New Ford 1/2 ton trucks

[joeymt33]

As the name implies lol.

So I've got 80k on my 2014 F150 5.0 and she's to that point where I either need to:

1. Sell while shes still worth 20k+ and get something else or
2. Drive her til she blows.

As I mentioned in the other thread: held off on an EcoBoost because of concerns for the turbos/realability and cost to fix.

Sounds like everyone loves the power, so a few more questions about some of these newer half ton fords @joeymt33 and @nbomar and @whoeverelsehasone

1. What did you spend on your tune? Sent it out somewhere or just buy a plug in unit?
2. What additional maintenance does a turbo need? @CumminsPusher you mentioned treating them right at on/off...can you explain?
3. You guys that have the new aluminum body....thoughts? I had an 04 expedition in college and the tailgate and hood where aluminum- bubbly as all get out when it was 8-10 years old. Honestly this has been the biggest thing stopping me from dumping my truck and trading up- the aluminum body scares me.

If these trucks aren't going to have the problem-why? Is there a new coating or finishing process out there I'm not aware of?

1: use 5 Star tuning and what ever device they recommend. Don’t use the high HP tunes when towing. Just use a standard to tune or stock calibration when towing.

2: don’t start and go immediately. Let the oil flow flow for a minute. Same thing when stopping, let it cool before shutting down hot if you were just running it hard.

3: I’ve not had problems with the aluminum. Even when Ford started using the aluminum hoods back in 04 we still didn’t have any problems. Maybe it’s because of the different environment in the south?

I change my oil every 7000 miles and I would do that sooner if I had more city traffic. I’ll let it go that long because I’m on the highway so much. Sometimes I may change it sooner if I have been towing more than usual.

The other thing I recommend is getting a cooler thermostat as the eco boost runs at about 210° and it doesn’t take much of a load or hill to get over 230°. I’m not real comfortable with that so I put in a 170° thermostat a while back and I love it.

I bought an aftermarket spring for the back to increase the spring rate and I use 10 ply tires and this thing hauls and tows very good but it does ride ruffer unloaded and that’s not something I would recommend unless you were always carrying a load.

I havent changed the intake or the exhaust and I still use the stock air filter and everything else.

 

[Admin]

 

[nbomar]

Im just running a superchips canned tuner. I looked at 5* and liked them but went with the bigger name I could easily get and find shops that carry if I needed help. I wasn’t looking for the fastest tune out there.

I will let me truck idle if I’ve been driving it hard when I stop. I rarely drive it hard though. I got rid of my dually for a reason...

I haven’t had the slightest problem with the aluminum body. I drive mine through one of those car washes with the spinning brushes 3-4 times a week and I swear it’s going to dent the truck but it never has. (I know, I know people say these scratch the truck all up) it looks way better when it come out and I’ll have it buffed 1-2 times a year from a detailer.

Other than that I have the maintenance plan ford sells so I just drive in and get oil changes, brakes anything you would need and they do it all free. I’ve got 25k miles on it now and no real issues.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[joeymt33]

Im just running a superchips canned tuner. I looked at 5* and liked them but went with the bigger name I could easily get and find shops that carry if I needed help. I wasn’t looking for the fastest tune out there.

I will let me truck idle if I’ve been driving it hard when I stop. I rarely drive it hard though. I got rid of my dually for a reason...

I haven’t had the slightest problem with the aluminum body. I drive mine through one of those car washes with the spinning brushes 3-4 times a week and I swear it’s going to dent the truck but it never has. (I know, I know people say these scratch the truck all up) it looks way better when it come out and I’ll have it buffed 1-2 times a year from a detailer.

Other than that I have the maintenance plan ford sells so I just drive in and get oil changes, brakes anything you would need and they do it all free. I’ve got 25k miles on it now and no real issues.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I should’ve clarified that I like the custom tuning because of the customer service and them taking care of any questions or concerns that I have. I do not use the most powerful tune.

