2015/2016 towing question
02-24-2016, 12:37 PM
#1
2015/2016 towing question
For those of you that have had a 2009-2014 f150 and upgraded to a 2015/2016 can you tell me what your towing experience has been? I have been hearing that because the truck is lighter that the towing is more difficult and it feels like you have less control of what you are towing.
I currently have an EB 6.5 max tow and I tow my camper and with everything we load to the truck we are maxing out the payload.
I want to hear from those who have towed with both generations.
Thanks.
I currently have an EB 6.5 max tow and I tow my camper and with everything we load to the truck we are maxing out the payload.
I want to hear from those who have towed with both generations.
Thanks.
02-24-2016, 12:58 PM
#2
Senior Member
Numerous posts already from those people.
"Tows just as good".
"Gets thrown around a bit more, doesn't feel as sure as my older heavier one".
You're not going to get a significant payload increase in buying new.
You may want to read about the heavy duty payload package that few have which is just starting to appear.
"Tows just as good".
"Gets thrown around a bit more, doesn't feel as sure as my older heavier one".
You're not going to get a significant payload increase in buying new.
You may want to read about the heavy duty payload package that few have which is just starting to appear.
02-24-2016, 02:15 PM
#3
For those of you that have had a 2009-2014 f150 and upgraded to a 2015/2016 can you tell me what your towing experience has been? I have been hearing that because the truck is lighter that the towing is more difficult and it feels like you have less control of what you are towing.
I currently have an EB 6.5 max tow and I tow my camper and with everything we load to the truck we are maxing out the payload.
I want to hear from those who have towed with both generations.
Thanks.
I currently have an EB 6.5 max tow and I tow my camper and with everything we load to the truck we are maxing out the payload.
I want to hear from those who have towed with both generations.
Thanks.
02-27-2016, 06:33 AM
#4
We did just the upgrade you are asking about last September, a '13 XLT crew 2wd 143" wheelbase 5.0/3.55 to a '15 XLT crew 4wd 157" wb 3.5 EB/3.55 MaxTow. This is a lengthy post I wrote in the AirForums where I hang out talking about Airstreams. Hope it helps..........
We tow our Airstream Flying Cloud 27 fb twin, a 21' bay boat (maybe 3800 lbs) and a 7x16 enclosed cargo trailer (2100 lbs empty, maybe 4600 loaded with an antique tractor) and I can truly say that the new truck tows them all very well. The Airstream weighs normally about 6200 lbs, with a GVWR of 7300, and a tongue weight around 950 lbs. It is equipped with a ProPride hitch.
I was talking about this with a friend and he asked "why does it tow better than the '13 you had?" Well.........I think it's a combination of things. Drivetrain, wheelbase, frame strength, tires, and maybe a couple more. This is gonna get wordy, but here goes.
The 3.5L Ecoboost is truly awesome. I liked the '13 5.0, but it always felt strained towing the AS. I could never leave it in 6th gear, even with Tow/Haul on, it just downshifted all the time. The EB allows me to tow in 6th a lot of the time, and it hardly ever downshifts on our Florida grades . I know that's funny, but we really do have some decent 6%ish short pulls around the middle of the state, especially on the turnpike that will test a rig. The EB drivetrain makes big torque at such lower RPMs than the 5.0L did, that it just pulls. Pretty loaded rig as I said in first post, and I usually drop to 5th gear manually ahead of those grades but it just pulls. It never goes into 4th and I get a big smile on my face! Oh, and accelerating up to speed from a stop is more like running empty than the 5.0 ever was.
The frame on the '15 F150 is much stiffer. The bed hardly moves going across creek beds or into parking lots (yes, I use my truck in the woods), and that means it is a more rigid chassis. When I load the ProPride jacks to balance the rig, I'm convinced the hitch and chassis on the '13 flexed a bit. The '15 doesn't, and the hitch is stronger too as a bonus with the MaxTow package (seems like it is bolted to the bumper?), so it really doesn't flex. My truck history includes a 2003 GMC 2500HD DMax with the infamous twisting tube hitch that I replaced, so I know about torque twist when loading W/D onto a truck.
Tires and wheelbase length also come into play for more rigid towing, and I feel that both the tires and the longer 157" wheelbase on our particular '15 make it more rigid while towing the AS. We are blessed to have scored a deal on a used ProPride hitch, and while it seriously improved the towing with the '13, it literally feels like the AS is welded to the frame of the '15. You especially feel the rigid combo when a box truck passes on the Interstate and there is no "hang on to the wheel the bow wave cometh" any longer. As to the tires, on the '15 they are "XL-rated" Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude 275/65R/18 that carry 2756 lbs @51 max PSI. I run them @ 46 PSI and they ride well loaded or not, and are much stiffer than the really soft Michelin's on the '13 2wd. Those tires only held 44 PSI max and it seems like carried under 2000 lbs max. I would have soon replaced those with at least D rated LTs had we kept the '13.
So there you go, our experience with the '15 and we tow quite a bit. Best towing rig I've ever had for our needs.
We tow our Airstream Flying Cloud 27 fb twin, a 21' bay boat (maybe 3800 lbs) and a 7x16 enclosed cargo trailer (2100 lbs empty, maybe 4600 loaded with an antique tractor) and I can truly say that the new truck tows them all very well. The Airstream weighs normally about 6200 lbs, with a GVWR of 7300, and a tongue weight around 950 lbs. It is equipped with a ProPride hitch.
I was talking about this with a friend and he asked "why does it tow better than the '13 you had?" Well.........I think it's a combination of things. Drivetrain, wheelbase, frame strength, tires, and maybe a couple more. This is gonna get wordy, but here goes.
