Well, It's been fun,

[aggiegrad05]

My buddy is about to buy a 2018 F150 and is trying to decide between the 3.5 EB and the 5.0 V8. He has an EB now. My last truck was a 5.0 and (obviously) I have the 3.5 EB now, so he asked my opinion. Given that I was sending him my thoughts, and as it's sorta related here, I thought I'd put it out there for y'all to crap all over (I'm kidding).

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MPG: Let's get this out of the way...I think MPGs are a wash. I had a 65k mile lifetime avg of 14.5 in my 5.0 and after 11k miles in the EB, I'm running at an avg of 16.5. With the added cost of the premium fuel I buy for the EB, it is about even. Yes, if you baby the EB you can do much better, but using the same driving style across both engines, that's where I am.

The V8 power is smooth all the way up. You put your foot down and it just goes, immediately. There isa noticeable jump on gear shifts and it wasn't particularly smooth. The sound from a 5.0 is awesome, of course. That being said, between the sound and the hard upshifts, when I gave the 5.0 the beans, it sounded like it was working really, really hard. The 5.0 is a brutal engine and I would not call it refined in any way. It's big and powerful and loud and rough.

The 3.5 EB is different in all respects. When you put the hammer down, it thinks for a second. Obviously unless your running a supercharger instead of (or in conjunction with) your turbo, there will be lag, so that's not a surprise. But it is in no way an unacceptable amount of waiting. And if you put it in "Sport Mode" it holds its gears for longer and does a good job keeping the turbos awake. And once those snails are turning, the power comes on big time, and it doesn't stop. Likely due in large part to the updated 10 speed, the upshifts are smooth and the power never really drops; the most noticeable difference between the 5.0 and the EB, for me, comes right after a shift...the turbos are already spooled so the engine just surges forward after each shift without any hesitation as was present in the 5.0. It's really really nice. Again, this is likely more due to the super-quick shifts from the updated 10 speed. The EB sound took some getting used to, but now that I have, it's fine. In my opinion, the more refined sound better fits the platinum expi than the growly V8 anyway.

Reliability is a tough one. I know the EB have been around for a long time now, and they are doing really well. There were some oil blowby issues early on which led to people installing catch cans and whatnot, but I think those have been addressed in the current gen EB. But any way you slice it, the Coyote V8 is a venerable piece of equipment and you're going to have to struggle to convince me there is enough evidence to show the EB is just as reliable. I'm not saying it's not, I'm just saying we don't know yet.

If the 5.0 was an option when I bought my Expi I likely would have selected it. But now that I have lived with the 3.5 EB, I think that would have been the wrong decision. I like the EB just as much but for different reasons. It definitely fits the platinum expi setup better than the V8 would. If I were to go back to an F150 I would probably choose the V8 again. But it would be a tough call and I'm not sure I would ever feel like I made the right choice.

The other thing to consider is tuning. These EBs can be tuned to some crazy numbers. Depending on what you believe, a few hundred bucks to a tuning shop can get you into some pretty ridiculous power and 1/4 mile times. I won't ever tune mine as the prospect of voiding my warranty terrifies me, but if it's something you're interested in, that's something to be considered.

I really have nothing bad to say about either setup. One is big and loud and rough and powerful, the other is refined, and quiet, and fast and powerful. One is time-tested and reliable, the other is reliable (so-far) and the future. I don't think you'll make a mistake choosing either, it really comes down to preference.

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Alright everyone, tell me why I'm wrong.

 

[JohnT]

For me the biggest difference between torbo and NA engines is the usable power at low RPMs

In a NA you are using the higher RPMs to get the max performance (I'm thinking more aggressive non towing situations here) and in a stick shift you'd be letting the engine rev up and timing your gear changes to to drop back to just below max torque rpm and burying your foot to the floor until the next gear change. Rinse and repeat until the next bend or you run out of road.

In a turbo, once the turbos are spooling you have 90% plus of the torque available over a wide RPM range and, unless you're wringing the last drop of power out of it, you can pretty much surf the power band/torque from much lower RPMs than a NA

Comparing the 5.0 NA vs a 3.5 EB, for most people the EB makes more accessible power or, if you will, lazier power where your right foot is just a way of dialing up a torque level and the autobox picks and chooses which of 10 gears it wants to use.

I like the EB from a lazy perspective but I do find it's a bit more deceptive as to when its going to run out of steam accelerating hard on a overtake for example than a NA. The NA is steady increasing power with lots of matching auditory hints that it's getting to the end of it's powerband. The EB? accelerates like mad and dies off pretty fast. Anyone who's ever driven a fast German turbo diesel will appreciate what I'm saying

 

[botts]

V8TT Would have been nicer, but IMO V8 NA is little outdated or too much old school. If you think of the technology they are putting into these engines these days, V6TT is a perfect fit for this car. enough power to get around while the fuel efficiency is still there.