For example, the Diablo sport tuner I have now is probably a little bit too powerful for towing. I’ve asked them to make me a file with a firmer shifting and a slight increase in low end torque but not go too crazy with the power and they’re not interested in helping me. That would’ve been an easy phone call to the five star and they would’ve sent me the tune file the same day.

 

[Farmer]

I had the edge CTS2 at first. It’s junk. Edge could never fix or get it to work right. They claimed it was my truck with the problem but I tried it on my fathers and a coworkers truck and had the same problems.

They took it back and sent a Diablo Sport Trinity 2 and it’s ok but still has issues.

I used to use 5 star custom tuning with a SCT past, Not sure why I changed. My next time will be with 5 star’s great customer service and superior products. I had no idea it was this bad out there among the other tuning companies.

On my YouTube channel I recently uploaded a short video on each if you care to hear more about those two.

RE: Diablo and sunglasses....have you tried non polarized lenses? Polarized messes with a lot of things. I try to keep a pair of non in each vehicle and the polarized stay in my tackle box and Canada bag.

So what are some of the pluses to these tuners if not HP? Are they just a fancy set of gauges with the ability to allow for bigger tires? Or are there some real benefits like the diesel guys get? It's an honest question since I haven't been on the Ford forum in months to a year.

I do need to go there soon though... Took my 2012 ecoboost out of the shed the other day since it had rained and washed the salt off of the roads, and was driving along about 65 when a horrible grinding squealing noise started happening in the front end. It would go away if I lifted the pedal and resume as soon as I touched it again. It got worse as I limped it to the Dr's appointment. While waiting a quick google search suggested loss of vacuum to the front hubs allowing it to attempt engaging, or at least partially. It didn't do it on the way home. My guess is mice chewed a vaccum line, or a valve went bad, but if so, then I bet those hub gears are toast. I'm waiting for lumber to finish my shop build while typing this. When it's done I'll bump the f150 to the front of the line of past due repairs. Better hurry though, planting will happen soon and then it's off to Canada!

 

[joeymt33]

RE: Diablo and sunglasses....have you tried non polarized lenses? Polarized messes with a lot of things. I try to keep a pair of non in each vehicle and the polarized stay in my tackle box and Canada bag.

So what are some of the pluses to these tuners if not HP? Are they just a fancy set of gauges with the ability to allow for bigger tires? Or are there some real benefits like the diesel guys get? It's an honest question since I haven't been on the Ford forum in months to a year.

I do need to go there soon though... Took my 2012 ecoboost out of the shed the other day since it had rained and washed the salt off of the roads, and was driving along about 65 when a horrible grinding squealing noise started happening in the front end. It would go away if I lifted the pedal and resume as soon as I touched it again. It got worse as I limped it to the Dr's appointment. While waiting a quick google search suggested loss of vacuum to the front hubs allowing it to attempt engaging, or at least partially. It didn't do it on the way home. My guess is mice chewed a vaccum line, or a valve went bad, but if so, then I bet those hub gears are toast. I'm waiting for lumber to finish my shop build while typing this. When it's done I'll bump the f150 to the front of the line of past due repairs. Better hurry though, planting will happen soon and then it's off to Canada!

It’s definitely the polarized glasses that caused the problem. Different sunglasses don’t cause the problem. It’s aggravating because I don’t have that issue with the touchscreen in the truck, my phone or previous tuners that I have used. It seems like they’ve made a change it was probably to save money and it just decreased quality.

The pluses for me of using these products was the ability to correct the speedometer which can be needed even if you have not changed the tire size. I also wanted the ability to monitor more gauges when towing. The added benefit of power options is nice. I like the two specific tunes for firmer shifting and a little bump in torque. Here is a screenshot of some different power levels you can do on these eco-boost engines....

 

[jwfirebird]

trucks are all new, my fords started trouble after 100 anybody can go that these days. all the gms I had after that go 200+ without hardly any issues maybe replaced shocks and brakes, trans aren't problems last two I didn't even do that

the fords left me a ton, gms are redundant only fuel pump or some that lasts 200k would even leave you.

