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Got myself a towing setup! 2000 Ford Excursion with the 6.8 V10. You can see the trailer in the background as well. I can now go to and from the track in air-conditioned comfort.
I currently tow with a 2008 Expedition EL Limited 5.4 L 2WD. My only gripe is that it is 2WD an not a 4WD... and the Ford spark plug issues with this year. I'm looking to trade it in for a 4WD model maybe a 2012-13 version but I also love the 2006 4Runner V8 4WD. What's your guy's opinion on trading it in for an older Toyota or a slightly newer Ford with 4WD?
Edit: I have been leaning toward the Ford because there isn't really any difference in MPG between the two but the Ford has a significantly better towing capacity and passenger compartment capacity when you fold all the seats down for things like wheels, tools and trailer ramps.
At about 180k miles on my 98 5.4L F150 the oil pickup tube got gunky and clogged. It would loose oil pressure after about 30minutes driving. Between that and spark plug issues I have sworn off 5.4L ford motors.
At about 180k miles on my 98 5.4L F150 the oil pickup tube got gunky and clogged. It would loose oil pressure after about 30minutes driving. Between that and spark plug issues I have sworn off 5.4L ford motors.
Around 2007-8 there was a process change to the 5.4L line in Ford Windsor to address why the spark plugs were getting stuck in the heads. Supposedly it worked. As I recall it was a panic change....
Location: Detroit (the part with no rules or laws)
Posts: 5,677
Total Cats: 800
Originally Posted by bahurd
Around 2007-8 there was a process change to the 5.4L line in Ford Windsor to address why the spark plugs were getting stuck in the heads. Supposedly it worked. As I recall it was a panic change....
Nope. Their fix was to make the threads on the spark plugs longer. Though it still only engaged 3 threads in the head. Also with this new longer design the plugs were now two piece and would snap off in the head if they were too tight or seized on.
I just picked up this 2003 GMC Sierra 1500HD. It has the 6.0/4l80e with 175k on the clock. One owner truck and it has Quadrasteer! Drives like my wife's '05 4Runner. Plus it is as clean on the inside as it is on the outside. Very happy with this purchase. Plus it has 3/4 ton running gear on a half ton chassis. Can't wait to pull the trailer to Daytona for the race at the end of September!
I just picked up this 2003 GMC Sierra 1500HD. It has the 6.0/4l80e with 175k on the clock. One owner truck and it has Quadrasteer! Drives like my wife's '05 4Runner. Plus it is as clean on the inside as it is on the outside. Very happy with this purchase. Plus it has 3/4 ton running gear on a half ton chassis. Can't wait to pull the trailer to Daytona for the race at the end of September!
Wow, that definitely looks clean! I've been surprisingly happy with the 6.0/4L80E in my 2500HD. I was holding out for trying to find a clean 8.1 w/ Allison, but it took a over year of searching to find my truck in the configuration I wanted as is. Happy towing!
I had a 2500HD, so I am very familiar with the running gear. Just needed more space and the Quadrasteer is a big bonus. My next race isn't until the end of Sept, but it'll be a 5 hr haul across the state to Daytona..... It should be a nice, uneventful trip.
Just some data after towing with several Toyota's and Fords over the last 10 years. The Toyota/Lexus 2UZFE is a great motor but gets **** gas mileage. The main complaint with the 2000's 4runner, Tundra, LX470, GX470 is the trans programming. Say your towing on the freeway at 70mph with the cruise control on and you come to a slight hill, the damned car will drop 3mph, drop out of overdrive then 1 second later slam into 3rd at like 5500 rpm. Its some crappy trans program, where the Ford will just causally shift out of OD only if its dropped like 5mph or so. Moral of the story is that if you like to use cruise on long hauls the Toyota products are not for you. I still like them and own a GX470 that I just towed a big load of vintage motorcycles over a thousand miles this weekend. I didn't use the cruise and manually shifted out of OD when climbing hills. The F250 gasser and F150 Ecoboost both are way better at towing. the Ecoboost killed both in gas mileage.
Just some data after towing with several Toyota's and Fords over the last 10 years. The Toyota/Lexus 2UZFE is a great motor but gets **** gas mileage. The main complaint with the 2000's 4runner, Tundra, LX470, GX470 is the trans programming. Say your towing on the freeway at 70mph with the cruise control on and you come to a slight hill, the damned car will drop 3mph, drop out of overdrive then 1 second later slam into 3rd at like 5500 rpm. Its some crappy trans program, where the Ford will just causally shift out of OD only if its dropped like 5mph or so. Moral of the story is that if you like to use cruise on long hauls the Toyota products are not for you. I still like them and own a GX470 that I just towed a big load of vintage motorcycles over a thousand miles this weekend. I didn't use the cruise and manually shifted out of OD when climbing hills. The F250 gasser and F150 Ecoboost both are way better at towing. the Ecoboost killed both in gas mileage.
