2.7 EcoBoost for towing? Anybody have one and can comment?

[MED]

What is the axle gear ratio on your suburban? You might be able to fix your problem with a gear swap. The RPO in your glove compartment starts with an F, let me know. I can look it up. Unless you just really want a new pickup.

[DavieD55]

If I were seeking to tow anything of lite to moderate weight like 1000-7000lbs on the highways, I would more than likely opt for the 5.7L Toyota Tundra. Now If I were going to tow up in the 8,000-10,000 lbs range I would probably go for a 3/4 or even a full ton turbo diesel.

[colorider]

You will have ample power to tow your trailer. Just keep an eye on the engine temps on long climbs. The twin turbos great a ton of heat when spooled up and the intercooler and radiators are a tad shy of being fully effective on some hills. You will be able to easily go the apps limit up all parts of 285 towing that trailer. I have a 2017 3.5 and lug 9000# of toy hauler and bikes every other weekend up 285 to Buena Vista. Just have to watch my temps when I have the AC blasting on hot days climbing the hills. This is my 2nd eco 150. Both have been great trucks and super fun to drive. Especially the 17 w the sport mode and 10 speed tranny.

[FoxtArt]

I assume they resolved the issues in humid climates... something to the effect of the intercooler condensing water, and the intake sucking that water leading to engine failure in the (wrong) combination of climate/speed/load/circumstances. I don't know much about them though, only drove a rental once and liked it quite a bit.

[Gman]

I'm a bit more partial to the 2019 Ram 1500 Crew Cab with the 5.7 Hemi, but I also own one. The Hemi is reliable and does pretty well without having to use tech like GDI to get pretty decent mpg. I recall FLT got worse mpg with the EcoBoost than the V8 Hemi on the Ike Challenge. The space in the back seats is pretty impressive and the floor is flat. Air Suspension may improve handling while towing, if that's important to you.

The ZF 8-speed is an amazing transmission and used by just about every automaker excluding Ford and GM, including Audi, Bentley, Aston Martin, BMW, Jaguar, Lamborghini, LandRover, Maserati, Rolls-Royce, Toyota, and VW.

...and I really love the exhaust note of the V8.

Ram started production of the 2020 trucks this month.

[ray1970]

No real world experience with the 2.7 but for such a small engine the numbers are impressive. If it?s in the budget the 3.5 would be the way to go for towing.

Personally, I have a Dodge with the hemi and I love it. My first tow with it was from here to Grand Junction and back. Trailer empty was 3300 and I had three ATVs and some large ice chests and camping gear on it so probably total trailer weight around 4900 or so. Gas mileage was bad but running the posted speed limit (or above) was no issue.

[BushMasterBoy]

This report says it is finicky about oil type. My basic knowledge says this engine prefers premium gas due to high compression ratio using turbos. Has plastic oil pan. Sometimes prone to head gasket failure. I have read a lot about other Eco Boost failures. I'm a bitch about reliability. Nothing makes me madder than stuck on the side of the road, broke down. eff that...

http://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=146

[iego]

I own a 2019 F150, 2.7 EcoBoost, 4x4, XLT, Sport, Crew Cab, Short Bed, but towing is not my main or anticipated usage. I didn't buy any special "Max Tow" packages, or the larger gas tank, etc.

I can confirm that, without towing anything, this thing flies up and over the mountain passes. I'm getting a little over 20 MPG combined city and weekend mountain driving. I have a bit over 2000 miles on it, so it is brand new to me.

My "Payload" sticker is listed at 1600 lbs. which is the total weight I can have in the truck including passengers, cargo, trailer tongue weight etc. This number changes on a truck by truck, feature by feature basis.

Here's a link to the 2019 F150 Towing Guide...

https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content...F150_Oct25.pdf

It shows that theoretically with my 3.55 Axle Ratio, I can pull up to 7600 lbs. I am sure that is best case, and not mountain driving, etc. but as I understand it the real limiter (besides mountain driving) on what you can pull is the "payload" capacity.

Hope this helps even though I don't tow.

-John

[SouthPaw]

You'll never go back and say "I wish I went with the smaller engine."

[Gman]

I'll just add that if you look at the Ram option, opt for the 33 gallon tank. You probably don't need the towing package as the towing mirrors will exclude the option of power folding and 360 surround cam (you may not care about those, but I wouldn't go without them). The optional integrated trailer brake controller is all you probably need.