Outfitting the new-to-me 2018 F-150....EcoBoost specific thoughts?

[Deleted member 9101]

No, but I mashed the go-pedal a little to quickly making a right turn onto a busy road and almost broke the rear end loose from the pavement. Will probably need to carry some weight back there this Winter.

If you turn off the traction control and the advancetrac you can lay all kinds of rubber. If you hold the brake and rev to ~3000-3500 rpms and let off the brake peddle and floor it simultaneously you will see a whole different version of your truck....haha.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Will probably need to carry some weight back there this Winter.

Yup, I usually do. I usually toss about 10 sandbags over the rear axle.

Once you have the canopy on, that will add some weight though.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

ecoboost launch - Ford F150 Forum - Community of Ford Truck Fans

2011+ Engine Related Questions - ecoboost launch - Just wondering how you guys launch your trucks at the track. I have an scab 4x4 with e locker. Honestly the truck doesn't feel that fast to me but it could be because its so smooth. I haven't really beat it too much but i tried a couple launches...

www.f150forum.com

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Re: seat covers. I’m not a fan of CoverKing. I bought a set for my ‘02 Chevy, they didn’t fit well. Part of the problem was the shoulder belt integrated into the seat back. The belt would not return smoothly/completely, binding on the seat cover and yes, the seat cover was installed correctly. Additionally, there was excessive early wear on the portion of the seat where you enter/exit. Finally just took them off and will probably go with Wet Okole.

Re: secondary 12v power. I know they’re expensive but I’m very happy (so far) with my ArkPak 730. I do charge it with an 8 gauge truck camper pigtail and solar but they come with a cord for a typical charging port and claim up to 7 amps with that method. YMMV. You might want to do a bit of research on it. That would address your hesitance to tap into the advanced system of a new vehicle, a concern I share with you.

 

[Grassland]

I don't want to clutter the forum with a bunch of threads so I'll just keep appending this one.

For those that didn't see my earlier thread, this is on my new-to-me 2018 F-150 that I just bought. Primarily will be used to pull our 20' travel trailer through the Rocky Mountains and wherever else we go, and to haul my butt to and from work and around town as necessary.

Color is called "Race Red" but to me it's more like "Fire engine red." Slap a Maltese cross on the door and everyone would assume I'm the Fire Chief!

View attachment 536481

Specs: 3.5 EcoBoost, 10 speed, 4x4, XLT package with 3.31 E-locker and the 36 gallon tank. I had to go all the way to Utah to get the exact truck I wanted but I couldn't be happier (so far!)

Now comes the fun/annoying/expensive part: Getting the new truck set up!

First things first, ordered a Leer topper. I went with the basic 100R cab high model. I specifically wanted the kind with the old-school flat rear window with an aluminum frame - the "frameless" rear windows look slick but if/when they break, they are crazy expensive to replace! Not only are the framed windows less likely to break (because they have a frame...) but if they do need to be replaced it's just a simple flat piece of glass. I also ordered tracks in the roof for a Yakima rack since we carry kayaks. Vented win-doors that will hopefully help me get stuff in and out of the bed without having to crawl all the way inside (biggest drawback with a pickup vs. an SUV like my old Suburban.)

NEXT OPTION: Floor liners. My last 3 vehicles have all had Husky floor liners so I'm inclined to stay with them. Wife had the Weather Techs on her old Honda CR-V and I didn't like them as much. They were softer (which was kind of nice) but didn't stay in place as well as the Husky liners.

Realistically, there aren't going to be a lot of "mods" needed for this vehicle. Not contemplating a lift at this time - the tires are still relatively new (truck has 18k on it) so I want to see how they do. Fortunately it has 18" wheels so tires are a little easier to find and less expensive than if it had the 20" wheels. If I do contemplate a lift it would likely be a very mild leveling kit to let me run 34 - 35" max tires (current tires are 275/65/18 which comes in at about 32" and I could run 33's if I wanted to without any mods at all.)

One thing I don't know much about is what specific things will enhance the longevity and good operation of the Eco Boost motor. I've heard about things like oil catch-cans and other turbo-related mods. What do I need to be looking out for? I haven't tried towing with it yet and I'm pretty sure it's got more power than I need so any modifications would be for the purposes of keeping the engine running well, not trying to squeeze any additional power out of it. So I'd welcome any input from any other EcoBoost owners out there.

Floor liners: Rugged Ridge
Seat covers: Fia. Ive had for 5 years on my truck, 4 in work duty. Color is fading now, but fit decent and saved my seats from a couple stains.
Tires: dont want to lift or level? LT275/70R18. Maybe you can find Super Duty take off tires for dirt cheap at a local dealer. Here they take off factory tires and put on 35s and sell trucks new for comical mark up. And then sell the OEM tires for cheap. As an OEM size, also decent selection for non OEM tires.
As for your gears, I feel 3.31 is pretty tall, but I am not familiar with the 10 speed to speak to that. You might be good to go.
36 gallon tank: welcome to funtown. Especially when towing, this is your friend.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Premium fuel + good launch = hurting a lot of V8 fanboys feelings....haha.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You do realize that Ford addressed that issue on every single motor that has that feature? From trucks all the way over to the hybrid vehicles use a "start and stop" feature and the oil system in every one of those motors was designed to deal with it. Hell, they even beefed up the starter, wiring, amd battery.