 

[jwfirebird]

RE: Diablo and sunglasses....have you tried non polarized lenses? Polarized messes with a lot of things. I try to keep a pair of non in each vehicle and the polarized stay in my tackle box and Canada bag.



I do need to go there soon though... Took my 2012 ecoboost out of the shed the other day since it had rained and washed the salt off of the roads, and was driving along about 65 when a horrible grinding squealing noise started happening in the front end. It would go away if I lifted the pedal and resume as soon as I touched it again. It got worse as I limped it to the Dr's appointment. While waiting a quick google search suggested loss of vacuum to the front hubs allowing it to attempt engaging, or at least partially. It didn't do it on the way home. My guess is mice chewed a vaccum line, or a valve went bad, but if so, then I bet those hub gears are toast. I'm waiting for lumber to finish my shop build while typing this. When it's done I'll bump the f150 to the front of the line of past due repairs. Better hurry though, planting will happen soon and then it's off to Canada!

cant believe they still use vacuum worst thing I hated about my 80s jeep and why everyone went to electronic actuators. they don't work in the cold which is when you really need 4wd. always a pain too if you have a problem could be any vacuum line in the whole truck, if its leaking the actuator wont hold

 

[ohanacreek]

I have no preference other than I hate Chevy with every last portion of my eternal soul.

(If this post we’re a YouTube video I’d disable the comments)

 

[dnjones161]

I wouldn't consider one after they took the bailout money.

Stubborn old man at the age of 26 i was

 

[jwfirebird]

I went to them for the same reason I buy Honda and Yamaha, they are the most reliable. I drive out of state all the time and put a ton of miles on they have never left me stranded unlike ford that I started buying first . I don't care about looks or how fast it is or tows if it cant get my tools and me where I need to go.

 

[CumminsPusher]

Truck fight.lol
One thing I know about most new trucks are most people sell them at 1/4 the mileage I buy them at so obviously opinions would differ. When someone buys a new truck and says they got it for dependability yet sell it at 50-100k I chuckle. Most new trucks will very easily make it to the point people look to sell it.
Might as well look for a truck that does what you need it too without strain, mileage, comfort and imo resale value most importantly.
If a truck doesn’t make it to 200k ya it’s a pos but most new truck buyers won’t know that number

 

[joeymt33]

Everybody has their own stories. I don’t care what you guys drive. I’m just glad my company let me pick the brand.

Me and father combined have had 3 GM products and after the third said never again.

As for high mileage, I haven’t done many past 200k. The GM weren’t even close. My wife’s previous Explorer had just over 270k and it was perfect. Outside of general maintenance I changed one coil pack. Didn’t tick or leak and the trans was serviced regularly and never had a part thrown at it.

I drove the ole ‘67 ford to town today to get another 100 gallons of diesel. Started and drives great.

 

[ohanacreek]

Everybody has their own stories. I don’t care what you guys drive. I’m just glad my company let me pick the brand.

Me and father combined have had 3 GM products and after the third said never again.

As for high mileage, I haven’t done many past 200k. The GM weren’t even close. My wife’s previous Explorer had just over 270k and it was perfect. Outside of general maintenance I changed one coil pack. Didn’t tick or leak and the trans was serviced regularly and never had a part thrown at it.

I drove the ole ‘67 ford to town today to get another 100 gallons of diesel. Started and drives great.

Ive had 3 GM products the first two had over 200k on them when I bought it and the 3rd had 7 Miles on it, all three were as dependable, which is to say they weren't. All three had major issues from the day I bought them and the first two never improved even with a lot of money thrown at them. The third was the same even though buying a brand new truck I thought a new one would be different but it was all warranty stuff that didn't work from the day I bought it and Chevy wouldn't fix it.

Chevy's customer service was worse than McDonald's, Ford has been good and very reasonable for a for profit company, but Acura put Chick-fil-a to shame.

