How does it act in the mountains? (not towing)

[Samson16]

Mine has been parked at Dearborn since 6.2.0 too. Sounds like I'm not the only one.

3.5 has an advantage over the 5.0 at sea level and at elevation that advantage only grows. The truck makes 500 ft lbs of torque and at a lower rpm afterall.

That said, the 5.0 will tow in mountains just fine and it will definitely be fine without a trailer. Since the 3.3 is gone, Ford does not offer a powertrain that doesn't scoot. Everything they offer will leave a 5.7 Ram in the dust, along with a 2.7 and 5.3 GM. Only GM's 6.2 competes with the Ford 5.0 and 3.5.

I have to chuckle with these engine quarrels. There is not a bad choice in the lineup lol.

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[Samson16]

There's a nice GMC Sierra Elevation 5.3L that parks near me at work, and a good looking RAM etorque hemi bighorn too.
Both in the price range of my XLT Sport 4x4 Powerboost with 7.2kW, and both are inferior vehicles. My truck is more powerful, more efficient, and more capable than either of them.

Big Red is in the House gentlemen!

 

[Yason84]

New guy here. To the OP, you won't have any issue with the 5.0.
I have 2014, 3.5, 4x4, Max tow, 3.73's from new. Currently has 255k miles.
I tow a 8k boat across the SW with plenty of grades.
My two biggest issues with it are, 1- it never got the mileage it was supposed to,
2- it will run hot pulling grades in the heat. The turbo kicks in with plenty of power, then EGT's heat up. When it's 110+ outside, it kicks the air off. I learned how to drive and handle it, but didn't like it.
Choosing a new truck I went 5.0 with 3.31's. This Coyote is pure joy with some music.
It'll handle anything you want and just keeps pulling. It does make it's torque higher up.
Just give it more go pedal. Myself, I like to hear it rev, just the kind of guy I am.
For mountain driving, put it in Tow/haul to keep the gears.
Two weeks ago I towed the boat across the desert with plenty of grades, total mileage for trip 12.8.
The family just got back from a 2200k round trip up through the Sierra's to Idaho, average for the entire trip 20.8. 7k ft mountains and all. Never an issue.

I'm sure the new EB's are better and more refined than mine, maybe they have resolved the heat soak. By design, the gas turbo creates a ton of heat vs a diesel.
I just didn't want to deal with it.

All that being said, I still have my EB and drive it regularly. Comparing the two, the EB is a little more Zippy around town. By product of the turbos and gearing I'm sure, It gives up nothing to the Coyote on the road.

Again, to summarize, The 5.0 will be fine, just different.

You should have dropped it down to 5th gear to raise your rpm. I owned a GMC 2500 Duramax before switching to my current Ford (I was inexperienced with diesels and force induction at the time). My buddy and I were towing our 4-wheelers up to the Prescott area to go wheeling in the mountains, as we were driving up Hwy 68 by the Davis Dam towards Kingman, it started running hot and I was surprised on why my big ass truck was overheating on towing such a small load. Granted it was 7% grade but still. My buddy who had a CDL said my egts were getting hot because I’m in the boost when lugging the engine in 6th gear. Dropped it down to 5th and my temps dropped real quick. Moral of the story, just because it’s still in overdrive going up a mountain doesn’t mean your engine is having it easy. Neither my Duramax nor my ‘12 Ecoboost have any kind of boost gauges on them so it’s hard to tell visually, just had to go by the exhaust note. Heck even if I’m not towing, I’ll lock out 6th gear in the mountains just to save wear and tear on the turbos and fuel. Plus it provides more power on tap if I need to punch it.
I was really missing my truck last week when my wife and in-laws were driving through northwestern Virginia in the Appalachians with that overloaded Chrysler minivan. Accelerating the cruise control up even just 1-2 mph took forever. Trying to pass some jerk in the left lane cuz they were driving under the speed limit was a chore. Lot of times I’d run out of road and have to back off due to a slower moving 18-wheeler in the right lane. High-beaming him to move over didn’t work either. Went on like that for about 20 miles.
How fast were you typically cruising to maintain over 20 mpg?

