F150 w EcoBoost 2.7

[Weluv2rv]

Anybody else using one of these to tow?

We are complete newbies, so forgive my lack of knowledge. I bought a 2021 F150 with all the tow packages, including the new tow-assist module (replacing what used to be a decal, I think).

It has the 2.7 EcoBoost with 10-speed auto and if I recall correctly, a 3.55 ratio.

I’m pulling a 6600 lb. trailer with ease, but seeing mileage in the low 7’s.

Before I run out and trade for a 250 Diesel, any suggestions? And if I move to the 250, what can I expect in improvement, if any?

Thanks again for letting a newbie show his ignorance! We’re looking forward to this new chapter in our retirement life!

[Me_Again]

Groover wrote:


The issue isn't the weight. It is the air drag on a 10' high 8' wide trailer. The 2.7 will easily handle the weight. Any engine will struggle with the air drag. He really needs to look at ways to reduce the air drag.

Which means slow down. That is the biggest fuel saver available in any tow vehicle.

[mkirsch]

NO engine "struggles" with anything if it's running right. It just turns RPMs and pulls.

Ecoboost engines produce "eco(nomy)" or "boost," not both at the same time.

Towing a big draggy trailer, it is going to be producing more boost, using more fuel.

To put it simply, there is no free lunch here. It takes fuel to make power.

How much towing do you really do? All day every day, then fine, upgrade to the F250 diesel. Once or twice a month, live with what you have and enjoy the fuel economy the 99.9% of the time you're not towing.

[blt2ski]

A 15,000 lb rig with 70sq ft of frontal area needs about 115hp to go 60 mph. increase that to 90sq ft, you need about 135hp to go 60 mph. SAME HP as a 25000 lb rig with 70 sq ft of frontal area. EA additional 3 sq ft of FA will need the same HP increase as just adding 1000 lbs of wt. These numbers mind you can vary by plus or minus 30% depending upon the aerodynamics of a given rig.
The other not given in the tow ratings, is you can tow over the frontal area sq ft. BUT, what is NOT given, is the wt reduction for going over. or if under 80sqft to say 60, what addional wt can you pull. Reality is, for how good some of you think the new tow rating specs are, there are MANY holes in it, this being one.
Or if you want to pull over a 12% grade, how much do you have to reduce tow ratings by too. That is all you have to be able to pull, granted 5 times in low and reverse and not over heat. But if you are like me, and pull local roads in the 15-20% relm frequently, will the rig do so?
FULL reality is, the tow ratings generally speaking, WILL NOT work for many of us, unless we can truly fall with in ALL perimeters of the spec. Most of us tow outside the perimeters! I know I do quite frequently. Enough to not trust them.

Marty

[wing_zealot]

goducks10 wrote:
You're having work the 2.7 harder than you would a larger V8 or even the 3.5EB.
IMO I'd jump to the 3.5EB before going F250 diesel or 3/4 ton gas. @6600 lbs an F150 is plenty of truck. The 3.5EB won't need to work near as hard so you should gain 2-3 mpg's.
The F250 7.3 will suck more gas when not towing and is a lot more $$$ than an F150 3.5EB. If you plan on going to something bigger then yes the F250 is a better decision.
FWIW anything over 60 mph is going to really cut into anyone's mpg's.

^ ^ This

packpe89 wrote:
I recently went from a '14 F150 with 3.5 EB to a '16 Ram 2500 CTD. Towing mpg went from 7-8 to 11-12 with the same camper (6.6K) and towing was much easier. Love the engine brake! Definitely use tow/haul, makes the entire experience better/safer, especially if you are in the mountains. But 250/2500 costs are an issue, so if towing flat and short, might stay with what you have, but if planning longer trips may want to upgrade.
Good Luck

Wow, you must have a heavy foot. I regularly get 10 mpg towing 7600 lbs @ 65 - 70 mph with my 2019 3.5 ecoboost and 10 spd transmission.

OP - you need to put that truck in tow/haul mode, that's why they have it, for towing! That transmission will be in the right gear all the time, you'll get a lot better tow, and better gas mileage also. That 10 spd transmission is a dream to tow with.

[Groover]

If you go back to the link that I provided on page 1 of this thread you will see that even the diesel is not rated for 80 square feet of frontal area on a bumper pull trailer. You won't feel it as much on the diesel due to the extra power and torque that it has but the engine still isn't rated for it and the drag will still make a huge dent in his fuel economy.

Some of this is based on the presumption that the trailer has a full width rectangular front end with square corners but the op hasn't given us any details other than his fuel economy which seems to be pointing that direction.

For an interesting reference point, my 23,000lb diesel motorhome is 11ft tall and 8.5ft wide. However, it has a rounded front end with very well rounded corners and it will turn 11.5mpg at 65mph without a trailer. Upper 9's with a loaded 3 horse trailer behind it. But the trailer is riding in the slip stream of the motorhome and really isn't very noticeable back there. That is with a Cummins 6.7 detuned to 300hp and 660lb-ft of torque. Not much get up and go but it does give remarkable fuel economy for a rig that size. The weight doesn't seem to have much bearing on the fuel economy, at least on the highway.

[kellem]

Groover wrote:

kellem wrote:
A lot of informative post.
Turbos spending most of the time spooling and sucking fuel.

