Any '17-'18 F150 3.5 owners?

[coyotecreek]

Bought an 18 with the 3.5 a week ago. 3:55 gears and max tow package. Been getting 21mpg. Haven’t towed with it yet but it has plenty of power. Way more than my 5.4. I notice the 10 speed shifting more than my 2010 with the 5.4 6 speed. I am not a fan of the auto start/stop, but I watched a video that shows disconnecting A wire by the brake pedals. Did that and it permanently disables it. You just have to re-connect it for trailer lights. It’s a real nice truck, I just feel like I’m driving a spaceship with all of the buttons and screens!

 

[CJohnson]

I also get F-150’s for a company every other year. I had a ‘16 with the 5.0L and now a ‘19 with the 3.5L. I personally like the 3.5L better. It definitely has more torque. Overall I’m not a huge fan of towing heavier loads with my truck because it’s so light, but it can be done. My new one had an Eco mode and I usually drive around in that and get close to 23 MPG. No real reason to do it now, but I was college when gas was up to $4/gal and I think it scarred me for life.

 

[TradLife406]

Man, if I could I’d swap for the 6.5 bed. If for nothing else I would like to be able to sleep in the back without lying diagonal.

Really hard to find. The shorty is much better for off road though.

Yeah I was also wondering for if I ever get an quad if a bigger Can Am would fit in a 5.5.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[cobbc03]

I have an 18 2.7L, that twin turbo is a beast. Has more get up and go than i really need, while maintaining at least 20mpg, but I'm heavy on the gas, i like hearing the turbos. My only complaints are, the front clearance is fairly low, and the low profile tires suck in snow and mud, but you have them on any new fancier truck. Mine is 1 step below the lariat, ive got everything but the heated steering wheel, which isnt too bad. The premium leather on the steering wheel heats up real quick anyway. You wont go wrong with the truck your looking at!

 

[Scottyboy]

I’m about to roll 100k miles on my 2017 3.5 eco boost. Thus far only the “works” at my dealer (oil and tire rotation) for service along with a new set of tires. My GPS/main screen died on me but luckily insurance covered most of it. I have a small leak (nothing major) that is coming out my passenger side front tire, they are diagnosing that in my next appointment, and I might have my brakes looked at, just because it’s that time of year to be hauling shit west

 

[Roksliding]

I’ll be that guy that has to say something even tho it doesn’t pertain- I have a 13 eco boost and it’s a great truck gonna run it till the wheels fall off! Big fan!!

downfalls - the Ride, my fault tho for the BFG tires I put on it. When they wear out I’m going a different route for sure.

And the valve gunk.. which I heard they re engineered the intake in like 15-16 so the valves don’t get coked up. the gas mileage Was great at first and slowly went down. Around 65-75k it was 14ish (with the shitty tires) but still.. I media blasted the intake valves and installed a catch can back to 19-20 on the highway.

 

[BCsteve]

Yeah I was also wondering for if I ever get an quad if a bigger Can Am would fit in a 5.5.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

I can’t close the tailgate on my 6.5 with my Yamaha Grizzly 700 in the back, I have to use a riser.

 

[TradLife406]

Any big difference between the Gen 1 and Gen 2 Ecco boosts?

I know in 17 they added a 10 speed and a little more horse. Is it that much better?

Would I be disappointed in a good deal on a '16?

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[Dead eye BT]

Not answering the OP’s most recent question... Regarding the 3.5 motor, I have a 2019 Expedition Max, with a 3.73 rear end. I average 21 MPG year round with that truck, including about half in town driving. Recently took it on a 4,000 mile road trip vacation, all loaded up with kids and gear, going 85 on the interstates, etc., averaged 22.1 on that 4,000 miles. With that fuel sipping comes incredible power. It’s impressive.

In comparison, I also have a 2016 Tundra double cab with the 5.7 V8. That truck’s year round average is at 13.1 MPG , big road trips have yielded an average of 15.9 MPG. Power is good here too, and I love that Toyota six speed tranny, but man that’s a serious difference in fuel consumption.

 

[ID_Matt]

I have a 2016 Ford F-150 xlt super crew with 6.5 ft bed. 86k only have changed oil and put new tires on it. I love the 36 gal tank for long trips. The room and storage in the cab is great. I get 18mpg. Pulling boats and trailers I’ve been getting 13-14 mpg. The key pad is great for hunting season and not having to keep the keys on me all the time. I think it’s comfortable to drive and handles great. My only complaint is the light rear end. It kicks out on wash board roads and larger bumps in the road. The first few times it happened it made me nervous but now I’m used to it. Other then that it’s a great truck to have.

