Well, it does pull with authority up any hill with my 5600# ish trailer. But man does it suck the gas using either regular or premium. Going from Cary NC to Richmond VA this weekend I only averaged 8.7mpg! My 03 Avalanche and Suburban never really dropped below 10 unless I went up a lot of steep inclines. Maybe I need to try running at 60mph. I was running around 65-67mph most of the drive dropping as the speed limit dropped. That was in 70mph zones. I thought by going with the ecoboost I'd do a little better than a 5.0, but I can't see how it could get worse than mine. Daily driving is a treat though and I average 15-16 with my stop and go driving. I guess you really can't have your cake and ice cream too when it comes to towing. I definitely won't waste the money of running premium fuel again.

pretty much that is what everyone is seeing. My camping buddy has one and that is what he gets also.

Ford recommends running premium fuel while towing. How many miles are on your truck?? You should be doing much better than that with mileage. My trailer is 7500lbs(loaded), I lockout 6th gear set the cruise at 60-62mph and average 10.6mpg.

Don't own one but as with anything towing a TT, speed hurts mpg's. Also this is a fairly subjective topic as mpg numbers vary with the size, weight of TT's as well as driving style, terrain, wind, etc. When we had our last TT and pulled it with a 2010 F150 5.4 3.73's, we got 8.5 average. I complained and other 5.4 owners said they were getting better. Someone in TX pulling a more aerodynamic lighter TT will always do better. So you have to take everyone's mpg's with a grain of salt so to speak. We live in Oregon and have hills and mtns all over. I would get a few more trips in another direction and see if things get better. Also try 60-62 mph.

As you can see in the pic, mine does have a curved front end too. Premium made absolutely no difference, my truck has a little over 2,000 miles. When you say lockout, you mean you make it so it can't shift into 6th? Sounds like I need to slow to 60mph too.

Towing MPG with my 13 F150 EB Maxtow..... | Good Sam Community

EcoBullet
Explorer
Jun 23, 2013
bimbert84 wrote:

I tow mostly in the flats, and usually at around 60-62 mph. My first tow with my EB is coming up in a couple weeks. Your experience of 8.7 mpg at 65-67 mph gives me hope that I'll see a marked improvement over my Ram. Even 8.8 mpg is a 10% improvement!

-- Rob

I'll bet you'll come out pretty close to 10 mpg.
bimbert84
Explorer
Jun 23, 2013
Buck50HD wrote:
towing MPG is something to be concerned about, even though most seem quick to dismiss 1 or 2 mpg difference.
Yeah, a 2 mpg difference on 8 mpg is 25%. A 1000 mile trip at 8 mpg uses 125 gallons. The same trip at 10 mpg uses only 100 gallons. At $4 per gallon, that's $500 vs. $400.

-- Rob
Buck50HD
Explorer
Jun 23, 2013
Stclairm wrote:
I was just spoiled with my 5.3 mpg, but then again, I had nowhere near the torque or horsepower. I think I'll see a difference locking out 6th when it's hilly and dropping to 60. 5mph faster only means I would get there 10-15 minutes sooner if everything else was exactly the same ie stoplights, traffic, stops, etc.

Interesting... I came from an 08 GMC 5.3 and my Eco HD gets at least as good or better in every condition. In addition, when really lightly loaded, the eco will get numbers I never dreamed of with the 5.3, even going down hill with the wind. The F150 is 600 lbs heavier, taller, big towing mirrors and still better mileage. Not to mention the performance gain.

Another interesting note... 1 MPG better while towing is the same cost savings as 4 MPG better with an empty truck covering the same distance. So, towing MPG is something to be concerned about, even though most seem quick to dismiss 1 or 2 mpg difference.
Stclairm
Explorer
Jun 23, 2013
I was just spoiled with my 5.3 mpg, but then again, I had nowhere near the torque or horsepower. I think I'll see a difference locking out 6th when it's hilly and dropping to 60. 5mph faster only means I would get there 10-15 minutes sooner if everything else was exactly the same ie stoplights, traffic, stops, etc.
bimbert84
Explorer
Jun 23, 2013
On a flat highway, aerodynamic drag (and therefore speed) has a much greater impact on mpg than weight does. Weight comes into play much more in the hills.

I tow mostly in the flats, and usually at around 60-62 mph. At that speed, my 2003 Hemi Ram typically gave me around 8.0 mpg (one trip was 6.9 mpg). My first tow with my EB is coming up in a couple weeks. Your experience of 8.7 mpg at 65-67 mph gives me hope that I'll see a marked improvement over my Ram. Even 8.8 mpg is a 10% improvement!

-- Rob
Sport45
Explorer II
Jun 23, 2013
Stclairm wrote:
It was touted as getting great gas mileage while being able to pull more than most all V8's.

Was that the claim? I thought it was supposed to get big-block power when you needed it and small-block economy when you didn't.

I don't think it was ever intended to be a gas sipper while in boost.
Hybridhunter
Explorer
Jun 23, 2013
Stclairm wrote:
Well, it does pull with authority up any hill with my 5600# ish trailer. But man does it suck the gas using either regular or premium. Going from Cary NC to Richmond VA this weekend I only averaged 8.7mpg! My 03 Avalanche and Suburban never really dropped below 10 unless I went up a lot of steep inclines. Maybe I need to try running at 60mph. I was running around 65-67mph most of the drive dropping as the speed limit dropped. That was in 70mph zones.
I thought by going with the ecoboost I'd do a little better than a 5.0, but I can't see how it could get worse than mine. Daily driving is a treat though and I average 15-16 with my stop and go driving. I guess you really can't have your cake and ice cream too when it comes to towing. I definitely won't waste the money of running premium fuel again.

All the towing reports seem to jive. I guess all that quiet, effortless speed has a price. One big reason Eco's are burning more gas is the effortlessness they exude encourages more consistant & higher speeds.
Stclairm
Explorer
Jun 19, 2013
Ecobullet, couldn't agree more!
I only tend to drive a little faster when I leave work at 5 and I'm going 3 plus hours away trying to beat nightfall. I think it's time to stick with closer cg's and slow down now. I can't stand 8.xx mpg. I know it's only 2mpg, but hey, no need in making worse.
milo
Explorer II
Jun 19, 2013
Just remember .."Where ever your headed it'll be there waiting for ya regardless of how fast you go". My lead footin days are way behind me. Our little 2013 puddle splasher is averaging bout 9.2 - 11.4 the 2 trips we've pulled the 8600 lb TT. All depends on which direction we're headed on those little hills out here in So. Colorado (elv rise 5500ft to 7800). This fall we'll find out what kind of mileage it really gets when we make the big trip up to the San Juan Islands. Only have 4500 miles on it so far. In town average bout 17ish & hiway 21ish.
Stclairm
Explorer
Jun 18, 2013
That's what I'll do next trip.

Forum Discussion

Towing MPG with my 13 F150 EB Maxtow.....

About Travel Trailer Group

Related Content

tow dolly vs. Tow bar

Creative Towing

Towing Speeds

Tow Bars

Towing MPG