularly impressed while going 40, smashing the pedal to the floor, 60 was there in just 2 seconds and 70 was well on its way. I do know that it blows away the 2008/2009 Chevy with 5.3 doing the same test with my boat.

 

So I will attempt to put that passing test into numbers of 0 to 100 with vehicles I have driven with the similar load (my boat about 8,000) and conditions. Keep in mind this is only very limited comparison against the new engines and of course very subjective.

 

2004 F150 4x4 Lariat Grade of 0 – that thing could not tow, I owned it for 40,000 miles

 

2008/2009 Friends Chevy LT 4x4 with 5.3 towing my boat Grade of 50, at least it did a very good job of towing.

 

New Ford 3.5EB 4x4 grade of 88, yes it can pass quickly – nice. My gut feeling the new 5.0 would only be 5 points behind that.

 

Ford 06 F250 4x4 diesel grade of 100, it does pass better plus it is designed to handle the weight better; my truck 60,000 miles.

 

Of course all the “newer” diesels are a lot better than that at towing – but everyone knows that.

 

 

The 3.5EB noise: The noise that I was talking about again is not “real world”. Nobody in their right mind would start from a dead stop, go instantly to WOT with that load on the truck to 70 mph. I would guess 90% of the noise was induction system and 10%from combustion. Almost all of that noise was in the 0-30 range, above that the engine became very quite.

 

On the drag strip, I felt the 5.0 was just a tad quieter WOT than the 3.5EB but that was with no load at all – both trucks very close to being silent on the drag strip. Overall, I would like the 3.5EB to be just as quiet as the new 5.0. I realize I am the exact opposite of everyone else on the planet – but I like quiet. 100% of my friends always take the mufflers off their trucks and then do everything they can to make that even louder – that’s just not me.

 

Now the 3.5EB FX4 noise comparison to my 2004 5.4 F150 4x4. The 3.5EB wins hands down absolutely no comparison at all; the new one is a zillion times quieter. Plus the 3.5EB can pass, the 2004 model could not pass, it would only drop to 2nd gear and it sounded like a screaming banshee – talk about noise! The new 3.5EB 4x4 in the same WOT passing is silent by comparison and more importantly it actually “passes”. Ford’s new half ton is great.

 

 

One thing I did not talk about in the post above: The Steering – “Excellent”

 

The “tactile feedback” and “precision” in the parking lot maneuvers and residential streets 0-40mph have never been this good in a half ton before – “Excellent”. The real test of 70-90mph on the highways in strong crosswinds will be the next test I would like to do. So my real question will be: On the highway does that “precision” and “feedback” hold true? Keep in mind this question comes from someone driving an older SuperDuty – my steering wheel is not even connected to anything.

[kenp77]

After you sleep on things they become more clear. And perhaps I could have made my post more clear.

 

The new 5.0 may very well be the best all around V-8 Ford has ever put in a production vehicle. To me it was that good. I can’t wait to find out what the MPG is in 4x4. That engine was very well refined and polished – I could not fault it on any point.

 

The new 3.5EB is at the top of its class for half ton towing – whether it is now 1st or 2nd I do not know. I was particularly impressed while going 40, smashing the pedal to the floor, 60 was there in just 2 seconds and 70 was well on its way. I do know that it blows away the 2008/2009 Chevy with 5.3 doing the same test with my boat.

 

So I will attempt to put that passing test into numbers of 0 to 100 with vehicles I have driven with the similar load (my boat about 8,000) and conditions. Keep in mind this is only very limited comparison against the new engines and of course very subjective.

 

2004 F150 4x4 Lariat Grade of 0 – that thing could not tow, I owned it for 40,000 miles

 

2008/2009 Friends Chevy LT 4x4 with 5.3 towing my boat Grade of 50, at least it did a very good job of towing.

 

New Ford 3.5EB 4x4 grade of 88, yes it can pass quickly – nice. My gut feeling the new 5.0 would only be 5 points behind that.

 

Ford 06 F250 4x4 diesel grade of 100, it does pass better plus it is designed to handle the weight better; my truck 60,000 miles.

 

Of course all the “newer” diesels are a lot better than that at towing – but everyone knows that.

