[kjfinkes]

Just picked up our 2018 Blue Jean Metallic two-tone on 9/11 from Pettijohn Auto group in Bethany, MO (great experience there). Son and I drove it home to Baton Rouge. At 48,000 miles it has replacement Sumitomo Encounter HT on all four corners and should be significantly broken in. About 24 mpg for the trip home.

Set up a weight distribution hitch (Curt Trutrack) and wired a four pin cable for a rear camera on the 20' camper. Adding snap on towing mirrors this week.

We're headed out on 9/18 to Glacier National Park from Baton Rouge with our two youngest and a dog. I'll try to keep everyone updated on the towing mpg and general feel of driving (and living with) the new 3.0

For comparison, we just returned from ~5,000 miles in a similar 2018 Lariat with the 3.5TT and 3.55 rear end. Averaged about 8 through Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Looking forward to seeing what kind of differences we can spot.

 

[jmperlik]

@kjfinkes - let me be the first to welcome you here to our little corner of the internet!

Thanks for offering to track and report back your towing MPG, as you will have a direct comparison/shoot-out of 2018 3.5 EB vs a 2018 3.0L PowerStroke Diesel. What trim level is your 2018 Blue Jean Metallic two-tone? Going to assume a Lariat also, as the I think that is only trim where you can get the two-tone paint option.

I'm going to fathom a guess that you should get maybe 2x (15-16) the MPG with the PS Diesel, so interested in hearing what your actual results will be. You'll probably take a small hit with the 3.31 rear vs the 3.55 rear in the 3.5L EB, so maybe closer to 14-15 MPG -- either way it should be a huge improvement over the gasser. Drop a Titan XXL tank in yours and you've got a nice towing platform for your 20' camper.

Keep an eye on your payload, as you might be getting close to limits there (Lariat and above trim levels take it in the shorts)

Please post back as you start getting results, as this should be an interesting comparison...

 

[kjfinkes]

Yep, payload is an issue. So far, so good on that front and since we are pretty close it helps that the Sumitomo Encounters are E rated. Factory rubber has much lower ratings thus limiting overall payload (there is more to it that just tires, but the axles and suspension components are not the limiting factor on the low end). Here is the window sticker for the trim/options on the truck:

 

[kjfinkes]

605 miles in. One tank at 9.9 and one at 11.2 mpg hand calculated. That’s about 25% improvement from the 3.5...but...now at the Ford dealer due to the engine overheating. Tech feels that the egr recall was done ‘sloppily’ (though that was 40k ago). Absolutely not a great first look for the 3.0 after just doing a 5000 mile incident-free trip with the 3.5TT. Tough break on a road trip.

 

[kjfinkes]

Fortunately, no parts needed to be ordered. EGR coolant hose was not properly fitted and tightened. Back on the road after five anxious hours and another tank of fuel. 11.3 mpg running a consistent 64 mph through Oklahoma and Kansas.

 

[jmperlik]

@kjfinkes - good to hear you are back on-the-road-again!

Towing MPG is a but disappointing -- your 20' trailer must be on the heavier side (you didn't state a weight previously) = I should probably stay out of the towing MPG prognostication game, as I was way off with my prediction!

Please continue to report in, as this is a good experiment with valuable data points....