Educate me about 1/2 ton trucks

[KyDan]

I almost hate to start yet -another- which truck is best thread but....
Can we please talk about what's out there and avoid the heated "which is
better" discussion pretty please...

I've been a Chevy guy for a very long time.
I currently have an 04 Silverado extended cab medium bed 5.3L 2 wheel drive.
I LOVE IT and will probably hang onto it a few more years but....

I've been shopping online at local dealers inventory and here's the rub for me-

I REALLY like the extended cab body style. 2 door handles- 4 doors.
I REALLY like maroon red. My motorcycle is maroon red also.
I'm not interested in 4wd. If it's snowing- I ain't going!
Finally- I really don't want a diesel.

Well Chevy totally walked away from me on those top 2 things.
They don't have extended cab w/2 door handles and they only have Red red no more maroon.

Ford still has a F150 extended cab 2 door handle model.
They have a color that is sort of a maroon red. They call it Ruby red.
Of course they have 2 wheel drive.
But.... when I'm looking all I can find are eco boost V6.

I want a V8. In fact I wanted a bigger V8 than my 5.3L

The main reason I'd trade is I would like a little more HP when we're pulling
the hills. It just sounds so wrong to consider a trade to a smaller engine.

Does Ford even make a F150 with a big V8??

[Martsing]

As with most truck talks, it depends on what you want. I needed a daily driver that still had enough "umph" to tow something when the time got right. I have a 2011 F150 Ecoboost Super Cab XLT. It has the 7200lb GVWR package and factory tow. My payload is about 1800lbs and my tow limit is 9800lbs. It now has 175,000 miles on it and has been towing our Rockwood for two years now. I am ALMOST beyond the point where I need a "daily driver" and am close to wanting a dedicated tow vehicle. When it is time I will most likely go to a 3/4 ton but I have never had a regret with what I have right now. I know you asked about big V8's but I put this out there as an example of what was a good option for me.

Marty

[BandJCarm]

Dan, I think I'm missing something. (Wife says she KNOWS I am).

2018 Silverado 1500: Pickup Truck | Chevrolet

Looks to me like Chevy makes a 4 door extended cab truck with a 6.2L gas engine.

??

[5picker]

No, For the F-150 the biggest gas V8 is the 5.0L.

2.7L Ecoboost V6
3.5L Ecoboost V6
3.5L Ecoboost HO-V6 (High Output Raptor Models only)
3.3L Port Fuel Direct Inject V6
5.0L V8

[5picker]

2018 Ruby Red... 4 door

[glsimms]

We love our "Ruby"......... Expedition that is

[dustman_stx]

No big V8 in the F150. I'm afraid you're likely letting chatter from non-Ecoboost owners and those with other brand loyalty steer you away from the absolute best gas 1/2 ton towing rig out there.

[CNYCamper]

Dan, Chevy still offers the extended cab - they now call it a "double cab". The one with the bigger back seat is the "crew cab". My 2014 was maroon and we really liked that color. My 2016 is "red hot" (that's really the official color) and I had to get talked into it. The 2018 on-line ads show 2 kinds of red, but I can't tell if one is a maroon. I need the double cab in order to fit my kayaks in the bed. Lar

[CNYCamper]

Addendum to my post #8. The kayaks don't entirely fit into the bed, but they clear the camper which I don't think they would do with a crew cab. This shot is us getting ready to pull out of our driveway. Note mine is a 4x4.

[KyDan]

Chevy does not make a 4 door with 2 handles any more.
The extended cab has 4 handles and would not be a deal breaker but
they don't have a dark maroon red.
AND I was sort of dreaming due to the TV ads lately touting "employee" discounts up to $11,000
So I went online just to see what was available in my area.
Nada- just about all were white and 4wd and crew or regular cab.

IF I had a magic wand I'd get a brand new version of my current truck with
a little more HP.

[ronheater70]

If I ever go back to a 1/2 ton, Ill never look at anything other than an eco-boost. Its a towing beast. I loved ours, zero complaints.

[KyDan]

If local dealers had an extended cab, big V8 in red I would have gone and
had a up close look and drive but it's end of year and the big discounts
are on "in stock" trucks and selection is very limited.

If I was to order a new one built to my specs then I'd have to
take a really close look at both Ford and Chevy.
My sons will give me a real hard time if I buy a Ford but I won't rule it out.

FWIW- my current truck has 70K miles and has been mostly garage kept.
It really cleans up nearly new inside and out.
We're heading to FL in a month and very likely the Pacific NW next summer.
We'll see how much I'm still wanting a new truck late next summer.

Right now we have no payments on anything and I gotta admit that feels
pretty darn good!

If our health holds up I do believe a new truck is in my future within a
-very- few years.

Thanks loads for your input!
The next round's on me!

[KyDan]

One more question-- I get a dismal 9 MPG towing my trailer. That's pretty much my standard and it doesn't make much difference what speed.
IF I have a head wind as we did crossing Texas earlier this year that numbers
goes down to 8.

What kind of MPG do you eco-boost guys get?
I'm especially interested in similar trailers.
Mine is 29' and weighs about 6500 loaded.

Thanks again!

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by KyDan

One more question-- I get a dismal 9 MPG towing my trailer. That's pretty much my standard and it doesn't make much difference what speed.
IF I have a head wind as we did crossing Texas earlier this year that numbers
goes down to 8.