 

 

The 3.5EB noise: The noise that I was talking about again is not “real world”. Nobody in their right mind would start from a dead stop, go instantly to WOT with that load on the truck to 70 mph. I would guess 90% of the noise was induction system and 10%from combustion. Almost all of that noise was in the 0-30 range, above that the engine became very quite.

 

On the drag strip, I felt the 5.0 was just a tad quieter WOT than the 3.5EB but that was with no load at all – both trucks very close to being silent on the drag strip. Overall, I would like the 3.5EB to be just as quiet as the new 5.0. I realize I am the exact opposite of everyone else on the planet – but I like quiet. 100% of my friends always take the mufflers off their trucks and then do everything they can to make that even louder – that’s just not me.

 

Now the 3.5EB FX4 noise comparison to my 2004 5.4 F150 4x4. The 3.5EB wins hands down absolutely no comparison at all; the new one is a zillion times quieter. Plus the 3.5EB can pass, the 2004 model could not pass, it would only drop to 2nd gear and it sounded like a screaming banshee – talk about noise! The new 3.5EB 4x4 in the same WOT passing is silent by comparison and more importantly it actually “passes”. Ford’s new half ton is great.

 

 

One thing I did not talk about in the post above: The Steering – “Excellent”

 

The “tactile feedback” and “precision” in the parking lot maneuvers and residential streets 0-40mph have never been this good in a half ton before – “Excellent”. The real test of 70-90mph on the highways in strong crosswinds will be the next test I would like to do. So my real question will be: On the highway does that “precision” and “feedback” hold true? Keep in mind this question comes from someone driving an older SuperDuty – my steering wheel is not even connected to anything.

Thanx for the comparison excellent job, I too have a 04 5.4 I am wanting to trade for a 5.0 can hardly wait to drive one :happy feet:

[CobraCrazy]

Got to play with the new 2011 F150’s today. Nice truck. They will now have a choice of 4 new engines, finally getting rid of the Triton 3 value psycho stuff which was a real dog for me. My only interest is the 5.0 which is standard in FX4 or Lariat OR the 3.5 EcoBoost which is a $750 add on if you want it – Yikes!

 

Look to me there were about 75 Ford employees there. Maybe about 60 peeps there, so you just about had a one to one ratio the whole time. I played about 2.5 hours.

 

http://www.drivef150.com/

 

To put this in perspective so most know where I am coming from, I have spent a be-zillion years of towing. 50 years ago it was Airstream trailers (any size). The last 10 years it has been boats, most in the 8,000 lb range. Being in a wakeboard club means we/I have driven just about every truck made the last few years – so I do have my likes and dislikes. Now on to this mini-review.

 

 

The three main driving events were:

 

Economy testing on city streets – you were placed in competition with other drivers, but really sort of meaningless since driving conditions, traffic, accidents etc. always changed – but hey that was real world.

 

 

The two driving tests that were most important to me were the drag strip racing and the towing test. You could go through all the tests as many times as you want. Essentially the Ford employees let you do exactly anything you wanted to with the trucks being tested.

 

 

Drag Strip:

 

This was set up in the parking lot to the Horse track. All trucks were CrewCab 4x2. That was way kewl, never done that before. They had the countdown tree lights etc – Yep it was real. I raced a 5.0 Lariat CrewCab against the 5.3 Chevy CrewCab – The Ford smoked the Chevy. I got scared at the end of the ¼ mile when I looked up and saw the ambulance on stand by at the end of the track – then you got to do pop o wheelies and some other high speed stuff, then finish the loops and pick out another truck and start over again. The next one I tried was the 3.5 EcoBoost. It was a dash slower off the line; but the top speed was faster, finished the 1/4 mile about ¾ second faster (this me driving), as the turbos wound up and did their thing. You could test against popular Chevy and Dodge half ton configurations – No Tundra’s to test – bummer.

 

 

Towing:

 

The tow sleds were all 6,500 lbs with double axle – normal 23’ wakeboard boat weight. But tongue loads were 900 – about 300 more than most boat set ups. “Equalizer” hitches were used all around on all their test trucks – something none of use on our boats, because of light tongues. The trailers where equipped with electric brakes tied into the Ford Tow Command; we all use surge brakes.

