F150 5.0 V8 or V6 Twin Turbo

[way2roll]

Not tow vehicle related per se as we have a motorhome, but I am in the market for a used F150 just for daily driving and small projects. I had a 2007 f150 with the 5.4 for 14 years but it had it's share of issues with the engine - specifically the plugs and coil packs.

From what I am seeing most used F150's in my price range come with either the v6 twin turbo or the 5.0 V8. My dad had the v6 and although plenty of power for what I need, it suffered a little turbo lag. I have heard that that the 5.0 is under powered.

Any thoughts, experience, pros, cons of either of these?

Thanks

[Me_Again]

I have had two 2.7L EcoBoosts now. A 2020 Ford Edge ST, that was a blast to drive. And now a 2021 F-150 with the 2.7L, which has more lower RPM grunt than the 3.5. The 3.5 is tuned to make power at higher RPMs. The F150 2.7L is claimed to do 0-60 in 6.1 secs. I just towed 1550 miles AZ to WA with my KRX SxS on a trailer weighing 3100-3200 pounds and the truck bed and back seat full of stuff for the Summer in the NW. Mileage for the trip was 15.3 MPG. I had head winds fro Quartzite, Az to Ely, Nv that had mileage down to 12.5 for 460 miles.




Left Ely had tailwinds and I was getting good mileage. This was on I-84 after fueling in Twin Falls, Id 19.9!




I also made the trip with the Edge ST with my trike on the trailer, averaging 17 MPG. Both did great. The both could/can get 24 MPG bobtail.

[Boomerweps]

SuperBus wrote:
We have two EcoBoost 3.5s (Duratec) at home. One in a 2017 Expedition and another in a 2018 Navigator. Both fantastic. The Navigator replaced a Yukon Denali with the 6.2 V8 and we haven't missed anything about that truck, including the V8.

As another reply mentioned, the 2018 - 2021 Duratecs had some issues with VCTs (aka cam phasers). If I recall correctly, there was a campaign to replace them, but you'd want to do some research.

Lastly, I was involved in the development of both the Duratec and Coyote 5.0l, nothing I saw would keep me away from the Duratec (obviously, I bought two). Hands down, I think it is a superior engine to the 5.0l for use in a 1/2 ton truck.

Your post is highly confusing to an F150 owner, me. I thought duratec was a GM term. I’ve never heard the rems Duratec and the EBs used in a similar manner.

[FishOnOne]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
High miles = stay away from high tech. Get a 5.0 slap new cam phasers in it and drive it like a rental….
Save the twin turbo rigs for someone with more money or less brains.

Grit pretty much nailed it on the money.

OP a little reading about the Ecoboost engine.

A little more reading about the valve problems.

If you love high maintenance and high maintenance cost a high mileage Ecoboot truck is a great way to make your love affair real.

The 2nd Gen Ecoboost engines have both direct and port injection so carbon build is minimized. Also the 2018 5.0 has both direct and port injection as well.

The only truck gas engines that are port injection only is the Hemi and the Ford 7.3 gas engine.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Grit dog wrote:
High miles = stay away from high tech. Get a 5.0 slap new cam phasers in it and drive it like a rental….
Save the twin turbo rigs for someone with more money or less brains.

Grit pretty much nailed it on the money.

OP a little reading about the Ecoboost engine.

A little more reading about the valve problems.

If you love high maintenance and high maintenance cost a high mileage Ecoboot truck is a great way to make your love affair real.

[1320Fastback]

I'd go with the EcoBoost for a daily driver and keep it in the Eco and out of the Boost as much as possible.

[jaycocamprs]

When I first got a company truck it was an 11 with 5.0 6 speed. Truck had 140K on it when it was assigned to me, I put 40K more on it in 18 months. Only issue I had was a coolant leak. It got about 18 mpg. In 18 I got a new 2.7 10 speed truck. It now has 66K with zero issues. Gets 22+ mpg. Both trucks being fleet vehicles get dealer serviced every 5K. Never towed with either, or haul heavy in the bed. The 2.7 will run circles around the 5.0

[way2roll]

Thanks for all the replies. Lots of good information. I'm taking a look at both flavors over the weekend. Both have great maintenance history which is always a plus.

