Impressive Towing experience (MPG-related)

14780 Views 16 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Rdkeith99, Apr 8, 2021

RideZX6R

Discussion Starter · Aug 11, 2019

5

Did some towing with the Platty Baby powerstroke not long ago... Here's the results. Truck is STOCK, no tune. FX4 package with 3.55s - I live in the very hilly/mountain-y Seattle area...

Towed my Camaro from my buddy's house to the tuner after some work to the car, and then towed my buddy's drag car from a shop to his place. And then later towed the Camaro home with some equipment in the bed

the 21.9 MPG is from driving around with the empty flat deck trailer (it weighs about 1800), for about 100 miles and then towing the Camaro for about 40lbs - this is mostly highway

the 18.9 was with the drag car only for 25 miles of towing

the 16.5 was 45ish miles of stop-and-go traffic with en empty trailer, and then 50ish miles of highway with a loaded trailer and about 400lbs in the bed (and a heavy foot because I was late from sitting in traffic.

For the record the Camaro is about 36xx lbs and the drag car is just over 3000.

I typically average 24.x with mixed driving (65-75% city, rest highway/rurel) when the truck is totally empty

Not bad at all!

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kdjasper

· #2 · Aug 11, 2019

I have 2018 KR 3.0 FX4 with 3.55s and I have also been impressed with the towing mpg's on my truck, as well as all around mpg's. I'm very happy with mine, and now with over 17K miles have noticed even better mpg's the past couple thousand miles. I'm not sure if those better mpg's are coming from the engine breaking in more, or if it is because of the new tires I put on in that time period, possibly a combination of both.

I can say that the tires I put on LT265/60R20 Michelin Defender LTX did not cause me any adverse hit at all on my mpg's--I'm sure they improved my mpg's over the stock P275/55R20 Goodyear Adventurer Kevlar that I took off. In fact, since I changed over the tires I am at 24.4 mpg average and the first 15K miles on the truck with the Goodyear's I was at 21.9 mpg average.

I have a long distance fishing trip coming up towing my Ranger Reata 1850LS boat, so I will post my mpg results after that trip.

Meisterics

· #3 · Aug 12, 2019 (Edited)

I just drove 535 miles with my boat(5,000lbs). With almost entirely freeway and many half mile to mile long hill, pulling 65-70mph I managed 15.1mpg(on paper). Not sure how big of an impact the AC is, but it was running the entire way.

I have the 3.55 FX4 platinum. I am guessing the Hancook tires do not help the cause but I am very pleased with the results.

Jasper,

I am glad you posted your model boat. I have a 620 with a 250 4 stroke. I remember what you posted for mileage and what you had versus mine.

PS it sure was nice not to have to stop for fuel!

Meisterics

· #4 · Aug 21, 2019

Same trip again this week, 14.6mpg. Only changes with this trip is that we had an extra man riding along, a little bit of gear, and a couple more mpg on the speed.

Oh and I did use fuel ox with this tank.

Lariat1

· #5 · Aug 21, 2019

I picked up my Lariat on the weekend and towed my boat to the lake.
I did the exact same trip the weekend before with my 2.7 lariat gas and averaged 19l/100km which is 12 mpg.
My diesel did the same trip at 14l/100km which is just under 17 mpg.

Towed a 3500 lb boat with the 3.31 rear end, its a 5.5 foot box with 4x4

kdjasper

· #6 · Sep 12, 2019 (Edited)

kdjasper said:
I have a long distance fishing trip coming up towing my Ranger Reata 1850LS boat, so I will post my mpg results after that trip.

Thought to update everyone on my recent long distance fishing trip towing experience...

Truck performed great! Trip was ~1,100 miles of towing. Truck computer reported 18.4mpg, hand calculated at 17.8mpg. I believe these two numbers would have been closer to each other if I didn't have to idle 20 minutes while at the Canada/MN border crossing from Ontario back into MN.

This route I took on this trip had a fair amount of road inclines/hills to climb along the way. I was happily surprised at how effortlessly the 3.0 pulled up those hills in comparison to my previous 2010 5.4. There were only a couple really steep hills where the tranny had to drop down into 6th to climb, some that the tranny dropped down into 7th, but most hills the tranny only dropped down to 8th during the climb with RPM's ~2,000 whereas the 5.4 would have been revving at 3,500+ RPM's in those same situations.

The above is why I went for the 3.0 over the V8 this time around--fuel economy while towing, and really in any situation seems 4-5mpg better than any other engine option for the F150.

I will turn over 20,000 miles on my truck this weekend, and still absolutely loving it.

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Kthursro

· #7 · Oct 10, 2019

WV to north western CO towing a trailer with a UTV on board (~3K) and truck loaded. I pushed it pretty hard 75-80 mph. Coming back I got 14.2 mpg. The truck performed great! I’m sure with my old GMC 6.2 I would have been lucky to get 9 mpg on premium gas!