 

[Samson16]

How fast were you typically cruising to maintain over 20 mpg?

For my powerboost with 400lbs. of gear under the tonneau and two of us in the cabin with the little dogs, I get right at 20mpg at 80mph +/- 5mph. It improves steadily as I drive slower, and when combined with slower off interstate sightseeing can be 25mpg or better. I can also get well below 20mpg, say 17ish if it's all interstate at 90mph plus, but I don't live out west were that sustained speed might be more common.

 

[PNWTremor]

I haven’t owned a N/A truck for 15 years and been spoiled by my 3.5 Ecoboost and my 6.6 Duramax before it. My first truck was a single cab 5.3 with a 4-speed auto and no cruise control, so my experience in the mountains with a N/A V8 truck is limited. How does the 5.0L act while driving 70+ on the interstate in the mountains? Does it still have good passing power? Is it constantly having to down shift when climbing a hill? I’m asking cuz the only other vehicle I've driven in the Appalachians besides my 3.5 F150, is my in-law’s Chrysler town and country, and with 4 adults and about 2-300 lbs of crap in the back, that thing is a dog with that 3.6 N/A V6… trying to pass or even keep up with traffic is an absolute chore! My truck would laugh at those hills but it’s also 12 years old and needs a lot of maintenance.

I road-tripped my tremor (5.0) all the way through the Rockies, highest elevation was 11,000ft. The coyote is already so powerful, that even with 3/5/10% loss you can still pass people on a dime. I never once experienced any power loss whatsoever.

My outgoing vehicle (Expedition 5.4 2V) suffered greatly at the hands of elevation gain. Going uphill with any kind of urgency and a small load was a challenge.

 

[Henfield]

A mountain to my wife who grew up in Miami is anything over curb height.

To me its anything over 10,000ft. Most of those I've done on foot. I can promise you even at 10,000 feet walking with a backpack can be difficult for some people. Anytime an aircraft depressurizes they have to decend to 10,000ft so people can breath comfortably asap.

 

[OC Mike]

You should have dropped it down to 5th gear to raise your rpm. I owned a GMC 2500 Duramax before switching to my current Ford (I was inexperienced with diesels and force induction at the time). My buddy and I were towing our 4-wheelers up to the Prescott area to go wheeling in the mountains, as we were driving up Hwy 68 by the Davis Dam towards Kingman, it started running hot and I was surprised on why my big ass truck was overheating on towing such a small load. Granted it was 7% grade but still. My buddy who had a CDL said my egts were getting hot because I’m in the boost when lugging the engine in 6th gear. Dropped it down to 5th and my temps dropped real quick. Moral of the story, just because it’s still in overdrive going up a mountain doesn’t mean your engine is having it easy. Neither my Duramax nor my ‘12 Ecoboost have any kind of boost gauges on them so it’s hard to tell visually, just had to go by the exhaust note. Heck even if I’m not towing, I’ll lock out 6th gear in the mountains just to save wear and tear on the turbos and fuel. Plus it provides more power on tap if I need to punch it.
I was really missing my truck last week when my wife and in-laws were driving through northwestern Virginia in the Appalachians with that overloaded Chrysler minivan. Accelerating the cruise control up even just 1-2 mph took forever. Trying to pass some jerk in the left lane cuz they were driving under the speed limit was a chore. Lot of times I’d run out of road and have to back off due to a slower moving 18-wheeler in the right lane. High-beaming him to move over didn’t work either. Went on like that for about 20 miles.
How fast were you typically cruising to maintain over 20 mpg?

