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Topic ClosedV8 or V6 Twin Turbo pickup?

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geewizard View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: V8 or V6 Twin Turbo pickup?
    Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 8:32am
I'm contemplating a new pickup.  I now have a V8 and know nothing about the reliability, real-world towing experience, or maintenance cost of a V6 twin turbo engine.

Anyone out there with actual experience towing with a V6 twin turbo engine?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 9:21am
I know lots of people towing with the F150 ecoboost. Many with campers nearly twice the size/weight of a Pod. Not many complaints. My brother tows a Livin' Lite 21RBS with one, no issues or complaints about it's towing capabilities or performance.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 10:09am
We love our twin turbo V6 F150. It pulls like a diesel, but purrs like a kitten. It produces near-peak torque starting at around 1800 RPM. and the torque curve is nearly flat all the way to redline. It will out-pull a non-boosted V8 and do it all at a lower RPM. Sure, the V8 theoretically makes similar power, but it has to rev way higher to do it.

The only thing better might be a twin-turbo V8.

Ours is 6 years old this month, and it is our go-to road vehicle whether we're pulling the pod or not. When we're not pulling the pod and highway driving, we typically get 21-22 MPG. Not too shabby for a torque beast.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 10:48am
+1 to GlueGuy.  We previously has a 2011 F-150  5.0L V-8 coyote engine which pulled just fine yet as GG states it does pull even better than the V-8 and at lower rpm's, that is a huge plus in my eyes.

We drive a 2017 so not as many miles so the one to watch is GG.  Age does matter here as far as reliability and endurance.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 11:32am
How about no cylinders or turbos?

Next year, F150 Lightning. 563 hp dual motor, 775 ft lbs of torque through the entire rpm range. Fastest F150 ever.

And it'll run your house for several days in a power outage.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 11:52am
Originally posted by GlueGuy

We love our twin turbo V6 F150. It pulls like a diesel, but purrs like a kitten. It produces near-peak torque starting at around 1800 RPM. and the torque curve is nearly flat all the way to redline. It will out-pull a non-boosted V8 and do it all at a lower RPM. Sure, the V8 theoretically makes similar power, but it has to rev way higher to do it.

The only thing better might be a twin-turbo V8.

Ours is 6 years old this month, and it is our go-to road vehicle whether we're pulling the pod or not. When we're not pulling the pod and highway driving, we typically get 21-22 MPG. Not too shabby for a torque beast.


I anxiously await the coming monster.

LINKY!!


There's no substitute for cubic inches. Big smile
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2021 at 7:22pm
+1 to Glue Guy.  We just completed a cross country trip with our F-150 and it performed beautifully.  It was comfortable to drive, quiet, and never under powered.  I used to drive at 55, but crossing the country with all the trucks passing us, I bumped it up to 60 for the trip and the engine purred at 2000 rpm.  I just set the cruise control and relaxed.  
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geewizard View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2021 at 9:18am
Thanks for all the replies.

Is there more maintenance or service required for a V6-twin turbo engine versus a V8?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2021 at 10:34am
No.  The maintenance is basically the same, but they do recommend synthetic oil.  The owner's manual also says that 87 octane gas should be used as a minimum.  We encountered 85 octane in the Rocky Mountain states and bought the more expensive 87 octane gasoline instead.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2021 at 11:57am
+1 to LA. We typically switch to premium when we're pulling the pod. We've done "some" pulling on 87 octane, and it's been fine, but if we know we're doing mountains and/or hill climbing we do try to get the higher octane fuel. This is only anecdotal, but it does seem to get a wee bit more power and is smoother with the higher octane fuel. Otherwise, it is the same kind of maintenance. 

Nothing special for the turbos, as the engineering has adjusted for the problems that some early turbos saw back in the 1980s and early 1990s. There is literally nothing in the maintenance schedule for the turbos.
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