Towing w/ 4-Cylinder Turbo

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That’s a small trailer and it’s got some aero. I prefer towing with turbos as they have solid torque at lower rpms and don’t have to run at a higher drone for hours on end.

In my ecoboost with a normal-height travel trailer, the turbos are doing consistent work probably any time over 40 and certainly whenever any acceleration or hills are involved. I’ve towed for hours at a time nonstop and it’s simply not a problem. I’d rather have a turbo engine for towing. More fun to drive.
 
M
That’s a small trailer and it’s got some aero. I prefer towing with turbos as they have solid torque at lower rpms and don’t have to run at a higher drone for hours on end.

In my ecoboost with a normal-height travel trailer, the turbos are doing consistent work probably any time over 40 and certainly whenever any acceleration or hills are involved. I’ve towed for hours at a time nonstop and it’s simply not a problem. I’d rather have a turbo engine for towing. More fun to drive.
My uncle bought a turbo F-150 3.5, towed a old bronco through the Rockies, and killed both turbos.

Please just listen to the drone
 
Did someone say towing with a turbo 4?

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We've pulled it over 4000 miles in a year and a half(ish). We are at about 6200# loaded to travel.

Datalog from our last trip home from Bryson City, NC to Statham, GA. Nothing in the log that shows the engine under anything I would consider extreme stress or showing any signs of being overworked.

 
M
My uncle bought a turbo F-150 3.5, towed a old bronco through the Rockies, and killed both turbos.

Please just listen to the drone
There is not enough information in your anecdote to draw a conclusion.

Did your uncle use the correct oil? Did he even check it? Did he drive it with a CEL on? Did the truck have other problems?

There are hundreds of thousands of Ford F-150 3.5s towing daily.
 
Well, a couple things there. The weight isn't the problem for this trailer, it's the awful aerodynamics. It is an absolute parachute going down the road. I towed a car hauler trailer with my sandrail back from Oregon and it was fine. It's the load with the wind resistance.

Not looking for more power, the 3.6L is fine. Not going to win any races that's for sure, but I figure if it has more power, the engine won't be as stressed, and likely to overheat.

I'm on the 3rd thermostat, new hoses, and I upgraded the radiator from the standard 5/8" thick one to the towing package one that's 1" thick. Condenser is clean as a whistle.

This car is just too old and needs to be retired as well. Around 164k miles. $ isn't the problem, it's the availability of a replacement vehicle. 4Runner, Land Cruiser, or GX550.
Some folks find what they want and get it trucked - one of our guys got a diesel Burb shipped from Michigan to Mississippi …
 
but I figure if it has more power, the engine won't be as stressed, and likely to overheat.
Yes and no. Small displacement turbo is in my mind the least ideal for towing and of heavy loads...............great for sports car, not for truck.

What would last longer pulling a trailer: a 200hp cast iron V8, or a 250 HP Turbo I4 engine.

I think it has more to do with the roatating assembly and it mass.
 
Yes and no. Small displacement turbo is in my mind the least ideal for towing and of heavy loads...............great for sports car, not for truck.

What would last longer pulling a trailer: a 200hp cast iron V8, or a 250 HP Turbo I4 engine.

I think it has more to do with the roatating assembly and it mass.
I think it’s more complex than that. It’s the ability to remove heat, rather than the ability to absorb heat, that matters. The iron block will absorb more, but will get hotter and hotter unless the cooling system can reject that heat to the environment.

Simple V-8 without oil cooling, and an archaic radiator, is going to overheat running at 75% power. Like a long hill.

That turbo 4, with an integrated oil cooler, and better cooling system design, will be running at 60% power, same HP output on the same long hill, and is better able to manage the heat load because of the design of the system.

I’ve towed with a turbo 4*, and the water temperature was constant, but the oil temp (it was a basic turbo, no water cooling like the truck in question) ran about 15-20C higher than normal. In the car’s favor was the thermostatically controlled, and relatively large, oil cooler mounted adjacent to the radiator.

It handled sustained high power output for hours without overheating, even with a system that was primitive in comparison to the design of the truck in question.


