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Ecoboost JK. Thoughts?

35K views 83 replies 41 participants last post by  SecondTJ 
#1 ·
I know a group of Engineers that are interested in developing a Kit to swap Ford's Ecoboost engine/trans in to a JK Wrangler.

We believe the Ecoboost engine to be a strong candidate for JK engine swaps. It reaches 90% of its peak torque at just 1700 RPM, and holds steady up to 5000 RPM. That translates to much of the engines usable torque available lower in the RPM range that we use while Jeeping. Also with twin turbos, the Ecoboost compensates for higher elevations, and the added efficiency will benefit those who Daily Drive their JK's.

There are hundreds of thousands of Ecoboost F150s that have been, and are currently being produced which means they are readily available now, and in the future.

They are still in the researching phases, but we are curious what the thoughts of the JK community are.
 
#3 ·
I think it is a weird engine choice to choose. Why would anyone do it? What is the benefit of an Ecoboost vs. the stock penstar with an added turbo for much less? I would think a turbo charged pentsar would make a lot more power for a lot less money. If I was to get an engine swap on my JK it would most likely be a diesel, may consider a V8. You have a good theory but I just don't see it as cost effective unless you have a spare ecoboost lying around, it seems like a bad HP for the dollar in my opinion.
 
#6 ·
The ecoboost has so much more potential than the 3.6. It's not even a funny comparison.

1st the ecoboost is twin turbo. And readily available.

I have yet to see a power adder 3.6 worth a second look.

A simple tuner on the ecoboost makes an UNREAL difference. Livernois Motorsports is the leader in ecoboost development in my opinion. Having had a couple Livernois tuned ecoboost cars and trucks. There's no comparison.

I'd look at the cost of the ecoboost swap vs a hemi swap vs a ls swap. All being equal $, hemi. Although that's not even close to reality. Given same $ for ecoboost and ls...... I'd go ecoboost........ just because
 
#12 ·
I'd rather go with an LSx conversion using an LM7 5.3L or LS3 engine, along with the 6L80e trans. I've been checking RPM Extreme packages, and i'd think eventually i'll ended up going this route. for now it's just a dream, we'll see what happens in the next 4-5 years :)
 
#13 ·
IMNSHO, I would not put an EcoBoost into a JK...

If I had the $$$ to spend, I would put in the current RAM 3.0 EcoDiesel.

Or I'd look to put in the 5.7L Hemi from the RAM Truck line.

That said though, I'm probably not in the market for a motor swap.

FWIW...
 
#14 ·
It's an interesting experiment, but it hardly seems worth it. By the time you've bought the engine, fabbed up motor mounts, and a transmission adapter, and gotten the computers working with each other, you're well over $10,000. For that kind of money you're not seeing a whole lot of gain.
 
#51 ·
Replacing a perfectly usable motor with one that puts out just a little more power does not make any economic sense.

Now add in getting the electronics to talk cross platform, that wont give you problems. (sarcasm font not available)

Maybe it can be done, but why bother.
 
#15 ·
Dual turbo, DI engine, I'd pass. While many say the EB is a good engine, from what I've read and spoke about with a friend who is a Ford service writer in PA it has its fair share of problems. I'd rather pay up for the 8 cylinder Hemi. Opinions vary, that's mine.
 
#16 ·
Pass. A LS conversion offers more power across the entire rpm range for the same cost. In addition the 6L60 transmission is near bullet proof and 1st gear is as good as the Jeeps manual 1st gear.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Me - "Hey honey, what do you think about putting a Ford Ecoboost in the Jeep?"

Wife - "What is an Ecoboost?"

Me - "A Ford engine with dual turbos."

Wife - "It sounds expensive. Doesn't your Jeep already have an engine that runs?"

Me - "Yes. It has an engine that runs."

Wife - "You won't be buying one of those."

Yeah, I'd pass even if the "bank" (wife) approved it.
 