 

The truck I tested was a black FX4 EcoBoost against Dodges and Chevys – No Tundras? I actually got the feeling Ford would be embarrassed to compete against the Tundra? The Ecoboost does have a very nice wide torque curve with a max torque of 420. My 06 SuperDuty is 550 torque?

 

IMO if you are taking two trips a week to Riverside you still need ¾ ton with torque and springs to get her done with a fully loaded 23’ boat. Occasional or short distance towing with that size boat would be fine. Long distance driving would sort of beat you do death on the highway and/or rough roads; just not enough springs under the truck to hold it all together. Those half ton Fords and the other trucks where bouncing all around on the rough broken concrete surrounding the Horse track – lots of pitch and yaw. Yes I did break the speed limit on Fairbanks N. Houston and went 60-70 mph more than once. IMO the half tons still will not tow a 23’ at 90mph like the SuperDuty and ride stable at the same time.

 

I tried several standing starts; 0 to 60 at full throttle. It was very good; but you could tell it was working “hard” and it was not the 550 torque I am use too. It did blow away the Dodge and Chevy half tons, so there is no comparison. They did not have any of the 5.0 set up for towing – bummer

.

Keep in mind I have never done full throttle from standing start in my SuperDuty with Boat attached. If I did, it might implode/explode? I dunno?

 

It would have been much nicer to test the towing configurations out on a run to Riverside. All of these newer half tons should be able to pull a 21’ boat like it is not there. And with even significantly lighter tongue loads pitch and yaw should start to fade away as well.

 

Ford claims the towing capacity of the 3.5 over the 5.0 is an additional 1,500 lbs or so. To me they felt very similar; but not knowing the axles used (type and ratio), it made doing any type of real world comparisons meaningless.

 

Impressions for today’s test:

 

The new 5.0 is no slouch, the only V-8 that could be better would be the Tundra, IMO. The 5.0 is completely silent, exceptionally fast, and super outrageously smoooooooth – like is this thing even turned “on” at any RPM? It’s that smooooooth and quite. IMO the new 5.0 is significantly better than the 2010 5.4 and it is also significantly better than what Dodge and Chevy have to offer.

 

The 3.5 EcoBoost may be a real winner; but honestly it was not enough driving for me to really tell. For me it made more noise (strain) than it should at full throttle with 6500 pounds on the back. IMO under normal day to day drive and even under “sane” towing it should be quite enough – but under heavy load – um? I really did not like the noise?

 

I know that when the time comes the local Ford dealers will let me borrow one for a day or two and even take it on a 250 mile tow loop, that is probably the only way I could tell which engine to get.

 

None of the Ford employee’s there could tell what type of axles the 5.0 and 3.5 EcoBoost had on the drag strip. The way the 5.0 started I think it might have been one of the Auto Limited Slip – like chirp and lock, release, chirp and lock release, and so on. The EcoBoost made no chirp at all; but like any turbo it could have been waiting to “spool up” and actually go (just like my diesel). None of that is real world for me and I certainly would not tow that way.

 

I really could not tell if EcoBoost is worth $750 more, even if it does get 3 or 4 more MPG than the 5.0?

 

Ok, someone do the math. When do you break even on that?

 

I am glad Ford spent the money to put on this event. It is something you do not get to do every day. And I did learn a lot. The most informative employee was the guy in the engine room – he knew enough to answer my questions (except the axle question).

 

It would have been nice if Ford had also included the 5.7 Tundra CrewMax 4x4 Off Road Bilstein package for towing comparisons - both full throttle test, and the broken concrete test. Side by Side with the FX4 makes the comparisons easier.

 

Thanks for all this really good insight! I enjoyed reading this.

[FastTaurusSHO]

 

The tow sleds were all 6,500 lbs with double axle normal 23 wakeboard boat weight. But tongue loads were 900 about 300 more than most boat set ups. Equalizer hitches were used all around on all their test trucks something none of use on our boats, because of light tongues. The trailers where equipped with electric brakes tied into the Ford Tow Command; we all use surge brakes.

 

Long distance driving would sort of beat you do death on the highway and/or rough roads; just not enough springs under the truck to hold it all together. Those half ton Fords and the other trucks where bouncing all around on the rough broken concrete surrounding the Horse track lots of pitch and yaw.

