AVION Travel Trailers

KYAvion wrote: ↑Sat Jun 13, 2020 8:33 am How have the Ecoboosts faired in terms of reliability? Say once they are approaching or past the 100,000 mile mark?

KYAvion wrote: ↑Sun Jun 14, 2020 6:57 pm Thanks for the thorough explanation! I was just browsing some vehicles in FB marketplace and and some popped up. I really appreciate the insight about pre-2018 years!

silverloaf wrote: ↑Mon Jun 15, 2020 8:38 pm

KYAvion wrote: ↑Sun Jun 14, 2020 6:57 pm Thanks for the thorough explanation! I was just browsing some vehicles in FB marketplace and and some popped up. I really appreciate the insight about pre-2018 years!

I've read many stories of people who have high mileage and no issues with the pre-2017 3.5LEB engines. I suspect these are original owners who have done their due diligence on vehicle maintenance.In Michigan, leasing trumps ownership. Who knows if they ever did as much as change the oil in the 2-3 years of use?

I'm banking on the fact that Ford got schooled when it became an urgency to fix some of the earlier durability issues. The F-150 is a huge profit center for them. They could not afford to put another potential turd on the street. Certainly durability issues could arise from a lack of care. My sense is the re-design made the engine more tolerant to stupidity in use.

Lastly, you will likely find little max tow packages offered on new and used car lots. These packages provide upgraded cooling components for the engine and transmission, as well as some suspension tweaks. I've always been over-kill on cooling because engine overheating is its death knell under heavy and sustained towing conditions.

Kirkus wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 11:55 am Im really torn between another Max Tow F150, and a total overkill F250 diesel.

pbsled wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 4:34 pm That is really good. I am 9.5-10.8 with a 2017 6.2 F250, and ran 14-16 with a 2015 6.7 Cummins (stock) on the same camper. For reference with our 90’ 1500 suburban with 2WD and the same trailer got 10-12 towing.

silverloaf wrote: ↑Sat Jun 13, 2020 7:32 pm

KYAvion wrote: ↑Sat Jun 13, 2020 8:33 am How have the Ecoboosts faired in terms of reliability? Say once they are approaching or past the 100,000 mile mark?

That's an interesting question. It was a love-hate relationship among owners, particularly prior to 2017. Those that followed recommended maintenance gave them rave reviews. Those that didn't complained bitterly or became part of a class-action law suit.

Ford did a complete re-design of the V-6 Eco-boost engines beginning in 2017; aka 2nd generation. It included strengthening the areas that were vulnerable to long-term durability concerns.

As a retired Ford engine design engineer, I went through a lot of angst when ordering my 2018 F-150. I wanted the max tow package because it gave me bundled upgrades in areas like engine cooling, suspension and towing features. But the max tow package required the 3.5L Eco-boost engine, not the V-8.

I am comfortable with the changes Ford made to the Eco-boost engine family in 2017. The biggest adjustment was the 10-speed transmission. Frankly, an 8-speed transmission would have worked just fine. I attribute the 10-speed to a marketing tool. I get my best performance and fuel economy in 8th gear.

I'm not sure this diatribe answers your question. I have 30K miles on my truck and the power-train function more than meets my expectations. I should mention my truck has the 3.55 rear axle ratio which is standard with the max tow package. This engine-trans-axle combo has tremendous power for its size and gear set-up.

As I said earlier, I would not consider anything earlier than 2018, mainly for the reasons mentioned.