Ecoboost

[BondiBlue]

January 15, 2011 is a day that will go down in Ford Motor Company history. For the first time ever Ford engineers tore down an extensively used and abused 3.5L F-150 EcoBoost engine in front of a live audience at the 2011 North American International Auto Show.

To prove the capabilities of the new EcoBoost engine in a truck application Ford selected one production engine straight off the Cleveland production line to show that it can handle everything they can throw at it and then some. The 3.5L TT V6 was ran for an equivalent of 150,000 extremely hard miles on an engine dyno, installed in an F-150 where it was then driven across the country to haul 55 tons of timber in the Pacific Northwest, it was then driven to Homestead Miami Raceway where it towed 11,300 pounds at full throttle around the track for 24 hours, from there it was driven to Arizona to race Dodge and GM V8 equipped trucks uphill while towing, the engine was then installed a custom built race truck where it competed in the Baja 1000. And as mentioned above, the final stop for the engine was be torn down so everyone can see how the internals held up to all the torture.

Clicky.

There was no chance that XXXX was going to miss out on something like that. We were the first spectators there and spent quite a bit of time talking to the engineers. The pride they take in their creation is evident and, in my opinion, well deserved. We thoroughly appreciate the opportunity Ford gave us and look forward to other events and collaborations in the future.

The festivities began at 11:00 am with the Chief Engineer for the F-150 Eco-Boost program introducing his team and talking a bit about the engine. One fact of particular interest that was after all the torture the engine was dyno’ed yet again where it produced the exact same 420 lbft of torque it left the factory with and only one less horsepower (364). While tearing the engine down the engineers measured valve lash and crankshaft end play, both of which spec’d out in a range that would be acceptable for a brand new engine just coming off the assembly line. It was truly impressive to see the remarkable condition of engine’s internals after all the abuse. Most of the components exhibited very little wear. In fact, one of the engineers mentioned that the parts were in such good shape that they were considering reassembling the engine and continuing to run it. The 3.5L EcoBoost is an extremely stout design and I have no doubt that the engine pictured below has many miles of hard work left in it.

[tallguy2.3]

This is so cool. Ford has guts to put such confidence in their product and it is working out for them right now. I hope people realize how awesome the concept, design, and actual implementation of Ecoboost is (along all vehicle lines, not just the F-150) and take advantage of the benefits it offers.

Fun to drive: check
FAR better gas mileage: check
Ample power: check
Easy to modify if you want: check (probably)
Excellent durability: check
Not a large premium cost, for a premium engine: check

That's my favorite thing about the EB engine in the F-150. More fun, economy, and power for a tiny price bump.

WTG Ford.

[eRic]

EcoBoost is awesome.
installing a 1.6L EcoBoost engine like the one on display at the Auto Show into my Fiesta would be even more awesome.

[isaac]

Such an amazing campaign. Good job, Ford/Ad Agency.

[deadlast]

Originally Posted by tallguy2.3

This is so cool. Ford has guts to put such confidence in their product and it is working out for them right now. I hope people realize how awesome the concept, design, and actual implementation of Ecoboost is (along all vehicle lines, not just the F-150) and take advantage of the benefits it offers.

Fun to drive: check
FAR better gas mileage: check
Ample power: check
Easy to modify if you want: check (probably)
Excellent durability: check
Not a large premium cost, for a premium engine: check

That's my favorite thing about the EB engine in the F-150. More fun, economy, and power for a tiny price bump.

WTG Ford.

That's all fine and dandy. It truly is astonishing the punishment it took. How well does Ford stand by the little 1.6L Sigma in our cars? Do they fully back it like they do the EcoBoost?

[One4MeToo]

I'm thinking they do. 5 years ago Ford was spending millions on technology to increase their quality. The other big two were asking for money from the Gov.
I spent quite a bit of time the last 4 years working in the Cleveland and Lima Ohio plants as a vendor for Ford.

[tallguy2.3]

Originally Posted by deadlast

That's all fine and dandy. It truly is astonishing the punishment it took. How well does Ford stand by the little 1.6L Sigma in our cars? Do they fully back it like they do the EcoBoost?

I don't see why not. I think that the EB motors, especially the V6 EB in the F-150 just needs a level of "proving" to the skeptical general public. There are a lot of guys out there who might think a V6 costing more than a V8 is a bit loco. Even if it is only 750 bucks.

[deadlast]

Originally Posted by tallguy2.3

I don't see why not. I think that the EB motors, especially the V6 EB in the F-150 just needs a level of "proving" to the skeptical general public. There are a lot of guys out there who might think a V6 costing more than a V8 is a bit loco. Even if it is only 750 bucks.

Good point sir. I am no way a truck guy. But this stuff is impressive.

[01Sportwagon]

Back in the late 90’s John Coletti was the head of the SVT group at Ford. He was famous for saying things like, “Putting forced induction on an engine is cheating. The performance is there, we just have to find it.”

I’m not here to say he’s wrong, I’m saying there was a LOT of testing on NA systems for MANY MANY years. Now that people are looking for MPG along with HP and torque, Ford can offer that by simply bolting on a turbo or two. Ford will be able to tune the turbos and find lighter materials while the other companies fumble trying to catch up.

I always felt that Mr. Coletti was a pompous arese, but his vision –intentional or not – has positioned Ford to reap huge rewards.

[blummat0360]

Does anyone know when they will release 1.6L ecoboost engine?