Here's hoping if CAFE falls that this becomes a reality. Looking at what Ford makes from the 3.5L in the Raptor and Navigator, a 5.0L TT would be pretty insane.

I think it would be a far more reasonable choice than the rumoured 7.0L V8 slated to replace the current Triton 6.8L.

 

[JExpedition07]

Here's hoping if CAFE falls that this becomes a reality. Looking at what Ford makes from the 3.5L in the Raptor and Navigator, a 5.0L TT would be pretty insane.

I think it would be a far more reasonable choice than the rumoured 7.0L V8 slated to replace the current Triton 6.8L.

This was debated over at F-150 forum and a few good points were made why A gas V8 TT makes no sense. A. It Would intrude on the diesel market which ford doesn’t want. B. Fleets and working folk want a simple low maintenance reliable motor. In recent years the 6.2L V8 and 6.8L V10 have gained market share while many have been running from the diesel due to the increased maintenance and associated costs. C. A V8 TT would get horrendous fuel economy under load compared to a big cube N/A V8 such as the 7.3L. A big cube N/A V8 makes a lot more sense for HD platform and would be nice if it got in the half tons but that’s doubtful. We’d more likely see a DOHC in the 6 liter range which would be great too.

Don’t get me wrong I’d LOVE a 5.0 TT, im all over it (RAPTOR please!)

 

[5150 pops]

This was debated over at F-150 forum and a few good points were made why A gas V8 TT makes no sense. A. It Would intrude on the diesel market which ford doesn’t want. B. Fleets and working folk want a simple low maintenance reliable motor. In recent years the 6.2L V8 and 6.8L V10 have gained market share while many have been running from the diesel due to the increased maintenance and associated costs. C. A V8 TT would get horrendous fuel economy under load compared to a big cube N/A V8 such as the 7.3L. A big cube N/A V8 makes a lot more sense for HD platform and would be nice if it got in the half tons but that’s doubtful.

BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!
Wut about duh *****???????????????????????????????????

 

[JExpedition07]

BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!
Wut about duh *****???????????????????????????????????

Nothing gets more p*ssy than revving a big V8, everyone knows that <lol>

 

[5150 pops]

Well played....good man. VERY WELL played...I could line up and beat a 14 second vehicle, but all the coooch will fall all over itself for the V8 engined slow poke...

 

[5150 pops]

It's the very reason I'm not a "known" 1/4 mile racer, toooooooo much baggage..............

 

[JExpedition07]

Well played....good man. VERY WELL played...I could line up and beat a 14 second vehicle, but all the coooch will fall all over itself for the V8 engined slow poke...

It’s funny, the V8 is an American icon. Some Foreigners laugh at us Americans and our big cube pushrod engines, but we still make em’. They seem to like turbocharging smaller ones or skipping right to 10 or 12 cylinders. Granted Ford went Overhead Cam starting with the Modular V8 but the principle is still there in their V8 engines today, look at the Mustang 5.0. You can order a big block 400+ cube pushrod engine from ford racing and throw it in something tomorrow. It’s in our blood. Sure these little European turbo hatchbacks and BMWs can run with our big engines but they still don’t sound as good doing it! And they aren’t nearly as memorable or iconic! Plus slap a supercharger on that big boat anchor and watch that little European econobox get its butt handed to it, lots more room for power modifications with more displacement. Why jump to a different layout? Not us. Just need a V8 with even BIGGER pistons lol. Nothing like the sound of a Chevy Big Block tearing it up.

 

[JohnT]

Having lived in Europe most of my life it's not that we dislike the big cubic inch V8's it's that we can't afford to run them

Massive taxation and insurance, think 5000 USD road tax a year, massive insurance based on engine size similar pricing and carbon taxes pushing fuel to 1.50 a liter mean your average Joe can't afford to run a 5.0 v8.

In Ireland I was paying 1000 a year tax and 900 a year insurance on a 2,5 Subaru forester

A friends 17 year old daughter is paying 4000 a year insurance on a nissan micra with a 1.0 engine.

My sons Irish friends cannot believe he is driving a 5.7 Hemi charger at 17 paying 1100 cad a year tax and insurance. And paying 1.05 a litre on the fuel, currently Irish fuel is running at about 2.25 CAD a liter. You ain't going far at 17 paying that price in a hemi.

So Europeans ended up going for small engines with turbos. When diesels were popular the *** diesels were mightily sought after as out of the box they were good and some after market chipping got you quickly in to V* power and torque territory. Trust me, red blooded males all want loads of power in Europe just as much as North America. The good news in Europe was due to twisty roads being the predominant road type the level of chassis handling in Europe is pretty damm good.