It was a tag team with my wife. She drove from Orange County up 395 through the Sierra's to Reno to visit her family. She got right at 21 mpg. I flew into Reno and drove to Boise.
Dropped down to 20.2...Drove around Boise, down to 19.9. Drove back to Reno. Up to 25.4.
Wife finished the drive home. Finished out at 20.8.
I drove anywhere from 65 - 80. Maintained about 70.
Side note, a D'max followed me for several 100 miles just staying behind. When I pulled to pass the trucks I would just walk away from him fast. Needless to say the wife is more delicate with the throttle.
Since you towed out of Prescott you aware of the desert grades and the heat.
I towed the boat back to Havasu, no issues with any grades.
Pulling Cajon Pass out of San Bernardino at 60+ no issues. At 60 had plenty left to pass the trucks at 70+. Crested the grade hit 80 mph. WTF, slow down ...
This is all with 3.31 gearing on stock 18" wheels. The Coyote likes to run.

Regarding driving a boosted vehicle. Yes, it is different. I became very aware of downshifting to keep it out of boost and lower the EGT's. One of the beauty's of the console shift with the button.
I always felt like it should have a boost gage.
I'm not against the EB. it's just different experience. Mine has proven itself at 255k miles and still strong.

The Coyote is just a different experience. I just got my first ticket in over 10 years. I had to think back hard to my last ticket. Yup, another V8 Ford, GT 500..
I like to hear the Coyote howl, that may or may not be a good for me, but I'm keeping it..

 

[Samson16]

I thought maybe it was too off topic lol
Back by popular demand!

 

[Samson16]

Hey @Samson16 ,where did your coyote video go?

Still with my friend Georges’ commentary lol

 

[Murrk847]

Drove through Tennessee and North Carolina. Cruise set to 75 whole time. Drops to 8th and just eats. No issues.

 

[Samson16]

Both great choices just a different experience. Cruise set at 75 for my PB in rolling hills it remains in 10th with RPM below 2000 and steady. Short little boost inputs to maintain speed on hills. That’s not towing, and it’s so quiet in the cabin ?

 

[Yason84]

It was a tag team with my wife. She drove from Orange County up 395 through the Sierra's to Reno to visit her family. She got right at 21 mpg. I flew into Reno and drove to Boise.
Dropped down to 20.2...Drove around Boise, down to 19.9. Drove back to Reno. Up to 25.4.
Wife finished the drive home. Finished out at 20.8.
I drove anywhere from 65 - 80. Maintained about 70.
Side note, a D'max followed me for several 100 miles just staying behind. When I pulled to pass the trucks I would just walk away from him fast. Needless to say the wife is more delicate with the throttle.
Since you towed out of Prescott you aware of the desert grades and the heat.
I towed the boat back to Havasu, no issues with any grades.
Pulling Cajon Pass out of San Bernardino at 60+ no issues. At 60 had plenty left to pass the trucks at 70+. Crested the grade hit 80 mph. WTF, slow down ...
This is all with 3.31 gearing on stock 18" wheels. The Coyote likes to run.

Regarding driving a boosted vehicle. Yes, it is different. I became very aware of downshifting to keep it out of boost and lower the EGT's. One of the beauty's of the console shift with the button.
I always felt like it should have a boost gage.
I'm not against the EB. it's just different experience. Mine has proven itself at 255k miles and still strong.

The Coyote is just a different experience. I just got my first ticket in over 10 years. I had to think back hard to my last ticket. Yup, another V8 Ford, GT 500..
I like to hear the Coyote howl, that may or may not be a good for me, but I'm keeping it..

Towed to Prescott, did a bunch of wheeling in the Bradshaw mountains and, towed back to my home town of Mohave Valley, just south of Bullhead. I’ve also wheeled around Williams AZ where it gets more snow per year than Denver. I do miss Arizona a lot, just love everything about the land there! You can go skiing in the morning and go tubing down the river in the afternoon. Heck I even get homesick when I watch Tombstone for the 18 thousandth time! But I met my wife while I was stationed with Marine Forces Reserve in New Orleans. She’s born and raised here and all her family so I’m now rooted here—below sea level! Here we would have to drive 12-15 hours north to see snow and even then it’s hit or miss. Usually snows the day after we leave to go home!

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