atwowheelguy

I'm considering a 10 speed F150. My '13 3.5 Ecoboost 3.55 axle 2WD Supercrew short bed is darn near perfect for my one and only cage transportation and tow vehicle. It performs very well. I have weighed it twice while towing. Once the toy hauler was 6700 lbs. with 780 tongue weight with GCW of 12,920 and once it was 7100 lbs. with 800 tongue weight and GCW of 13,260. On the first one the rear truck axle was 50 lbs. under the GAWR and on the second time it was 70 lbs. over the GAWR. In both cases there was some cargo in the truck that could have gone in the camper. My only reason for trading would be to get a little more payload. The '13 has 1607 lbs. payload and is rated for 15,300 GCWR.

For the configuration I want, the only two axles available for the '17 are 3.15 and 3.55. It looks like with the 10 speed transmission, the 3.15 axle 1st gear is about the same as the 3.55 axle ratio with the 6 speed (equivalent to a 3.54 actually). With the 10 speed, the 3.55 1st gear is the same as the 6 speed would be with a 3.99 axle ratio. The 3.15 has a GCWR of 15,800 and the 3.55 has a GCWR of 17,000 (max tow). It looks like I would get about the same towing capability with a 3.15 in the 10 speed as I have now with a 3.55 in the 6 speed. Actually the 3.15 ten speed is rated for 500 lbs. more GCVW. What I have now is fine with my rig weight at about 87% of GCWR. I'm thinking maybe I could go with the 3.15. What do you think?

5.0GN tow

I really dont see a reason not to 3.55s. The extra grunt at the early stages of acceleration will be benificial, and the fuel economy gain with a 3.15 will be minimal overall. If you go up to a bigger trailer at some point you might need the 3.55.

PerryB

I'd want the 3.55's. With a .68 top gear it'll still be turning rather low rpm at freeway speeds. This 10 speed thing still escapes me. I think we ran out of need with the 6 speed.

bubbabud

I agree about no need for 10 speeds especially when you combine it with broad torque curve of the ecoboost engine. It seems to me that you could be rowing around through 4 or 5 close ratio gears at any given speed and still be near peak torque of the engine. I think it is a lot of complexity for very little or no benefit.

smokeywren

I suspect it doesn't much matter as far as performance is concerned. My old 6-speed with 3.15 axle ratio will pull a 20k trailer with no problems across the Hill Country of central Texas. Well, no problems if you don't think 6 MPG is a problem. The only advantage I can see with a 3.55 or 3.73 ratio might be a bit better MPG when loaded heavy. If the engineers did a good job in calibrating (computer programming) the PCM (drivetrain computer), then the 3.5L EcoBoost will get the job done regardless of gear ratio, tranny ratio, or final drive ratio.

mike243

355 here also.better pulling with heavier loads without baving to squeeze on it as hard.also from a dead stop means alot on take off when loaded heavy. Both of my f150 have 355.my 68 had 383 or there about 8 mpg with a 302 on a good day.

untraceable

I sure wish I had a 4.5 gear while towing with my '16 5.0. I think the 10 speed could be awesome. though the thing that would get me is its bad enough when you step on it and the truck has to shift from 6th to 3rd. now it could be 10th to 5th

acadianbob

What gear is the truck in when you are pulling this load? 3rd? Maybe 4th? If so, you effectively have a 3 or 4 speed transmission.

smokeywren

Usually 5th gear on the flats. 6th going down the hills and 4th going up the hills. I don't remember it ever downshifting to 3rd.


I didn't mean to imply that I often tow that heavy - that was a one-time trip of 350 miles one way. That was a tandem axle dually gooseneck equipment trailer loaded with my John Deere 310A backhoe I was delivering to a place near Blanco. GCW was 27,500 pounds per the CAT scale. I was amazed at the performance of that 3.5L EcoBoost engine on that trip.


I've towed an 8,000-pound 5er twice on that same route, with GCW of less than 15,000 pounds, also with no problems other than about 9 MPG on premium gasoline. But my normal trailer is a 5,000-pound TT or a 6,000-pound cargo trailer at about 9 to 10 MPG cruising at 65 MPH.


I'm a firm believer in letting the PCM (drivetrain computer) determine which gear to select, so I put it drive, turn on tow/haul mode and cruise at 62-to-65 MPH, regardless of the load.

atwowheelguy

I have a 3.55 now with the 6 speed. It handles the trailer well. The 3.15 with the 10 speed has the same 1st gear ratio as the 3.55 with the 6 speed. With the 3.15 10 speed, I would not be giving up any acceleration from what I have now. The argument with the '13 was that the 3.73 was better than the 3.55. The 3.55 has been fine with the 3.5EB. My camper towing miles are about 10% of my annual miles.

I can't now, and don't want to, go to a bigger trailer. It's at the rear GAWR limit now of the '13. Any additional payload capacity of a new truck will just be more cushion.