Had the same thing with the rear end kicking out... Bilstein shocks on the rear helped it quite a bit and was pretty dang cheap.

 

[ID_Matt]

I had a 2013 ecoboost and now own a 2019. Have friends with Toyota's and chevy's. You couldn't pay me to switch over from a ford. I think they make the best half ton gas pickup. They are great for all the reasons the OP mentioned. I have the 6.5 bed and think it is much better than the 5.5 if you are hunting and actually need to use your bed. Mine was getting 20-23 MPG with the stock wheels/tires but dropped to 16 mpg with 20" wheels and bigger tires. Truck has more than enough power to tow anything you want but the weight of the pickup will hold it back, just like any half ton.

 

[JMF]

Any of you guys pulling a 5th wheel with an F150?

I pull a 28 footer at least every other weekend with my 2019 3.5L with the max tow package. The camper weighs 6600lbs dry and I'm guessing around 8k loaded. The truck has more than enough power to pull it, but can feel a little light with a strong side wind. If I had known for sure we were buying a 5th wheel I would have bought a diesel. Otherwise I absolutely love the truck.

 

[NoWiser]

Any big difference between the Gen 1 and Gen 2 Ecco boosts?

I know in 17 they added a 10 speed and a little more horse. Is it that much better?

Would I be disappointed in a good deal on a '16?

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Love my '16. Pushing 90k miles with exactly zero problems. Only downside is, because it's so light, I won't pull a big enclosed trailer with it. It scares the bejeezus out of me. For my boat and everything else that I tow, it's awesome.

 

[Fatcamp]

I pull a 28 footer at least every other weekend with my 2019 3.5L with the max tow package. The camper weighs 6600lbs dry and I'm guessing around 8k loaded. The truck has more than enough power to pull it, but can feel a little light with a strong side wind. If I had known for sure we were buying a 5th wheel I would have bought a diesel. Otherwise I absolutely love the truck.

Mine is 4900# dry but we also pull a 1500# boat behind that. Looking for a one vehicle solution. Not sure it exists really. Have an F250 and a 4runner now.

 

[JMF]

Mine is 4900# dry but we also pull a 1500# boat behind that. Looking for a one vehicle solution. Not sure it exists really. Have an F250 and a 4runner now.

If I was pulling 2 rigs more than 50 miles on a regular basis I would go with a 3/4 ton and diesel. The F-150 with the eco will do it all day long but the bigger diesel will make it more enjoyable to pull.

 

[ShakeDown]

I saw this touched on but wanted to add, DEFINITELY get the extended range fuel tank.

 

[2five7]

Any of you guys pulling a 5th wheel with an F150?

Yep. I pull a 27' Salem with mine, have since day one when I bought it in 2014. Trailer weighs 9500 camp ready, 1350 lbs pin weight. Truck is a '14 XLT Max Tow. Very stable, even in high winds.

 

[wind gypsy]

Any big difference between the Gen 1 and Gen 2 Ecco boosts?

I know in 17 they added a 10 speed and a little more horse. Is it that much better?

Would I be disappointed in a good deal on a '16?

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Not worth noting IMO. I had identically equipped 16' and 18' 3.5 ecoboost models for about a year and the only real notable difference for me was the transmission. The 10 speed is searching for gears more and isn't as smooth at low speeds where the first gear on the 18 is steep as F. The 10 ply BFGs i put on the 16 compared to the 3 ply factory tires they come with made many times bigger difference between how the two behaved than any little changes ford made.

 

[303TrophyHusband]

I drove a '12 with the 3.5 Ecoboost for 217,000 miles, had the 6.5' bed, glad I did, and pulled a lot of stuff over the years, it was a great truck, just traded it off Friday and went to a diesel, but if I had bought another F150 it would have been the newer 3.5 Ecoboost, mostly for all the reasons already stated above.

 

[StetsonAnderson]

The 6.5’ bed is awesome. I would highly recommend it along with the 3.5 L engine. For me, not having those two things are a “deal breaker” for me now. I absolutely love mine still with 74k mi. Something else I’ve grown to love are the tow mirrors. I love having all the vision I do with them to see and to be able to pull them out a little wider when towing.