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Hello, I am planning a long trip, towing my little travel trailer halfway across the country. I have been pretty happy and successful towing it with my F150 so far, but I wanted to try a few things to make my towing better.
First off, I replaced my worn out goodyears with some BFG KO2 LT275/65R18. From my reading and research on here having an LT rated tire instead of a P rated tire should make a difference in stability when towing. I'm pretty happy with how they look and ride, and I have no doubt I will get better traction if I ever have to go off-road.
I also bought a set of Timbrens from eTrailer.com. Got those installed today. Took me maybe 20 minutes to install it. Very easy. They look good, but I haven't had a chance to test them yet. These are supposed to stabilize the rear in a way that is similar to adding airbags, but they don't hold air. Basically they are a big, extended bumpstop.
Last edited by Trailbreak74; 02-23-2017 at 08:19 PM.
Please keep us updated on the X-country tow experience.
Size/weight of trailer?
Do you carry full tank of water?
Marking this page, please keep us updated, this is of much interest to me.
How it tows in winds and hilly country.
Hi, my truck came with 18" LT tires. Cold setting from Ford is 40 lbs. front and rear. I set mine at 40 lbs. front and 45 lbs. rear, but I still felt a push on turns. I then set my rear tires to the cold max of 50 lbs. and it drives great. My trailers GVWR is 6,300 lbs.
Hi, my truck came with 18" LT tires. Cold setting from Ford is 40 lbs. front and rear. I set mine at 40 lbs. front and 45 lbs. rear, but I still felt a push on turns. I then set my rear tires to the cold max of 50 lbs. and it drives great. My trailers GVWR is 6,300 lbs.
I might want to try the Timbrens.
Good call on experimenting with the tire pressure. Mine are at 35 right now.
i got my BGF 275-70-187 at costco htey set them as well as TPMS at 50 PSI. from what ive read 50 should be good for towing - all the way up to 80 PSI if u really need the load cap. but 45 psi ( which i havent done) for just drving around town. i suggest 50+ psi for your trek though. Sub'd as i want to watch the travel unfold as well!
If you are ever looking to increase the drivability while towing, we offer towing tunes that enhance the vehicles performance under stress/load situations. The tunes remap the transmission to allow for more low end torque while pulling.
If you are ever looking to increase the drivability while towing, we offer towing tunes that enhance the vehicles performance under stress/load situations. The tunes remap the transmission to allow for more low end torque while pulling.
I'm an idiot when it comes to "tunes".
Please advise why this would be better than just using the manual mode for higher RPM shifts.
02-23-2017, 07:23 PM
Upgrading my towing experience 2014 5.0 4x4
Hi, my truck came with 18" LT tires. Cold setting from Ford is 40 lbs. front and rear. I set mine at 40 lbs. front and 45 lbs. rear, but I still felt a push on turns. I then set my rear tires to the cold max of 50 lbs. and it drives great. My trailers GVWR is 6,300 lbs.
