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philh's avatar
philh
Explorer II
Jul 21, 2019

F150 drive modes

A former idiot boss tried to convince me that towing in ECO mode saved him 2-3 mpg.

So last Friday night after work on a 250 mile drive to camping, I put it in eco mode. I used the dash output as a comparison... and yes, I'm always first to tell people to never ever do that :)

anyway, averaged 11.0 on the trip out in eco mode. Wildcard, for about the first 60 miles, we had lot slower speeds due to rush hour traffic. Truck felt kind of sluggish with cruise control on. for both, 65 mph, unless speed limits were lower.

Tow Haul mode, averaged 10.3. Only one minor backup on the freeway, truck felt much better, quicker to downshift to hold speed.

So much for 2-3 mpg, and given 60 miles at lower speed I'd bet the 0.7 mpg isn't accurate either.

9 Replies

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  • librty02's avatar
    librty02
    Explorer
    Aug 05, 2019
    I've tried the ECO mode driving around town before not towing and here in Western Pa that mode is useless and sucks....Sport is fast AF off the line but I don't race my truck...the snow wet is cool when its slick out as it starts you in a higher gear than 1st so you don't spin out from a stop but takes time to get use too.

    Oh and don't be a dummy and use ECO while towing your tranny with thank you for it....also in ECO there is no engine braking like tow/haul so....
  • campigloo's avatar
    campigloo
    Explorer
    Aug 02, 2019
    I don’t know your truck specifically but usually tow/haul is made to save your transmission and to not lug your motor down. Tow without it in tow/haul you might
    want to put all that fuel savings in the piggy bank so you can replace your tranny that prematurely failed.
    I don’t mean to sound petty but it’s probably not worth the tiny amounts of money you’ll save in fuel.
    Happy travels!
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator
    Jul 28, 2019
    Keep it in Eco mode if you like running the trans hotter and the truck driving slower.
  • Bobbo's avatar
    Bobbo
    Explorer II
    Jul 23, 2019
    Boomerweps wrote:
    Bobbo wrote:
    I have an F-150 and have never heard of "ECO mode." What is that? My truck has standard mode, tow/haul mode, and sport mode.


    Five drive modes in 2019, 10 speed transmission. Normal, eco, tow/haul, snow/wet, sport. M on the gear selector means you can use the up/down buttons on the gear selector to manually shift. You can also use the up/down buttons to lock out speeds in Drive.

    Thank you for answering my question. My 2017 F-150 also has the capability of shifting to M and using manual shifting, or locking out gears, but it doesn't have eco or snow/wet. I did a lot of manual shifting last fall when we spent 6 weeks in the 4 corners area and I had 6%, 8%, or 10% grades. Some of them I took in 1st gear.
  • Boomerweps's avatar
    Boomerweps
    Explorer
    Jul 22, 2019
    Bobbo wrote:
    I have an F-150 and have never heard of "ECO mode." What is that? My truck has standard mode, tow/haul mode, and sport mode.


    Five drive modes in 2019, 10 speed transmission. Normal, eco, tow/haul, snow/wet, sport. M on the gear selector means you can use the up/down buttons on the gear selector to manually shift. You can also use the up/down buttons to lock out speeds in Drive.
  • mbopp's avatar
    mbopp
    Explorer
    Jul 21, 2019
    I get a bit better mileage in standard mode. But since tow / haul also boosts the line pressure I use it for a more positive lockup.
  • Bobbo's avatar
    Bobbo
    Explorer II
    Jul 21, 2019
    I have an F-150 and have never heard of "ECO mode." What is that? My truck has standard mode, tow/haul mode, and sport mode.

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