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BluePill

· #8 · Oct 10, 2019

Nice range. Can't wait to see how Ford further improve range in the Hybrid versions that's supposed to arrive sometime in 2020.

Smokewagun

· #9 · Oct 23, 2019

I just travelled about 300 miles pulling my 7,000# GVWR utility trailer up the globe to northern Wisconsin with my 650# quad, and truck loaded with gear. This truck amazes me. Almost 23mpg hand calculated, and while the truck initially started an active regeneration when I started, I had to stop immediately, and it stopped at 98%. It never went back into active, but ran passive with the EGT’s running in the low 600’s and cleaned down to 25% in about 200 miles. Then, when it did do an act regeneration, it only pulled about 0.5 mpg to drop the soot load to 13% before shutting off the active regeneration. In my last 6.7L before deleting it, I’d drop 5mpg easy. My return trip, I pulled 27mpg without the trailer, but fought a descent headwind. My 2018 5.0L would have barely pulled 18.5mpg without the trailer, and barely 13mpg with the trailer I love this 3.0L. So much, I ordered the Magnaflow dpf-back exhaust tonight.

Dunrollin

· #10 · Oct 23, 2019

My 2018 5.0L would have barely pulled 18.5mpg without the trailer, and barely 13mpg with the trailer

That is about my numbers with my 2013 5.0, this little diesel doesn't go to the gas station too often. My only problem travelling is I often use back roads (wife hates interstates) and finding diesel in an automotive pump isn't easy. Gasbuddy has sent me to several truck pumps with the big nozzles. I may break down and get the big tank.

Gradymaci

· #11 · Dec 1, 2019

So your trailer, quads and other stuff close to 8000#'s?

Smokewagun

· #12 · Dec 1, 2019

The trailer weight is about 2k, plus weight of the qusds.

Rdkeith99

· #13 · Dec 7, 2019

Diesel pumps with big nozzles

Dunrollin said:
Gasbuddy has sent me to several truck pumps with the big nozzles.

Yes, I've run into the problem of diesel pumps with the big nozzles a number of times on our last trip pulling our camper. What I could never understand was some of the large-nozzle diesel pumps were not at big truck stations but right beside the gasoline pumps where you would think diesel cars (and, yes, diesel F150's) would need to fill up! I'd think, 'Oh, there's a station with a diesel pump, we'll stop for a fill-up', so I pull up there and find it had the big nozzle. Fortunately I have never ran so low on fuel that i HAD to have some but if that had ever happened I might have been in trouble. My idea now is to make up an adapter from PVC pipe that, heaven forbid, I simply MUST fill up at a big-nozzle pump, then I will have my little adapter for such emergencies. Haven't made the adapter yet but will very soon before our next long trip.

Dunrollin

· #14 · Dec 7, 2019

My idea now is to make up an adapter from PVC pipe that, heaven forbid, I simply MUST fill up at a big-nozzle pump, then I will have my little adapter for such emergencies.

I want one!

fharrison

· #15 · Dec 7, 2019

This is easier. It works.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00696Y74O/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_hUd7DbZ7EMD3B

Smokewagun

· #16 · Dec 8, 2019

Y’all better be careful. ANY adapter not exactly like the standard fuel nozzle or the fancy funnel Ford provides behind your passenger side rear seat back, will result in your boots getting covered in diesel fuel.

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Rdkeith99

· #17 · Apr 8, 2021

Rdkeith99 said:
Diesel pumps with big nozzles

Yes, I've run into the problem of diesel pumps with the big nozzles a number of times on our last trip pulling our camper. What I could never understand was some of the large-nozzle diesel pumps were not at big truck stations but right beside the gasoline pumps where you would think diesel cars (and, yes, diesel F150's) would need to fill up! I'd think, 'Oh, there's a station with a diesel pump, we'll stop for a fill-up', so I pull up there and find it had the big nozzle. Fortunately I have never ran so low on fuel that i HAD to have some but if that had ever happened I might have been in trouble. My idea now is to make up an adapter from PVC pipe that, heaven forbid, I simply MUST fill up at a big-nozzle pump, then I will have my little adapter for such emergencies. Haven't made the adapter yet but will very soon before our next long trip.

I've had the same experience, sign says 'DIESEL' and, yes, there is a diesel pump right among the gas pumps but it has a large nozzle, or else the diesel pump(s) off to themselves ONLY have large nozzles. Has happened fairly often but with good MPG's on the 3.0 I've never been so desperate that I had to have fuel. However, I did make up an adapter from PVC that fits into the funnel that came with the truck, just in case of a dire emergency and I simply had to have some diesel, even if it meant only getting enough to get me to a smaller nozzle pump somewhere down the road. I've never had to use my little adapter, hopefully I never will need it, and I am very aware that it might make a mess if I had to use it but, as I said, I would only try it in a dire emergency. (After I made it I was tempted to deliberately go to a large nozzle pump just to see it it would work but never did, just afraid it would make a mess all over me, LOL!)

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