 

[joeymt33]

The 3.5 eco-boost is already the most powerful half ton engine as far as torque goes. Especially low end torque. But if you wanted to spend the money they now offer the high output version which is 510 foot pounds and 450 hp. That would be pretty incredible

 

[JTW]

The 3.5 eco-boost is already the most powerful half ton engine as far as torque goes. Especially low end torque. But if you wanted to spend the money they now offer the high output version which is 510 foot pounds and 450 hp. That would be pretty incredible

The motor is what won me over.. my 15 3.5eb with the 6 speed has been great! And why I ordered this last week.

Few things I learned from my first f150... I never used the big sunroof and it kinda makes noise with rapid temp changes if you don’t open and close it. The FX4 package is pointless. I don’t need skid plates on my truck. That’s what the pioneer or Jeep is for. I missed the low maintenance of the silver color from my previous Ram. I noticed that with the sport package with painted wheels and running boards. The clear coat was starting to flake where you step on to the board and also several places on the wheels. So I went back to the chrome package. I also added the tow mirrors ($250).. and above all... GET THE MAX TOW PACKAGE!! I didn’t do that the first time. And while I had the 3.55 gear with the FX option and the 3.5eb... I wished I had the transmission cooler and larger radiator that come with the MAX TOW package. Not that I ever had any issues with mine, but more of a realization that if I do want to tow a big enclosed to Moab, it’s crazy not to get the max tow. The new trucks have the gen 2 ecoboost which has been out a few years now. That gives some motor revisions that earlier eb’s didn’t have as well as some more torque. And also the new 10 speed tranny. Funny thing is... I haven’t even driven a new one yet. But I liked my current f150 so well that it was a no brainer! Also, all my stuff will swap over.. floor mats, retrax bed cover, ARE camper/topper. There’s a couple thousand dollars of stuff I don’t have to basically give away.

One of the reasons went with the f150 was because of the aluminum body. No worries of rust and big trucks have been running aluminum bodies for years. We can argue the good or bad but I had no issues with mine and there’s not a dent one in it after 4 years vs my ram was just starting to rust when I traded it in and had several dents and dings.

My only minor complaints with my 15...
The fog light lenses cracked and were replaced under warranty and have cracked again.
The ford doesn’t fit me quite as well as the dodge did with regards to the steering wheel location and peddles when I’m in a comfortable seating position. But that’s an individual preference thing.
The clear coat flaking on the wheels and running boards is kinda crap but chrome solves that.
My navigation chip has gone out a couple times. But amazon prime fixes that. Lol..
I prefer the leather on the steering wheel of the chevys...the top membrane of the leather has peeled on my wheel where my hand sits at the top of the wheel.
I’ve noticed a slight oil seep around one gasket on the motor. No drip or puddle just a dampness and maybe that’s the synthetic oil I use??? I dunno.

Otherwise, it’s nothing but love! I love the power, the torque the fuel economy. The the pulling power. The interior room is crazy. Love the back up camera and large screen. The LED headlights are badass!! The cooled seats are f***in awesome! I like I don’t have to worry about rust if I decide to keep it 10 years. And I like that they’re giving me almost 32k for trade in on an almost 5 year old truck with 90k when mine comes in.

I will say.. if you’re not in a big hurry, watch the rebates and offers from ford. That’s where you can get your biggest savings when buying new. Otherwise... do it. I think you’ll be happy @dnjones161

 

[dnjones161]

The motor is what won me over.. my 15 3.5eb with the 6 speed has been great! And why I ordered this last week.
View attachment 116683