 

 

Just a few notes, as I was also at the Houston Drive event early Saturday morning.

 

The hitches they were using were not Equalizer hitches, they were Weight Distributing hitches. Had they been using Equalizer brand hitches insted of the cheaper spring bar/chain snap up hitches, the ride should not have been nearly as pitchy. I experienced no yaw forces while towing, but it is worth noting that no mechanical tongue mounted sway control was being utilized.

 

Another note is the weight ballast in the trailers is Water (about 600 gallons of water), which tends to slosh big time, which could have been some of the pitch/yaw you were experiencing.

 

The braking was incredible, both with the trailer and also at the end of the 1/4 mile drag, the brakes were just amazing. The integration with the brake controller is awesome. The steering was also incredible. I was expecting the elec. power steering to be a huge let down, boy was I surprised.

 

 

I also noticed some manufacturer dates on a few of the Ecoboost F-150's I got in. The earliest I saw had a manf. date of 5/10. Most seemed to be around August.

Edited October 11, 2010 by FastTaurusSHO

[HoustonPerson]

The Edmonds first drive at the Texas Motor Speedway, matches my feeling about the new half tons Great. They did get to test at highway speeds (at least they claimed most likely not fast enough for me LOL) and did address one of my unknown regarding steering that is to say the higher speed handling should be as good as, the less than 60 mph I was driving in my first drive. Most of my driving time was spent at the 40mph range. The steering was the best of any truck I have driven, and better than 80% of the cars on the road.

 

http://www.insideline.com/ford/f-150/2011/2011-ford-f-150-ecoboost-v6-supercrew-first-drive.html

 

 

I have already seen a few other posts, highlight the significance of the 5.0 that is one great engine. Some posters have claimed Ford may be sandbagging the numbers that may be true. Looking at the chart below you can see how it kills the former 5.4 engine and it does this being totally quiet and butter smooth!

 

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/09/first-drive-review-2011-ford-f-150-introduction-and-37-v-6-part-1.html

 

 

So far on the couple of pricing and configuration web sites; list the Max Tow Package as the only way to get Lighted Tow Mirrors and the other goodies to be considered required to towing. And so far, that only appears to apply to EB and not the 5.0. Both engines are available with electric lockers on 4x4 and Lariat is available with Off Road package. I just hope Ford makes available all the tow equipment on the 5.0 configuration. I see no reason to keep that engine in Fords garage for non-towing when it is a major improvement over the 5.4. But all of the real information regarding configurations is not set in concrete yet.

Edited October 11, 2010 by HoustonPerson

[johndeerefarmer]

The Edmonds first drive at the Texas Motor Speedway, matches my feeling about the new half tons – Great. They did get to test at highway speeds (at least they claimed – most likely not fast enough for me LOL) and did address one of my unknown regarding steering – that is to say the higher speed handling should be as good as, the less than 60 mph I was driving in my first drive. Most of my driving time was spent at the 40mph range. The steering was the best of any truck I have driven, and better than 80% of the cars on the road.

 

http://www.insideline.com/ford/f-150/2011/2011-ford-f-150-ecoboost-v6-supercrew-first-drive.html

 

 

I have already seen a few other posts, highlight the significance of the 5.0 – that is one great engine. Some posters have claimed Ford may be sandbagging the numbers – that may be true. Looking at the chart below you can see how it kills the former 5.4 engine – and it does this being totally quiet and butter smooth!

 

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/09/first-drive-review-2011-ford-f-150-introduction-and-37-v-6-part-1.html

 

 

So far on the couple of pricing and configuration web sites; list the Max Tow Package as the only way to get Lighted Tow Mirrors and the other goodies to be considered required to towing. And so far, that only appears to apply to EB and not the 5.0. Both engines are available with electric lockers on 4x4 and Lariat is available with Off Road package. I just hope Ford makes available all the tow equipment on the 5.0 configuration. I see no reason to keep that engine in Ford’s garage for non-towing when it is a major improvement over the 5.4. But all of the real information regarding configurations is not set in concrete yet.