* 1985 Volvo turbo wagon. Turbocharged, intercooler, 4 cylinder with a manual. Total HP was 165. A lot for the time, but a paltry amount by today’s standards. Towing a double axle U-Haul with a piano and furniture. The trailer weighed about what the car weighed. It was a lot of weight for the car. Full throttle, full RPM, full boost, to get it up to speed, and a good amount of boost/throttle to sustain the speed. The car had both a boost gauge (factory installed) and an oil temperature gauge (genuine Volvo accessory that I installed). I owned the car when I lived in Virginia, and in Colorado, where it was frequently driven in the mountains. It was an education in coolant vs. oil temperature and the effect of heavy turbo loads on oil temperature. It was also an education in how well a turbocharged engine handled rarified air in the mountains.
 
* 1985 Volvo turbo wagon. Turbocharged, intercooler, 4 cylinder with a manual. Total HP was 165. A lot for the time, but a paltry amount by today’s standards. Towing a double axle U-Haul with a piano and furniture. The trailer weighed about what the car weighed. It was a lot of weight for the car. Full throttle, full RPM, full boost, to get it up to speed, and a good amount of boost/throttle to sustain the speed. The car had both a boost gauge (factory installed) and an oil temperature gauge (genuine Volvo accessory that I installed). I owned the car when I lived in Virginia, and in Colorado, where it was frequently driven in the mountains. It was an education in coolant vs. oil temperature and the effect of heavy turbo loads on oil temperature. It was also an education in how well a turbocharged engine handled rarified air in the mountains.
I had the exact car! A few mods, too. The only thing I didn't like was the K-Jet, but it worked. I added a dual full flow oil filter set up. Two large oil filters, lots of oil capacity. Hauled all kinds of crazy stuff, sold with over 300K miles on original block. I did put a new turbo in at 150K when I bought it as a real fixer........the thing was beat, AT. I put in the M4 w/OD. BUT original block!!
 
I think it’s more complex than that. It’s the ability to remove heat, rather than the ability to absorb heat, that matters. The iron block will absorb more, but will get hotter and hotter unless the cooling system can reject that heat to the environment.

Simple V-8 without oil cooling, and an archaic radiator, is going to overheat running at 75% power. Like a long hill.

That turbo 4, with an integrated oil cooler, and better cooling system design, will be running at 60% power, same HP output on the same long hill, and is better able to manage the heat load because of the design of the system.

I’ve towed with a turbo 4*, and the water temperature was constant, but the oil temp (it was a basic turbo, no water cooling like the truck in question) ran about 15-20C higher than normal. In the car’s favor was the thermostatically controlled, and relatively large, oil cooler mounted adjacent to the radiator.

It handled sustained high power output for hours without overheating, even with a system that was primitive in comparison to the design of the truck in question.


* 1985 Volvo turbo wagon. Turbocharged, intercooler, 4 cylinder with a manual. Total HP was 165. A lot for the time, but a paltry amount by today’s standards. Towing a double axle U-Haul with a piano and furniture. The trailer weighed about what the car weighed. It was a lot of weight for the car. Full throttle, full RPM, full boost, to get it up to speed, and a good amount of boost/throttle to sustain the speed. The car had both a boost gauge (factory installed) and an oil temperature gauge (genuine Volvo accessory that I installed). I owned the car when I lived in Virginia, and in Colorado, where it was frequently driven in the mountains. It was an education in coolant vs. oil temperature and the effect of heavy turbo loads on oil temperature. It was also an education in how well a turbocharged engine handled rarified air in the mountains.

There is a reason the ford super duty's don't use eco boosts but instead use large big block n/a 7.3 with an iron block. Longevity and mpg being the primary ones.
 
Interestingly, the vehicles that are specifically designed for towing (18 wheelers) all have turbo.
In Europe all commercial vehicles are turbo, and they haul far more than most people will ever tow, and they tow too.
Now, what I would do, regardless of turbo or not, especially if high altitude is anticipated, is installing radiator style oil and transmission coolers.
 
Interestingly, the vehicles that are specifically designed for towing (18 wheelers) all have turbo.
In Europe all commercial vehicles are turbo, and they haul far more than most people will ever tow, and they tow too.
Now, what I would do, regardless of turbo or not, especially if high altitude is anticipated, is installing radiator style oil and transmission coolers.