Few things I learned from my first f150... I never used the big sunroof and it kinda makes noise with rapid temp changes if you don’t open and close it. The FX4 package is pointless. I don’t need skid plates on my truck. That’s what the pioneer or Jeep is for. I missed the low maintenance of the silver color from my previous Ram. I noticed that with the sport package with painted wheels and running boards. The clear coat was starting to flake where you step on to the board and also several places on the wheels. So I went back to the chrome package. I also added the tow mirrors ($250).. and above all... GET THE MAX TOW PACKAGE!! I didn’t do that the first time. And while I had the 3.55 gear with the FX option and the 3.5eb... I wished I had the transmission cooler and larger radiator that come with the MAX TOW package. Not that I ever had any issues with mine, but more of a realization that if I do want to tow a big enclosed to Moab, it’s crazy not to get the max tow. The new trucks have the gen 2 ecoboost which has been out a few years now. That gives some motor revisions that earlier eb’s didn’t have as well as some more torque. And also the new 10 speed tranny. Funny thing is... I haven’t even driven a new one yet. But I liked my current f150 so well that it was a no brainer! Also, all my stuff will swap over.. floor mats, retrax bed cover, ARE camper/topper. There’s a couple thousand dollars of stuff I don’t have to basically give away.

One of the reasons went with the f150 was because of the aluminum body. No worries of rust and big trucks have been running aluminum bodies for years. We can argue the good or bad but I had no issues with mine and there’s not a dent one in it after 4 years vs my ram was just starting to rust when I traded it in and had several dents and dings.

My only minor complaints with my 15...
The fog light lenses cracked and were replaced under warranty and have cracked again.
The ford doesn’t fit me quite as well as the dodge did with regards to the steering wheel location and peddles when I’m in a comfortable seating position. But that’s an individual preference thing.
The clear coat flaking on the wheels and running boards is kinda crap but chrome solves that.
My navigation chip has gone out a couple times. But amazon prime fixes that. Lol..
I prefer the leather on the steering wheel of the chevys...the top membrane of the leather has peeled on my wheel where my hand sits at the top of the wheel.
I’ve noticed a slight oil seep around one gasket on the motor. No drip or puddle just a dampness and maybe that’s the synthetic oil I use??? I dunno.

Otherwise, it’s nothing but love! I love the power, the torque the fuel economy. The the pulling power. The interior room is crazy. Love the back up camera and large screen. The LED headlights are badass!! The cooled seats are f***in awesome! I like I don’t have to worry about rust if I decide to keep it 10 years. And I like that they’re giving me almost 32k for trade in on an almost 5 year old truck with 90k when mine comes in.

I will say.. if you’re not in a big hurry, watch the rebates and offers from ford. That’s where you can get your biggest savings when buying new. Otherwise... do it. I think you’ll be happy @dnjones161

Holy crap what dealer are you using @JTW ?!?? That sounds like a hell of a trade in.

I do hate the clear coat wheels- none of them last more than a year or so in the grime up here. Raw aluminum that can be polished is the way to go, but hard to find now.

I agree- FX4 is an expensive sticker in my mind. I dont use my 40k dollar truck like that.

I think you guys have me convinced. When I bought my last truck I was sticker shocked straight out of college. Before that, my last pickup was a 1990 f150 single cab with a straight 6 lol. I thought 10k could buy me a nice truck, so the idea of spending what I spent then buying a 500 dollar tuner was insane. Of course two years ago when we went to Hatfield McCoy for the first time we scoffed at these fools in there 15-20k side by sides to ride trails from the throne of our 95/96 fourtrax 300s. You all have seen our garage now . It's all relative I suppose.

 

[ohanacreek]

The motor is what won me over.. my 15 3.5eb with the 6 speed has been great! And why I ordered this last week.
View attachment 116683

Few things I learned from my first f150... I never used the big sunroof and it kinda makes noise with rapid temp changes if you don’t open and close it. The FX4 package is pointless. I don’t need skid plates on my truck. That’s what the pioneer or Jeep is for. I missed the low maintenance of the silver color from my previous Ram. I noticed that with the sport package with painted wheels and running boards. The clear coat was starting to flake where you step on to the board and also several places on the wheels. So I went back to the chrome package. I also added the tow mirrors ($250).. and above all... GET THE MAX TOW PACKAGE!! I didn’t do that the first time. And while I had the 3.55 gear with the FX option and the 3.5eb... I wished I had the transmission cooler and larger radiator that come with the MAX TOW package. Not that I ever had any issues with mine, but more of a realization that if I do want to tow a big enclosed to Moab, it’s crazy not to get the max tow. The new trucks have the gen 2 ecoboost which has been out a few years now. That gives some motor revisions that earlier eb’s didn’t have as well as some more torque. And also the new 10 speed tranny. Funny thing is... I haven’t even driven a new one yet. But I liked my current f150 so well that it was a no brainer! Also, all my stuff will swap over.. floor mats, retrax bed cover, ARE camper/topper. There’s a couple thousand dollars of stuff I don’t have to basically give away.