[GottaRunGottaCa]

I had a 2014 with the 3.5 ecoboost, 200K and the only problem was I had to replace the coil packs at 135K and then a couple O2 sensors at 155K, I averaged 19 mpg, towing a 7'x16' enclosed motorcycle trailer 9.5mpg, I got rid of the 2014 a year ago and bought a 2020 2.7 ecoboost, amazing power for this small turbo, 22mpg + I only towed with it two times and didn't check the mileage, I just traded the 2020 in for a 2021 5.0 cause I missed all the bells & whistles I had on the 2014, with the first tank of gas it registered 21mpg, this 2021 Lariat has a few extra's and the interior and technology is night and day compared to the 2020 XLT.
Good luck with your search, and just like others said, how the previous owner took care of the truck will make a world of difference

[SuperBus]

We have two EcoBoost 3.5s (Duratec) at home. One in a 2017 Expedition and another in a 2018 Navigator. Both fantastic. The Navigator replaced a Yukon Denali with the 6.2 V8 and we haven't missed anything about that truck, including the V8.

As another reply mentioned, the 2018 - 2021 Duratecs had some issues with VCTs (aka cam phasers). If I recall correctly, there was a campaign to replace them, but you'd want to do some research.

Lastly, I was involved in the development of both the Duratec and Coyote 5.0l, nothing I saw would keep me away from the Duratec (obviously, I bought two). Hands down, I think it is a superior engine to the 5.0l for use in a 1/2 ton truck.

[Grit_dog]

And don’t just fixate on the engine and/or engine issues. That’s only 1 of several components that are/can/will require attention in a high miles vehicle. In the over 150k category, virtually anything can be or is worn out or near the end of its service life.
As much as I think the 5.0 and eco boost are both generally great engines with a solid drive train behind them, I’d take a 100k mile Triton engine in a cheaper older truck over a 160-170k mile newer powertrain in a newer truck. Especially if it’s not a tow rig.

Also laughable wherever you heard the 5.0 was “under powered”. Even the early versions (paired with std 6 speed vs 4 speed on Triton trucks) will absolutely embarrass any NA 5.4 truck.

[Nv_Guy]

I had an '11 F150 5.0, I pulled a car trailer hauling a Mustang, as well as a 21' TT. It pulled both with power to spare and delivered decent MPG, mid 9's-10. We had zero problems with the truck over 100K miles, traded it for a 6.7 F250 when we got a larger RV.
While the V6 delivers lots of power, there seems to be a lot of talk regarding turbo longevity and of course the infamous cam phasers, both of which are greatly affected by how often the oil was changed, so if any candidates don't have solid maintenance records, I would pass.

[Bionic_Man]

If you search the internet, you will find problems with absolutely everything out there.

We have a 3.5 in our 2019 Ex Max. There is no turbo lag in our engine. Tons of power. It does get very hot towing our 7000 pound boat over the Rockies. And has the Cam Phaser issue which I’ll address some time this summer.

The other problem we had with this is the rear axle needed replaced last summer and it took 2 months. I’ve not heard of any similar issues on the axle.

Not sure if he eager to grab one of these with high miles. But I don’t know if I’d want any vehicle second hand with that high of miles.

[BB_TX]

My wife’s 2015 Expedition with the 3.5 EB is nearing 100,000 and never a problem. Regular routine maintenance is all that’s ever been done to it. Power and fuel mileage is very good. No towing though.

My 2022 F150 3.5 EB is only at 16,000 miles. Similar power and mileage as the Expedition. Heaviest I have towed is about 3,000 lb of utility trailer, but tows that easily and well.

[Grit_dog]

High miles = stay away from high tech. Get a 5.0 slap new cam phasers in it and drive it like a rental….
Save the twin turbo rigs for someone with more money or less brains.

[Grit_dog]

way2roll wrote:
Thanks for the replies, good info. Another question - I know it's subjective, but how many miles are too many on these trucks? I wanted to stay in the sub 140k range, but many I am seeing have 160-170k miles. Is that too many?

All three motors have more than enough power for anything you’d want to do. But if you’re looking at buying something with over 150k miles, and your budget doesn’t support lower miles, you should be looking at something older with lower miles, or be a decent shadetree unless maybe it’s a local driver low use vehicle. Like a 3rd vehicle per se.
Otherwise, there’s a lot of rigs out there with 200k plus miles on them. How do you deal with repairs keeping up a high mile rig? Is a new engine or trans a grand or 2 and a weekend plus beer or is it a $5-10k “oh sht” moment?