Ford Engine Tests

[DF5.4]

Truck Trend has a good comparison of the 4 new Ford truck engines.
2011 Ford F-150 - Comparison Tests - Truck Trend

[acadianbob]

VERY interesting information. I think their analysis of the pros and cons of the various engines is right on the money. However, they missed a MAJOR chance to tell us all the difference in output of the Ecoboost on 87 octane and 93 octane. It's intersting that a couple of ragazines have inferred that the Ecoboost might do worse than the 5.0 while towing but nobody has done a definitive test that proves or disproves the assertion.

Thanks for the link!!

[DF5.4]

Even with 87 octane the Ecoboost has more HP and TQ than even the 6.2.

[acadianbob]

Intuitively you would expect some kind of "boost" from the higher octane. We had a 1.8 Turbo VW that DEFINITELY ran stronger on premium. It even got 5% better gas mileage on premium. I think the Ford owners manual recommends high octane when towing so it must provide a benefit. Probably a better ignition map and higher boost at lower RPM. It would sure be nice to know how much better.

I've had some discussions with the V-8 diehards on F150 OnLine. I suggested that the Ecoboost would out-tow the 6.2 in everyday towing. That drove them nuts! Well, it will !!

[DF5.4]

The only thing to see now is how the turbo engine holds up in the real world. I know that Ford did the torture test on it. I'm guessing that there was a crew to make sure all the fluids and everything else was perfect on it.

[acadianbob]

True, but when you think about it, virtually every diesel is turbo'd (or they have no power) so the turbo technology has been around for a long time. You don't hear many people wondering about diesel turbo longevity. So I don't see any reason to worry about a gas turbo any more than a diesel turbo.

[DF5.4]

I agree. With the torque curve it has you don't have to run it to the redline to get moving. That will also help with longevity. That engine is getting close to the best of both worlds for trucks. Economy when empty and the power to tow.

[Maxterra]

Longevity of a gasoline engine turbo is much tougher than a diesel.
Temperature and turbo speed and pressure being the primary factors, as all are more than double on gasoline.

Some good info on both here: WC Engineering : Diesel vs. Gasoline Turbo Design

I am still extremely impressed with what they've done with the Ecoboost engine. It is the wave of the future for sure. Best of both worlds on power and economy.
Way to go Ford!

[Chewy]

Great write ups for sure...I want to know when baby diesels get here! Curious to see numbers on v-6 diesel...

[acadianbob]

I don't think we will see baby diesels any time soon. More expensive to build and buy; fuel is more expensive, more expensive to service; more noise and smell (although a lot less nowadays). If you can get diesel torque and torque curve from gas, it may make diesels too expensive for any additional benefit they might provide. Diesels would probably still go more miles in total. Scale up the Ecoboost torque of 420 on 3.5 liters to 7 liters and you have 840 pounds of torque; just like the current diesels in the Super Duty.