Joining the eco boost club

[manley]

Barring a dealer reneg, I’ll be joining the Eco Boost club in the morning with a 2018 Max trailering F150. After much careful deliberation, I couldn’t make the F250 fit my circumstances. Y’all feel free to tell me what an awful mistake I’ve made.

[manley]

Uh... the integrated brake control has a "gain" adjustment, just to the right of the controller. + for more trailer brakes, - for less trailer brakes. If you set the gain to 10 and don't have enough brakes then you need to take your trailer to have the brakes serviced.

[Acdii]

Congrats! I had a 2014 RWD Lariat SB EB, and LOVED it! It lost it's life on an icy road though. 😞 I towed my Coleman CT274H up to IKE and Bryce Canyon and back. It had, wait for it, 3.15 gearing! Towed like it wasn't there. Loved that truck. Now I have a 16 Lariat EB, and hate it. Not the EB mind you, the truck itself is a POS. Worst damned truck I have ever owned and can't wait to get rid of it. The only thing reliable is that EB engine.

[BarabooBob]

My wife and I just got back from a 6000 miles trip through the eastern U.S. with our F150 EB, full trailer package, 7350 GVWR package, and select shift tranny. I loved the truck on this trip. We were pulling a lightweight trailer and didn't really need everything this truck had to offer but it sure made for a great trip.
I made frequent use of the selective tranny and rarely had to use my brakes on the descents.
I had the opportunity to test out the total braking capabilities of my rig when someone swerved in front of me and stomped hard on the brakes when there was no reason to. Their top brake light and right hand brake light did not work at all and the left light lens was broken and covered with multiple layers of colored plastic tap covering the lens. I believe that the guy was trying to collect on my insurance. Thankfully, my truck and trailer brakes were up to the task.

[jfkmk]

Samsonsworld wrote:

jfkmk wrote:

tragusa3 wrote:
Assuming that trailer brakes are designed to stop the trailer and not add braking requirement to the tow vehicle, then shouldn't the rankings of towing vs. not-towing stay the same?

I ask this question, but must say that I am NOT impressed with how the F150 brake controller electronically regulates my trailer brakes. Yes, it is smooth and unnoticeable, but I wish it let the trailer do a higher amount of the work. If I pinch the manual brake lever to 100%, it would take my trailer nearly a mile to stop us from 45mph. I know the trailer brakes are more capable than that. They were on my last combo that used a different controller.

I'm dealing with a pulse in my truck brakes due to warped rotors. I think they are warped from the above concern.

If you're giving 100% braking via your controller, and not getting the braking power you need, it could be your trailer brakes. Even if they worked ok with a different TV, something could have happened to them.

Personally, I think drum brakes just suck and are notorious for fading with use.

I agree with you on that point! My first car had 4 wheel drum brakes before I converted the front to disc. Lots of fun!

[hone_eagle]

tragusa3 wrote:
Assuming that trailer brakes are designed to stop the trailer and not add braking requirement to the tow vehicle, then shouldn't the rankings of towing vs. not-towing stay the same?

I ask this question, but must say that I am NOT impressed with how the F150 brake controller electronically regulates my trailer brakes. Yes, it is smooth and unnoticeable, but I wish it let the trailer do a higher amount of the work. If I pinch the manual brake lever to 100%, it would take my trailer nearly a mile to stop us from 45mph. I know the trailer brakes are more capable than that. They were on my last combo that used a different controller.

I'm dealing with a pulse in my truck brakes due to warped rotors. I think they are warped from the above concern.

I would not assume the trailer brakes stop the trailer ,they should ,and be tested to do just that -fully warm-but I doubt it ,they are the same size as a '72 pinto (or close) so make your own judgement.
What does a 70's econ car weigh?
Like it or not the truck has to be relied on to do a fair bit of the job.
"trailer brakes stops the trailer" is like 'check is in the mail'

[Star_Gazer]

Have the 3.5 EB and factory tow pkg with controller in my 2015 Transit T250 van. So far in 37k miles of towing it has been great. Actually like it more than my older 7.3 PSD. My TT is only about 3000lbs so not a big load.

[Lynnmor]

Groover wrote:

tragusa3 wrote:
Assuming that trailer brakes are designed to stop the trailer and not add braking requirement to the tow vehicle, then shouldn't the rankings of towing vs. not-towing stay the same?

I ask this question, but must say that I am NOT impressed with how the F150 brake controller electronically regulates my trailer brakes. Yes, it is smooth and unnoticeable, but I wish it let the trailer do a higher amount of the work. If I pinch the manual brake lever to 100%, it would take my trailer nearly a mile to stop us from 45mph. I know the trailer brakes are more capable than that. They were on my last combo that used a different controller.

I'm dealing with a pulse in my truck brakes due to warped rotors. I think they are warped from the above concern.

I agree that the factory controller does not ramp up the trailer brakes enough in panic stops on my F150. I feel like I hardly use the truck brakes in normal stops but when I really need to stop it seems like all of the extra effort comes from the truck. I asked my dealer about changing the gain in the controller but was told that it is impossible.

As for F150 vs F250 stopping, the only real difference should be due to the weight of the truck offering more traction. When I am already at a combined weight of 16,000lbs another 1,000lbs of truck isn't going to make much difference if the trailer brakes are engaged properly. If the trailer brakes aren't doing much then you may get 15% more effort from the truck.

