Ford has been working on a new engine technology that will be offered in its 2011 F-150s next year that off-roaders will find interesting. It’s a cool concept that is being put to work – it involves the combination of both direct fuel injection and turbocharging in the rear-wheel-drive F-150. The EcoBoost engine options are offered in 4-cylinder and V6 options, and in early 2010 a V6 EcoBoost option will be available on the F-150. The F-150 will also be available with engine packages that include the 3.7-liter V6, 5.0-liter V8 and 6.2-liter V8. As Ford notes, “This marks the most extensive engine makeover in the 62-year history of Ford F-Series.”

Ford says the new EcoBoost truck engine’s turbocharging and direct fuel injection improve due to the impressive low-end torque and maintains it across a broad rpm range. Ford says approximately 90 percent of the EcoBoost truck engine’s peak torque of 420 lb.-ft. is available from 1,700 rpm to 5,500 rpm. EcoBoost’s 420 lb.-ft. of torquem which Ford notes is more than any other competitive half-ton truck. The F-150 EcoBoost also tows a best-in-class 11,300 pounds and delivers an impressive 365 horsepower.

To make it more interesting, Ford is putting one EcoBoost truck engine (shown above) to a series of extreme durability tests, which are featured in videos on here www.fordvehicles.com/2011F150. The torture testing is being filmed for a web-based documentary series. The first video, now posted on the site, brings to life the dynamometer testing that new truck engines undergo, including the new EcoBoost pulled randomly off the line at Cleveland Engine Plan.

After undergoing the equivalent of 150,000 miles on the dynamometer, the same EcoBoost engine is dropped in a 2011 F-150 at Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant before it faces a series of extreme real-world tough-truck tests to ensure it exceeds the demands of even the most demanding F-150 customer.

Once out of the lab, the tests will include:

Hauling timber
The 2011 F-150 EcoBoost joins a lumber company in Oregon, working as a log skidder to show off its best-in-class hauling and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. This severe duty involves dragging logs weighing thousands of pounds up steep grades. The 2011 F-150 EcoBoost replaces larger, heavy-duty machinery to perform the task.

24 hours of NASCAR
Following its work in the Pacific Northwest, the same 2011 F-150 EcoBoost heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida to demonstrate its best-in-class towing capability of 11,300 pounds. The truck will tow a pair of Sprint Cup Ford Fusions for 24 hours around the 1.5-mile oval. Befitting the track, site of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale, the fully stock 2011 F-150 EcoBoost will run at full throttle, reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph on the straights, stopping only for tires and more 87 octane fuel.

Baja 1000
After towing on the oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the same EcoBoost engine will be dropped in an F-150 off-road race truck and challenge one of the harshest tests on Earth – the 2010 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Last year less than 60 percent of the entrants finished the grueling desert race. Built Ford Tough trucks have a proud legacy in the event, winning more Baja titles than

Video of Ford EcoBoost Engine Technology

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Source: Ford