I'd highly recommend you look at the GVWR of your trailer as that's going to be much closer to it's actual weight vs UVW or dry weight.....unless the 6000# you quoted is confirmed scale weight.

Example:
Our current trailer has an UVW of 6120 and an GVWR of 7740.
Trailer scale weighs at 7620 with just the wife and I.

Bottom line is the 2.7 would certainly be considered a marginal tow vehicle with that weight, doable perhaps.
Trade in value is ridiculously good in present market if you wanted to go that route.
If you have a good local Ford dealership, consider a 7.3L and put marginal to rest which will also allow future upgrades in trailers.

Stay safe.

The issue isn't the weight. It is the air drag on a 10' high 8' wide trailer. The 2.7 will easily handle the weight. Any engine will struggle with the air drag. He really needs to look at ways to reduce the air drag.

I certainly understand air drag but " any engine will struggle with the air drag " ?

Wind drag is inflicted apon every tow vehicle pulling a 10' high trailer but not every engine struggles doing so. Imo

[Groover]

kellem wrote:
A lot of informative post.
Turbos spending most of the time spooling and sucking fuel.

I'd highly recommend you look at the GVWR of your trailer as that's going to be much closer to it's actual weight vs UVW or dry weight.....unless the 6000# you quoted is confirmed scale weight.

Example:
Our current trailer has an UVW of 6120 and an GVWR of 7740.
Trailer scale weighs at 7620 with just the wife and I.

Bottom line is the 2.7 would certainly be considered a marginal tow vehicle with that weight, doable perhaps.
Trade in value is ridiculously good in present market if you wanted to go that route.
If you have a good local Ford dealership, consider a 7.3L and put marginal to rest which will also allow future upgrades in trailers.

Stay safe.

The issue isn't the weight. It is the air drag on a 10' high 8' wide trailer. The 2.7 will easily handle the weight. Any engine will struggle with the air drag. He really needs to look at ways to reduce the air drag.

[APT]

You have a good truck. Use Tow/Haul trans mode, keep that engine spinning over 2200rpm by limiting top gears. The best you can expect is 10mpg. The cost to upgrade trucks will buy a lot of fuel!

[kellem]

A lot of informative post.
Turbos spending most of the time spooling and sucking fuel.

I'd highly recommend you look at the GVWR of your trailer as that's going to be much closer to it's actual weight vs UVW or dry weight.....unless the 6000# you quoted is confirmed scale weight.

Example:
Our current trailer has an UVW of 6120 and an GVWR of 7740.
Trailer scale weighs at 7620 with just the wife and I.

Bottom line is the 2.7 would certainly be considered a marginal tow vehicle with that weight, doable perhaps.
Trade in value is ridiculously good in present market if you wanted to go that route.
If you have a good local Ford dealership, consider a 7.3L and put marginal to rest which will also allow future upgrades in trailers.

Stay safe.

[packpe89]

I recently went from a '14 F150 with 3.5 EB to a '16 Ram 2500 CTD. Towing mpg went from 7-8 to 11-12 with the same camper (6.6K) and towing was much easier. Love the engine brake! Definitely use tow/haul, makes the entire experience better/safer, especially if you are in the mountains. But 250/2500 costs are an issue, so if towing flat and short, might stay with what you have, but if planning longer trips may want to upgrade.
Good Luck

[alexleblanc]

if your truck is getting the job done, who cares about the towing MPG unless you're full timing and doing 30000 miles per year. The cost to upgrade to a F250 diesel will far outweigh some extra fuel.

[1320Fastback]

It is a EcoBoost, one or the other not both at the same time. When in Boost it is dumping fuel into the motor and being only 2.7L it is going to be in Boost the entire time you are towing.

[MitchF150]

With the Eco's and towing, it's a lot about the amount of boost and rpms that will help. Running Premium does help when towing. You have to let the engine run at least a full tank so the computer can adjust for it, so just don't think you can toss a half tank of it and expect to see results. (I learned that myself)

Running on the flats, the turbos like more rpm's then boost. More boost, more gas. If you can monitor your boost psi, you will see that you will run more psi at lower rpms to maintain a given speed then running some 500 or more rpms higher. The engine will also run cooler too.

I'm getting an average of 10 mpg's towing my #7000 TT. I live in the NW and go over the passes to eastern WA all the time. Lots of flat, lots of grades, lots of downhill runs.

The smaller 2.7 puts out good power numbers, but it also needs more fuel to get to those numbers. Just like the 3.5.

I monitor my ODB2 sensors with a simple plug in and phone app. Gives me a ton of info that I didn't know before. Adjusting my driving and monitoring the temps, boost, etc, has made a big difference in towing my heavier TT.

Good luck! mitch

[goducks10]

You're having work the 2.7 harder than you would a larger V8 or even the 3.5EB.
IMO I'd jump to the 3.5EB before going F250 diesel or 3/4 ton gas. @6600 lbs an F150 is plenty of truck. The 3.5EB won't need to work near as hard so you should gain 2-3 mpg's.
The F250 7.3 will suck more gas when not towing and is a lot more $$$ than an F150 3.5EB. If you plan on going to something bigger then yes the F250 is a better decision.
FWIW anything over 60 mph is going to really cut into anyone's mpg's.