"Get up and go" - "Got up and left"

[Wes1]

A little background info: My parents sold me there 08 Expy which my wife drives and they bought a new 2011 XLT EL. When they built it they speced it out just like the 08 so basically everything should be the same. So ever since my mom got it and started driving she stated that it just does not get up and run like the 08 did. Meaning when she would punch it to go around someone it just wouldn't jump up and go. My brother drove it last weekend on a trip to Houston and he said the same thing. So to my question:

Did Ford change up the engine from 08 to 11? They both have the same 5.4l and same gears. The 08 will jump up and go when you punch it, the 11 does not. Any actually spec changes or have others had the same issue.

Thoughts??

Wes

 

[jacks3am]

were they both EL's? the added weight probably slows it down, or the engine probably needs to be broken in, tell them to drive it like a baby so the piston rings can seat properly so it doesnt eat oil in the future

 

[Wes1]

They are both EL's.

 

[JUST4FUN]

are they the same axel 3.73 or is it like a 3.08

 

[Wes1]

They both have the 3.73 rearend. I have reviewed the specs on both the 08 and 11 and the specs are the same.

 

[jacks3am]

I still say its going to need a break in peroid, and be gentle driving it so the rings seat properly.

 

[tmajikman]

The 08 could have been a factory freak, maybe they detuned the 2011, new emissions possibly, could be a defective truck from the factory (the 2011), I would go test drive another 2011 with the same options to see if a different Expy drives the same or not, the ecu may need to be reflashed at the dealership. Disconnect the battery on the 2011 for a half hour and see if a reset will help.

 

[bigblack]

I have an '11 that is the same way. It also seems to lug up hills and even lose power on slight inclines. We test drove many used '07-'10's before buying this one (some with 80k plus miles) and all of them rode well. Took it back to the dealer and they said "Nothing Wrong"

 

[Wes1]

Talked with the dealership and they said that apparently Ford changed the computer settings on the 11's which is causing this issue with power. The head tech at the dealership found the same issue on his 11 and put a chip on his, but with not much luck on gaining back much of the power. Not sure which chip or programs he used.

My brother made a call to StangHi (Stanghi.com), which did the performance work on his 2011 Mustang 5.0, and they said to bring it to them and they could do a little work on it and fix the issue. I think we are going to do this and see what they can do. Once it is completed I will post an update.

 

[MN_Moose]

Wes, did you have any luck with this?

Our new 2011 is also very sluggish.