Ford EcoBoost being investigated

[Ramble On]

Originally Posted by gmw photos

And don't get me wrong, I am not saying that boosted motors don't make torque. And one can certainly argue that it is possible to design the system where you can get reasonable fuel mileage when under low boost cruise, and yet still have great torque when you stand on the pedal. The powerstroke does all of that ( well, sort of, as for the off boost economy ), but I just think anyone buying a vehicle with a turbocharger on it should do so with their eyes wide open ( and potentially their wallet too, if they are planning to keep it beyond the warranty period ).
They work well, when they are working. Everybody I know that has a F150 ecoboost likes the power.

That's why I extended the warranty to 7 years, 100,000 miles bumper to bumper. Time will tell.

[MaxTow]

Originally Posted by gmw photos

Well, Ford and GM and a lot of the others have been saying that turbos are "here to stay" since the late 1970's. And yet, the majority of vehicles sold even now are NA.
Let's face it, a turbo is a precision little device that is asked to perform under very difficult conditions. To expect them to be spectacularly reliable across the fleet for long mileage intervals is asking a lot.

Personally, I avoid them whenever possible........the Ford PS TD sitting down by the barn, notwithstanding.

North America is only a small part of the world auto industry. Car manufacturers in the other parts of the world are increasing the number of vehicle with turbos. These are heavily used on BMWs, etc.

It's one of the primary ways these companies are hitting the mandated targets for emissions while still building cars with performance.

[gmw photos]

Originally Posted by MaxTow

North America is only a small part of the world auto industry. Car manufacturers in the other parts of the world are increasing the number of vehicle with turbos. These are heavily used on BMWs, etc.

It's one of the primary ways these companies are hitting the mandated targets for emissions while still building cars with performance.

You are right, and the european manufacturers have used them for a long time. My buddy has a really sweet twin turbo Audi sedan in his garage that, when it ran, it was quick, returned fairly good mileage and great fun to drive. It's sitting, and has been for a year or so with....you guessed it....failed turbo. I keep telling him we just need to get busy on it and do it, but it is fairly major work on this car, with it's complex all wheel drive, etc, and the motor has to come essentially "out" to swap the turbos.

In functional principle, I have nothing against turbos, but again I say, I think folks should know what they are getting in to if they plan on keeping it beyond the warranty period, whether it's the standard warranty or extended. I personally keep my vehicles for longer than they are warranted for, so I have to think about these things. It's not like this stuff can't be fixed, but it "is" expensive, and some people don't like to have spend any money on maintaining or fixing. It's all part of the game. You wanna "play", as in 400 plus lb-ft from a 3.5 L gas motor......well, you just might have to "pay".