transamz9 wrote:
I think it's funny they felt the need to completely redesign a motor that is still fairly young and new and suppose to be indestructible. I like the transmission though. I would love to see a ten speed in the HD line ups with a 2 speed rear axle option.
The gen 1 Ecoboost used the same block as the Duratec version which has literally been around for decades. The main difference were the bore, the heads to allow for direct injection, and the exhaust.
The reasoning behind this is that Ford took a big gamble in putting a turbocharged V6 in a role as 5.7L and 6.2L engines, so from a manufacturing standpoint it is wise to use already existing recourses so your losses will not be as bad just in case it doesn't work out. Manufacturers do this all the time just like how Ram just used a diesel originally designed to go in a Cadillac sedan, and slapped it in a truck. It was a gamble if it would be profitable, so why not use existing recourses just in case it doesn't work. Usually in manufacturing, if the gamble pays off then more money is alloted to make improvements. i
If it didn't do so well, but still profitable then the improvements would not come until the project pays for itself. Although often in manufacturing if a gamble didn't do so well then it would be scrapped as soon as it pays for itself rather than upgraded.
Seeing that the 3.5L Ecoboost is so popular, it really should be no surprise that they changed the block so soon into it's own design instead of just using the old Duratec block. Then the addition of port injection probably forced them to change the heads along with other improvements for the high output version putting out 450 hp and 600 hp.