I ended up trading in the 2008 Expedition EL for this 2015 Expedition 4x4 with the EcoBoost. I kinda miss the extra storage space of the EL but it's nice being able to actually fit in the garage, lol. 4x4's are hard to come by around here if you want to keep the limited trim. I had to drive 6 hours away to get it.
Regarding the Toyota transmission, I can pull the Miata at 80 miles an hour in overdrive with only occasional downshifting while in cruise. When towing heavier loads I prefer to leave the overdrive off and only run 60 or 65 miles per hour. But this is with the 4 speed automatic. I recently drove a 2012 Tundra with the 6-speed automatic and the top gears are much closer together in ratio and the engine has variable valve timing broadening the torque curve and increasing the horsepower. That should make a huge difference.
Just some data after towing with several Toyota's and Fords over the last 10 years. The Toyota/Lexus 2UZFE is a great motor but gets **** gas mileage. The main complaint with the 2000's 4runner, Tundra, LX470, GX470 is the trans programming. Say your towing on the freeway at 70mph with the cruise control on and you come to a slight hill, the damned car will drop 3mph, drop out of overdrive then 1 second later slam into 3rd at like 5500 rpm. Its some crappy trans program, where the Ford will just causally shift out of OD only if its dropped like 5mph or so. Moral of the story is that if you like to use cruise on long hauls the Toyota products are not for you. I still like them and own a GX470 that I just towed a big load of vintage motorcycles over a thousand miles this weekend. I didn't use the cruise and manually shifted out of OD when climbing hills. The F250 gasser and F150 Ecoboost both are way better at towing. the Ecoboost killed both in gas mileage.
Yeah, I already experience this with an empty truck in the mountains but I'm perfectly content to shift the auto myself. Only part of the reason I got this truck is towing, mostly it's going to do general SUV stuff and it is excellent for that.
Yeah, I already experience this with an empty truck in the mountains but I'm perfectly content to shift the auto myself. Only part of the reason I got this truck is towing, mostly it's going to do general SUV stuff and it is excellent for that.
Yup same here. I'll shift manually the 5 times a year I pull a trailer long distances. the rest of the year I have a badass V8, luxo SUV, seats 8, and can do some serious offroading when needed. The GX can go places the F150 and F250 can only dream of. For all you 2UZ guys, the money rpm for pulling a hill is 3100.
Edit: Data point on offroad shenanigans, This thing has a Dobinson 2.5 coil lift and rear conversion, 285/70/17 AT3's, and 17x9-19 wheels, and can do Jeep **** offroad now.
Yep they are awesome. And I get to pretend I'm more successful than I actually am! Here's mine with the running boards pulled on my knobby tires at 13k ft from some wheeling the other week:
Location: Detroit (the part with no rules or laws)
Posts: 5,677
Total Cats: 800
Traded in the 09 for a 16. Nothing wrong with the old truck, just the 4 speed killed my soul.
This truck is a million times nicer though. Z71, bucket front seats instead of bench. More creature comforts. Same 5.3l but with the 6 speed. 355hp should be plenty enough. I race next weekend so we'll see how much better it is. It's just a quick trip though Ohio. Got a new cap coming too, but won't be here for a few weeks, so they are giving me a rental cap for the trip which is cool.
Location: Detroit (the part with no rules or laws)
Posts: 5,677
Total Cats: 800
Totally sold on the new truck. Made it clear across Ohio today with ease. Averaged 18-20 mpg at 70-72 mph. All flat Ohio but when I did climb it was really trying hard to hold 6th gear and when it did downshift it was smooth and unnoticeable. Squat seems to be just about the same. Comfort level is way higher, I am happy. XM radio is nice, I wonder if I have to pay for it twice since I have it in the SS too. I wouldn't hesitate to tow across the country now.
This is just the loaner cap, I have a color matched one coming. This time with internal lights since I always seem to find myself loading or unloading at 3am.
2018 F-150 STX 2.7L EcoBoost Supercab
Trailer is a 16x7 enclosed, roughly ~5,000lbs loaded
Did almost 800 miles round trip from Southern California to Miatas @ Weathertech Raceway this year, including going up and over the grapevine both ways. This truck with the 10-speed automatic was incredible. Made my first time towing very easy. Never a hint of brake fade, transmission/water overheating, or stability problems the whole time. I was worried about my truck not having the max trailer package with the trans cooler, but it never got above 210F. The 10 speed in tow/haul mode is really slick. Shifted pretty much exactly how I'd shift it manually if I had to. I used a Tekonsha P3 trailer brake controller.
I dd this truck since I figured putting up the $$ for a good truck with a good warranty and whatnot would be less of a hassle and cheaper in the long run than owning an old diesel for towing and a separate car for dd duties. I'm very, very happy with my purchase of this truck.
08-24-2018, 10:00 PM
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