I'm guessing that you have never changed the oil on a 2.7?

If you read my post I said that oil doesn't just go away from everything when you shut it down. I even referenced an old 302 that had been sitting on end for YEARS that still had oil in all the rod and main bearings.

I have never changed oil on a 2.7 nor do intend to anytime soon.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I have never changed oil on a 2.7 nor do intend to anytime soon.

That's unfortunate... Had you done it you would understand something key to the stop-start feature ;-)

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That's unfortunate... Had you done it you would understand something key to the stop-start feature ;-)

Since I haven't I do not know what you are talking about but as I have said before lack of oil at startup does not bother me with any engine that has been ran in the last few years.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Well, first camping trip was this past weekend, which was also the first time towing anything.

First off, the "towing" setup in the truck's dashboard computer was a little intimidating. I'm not even sure it's set correctly though it seems to be. It's cool that it shows the "trailer status", i.e. tells me if I'm successfully connected to the trailer lights and brakes.

As for the towing itself, it was amazing. I was actually PASSING other cars with the trailer hooked up, something I never would have done with the Suburban. The power was unreal. Of course, I noticed a significant drop in MPG, but that's to be expected.

This was not a mountain trip, so not a "real" test of the abilities of the EcoBoost. We only had a few hills and our highest altitude was maybe 7500' (Black Forest of Colorado, near Elizabeth.)

The REAL test will come in a couple of weeks when I'll be pulling the trailer over the 2 highest elevations on the Interstate Highway system: Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,000' and Vail Pass at 10,600'.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Glad you enjoyed your first outing with it!

 

[Martinjmpr]

Topper is on! Color match seems perfect.

Man, is this thing RED or what?

 

[dstefan]

For example, I'd love to add a 2nd battery like I had on the 'Burb to run a fridge. But when I think about the complex electronics and how they all work together, introducing a variable like a 2nd battery is fraught with potential problems.

I run dual Odessey AGM batteries in my Tacoma with a IBS separator and it’s great for my 50L ARB fridge. Single best thing I ever did. However, in my wife’s newer 4Runner we opted for 95 amp hr single AGM (Batteries+ X2Power which is rebranded Northstar, a great battery). We’ve traveled extensively with the same fridge in hot weather and many nights running the fridge and had zero problems. I carry an AntiGravity Li jump battery, but never needed.

My next truck will just be a single battery. Just keep in mind you really have to run a deep cycle hybrid battery, which pretty much means an AGM, and they need some supplemental charging on occasions just to keep them healthy as typical flooded lead acid battery charging profiles are a little weak for them. On the road for long trips no problem at all. In town with short grocery getting trips they need a supplemental charge now and again to keep them healthy. No big deal. The other caveat is don’t even think of running a fridge off the stock 12 V receptacles. You need to install the ARB wiring loom from the battery with appropriately sized wiring. If you want to base camp for more than a couple days without driving, use a portable solar or small generator.

 

[4x4x4doors]

Topper is on! Color match seems perfect.
Man, is this thing RED or what?

Thank the stars you finally got a vehicle in a color! Looks sharp. We briefly looked at one of these before we bought the latest Colorado. Finding the combo of equipt we wanted got in the way.

Anywho, if you haven't already committed to seat covers, I'm gonna recommend the Coverking Neoprene. I had them in the 08 Colorado and really liked them. They held up and fit well. After 135K miles and 9 years, the center color panel had shifted color a bit and the drivers' seat had a couple of spark-induced tiny holes. Take them off and throw them in the washing machine and they were good to go no matter what.

I was disappointed that they wouldn't shift over to the new truck due to different seat configuration and the addition of airbags in the front seats.

 

[adaml]

The auto start stop saves fuel... I get 20-21 MPG in town because of it. The people that I encounter that don't like it are usually control freaks.

Really it pauses the motor, it doesn't turn it off. It primes the next cylinder it will fire and retards the timing so it starts up instantly. It also maintains oil pressure in the top end of the motor and the coolant continues to circulate on its own.

You can play with the pressure on the break peddle and activate it or start the motor early. The only time I turn mine off is at the drag strip.

Have you learned how to turn off the traction control and advanctrack?

Do you have support for all those claims on how it works? The oil pressure issue is actually my largest concern with the feature. I'm not expecting to just start the car and hammer down, but I still hate seeing the oil pressure rise from zero as I step on the gas ...