One of the reasons went with the f150 was because of the aluminum body. No worries of rust and big trucks have been running aluminum bodies for years. We can argue the good or bad but I had no issues with mine and there’s not a dent one in it after 4 years vs my ram was just starting to rust when I traded it in and had several dents and dings.

My only minor complaints with my 15...
The fog light lenses cracked and were replaced under warranty and have cracked again.
The ford doesn’t fit me quite as well as the dodge did with regards to the steering wheel location and peddles when I’m in a comfortable seating position. But that’s an individual preference thing.
The clear coat flaking on the wheels and running boards is kinda crap but chrome solves that.
My navigation chip has gone out a couple times. But amazon prime fixes that. Lol..
I prefer the leather on the steering wheel of the chevys...the top membrane of the leather has peeled on my wheel where my hand sits at the top of the wheel.
I’ve noticed a slight oil seep around one gasket on the motor. No drip or puddle just a dampness and maybe that’s the synthetic oil I use??? I dunno.

Otherwise, it’s nothing but love! I love the power, the torque the fuel economy. The the pulling power. The interior room is crazy. Love the back up camera and large screen. The LED headlights are badass!! The cooled seats are f***in awesome! I like I don’t have to worry about rust if I decide to keep it 10 years. And I like that they’re giving me almost 32k for trade in on an almost 5 year old truck with 90k when mine comes in.

I will say.. if you’re not in a big hurry, watch the rebates and offers from ford. That’s where you can get your biggest savings when buying new. Otherwise... do it. I think you’ll be happy @dnjones161

I am watching for a good deal on that very same truck in an 18’ after some discussions with the wife about RVs in the future and some fellow truck owners about 2018 diesel cost and longevity I’m leaning toward the F150 you ordered for the same reasons, instead of a 2500/3500 SRW Ram. The max I would tow on a semi-regular basis would be about 7500-8500lbs depending on load out. So while a 2500 would tow it to Moab and back on a regular basis I think for 3-4 hour trips the F150 will be fine.

 

[Average_Joe]

Just my shopping experience Ford's hold their value especially with the 3.5eb. The night I bought a truck i found my dream truck the one i would have owned until the wheels fell off. A 2013 F150 3.5eb Limited crew cab black with black and red leather interior, lifted, automatic floor boards I was sold it had 95k miles and the dealer wouldn't budge off 30k not a penny with my trade in 2012 jeep grand cherokee overland i was 10k upside down. That would have put me in a 5 year old truck with 95k miles for 40k the lenders wouldn't do it too many miles for the money. We drove to another dealer we know the GM at they had a 2017 Nissan Titan 5.6 crew cab got me in that truck for under 30k with a warranty and 17k miles.

My mother in law bought a 2012 F150 crew cab race red xlt with the 5.0 coyote had 25k when she bought it the odo sits at 176,000 miles has had to to fix the a/c. The truck still runs strong i drove it to work this week it doesn't smoke or run rough.

 

[joeymt33]

Gave the eco-beast a bath and now loading up for the 10 hour trip to MO.

I hope the turbos make the trip!

 

[CumminsPusher]

Gave the eco-beast a bath and now loading up for the 10 hour trip to MO.

I hope the turbos make the trip!

View attachment 116754

View attachment 116755

Lol. Well if they don’t load Pioneer in the trailer and tow with the Honda, it’s NA.