The 3.5L Ecoboost is truly awesome. I liked the '13 5.0, but it always felt strained towing the AS. I could never leave it in 6th gear, even with Tow/Haul on, it just downshifted all the time. The EB allows me to tow in 6th a lot of the time, and it hardly ever downshifts on our Florida grades . I know that's funny, but we really do have some decent 6%ish short pulls around the middle of the state, especially on the turnpike that will test a rig. The EB drivetrain makes big torque at such lower RPMs than the 5.0L did, that it just pulls. Pretty loaded rig as I said in first post, and I usually drop to 5th gear manually ahead of those grades but it just pulls. It never goes into 4th and I get a big smile on my face! Oh, and accelerating up to speed from a stop is more like running empty than the 5.0 ever was.
The frame on the '15 F150 is much stiffer. The bed hardly moves going across creek beds or into parking lots (yes, I use my truck in the woods), and that means it is a more rigid chassis. When I load the ProPride jacks to balance the rig, I'm convinced the hitch and chassis on the '13 flexed a bit. The '15 doesn't, and the hitch is stronger too as a bonus with the MaxTow package (seems like it is bolted to the bumper?), so it really doesn't flex. My truck history includes a 2003 GMC 2500HD DMax with the infamous twisting tube hitch that I replaced, so I know about torque twist when loading W/D onto a truck.
Tires and wheelbase length also come into play for more rigid towing, and I feel that both the tires and the longer 157" wheelbase on our particular '15 make it more rigid while towing the AS. We are blessed to have scored a deal on a used ProPride hitch, and while it seriously improved the towing with the '13, it literally feels like the AS is welded to the frame of the '15. You especially feel the rigid combo when a box truck passes on the Interstate and there is no "hang on to the wheel the bow wave cometh" any longer. As to the tires, on the '15 they are "XL-rated" Goodyear Wrangler Fortitude 275/65R/18 that carry 2756 lbs @51 max PSI. I run them @ 46 PSI and they ride well loaded or not, and are much stiffer than the really soft Michelin's on the '13 2wd. Those tires only held 44 PSI max and it seems like carried under 2000 lbs max. I would have soon replaced those with at least D rated LTs had we kept the '13.
So there you go, our experience with the '15 and we tow quite a bit. Best towing rig I've ever had for our needs.
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ColbyL (03-05-2016)
02-27-2016, 08:44 AM
#5
Senior Member
Well let me sum up what in all the threads on here. Most people feel the new truck doesn't tow as well as previous model and is not as stable. A few think it tows better.
Unloaded the lighter truck is also more bouncy/jittery.
Again, just a summary of many posts.
If you tow a lot, and current f150 fits your needs, probably best to keep what you have.
Unloaded the lighter truck is also more bouncy/jittery.
Again, just a summary of many posts.
If you tow a lot, and current f150 fits your needs, probably best to keep what you have.
02-27-2016, 03:01 PM
#6
While I have not towed heavy with a 15/16, I have and do a lot with my 13. For Pete above, thanks for the info as I am looking for a new truck in 17. I would say you(Pete)are kind of comparing apples and oranges though. You are running a max tow 4x4 against a standard tow 4x2. The 4x2 suspensions are softer and the 5.0 you had was not even geared optimally for the load, where you have the deepest gears available on the newer truck. It is good to hear satisfied guys with the new trucks as the majority of experiences seem to point out the lack of stability in the new style.
I have an STX 4x4 SCAB with 5.0 and 3.55s and tow a large 3horse GN and never really see any chassis flex, I did just upgrade tires and I do like the new ones much better than stock, but really the stock wrangler sr-a was not terrible.
I have an STX 4x4 SCAB with 5.0 and 3.55s and tow a large 3horse GN and never really see any chassis flex, I did just upgrade tires and I do like the new ones much better than stock, but really the stock wrangler sr-a was not terrible.
02-27-2016, 06:53 PM
#7
While I have not towed heavy with a 15/16, I have and do a lot with my 13. For Pete above, thanks for the info as I am looking for a new truck in 17. I would say you(Pete)are kind of comparing apples and oranges though. You are running a max tow 4x4 against a standard tow 4x2. The 4x2 suspensions are softer and the 5.0 you had was not even geared optimally for the load, where you have the deepest gears available on the newer truck. It is good to hear satisfied guys with the new trucks as the majority of experiences seem to point out the lack of stability in the new style.
I have an STX 4x4 SCAB with 5.0 and 3.55s and tow a large 3horse GN and never really see any chassis flex, I did just upgrade tires and I do like the new ones much better than stock, but really the stock wrangler sr-a was not terrible.
I have an STX 4x4 SCAB with 5.0 and 3.55s and tow a large 3horse GN and never really see any chassis flex, I did just upgrade tires and I do like the new ones much better than stock, but really the stock wrangler sr-a was not terrible.
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02-27-2016, 07:12 PM
#8
Senior Member
I don't really tow heavy either, its a 22ft pontoon boat with single axle trailer. Full of gas and gear its about 4200 pounds and 2-300 pounds tongue weight. My '15 and previous '13 F150 both towed it exactly the same which is excellent. Both trucks are identical 145" crew 4X4's with 3.5 ecoboost and 3:55 gears. Both are/were King Ranch's but the '15 has many more new features not available two years ago. GVWR on both was 7050 lbs and payload on new one is 1470 and old one was 1130. Pontoons aren't all that heavy but tall and wide (8.5 ft deck) so they catch a lot of air. The 2015 does seem to haul it up to speed and handle head winds much easier. I get no feeling of sway or mushiness in the rear of the new truck and didn't in the '13 either. Just thought I'd post my experience for the boat pullers out there. I'm very happy with the new truck. 