timothyroland

First tow with my new truck went good. I have a 2015 with the 5.0, it's a crew cab lariat fx4. My camper is a 33ft coachman catalina. The dry weight is around 6700lbs and I figure I had probably another 750lbs of gear in the camper and 500lbs in the truck. My gas milage wasn't great, about 8.5 mpg. About what I expected. I set my hitch up so the truck was level according to the on board level in the truck. My only thoughts was it stayed in 4th gear the majority of the trip. Does that seem right. It was about a 400 mile trip that started out on flatter roads in Florida and ended on some hills in middle GA.

Velosprout

Congratulations on a first trip.


It looks like you are good on towing capacity (rated at 9100 pounds) but with payload, I suspect you may be at or over your max. The trailer hitch weight is probably 745 to 812 pounds, WDH is probably 50 to 75 pounds, and cargo at 500 totals 1295 to 1387 pounds before passengers and any aftermarket accessories. If you have the 5.5 ft bed, the max available payload was 2080 minus accessories, and the FX4 package may bring your door-sticker rated payload capacity down to under 1500 pounds. Next time you are packed for a trip, a stop at the scales might be advisable.


With the near or over-max payload and wind resistance of the camper, the mileage sounds about right, especially if you were maintaining full highway speeds.

MisterL

Hey guys I don't mean to jack the thread here but being a new member this is the first topic I wanted to chat about. I just purchased a 2015 F150 Lariat supercrew last Thursday. I have a 31' travel trailor with a dry weight of approx 6500lbs and have only pulled it with a 08' expedition with a 5.4. It is rated at 9100lbs according to ford. This is the first camper I have ever owned and first time really towing anything. To me it seems like it's a moderate strain but everyone says I'm just not use to driving with a load and it's normal. My expedition never seems to get out of 4th gear and gets about 8 mpg. Now, according to fords website my 15' f150 towing capacity is rated at 10,200lbs and a GCWR of 15,200lbs. My question is should this f150 tow my camper with more ease than my expedition? To me it seems like a no brainer on paper but until I get my OEM trailer brake control I won't know. One of the big purchase points was the towing ability but I'm a little leary now that it's still going to but a heavy load on the new truck. Any thoughts or opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Livernois Motorsports

Guys,

We have some excellent tow performance tunes that will help greatly improve the overall towing experience. Having the extra power our custom tunes offer will make the truck perform much better under a load to improve fuel efficiency and make it fell less strenuous on the truck. We make very noticeable improvements to the transmission shift schedule and also improve the throttle response greatly to help out as well.

You still want to stay within the factory limits for payload / weight of course, it will not make the truck able to tow more. It definitely helps the truck respond much better to throttle input and in turn feels like a lighter load due to the extra power and improved shift points.

Here is a great video that demonstrates how well our old truck ran with a trailer when tuned.

brulaz

Not sure if the 5L V8 is a better tow motor than the old 5.4, but the 2015 tranny should be. People just lock out 6th gear, put it in tow/haul and go. The 5L likes to rev to get HP; that's normal, no problem. The 2015 will have much better sound deadening insulation so it won't be so bothersome as in your 2008. Lot of people here towing that weight without problems.

acadianbob

Yep, it needs the RPM to pull that load. So, essentially, you are towing with a 4 speed automatic.

tuckr2

Pulling a travel trailer very similar in size and weight as you have described. my 2011 S/crew 4x4 with 5.0L and 3.55 gears. I think you will be pleasantly surprised pulling with the truck. Living in the Northwest we see lots of hills - and a few passes in the 3000 foot range. Worst tank I saw was about 11 mpg. Last couple runs are seeing 11.5-12.0 mpg at highway speeds around 65 mph. dont typically want to go much faster. I do have a weight distribution hitch, and just went ahead and replaced rear shocks with Monroe Load Adjusting Shocks. Much more stable ride and they don't appear to significantly affect unloaded ride. I do run with the truck in Tow/Haul mode. this helps with both shifting up as well as slowing down the rig without use of the brakes. Truck will typically run in 5th gear (no hills). Only saw it hit 6th gear on nice flat roads.

5.0GN tow

I tow nearly 8k almost every weekend with my 5.0 and it does very very well. I won't switch to another motor anytime soon. I sincerely hope they bring out the rumored 5.0 eco for superduty use and 150 too. I might go that route for the next truck if we get a bigger trailer, if not it will be the 6.2 with 4.30 gears. Just can't justify the diesel.

Jason_Larsen

I towed a 5900# dry plus a full water tank trailer with my 2.7 with 3.73 through southern and central oregon. Occasionally is went into 6th gear but mostly hung out in 5th with a drop to 4th on steeper hills.

BRUTE448

what where ur MPG's on the trip..im in pdx and ride bend every summer