Diesels are built like tanks. But at a certain point when you need to make X hp/torque within in a certain physical engine size you will need to use turbos. Doesn't mean that a N/A engine (if it can fit and make the required power) won't be a more reliable/durable option.

Over the span of a few months my brother just put $30k CAD into his commercial freightliner. Just the classic turbo and emissions junk.

Again, look at Ford for a very good example of a manufacturer picking a large n/a engine over their own eco boosts for "super duty" usage when they had the choice between pulling something off the shelf already built vs sinking millions into a new big block engine (7.3 and 6.8).

I'm not suggesting the OP can't tow with a small turbo. For light duty usage most people will absolutely be fine, but I still prefer a simple pushrod v8.
 
Diesels are built like tanks. But at a certain point when you need to make X hp/torque within in a certain physical engine size you will need to use turbos. Doesn't mean that a N/A engine (if it can fit and make the required power) won't be a more reliable/durable option.

Over the span of a few months my brother just put $30k CAD into his commercial freightliner. Just the classic turbo and emissions junk.

Again, look at Ford for a very good example of a manufacturer picking a large n/a engine over their own eco boosts for "super duty" usage when they had the choice between pulling something off the shelf already built vs sinking millions into a new big block engine (7.3 and 6.8).

I'm not suggesting the OP can't tow with a small turbo. For light duty usage most people will absolutely be fine, but I still prefer a simple pushrod v8.
Most European engines today are gas turbo. We are talking turbo issues, and yet your argument is “diesel’s are built like a tank.” So, what is difference between turbo on diesel and gas? I co-own delivery business in Europe. 10yrs ago we had all turbo diesels. Now we have 34 gas turbo vehicles, 1.5T and 2.0T. Most of them haul more than 99% of people will with F350.
 
Diesels are built like tanks. But at a certain point when you need to make X hp/torque within in a certain physical engine size you will need to use turbos. Doesn't mean that a N/A engine (if it can fit and make the required power) won't be a more reliable/durable option.

Over the span of a few months my brother just put $30k CAD into his commercial freightliner. Just the classic turbo and emissions junk.

Again, look at Ford for a very good example of a manufacturer picking a large n/a engine over their own eco boosts for "super duty" usage when they had the choice between pulling something off the shelf already built vs sinking millions into a new big block engine (7.3 and 6.8).

I'm not suggesting the OP can't tow with a small turbo. For light duty usage most people will absolutely be fine, but I still prefer a simple pushrod v8.

And every diesel I've driven has an egt sensor or gauge and will go into limp mode if it gets too high. I'm pretty sure the semi trucks are running at low boost just cruising along (under 10 psi) while a little 4 cylinder will probably be boosting more.
 
Most European engines today are gas turbo. We are talking turbo issues, and yet your argument is “diesel’s are built like a tank.” So, what is difference between turbo on diesel and gas? I co-own delivery business in Europe. 10yrs ago we had all turbo diesels. Now we have 34 gas turbo vehicles, 1.5T and 2.0T. Most of them haul more than 99% of people will with F350.
At what speed and are you going uphill with the gas turbos? Europeans tend to drive slower unless they're on the Autobahn or something
 
And every diesel I've driven has an egt sensor or gauge and will go into limp mode if it gets too high. I'm pretty sure the semi trucks are running at low boost just cruising along (under 10 psi) while a little 4 cylinder will probably be boosting more.

Pre-DPF diesels in Europe rarely had EGT sensors and nearly every vehicle was a turbo diesel.
 
Pre-DPF diesels in Europe rarely had EGT sensors and nearly every vehicle was a turbo diesel.
They also weren't putting down high hp. Regardless you could get the 1.9 vw TDI turbos to 1500 degrees f and kill them if you kept them there for a while
 
They also weren't putting down high hp. Regardless you could get the 1.9 vw TDI turbos to 1500 degrees f and kill them if you kept them there for a while

They might not have been putting down 'high HP' but they made torque by the bucket load at low RPM and therefore never needed to be 'high HP'.
 
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