Poor Towing Performance with 3.7 V6
 

I've had my 2011 XTR 2wd with 3.7 and Max Trailer package for four months now.I haven't been terribly impressed with the power(or lack thereof) when driving the truck on it's own.However I'm really unimpressed with it's power when towing a Flagstaff Superlite 26ft (only 4700lbs plus about 500 lbs at most of added cargo.) Truck has limited slip which gives it a tow rating of 6700 lbs. I also had some swaying issues but have cleared MOST of that up by purchasing an adjustable Ball mount and torsion bars.My original ball was on a non adjustable mount and didn't come any higher than the bottom of the bumper.According to the hitch instructions I still should be 3" higher than I am now to get me above the trailer coupler when on level ground. Anyway everything appears to be level when connected.
My previous Truck was a 2001 Nissan Frontier Crew 2wd with a 3.3 and 5000 lb towing cap.It handled the trailer MUCH MUCH better.You knew it was behind you but alot less shifting and I could use my existing unadjustable hitch with torsion bars.
My first trip with the Ford the trailer was swaying quite a bit and would hardly stay out of 4th albeit it was a bit windy.I've hauled four other trailers before with four other Trucks and this is the first time I've encountered any problems.
Is there a reliable way to boost the power on this engine or and other suggestions? I've got it checked out at the dealer but everything checks out.

I think your problem is two fold.

#1) Sure, you have a 6700# towing capacity... its still a V6 and its a heavy pig of a truck. Do you know what gears you have?

#2) Your previous truck made 240bhp and this V6 makes about 40hp more? It also weighs a solid 1000lbs more I'd bet. Not to mention, it probably was geared much lower.

The 3.7L V6 is not the most desirable engine choice if you tow more than a small boat or maybe a couple jet skis. Sorry to inform, but it seems you may have made the wrong engine choice. That said, I'd still rock one. LOL.

First off you shouldn't even attempt to haul a 26' trailer with a Frontier. That is just pure stupidity. For increasing your power of your truck you might want to try the basics (performance filter, programmer, etc) :thumbsup:

The old frontier's never topped 210HP with the supercharger, the base 3.3 put out 175HP.

Oh... duh. For some reason I competely disregarded the rest of the info on the truck and immediately assumed it was the 4.0L. I can be a herp derp sometimes.

Before I even buy an ecoboost I want to hook up my horse trailer to try it first to see how it pulls and handles.

If you tested it ahead of time you would not of had this surprise.

His engine is not the EB. Its the N/A V6.

This is nothing that can't be easily overcome, but more info is needed from his truck (ie: gear ratio). Gears can/will make a HUGE difference.

Yeah my buddy got a 3.3 that's why I know a lot about it. Kinda hard to believe his pulled it fine if it was a n/a since it is a work out pulling 3 dirt bikes on a 750lb open trailer. WELCOME to the forum though! We can all agree on that :)

I know, what I am saying is even with the ecoboost's tow rating, I will test it first. One dealer gave me the go ahead to do this before I buy the truck.

Why someone would buy a regular v6 to tow this big of a trailer is beyond me.

It doesn't have a 6,700 pound towing rating - that's the GVWR for the truck (I found this on www.ford.ca build and price for an XTR). The actual towing capacity is 5,800 pounds, also found on the Ford Canada site. All the Max Tow package does for you is make it so you get the SelectShift transmission.

Ford calculates all trailer ratings for all F-series trucks using a trailer with a 60 square foot frontal area, which would be similar to a normal van trailer like a painter might use. The Forest River Flagstaff Super Lite 26 feet trailers all have a frontal area over 78 square feet - this doesn't mean that you can't pull it with an F-series truck, it just means that the weight ratings aren't telling you the whole story.

The 26 foot Super Lite trailer "dry" weight is between 4700 pounds for the lightest model and 5300 pounds for the heaviest - combine that with the 78 2/3 square feet frontal area, and you're easily at the trucks maximum weight rating of 5,800 pounds, if not a bit over it.

despite all the claims from guys on the forums of "i couldnt even feel the trailer behind me" , 5000+lbs is a good load behind a v8, let alone a small v6.
theres really no way around it, youre pulling a lot of weight, with a small v6.
your only option now is to change the gearing, or sell it and get the ecoboost, the 5 liter, or even a 5.4 thats a couple years old.
a 5000lb 26 ft trailer is just too much from the sounds of it

also my buddy had a frontier, n/a one, and it was a total pig. he would tow a tiny 4x8 wooden trailer that couldnt have weighed more than 500lbs, and his 400lb 4wheeler, and the truck would struggle going up any hills, downshifting 2 times to hold 60 mph, it was pathetic, my old 98 4.2 f150 put it to shame big time