One Fiddy v2.0
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 10:29 am
We had bought the Dodge for a very specific purpose, and that was to tow big stuff:
And it did that admirably on many, many occasions. The toy hauler, however, was the main focus for the Dodge platform and while I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, the wife wasn't as pleased as I was. I will openly admit it was a behemoth, measuring in at 43' long and over 15,000lbs unloaded, but we sure made use of it:
As much as we enjoyed it, the time honored motto rang loud and clear; happy wife, happy life. So, the toy hauler went down the road and was replaced with a motorhome, and we haven't looked back since...
So that left us with a 1-ton diesel pickup that was clearly overkill for anything we needed. I began to lazily hunt for a potential replacement, keeping in mind the bevy of things I had learned from the trucks we had owned prior. We obviously didn't want (or need) another 1-ton or even 3/4 -ton pickup so we quickly narrowed the choices down to a Tundra, Dodge 1500, or an F-150. Several viable options of each variety popped up on the radar, but each of them were dismissed for various reasons. Then one evening, after a wheeling trip in fact, I was casually perusing the inventory on Corwin's website and came across this (sorry for the poor picture):
She's a 2016 F-150 Platinum with the 3.5L EcoBoost, 3.55 gears, 36 gallon fuel tank, and perhaps most importantly, massaging seats!!
Some of you may recall my negative experiences with a prior F-150 that also sported the 3.5L EcoBoost...
Why would I go back this time? Well, quite simply put, there is nothing like towing on boost. It's intoxicating and addictive. I enjoy a big block as much as the next guy, but the simple fact is that they tend to hunt for gears and look for RPM's to maintain speed, whereas a boosted engine will simply pull. That constant hunt for gears drives me bananas, and was a major factor in my decision. Coupled with the fact that this F-150 was a Certified Pre-Owned unit, giving it substantial remaining warranty, means I don't have to worry about things too awful much. Onto the modifications!!
The first order of business was to go back to my roots and slap in a headache rack and a toolbox:
At that point, it was time for the first tow test. I am happy to report that it went extremely well:
Next, it was time to address the altitude. The wife was ashamed to be seen in such a low-riding truck, so we again referred to the motto, and parts were ordered shortly thereafter:
Time to get busy:
And voila!! 4" of suspension system complete with FOX 2.5 series coilovers:
The next step was tires, and although I like the looks of a bigger tire and a fuller wheel well, I didn't want to try and stuff 35's under it. So I settled for 34.5's LOL:
It’s been a busy first couple weeks of ownership, and the next round of modifications will likely include a tuner to address the tire size and transmission shift points, as well as some mud flaps to help keep the road grime off the paint. After that, we may address some braking upgrades and possibly better rear shocks to better match the FOX coilovers up front, but for now I’ll just keep adding fuel
And it did that admirably on many, many occasions. The toy hauler, however, was the main focus for the Dodge platform and while I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, the wife wasn't as pleased as I was. I will openly admit it was a behemoth, measuring in at 43' long and over 15,000lbs unloaded, but we sure made use of it:
As much as we enjoyed it, the time honored motto rang loud and clear; happy wife, happy life. So, the toy hauler went down the road and was replaced with a motorhome, and we haven't looked back since...
So that left us with a 1-ton diesel pickup that was clearly overkill for anything we needed. I began to lazily hunt for a potential replacement, keeping in mind the bevy of things I had learned from the trucks we had owned prior. We obviously didn't want (or need) another 1-ton or even 3/4 -ton pickup so we quickly narrowed the choices down to a Tundra, Dodge 1500, or an F-150. Several viable options of each variety popped up on the radar, but each of them were dismissed for various reasons. Then one evening, after a wheeling trip in fact, I was casually perusing the inventory on Corwin's website and came across this (sorry for the poor picture):
She's a 2016 F-150 Platinum with the 3.5L EcoBoost, 3.55 gears, 36 gallon fuel tank, and perhaps most importantly, massaging seats!!
Some of you may recall my negative experiences with a prior F-150 that also sported the 3.5L EcoBoost...
Why would I go back this time? Well, quite simply put, there is nothing like towing on boost. It's intoxicating and addictive. I enjoy a big block as much as the next guy, but the simple fact is that they tend to hunt for gears and look for RPM's to maintain speed, whereas a boosted engine will simply pull. That constant hunt for gears drives me bananas, and was a major factor in my decision. Coupled with the fact that this F-150 was a Certified Pre-Owned unit, giving it substantial remaining warranty, means I don't have to worry about things too awful much. Onto the modifications!!
The first order of business was to go back to my roots and slap in a headache rack and a toolbox:
At that point, it was time for the first tow test. I am happy to report that it went extremely well:
Next, it was time to address the altitude. The wife was ashamed to be seen in such a low-riding truck, so we again referred to the motto, and parts were ordered shortly thereafter:
Time to get busy:
And voila!! 4" of suspension system complete with FOX 2.5 series coilovers:
The next step was tires, and although I like the looks of a bigger tire and a fuller wheel well, I didn't want to try and stuff 35's under it. So I settled for 34.5's LOL:
It’s been a busy first couple weeks of ownership, and the next round of modifications will likely include a tuner to address the tire size and transmission shift points, as well as some mud flaps to help keep the road grime off the paint. After that, we may address some braking upgrades and possibly better rear shocks to better match the FOX coilovers up front, but for now I’ll just keep adding fuel