 

I don't see how the 5.0 is so great as torque is at a higher rpm than on the 5.4. Sure it has more hp and torque but I don't much want a truck that doesn't have any low end torque- heck the 5.4 was bad and this one is worse.

 

And from the same pickuptrucks.com article "Peak torque has also moved up the rpm band, from a low 3,500 rpm in the 5.4-liter V-8. Our experience driving the 5.0-liter V-8 was brief. The 4-valve 5.0-liter certainly feels more capable than the old 3-valve 5.4-liter V-8 it replaces. And like the screaming 3.7-liter V-6 we drove, the 5.0 will also rev as high as 7,000 rpm when pushed hard." Of course he wasn't towing with it as Ford didn't give anyone the chance.

 

The ecoboost makes 90% of it's torque starting below 2000 and up to 5000 rpm. It's a whole lot better for towing and that is why Ford is only offering and not the 5.0 with the max tow package. And according to Popular Mechanics the ecoboost will be 5% more efficient than the 5.0 under load. PM truck test

 

 

But if you want the 5.0 then buy the tow package and add the integrated brake controller.

Edited October 11, 2010 by johndeerefarmer

[CobraCrazy]

The Edmonds first drive at the Texas Motor Speedway, matches my feeling about the new half tons – Great. They did get to test at highway speeds (at least they claimed – most likely not fast enough for me LOL) and did address one of my unknown regarding steering – that is to say the higher speed handling should be as good as, the less than 60 mph I was driving in my first drive. Most of my driving time was spent at the 40mph range. The steering was the best of any truck I have driven, and better than 80% of the cars on the road.

 

http://www.insideline.com/ford/f-150/2011/2011-ford-f-150-ecoboost-v6-supercrew-first-drive.html

 

 

I have already seen a few other posts, highlight the significance of the 5.0 – that is one great engine. Some posters have claimed Ford may be sandbagging the numbers – that may be true. Looking at the chart below you can see how it kills the former 5.4 engine – and it does this being totally quiet and butter smooth!

 

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/09/first-drive-review-2011-ford-f-150-introduction-and-37-v-6-part-1.html

 

 

So far on the couple of pricing and configuration web sites; list the Max Tow Package as the only way to get Lighted Tow Mirrors and the other goodies to be considered required to towing. And so far, that only appears to apply to EB and not the 5.0. Both engines are available with electric lockers on 4x4 and Lariat is available with Off Road package. I just hope Ford makes available all the tow equipment on the 5.0 configuration. I see no reason to keep that engine in Ford’s garage for non-towing when it is a major improvement over the 5.4. But all of the real information regarding configurations is not set in concrete yet.

 

I'm real close to buying a Raptor. The local dealer doesn't seem real inclined to deal on a 2010 plus from what I've read the new select-shift tranny would be worth the wait. Could any of you who've had a test drive give me some feed-back? Does it feel a bit like a manual? Is there anything else new on the 2011 Raptor vs 2010? Thanks

[jhooge]

anyone know when the actually release date is for the ecoboost

[PWR Kid]

My dealer says Feb. Thats what he was told.

[pjulios]

My dealer says Feb. Thats what he was told.

Ecoboost is Job# 2 which is in March 2011

[johndeerefarmer]

Ecoboost is Job# 2 which is in March 2011

 

Thanks

[HoustonPerson]

Regarding the F150 EB:

 

I assume Job 2 means the second retail run for the new F150 EB configuration?

 

Does anyone have a reasonable guess as to how many retail units for sale F150 EB would be produced on Job 1?

[pjulios]

Regarding the F150 EB:

 

I assume Job 2 means the second retail run for the new F150 EB configuration?

 

Does anyone have a reasonable guess as to how many retail units for sale F150 EB would be produced on Job 1?

The F150 EB is 2011.5 model. This is why its a job 2 . All the first units build at the end of Nov will be Job 1. These are the 5.0 and the 3.7. Sometime at the end of Feb we will start building with all the engines here at KCAP.

[HoustonPerson]

The F150 EB is 2011.5 model. This is why its a job 2 . All the first units build at the end of Nov will be Job 1. These are the 5.0 and the 3.7. Sometime at the end of Feb we will start building with all the engines here at KCAP.

 

 

Ok, thanks