The 3.7 vs the Turbo 3.5 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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The 3.7 vs the Turbo 3.5

Speedbird

Active Member
Joined
September 16, 2014
Messages
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City, State
Denver, CO and Cardiff
Year, Model & Trim Level
2018 Explorer Sport
Hey Everyone.... Not counting handling, is there a BIG noticeable difference in performance between an explorer with the 3.7 V6 and the sport with the 3.5 turbo V6??
 



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I drive the 3.7L at work and the 3.5L EcoBoost at home.

Night and day
 






Is there a difference between a 4 cylinder Mustang and a V8 Mustang :)
 






I drive the 3.7L at work and the 3.5L EcoBoost at home.

Night and day

What he said. The GTDI is a much stronger engine. VERY quick and powerful. Not that the N/A 3.7 is weak, per se. It just isn't a twin turbo GTDI.
 






Of course the 3.7 naturally aspirated engine isn't going to be as powerful as the 3.5 twin turbo. If you need the extra power for towing or if you're just one of those guys who needs to go fast then get the 3.5 twin turbo.

Personally, I went with the 3.7 because I didn't feel like spending another 10 grand for extra horsepower when I don't need it. I made that mistake when I purchased my Subaru Legacy GT. I should have just gotten the regular motor rather than the one with the turbo. It was cool whipping that thing around for the first few months but after spending more money on fuel and having a baby, I suddenly didn't have a need for the extra ponies. I also had buyers remorse after spending 9 grand more for the Legacy's upgraded motor.
 






Hey Everyone.... Not counting handling, is there a BIG noticeable difference in performance between an explorer with the 3.7 V6 and the sport with the 3.5 turbo V6??

Doesn't only the PI Utility come with the 3.7 N/A and the Explorer models come wit hthe 3.5 N/A?
 






Doesn't only the PI Utility come with the 3.7 N/A and the Explorer models come wit hthe 3.5 N/A?
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Yes thats correct, Mustang has a 3.7L and I believe some Lincoln models as well.

No other Explorer besides Police Interceptor Sedan and Utility
 






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Yes thats correct, Mustang has a 3.7L and I believe some Lincoln models as well.

No other Explorer besides Police Interceptor Sedan and Utility

The State Police in MD have Mustang GT's with the V8. Is this not normal? Was that a special order?
 






I also drive an Ex at work with the 3.7L. I have to say its much more responsive and shifts at much higher rpm's than my N.A. 3.5L. I believe the 3.7L in the PI Explorers has a special tune that unleashes its full potential. Honestly, my driving style differs from my work vehicle to my personal vehicle, and for good reason. I rarely push my Ex as hard as I find myself doing with the 3.7L.
I test drove a Sport a few months back and my first impression was that it had substantially more power than the two Ex's I was used to but again, the shift points were different and I felt that the stock tune provided a smoother more refined experience than the PI 3.7L. I noticed a slight bit of hesitation and then was provided with an abundance of power. I can only imagine how this platform could be improved with a performance tune.
 


















I also drive an Ex at work with the 3.7L. I have to say its much more responsive and shifts at much higher rpm's than my N.A. 3.5L. I believe the 3.7L in the PI Explorers has a special tune that unleashes its full potential. Honestly, my driving style differs from my work vehicle to my personal vehicle, and for good reason. I rarely push my Ex as hard as I find myself doing with the 3.7L.
I test drove a Sport a few months back and my first impression was that it had substantially more power than the two Ex's I was used to but again, the shift points were different and I felt that the stock tune provided a smoother more refined experience than the PI 3.7L. I noticed a slight bit of hesitation and then was provided with an abundance of power. I can only imagine how this platform could be improved with a performance tune.

You're absolutely correct, the PI Utility and Sedan have very unique tuning with EPAS,AWD, and the engine. The theory was, in a pursuit situation, or regular emergency driving there's lots of jack rabbit starts and stops. Hard deceleration, hard stop, hard on the WOT.

So the engineers purposely programmed the transmission to sense that type of driving and then hold the transmission in the lower gear instead of "hunting" for the higher gear in an effort to improve fuel economy.

Its just shows you how advanced these vehicles are now, compared to the old Crown Victoria with its 30 year old design & engineering.
 












Thanks for the help folks. I'm going to stick with the ecoboost turbo. May as well save up for exactly what I want!
 






Honestly, I think the 3.7 does quite well in the Ex. It's MUCH better than the old P71s, and it's not a V8 that you'd get from Chevy or Dodge. The Tahoe is a great policing vehicle as well, but that goes more in line with an Expedition IMO.

So I don't see the need for a better tune or anything of the sort from the 3.7. I think it does exactly what it needs to in the Ex.
 






Honestly, I think the 3.7 does quite well in the Ex. It's MUCH better than the old P71s, and it's not a V8 that you'd get from Chevy or Dodge. The Tahoe is a great policing vehicle as well, but that goes more in line with an Expedition IMO.

So I don't see the need for a better tune or anything of the sort from the 3.7. I think it does exactly what it needs to in the Ex.

I agree.

Our fleet is primarily changing over to all PI utility vehicles. IMO, these are far better designed and equipped for the job than the CVPI vehicles we are phasing out.
 






...........So I don't see the need for a better tune or anything of the sort from the 3.7. I think it does exactly what it needs to in the Ex.
I feel exactly the same about the stock 3.5L Ecoboost.

Peter
 






Now if someone at Livernois could get their hands on a PI 3.7 and start playing...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSMOuCSP1zU

Take a look at this video, when we are done with the tune for the standard 3.7NA explorer its really close to a NON-TUNED Ecoboost explorer.

Its night an day difference. We have been tuning these for a couple years now. Very impressive
 






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSMOuCSP1zU

Take a look at this video, when we are done with the tune for the standard 3.7NA explorer its really close to a NON-TUNED Ecoboost explorer.

Its night an day difference. We have been tuning these for a couple years now. Very impressive

Are you saying you have a tune for the 3.7 PI Utility because the public Explorer has the 3.5 not the 3.7, only the police model comes with the 3.7
 



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Trust me, I know.. :D

I am leaning towards SCT over Livernois. That way if I upgrade to a Sport, I can use the tuner for that application as well.

If you buy our tuner and get an explorer sport we will upgrade it to your sport PERIOD. Just call us. There is not a tune out there that compares to our NA tune for the 3.7L. Ill go out on a lim and say try it and if your not satisfied in a few days send it back.

LME
 






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