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#21 ·
I wouldnt put an ecocrap engine into any vehicle let alone my Jeep. They have had numerous issues with some of those engines. If I wanted a Ford I would buy one But then again I owned one Ford and it was a pos and will never buy another. My father in law retired from Ford and we could get a nice discount on one and still wont buy one.
 
#22 ·
As a "Ford Guy" I'm not interested in a turbo in my jeep unless it's a diesel swap. In fact, the ecoboost as the only engine option on the Gen 2 Raptor is why I haven't bought one. Hopefully Ford gets smart and offers a v8 option in 2018 because a hell of a lot of gen 1 owners haven't upgraded to the 2017. I would much rather drop a NA V8 in jeep and have thought about it.
 
#23 ·
Our stock 3.6 does fine. No need for more hp for it. Crawling up hills and over "small" rocks is slow going. No need for a super charger.
We have a super charged vette that will hit 200 mph. No need for the Jeep to do that.

Car Vehicle Sports car Hood Automotive design





We also have a Falcon drag strip car that has 1017 hp. with nitrous.No need for the Jeep to do that either.
By he way, the Ford Eco-boost engine is great, but I do not see a need to install one in our Jeeps.
We wanted to purchase a Ford Explorer in 2014, but the back seats did not lay flat like the JKUR does, so we bought the Jeep instead.
Comfort for our four legged son was paramount.
Just my opinion.
 
#24 ·
The only better engine would be the 5.7 hemi IMHO. The 8 speed behind it. I am done with diesel till they get some of the smog crap off it.
 
#28 ·
I don't think it's a bad idea. I believe the issue with the Ecoboost is we still don't know if it will stand the test of time. It's still relatively new and we just don't know how well it will last. If they do turn out to be long lasting high mileage engines that are easily available they will most certainly be a re power option in the future. There will be a lot of competition though, with MOPAR announcing at SEMA new crate options and Cummins new R2.8 Crate engine coming out this year. I do think there is room for all of them though with the sheer number of JK/JKU's that have been and will be produced between 2007-2017 there will be no shortage of people looking for engine options 10-15 years down the road.
 
#30 ·
It's only a great torque curve at wot....Other than that there's not very good power modulation inbetween. Not like what you get from a v8 anyways. Not at all close. It's not at all about with torque. I Couldn' care less about that. I care about what I can do with the engine in 4lo and 1st gear finessing the Jeep up a cliff. I want progressive, extremely, completely, predictable power. No turbo crap. V8 or go home. Sorry.

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#31 ·
I run a manual transmission. My biggest concern would be ensuring all of the downstream drive components are strong enough to take the extra power and wouldn't require replacing. I'd want to keep the existing manual transmission.

My current favorite is the 5.7 Hemi, so that would be the benchmark.
 
#32 ·
A V8 is fun, they make good power, lots of torque. But they are heavy. I would think a turbo V6 would be lighter as well as offer better fuel mileage. You could probably even go to a turbo 4, but that would likely be more of a side step than an upgrade. Better MPGs, though. MPG may not matter to some, however. But I am not sure Ford is the go to company for a turbo engine. It is great they are learning how to make turbo motors, but other companies already have a massive amount of knowledge on how to make a turbo motor. My brother just bought an F150 with the EB V6, we will see how that goes. So far he is happy with it.
One thing often mis-understood is that some people think forced induction is about making peak power up high. You can build a forced induction motor to make torque down low if that is what you want. More power, more torque, those are good things. Even for rock crawling.
 
#34 ·
Putting in a LS2 or LS3 only adds about 50 lbs. That is less weight than adding a turbo/supercharger to the Pentastar.
 
#33 ·
It's only a great torque curve at wot....Other than that there's not very good power modulation inbetween. Not like what you get from a v8 anyways. Not at all close. It's not at all about wot torque. I Couldn't care less about that. I care about what I can do with the engine in 4lo and 1st gear finessing the Jeep up a cliff. I want progressive, extremely, completely, predictable power. No turbo crap. V8 or go home. Sorry.

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