One Fiddy v2.0

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tobyw
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Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:00 am
Location: Under the hood...

One Fiddy v2.0

Postby tobyw » Fri Feb 08, 2019 10:29 am

We had bought the Dodge for a very specific purpose, and that was to tow big stuff:

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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:

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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):

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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!! :thu:

Some of you may recall my negative experiences with a prior F-150 that also sported the 3.5L EcoBoost...

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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:

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At that point, it was time for the first tow test. I am happy to report that it went extremely well:

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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:

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Time to get busy:

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And voila!! 4" of suspension system complete with FOX 2.5 series coilovers:

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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:

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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 :cool:
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...
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Yrjan
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Location: Pasco, WA

Re: One Fiddy v2.0

Postby Yrjan » Thu Feb 14, 2019 6:47 am

That is a good looking truck sir. Pretty crazy to have a half ton truck rated to tow over 11,000 lbs...

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tobyw
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Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:00 am
Location: Under the hood...

Re: One Fiddy v2.0

Postby tobyw » Thu Feb 14, 2019 7:43 am

Thanks!

Yeah, the 1/2-tons of today are rated like 3/4-tons from less than a decade ago, but they ride and drive infinitely better :lol2 With that said, make no mistake I'd rather tow with a heavier duty truck. But, that's only a fraction of the miles I put on in a given year, so it's just not worth the trade-off in daily comfort for me anymore. Not to mention the elevated insurance and licensing rates for a higher GVW vehicle... Yay Washington :rolleyes:
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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Steinfeldt
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:04 am

Re: One Fiddy v2.0

Postby Steinfeldt » Thu Apr 25, 2019 3:43 am

tobyw wrote:Thanks!

Yeah, the 1/2-tons of today are rated like 3/4-tons from less than a decade ago, but they ride and drive infinitely better :lol2 With that said, make no mistake I'd rather use one of these awesome mini excavators and tow with a heavier duty truck. But, that's only a fraction of the miles I put on in a given year, so it's just not worth the trade-off in daily comfort for me anymore. Not to mention the elevated insurance and licensing rates for a higher GVW vehicle... Yay Washington :rolleyes:


What a powerful beastie you have there, Toby. Modding a new truck to your liking is the best, isn't it? haha
Last edited by Steinfeldt on Fri Dec 15, 2023 6:28 am, edited 2 times in total.

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tobyw
Posts: 1879
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:00 am
Location: Under the hood...

Re: One Fiddy v2.0

Postby tobyw » Fri May 10, 2019 8:15 am

Installed a set of Ford OEM splash guards both front and back, which are doing a great job of keeping debris not only off the sides of the pickup but more importantly out of the pivot mechanisms on the power running boards. :thu:

Also got an SCT-X4 device loaded with custom tunes from 5-Star Tuning. After sending them some information from my vehicle, they whipped up some zeroes and ones that are custom tailored to my outfit, and wow does it make a difference! Not so much in the way of a discernible overall power gain, but just the way the truck behaves overall, particularly when towing. If anyone has a gas motor that they are thinking of tuning, I would highly recommend 5-Star :thu:

And on the subject of towing...

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Pretty clear that it's time for those airbags :?
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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Wrench
Peak Putters Member
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Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 7:23 am
Location: in a van down by the river

Re: One Fiddy v2.0

Postby Wrench » Sun May 12, 2019 7:19 am

+1 for 5-Star. I put headers and a 5-Star tune on my '00 Ford V-10 motorhome, and it works great! They really know Ford's.
Paul
'84 XJ, '19JL

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tobyw
Posts: 1879
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:00 am
Location: Under the hood...

Re: One Fiddy v2.0

Postby tobyw » Fri Jun 14, 2019 9:20 am

In this episode, we take a dive into air intakes and exhaust systems!

The days of OEM’s leaving a bunch of horsepower on the table due to restrictive air intakes and exhaust systems are pretty well behind us, as they are fighting for every available ounce of power and efficiency, within the limits of reliability and noise levels. To that end, I certainly didn’t want to add a bunch of noise to either the intake or the exhaust, but I do appreciate a subtle tone that might indicate something just a hair different than stock… After some research, I settled on a dry filter intake kit from AEM, and a dual exit exhaust system from MBRP. I do not anticipate any perceptible increase in power or fuel economy to be gained from either of these, but rather I wanted the aesthetic of the dual pipes and the satisfiaction in knowing that my F-150 is just a little different than the other 3.523 billion F-150’s on the road :rolleyes:

Here is the stock, boring, intake system:

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And here is the spiffy newness:

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This is the OEM single exit exhaust, and I do have to give some credit to Ford for adding the stainless tip at the factory:

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Time to get started:

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Old system coming down!

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Spiffy newness going in:

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And the money shot:

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:cool:
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...

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