New Truck!

[Bill]

Brulaz -

I saw the intro hype on this vehicle a few months ago, and there is no doubt that with the demise of the "real" Ford Explorer with the 2011 model, this will be my next vehicle. Everything I have read, I love. The transmission improvement via the addition of a tow/haul mode should be a great thing, and should greatly extend the life of the tranny. And by the way, the turbo should do more than generate more power from a smaller engine. At high altitude, it should make the engine think that it is actually at sea level!

The rule of thumb says that an engine loses about 3% of its horsepower for every thousand feet of altitude, simply because there is not enough air to run it right. In other words, at 10,000 feet, the engine will have about 30% less power than it does at sea level (where all the measurements are made, of course). A turbo should fix this - the boost from the turbo should restore sea-level air pressure at the engine inlet, and therefore restore sea-level performance. For years, I have been asking the aftermarket turbo people about this, and they laughed at me. "Sounds like a good idea", they said, but their turbochargers and superchargers are for use on the track - a quick burst of power. Finally, Ford figured it out for trailer towing.

I expect to hear great stories about your rig.

Bill

Originally Posted by Bill

And by the way, the turbo should do more than generate more power from a smaller engine. At high altitude, it should make the engine think that it is actually at sea level!

Yes, there are several people from Colorado on the F150 forum I visit who really like that aspect. And they say it works as you predict at high elevations.

One of the reasons I jumped on the turbo gas engine is because we already had a Turbo Diesel VW Passat which has great low-end torque. But it only has a single turbo which kicks in around 1200 rpm. The Ecoboost (and some newer German diesels) has a bi-turbo design with a small turbo for low rpm and bigger one for latter. This removes the turbo lag and improves low-end torque.

When we were in Colorado at Rocky Mountain National Park with our Passat towing the old tent trailer, there were times when the car would barely move until 1200rpm was reached. And then it would roar off. Scary really, especially when trying to merge into traffic.

Apparently the bi-turbo arrangement of the Ecoboost takes care of this.