You have a great brake controller in the truck, much better than aftermarket units. First you need to read the owners manual on how to do the simple adjustment. Second, you need to find a dealer that has a clue. If you cannot achieve proper braking, fix the brakes.

[Samsonsworld]

jfkmk wrote:

tragusa3 wrote:
Assuming that trailer brakes are designed to stop the trailer and not add braking requirement to the tow vehicle, then shouldn't the rankings of towing vs. not-towing stay the same?

I ask this question, but must say that I am NOT impressed with how the F150 brake controller electronically regulates my trailer brakes. Yes, it is smooth and unnoticeable, but I wish it let the trailer do a higher amount of the work. If I pinch the manual brake lever to 100%, it would take my trailer nearly a mile to stop us from 45mph. I know the trailer brakes are more capable than that. They were on my last combo that used a different controller.

I'm dealing with a pulse in my truck brakes due to warped rotors. I think they are warped from the above concern.

If you're giving 100% braking via your controller, and not getting the braking power you need, it could be your trailer brakes. Even if they worked ok with a different TV, something could have happened to them.

Personally, I think drum brakes just suck and are notorious for fading with use.

[Samsonsworld]

JeremyFr wrote:

Samsonsworld wrote:
It appears Ford was under investigation by the NHTSA for 2013-2016 F150 braking issues. Maybe they got it fixed?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/10/04/nhtsa-ford-f-150-brake-investigation/91537182/

You do realize the article specifically states the issue with the 3.5l V6, not the ecoboost, but the bare bottom V6 Engine, No one should be towing with that motor to begin with.

Ford used a 3.7l in 2013-2014. The only 3.5l was the Ecoboost for that period. So how can that be the case?

[jfkmk]

tragusa3 wrote:
Assuming that trailer brakes are designed to stop the trailer and not add braking requirement to the tow vehicle, then shouldn't the rankings of towing vs. not-towing stay the same?

I ask this question, but must say that I am NOT impressed with how the F150 brake controller electronically regulates my trailer brakes. Yes, it is smooth and unnoticeable, but I wish it let the trailer do a higher amount of the work. If I pinch the manual brake lever to 100%, it would take my trailer nearly a mile to stop us from 45mph. I know the trailer brakes are more capable than that. They were on my last combo that used a different controller.

I'm dealing with a pulse in my truck brakes due to warped rotors. I think they are warped from the above concern.

If you're giving 100% braking via your controller, and not getting the braking power you need, it could be your trailer brakes. Even if they worked ok with a different TV, something could have happened to them.

[Groover]

tragusa3 wrote:
Assuming that trailer brakes are designed to stop the trailer and not add braking requirement to the tow vehicle, then shouldn't the rankings of towing vs. not-towing stay the same?

I ask this question, but must say that I am NOT impressed with how the F150 brake controller electronically regulates my trailer brakes. Yes, it is smooth and unnoticeable, but I wish it let the trailer do a higher amount of the work. If I pinch the manual brake lever to 100%, it would take my trailer nearly a mile to stop us from 45mph. I know the trailer brakes are more capable than that. They were on my last combo that used a different controller.

I'm dealing with a pulse in my truck brakes due to warped rotors. I think they are warped from the above concern.

I agree that the factory controller does not ramp up the trailer brakes enough in panic stops on my F150. I feel like I hardly use the truck brakes in normal stops but when I really need to stop it seems like all of the extra effort comes from the truck. I asked my dealer about changing the gain in the controller but was told that it is impossible.

As for F150 vs F250 stopping, the only real difference should be due to the weight of the truck offering more traction. When I am already at a combined weight of 16,000lbs another 1,000lbs of truck isn't going to make much difference if the trailer brakes are engaged properly. If the trailer brakes aren't doing much then you may get 15% more effort from the truck.

[tragusa3]

Assuming that trailer brakes are designed to stop the trailer and not add braking requirement to the tow vehicle, then shouldn't the rankings of towing vs. not-towing stay the same?

I ask this question, but must say that I am NOT impressed with how the F150 brake controller electronically regulates my trailer brakes. Yes, it is smooth and unnoticeable, but I wish it let the trailer do a higher amount of the work. If I pinch the manual brake lever to 100%, it would take my trailer nearly a mile to stop us from 45mph. I know the trailer brakes are more capable than that. They were on my last combo that used a different controller.

I'm dealing with a pulse in my truck brakes due to warped rotors. I think they are warped from the above concern.

[JeremyFr]

Samsonsworld wrote:
It appears Ford was under investigation by the NHTSA for 2013-2016 F150 braking issues. Maybe they got it fixed?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/10/04/nhtsa-ford-f-150-brake-investigation/91537182/

You do realize the article specifically states the issue with the 3.5l V6, not the ecoboost, but the bare bottom V6 Engine, No one should be towing with that motor to begin with.

[mich800]

Samsonsworld wrote:
Too many complaints about the 2017 brakes, too. You guys be careful and give yourself lots of space.

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/F-150/2017/brakes/

I wonder how many of those complaints are 2 footed drivers with the pedal going to the floor was actually the throttle?