What kind of MPG do you eco-boost guys get?
I'm especially interested in similar trailers.
Mine is 29' and weighs about 6500 loaded.

Thanks again!

You're gonna get close to that towing with any gasoline truck produced today(unless you engage in hypermiling by going much slower than normal, decelerate on inclines, slowly accelerate, etc.). When you hook a camper up, you pretty much give up all the gains from better aerodynamics and fuel management tech that allows unloaded MPG to be better now than in the past. The difference is that you'll get that same MPG (or similar) and you won't be slowing down for any incline and you won't be hunting gears. Think of it like this- to get the type of power the Ecoboost is capable of, you'd have been talking a big block V8 or V10 20 years ago- and both of those would have produced max TQ at a higher RPM still. That type of engine would have netted you very low teens unloaded and probably more like 6-8 loaded. The Ecoboost offers exceptional mileage and incredible power- just not at the same time.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by KyDan

Chevy does not make a 4 door with 2 handles any more.
The extended cab has 4 handles and would not be a deal breaker but
they don't have a dark maroon red.
AND I was sort of dreaming due to the TV ads lately touting "employee" discounts up to $11,000
So I went online just to see what was available in my area.
Nada- just about all were white and 4wd and crew or regular cab.

IF I had a magic wand I'd get a brand new version of my current truck with
a little more HP.

Sorry Dan, I misread your OP.
I thought you were now looking for 4 doors, 4 handles.
The Ford version of that would be the Super Cab.
My apologies.

[Martsing]

Originally Posted by KyDan

What kind of MPG do you eco-boost guys get?


Thanks again!

I get about 21-22 on the highway and whenever it even gets into the same driveway with my Rockwood it gets about 10mpg. Our 2703WS weighs in at about 7500lbs loaded out and I don't put a lot in the bed. It's usually just the DW and I and we generally travel light in that regard.

As many have said about the EB, it gets great gas mileage and has great power, just not at the same time!

Marty

[timfromma]

Check out the Toyota Tundra. It has a 5.7L V8

[clarkbre]

Originally Posted by KyDan

....Does Ford even make a F150 with a big V8??

No. Ford makes the 5.0L as their big V8 in the F150's.

Originally Posted by KyDan

....I want a V8. In fact I wanted a bigger V8 than my 5.3L

The main reason I'd trade is I would like a little more HP when we're pulling
the hills. It just sounds so wrong to consider a trade to a smaller engine....

First, you need to understand the difference of HP and torque and what's most important when towing:

Referenced Here
Horsepower provides highway passing power when your engine is revving hard, allowing you to accelerate at high speeds, while torque gives you low-end power and the ability to move quickly after stopping. In other words, torque lets you do the work, but horsepower lets you do the work quickly.

It does seem counter-intuitive to use a smaller motor for towing; however, if you're looking to pull hills better, forget horsepower and focus on torque.

I AM NOT STARTING A FORD/CHEVY DEBATE...SIMPLY STATING MOTOR SPECIFICATIONS.

Below is a breakdown of the maximum HP @ RPM and maximum Torque @ RPM.

Ford
3.5L offers: 375 hp @ 5,000 rpm & 470 lb·ft @ 2250-3500 rpm
5.0L offers: 395 hp @ 5,750 rpm & 400 lb-ft @ 3,850 rpm

Chevy
5.3L offers: 355 hp @ 5600 rpm & 383 lb.-ft. @ 4100 rpm
6.2L offers: 420 hp @ 5600 rpm & 460 lb.-ft. @ 4100 rpm

So, what does this information tell us?
To utilize maximum HP, all 4 motors need to be revved to 5,000+ RPM
To utilize maximum torque, the naturally aspirated motors need higher RPMs to provide the maximum pulling power.
Even with a smaller motor, the 3.5L Ecoboost's torque peaks at a very low RPM and stays at peak torque throughout the RPM range.

The conclusion is that with very different displacements, motors can make similar pulling power with or without a turbo.

Essentially, the 3.5L Ford and 6.2L Chevy will pull identical trailers/weight up a hill very similarly.....

....The Ford will pull at a lower RPM than the Chevy because the turbos help create torque.

.....And, the Chevy will pull at a higher RPM with the same torque but be able to increase speed easier from a constant speed because it has higher HP at any given RPM.

Both the 6.2 and 3.5 are great motors for towing, they just have different configurations to create power.

[clarkbre]

Originally Posted by KyDan

One more question-- I get a dismal 9 MPG towing my trailer. That's pretty much my standard and it doesn't make much difference what speed.
IF I have a head wind as we did crossing Texas earlier this year that numbers
goes down to 8.

What kind of MPG do you eco-boost guys get?
I'm especially interested in similar trailers.
Mine is 29' and weighs about 6500 loaded.

Thanks again!

My trailer is 29' tongue to bumper (25' box) and tips the scale at 7,000 lbs wet. Towing on flat ground, over mountain passes, head wind and tail wind, my F150 gets in the low 9's MPG. I think that's about standard with most vehicles towing a trailer of that size.

As a side note, highway driving between 60-74mph, the truck usually averages around 19mpg. That is with a 1.5" leveling kit and 33" tires.

[KyDan]

THAT is one mighty pretty truck!!

Originally Posted by 5picker

Sorry Dan, I misread your OP.
I thought you were now looking for 4 doors, 4 handles.
The Ford version of that would be the Super Cab.
My apologies.