5.0 L - Real World Towing Fuel Economy
10-14-2012, 09:03 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
5.0 L - Real World Towing Fuel Economy
Just wondering what people are getting for fuel economy with the 5.0 liter towing. I have just purchased a 32 foot camping trailer with a dry weight of 5200 lbs. I have never pulled a trailer of this size or weight and just wondering how big of a pile of money I will need to bring to pay for fuel!
Thanks
Thanks
10-14-2012, 10:02 PM
#2
One Bad MoFoMoCo Owner
Do yourself a favor, and fill up the tank with ethanol when you tow that trailer. It will up your torque by a great deal, especially in the low end of the rpm band, and you should still get around 10mpgs towing that big trailer, which is better than an EB. That extra torque will help alot with holding sixth gear on hills.
You likely will get a little better mileage using regular, but it's with the extra cost for the grunt ethanol gives you.
Be sure ti put your truck in tow haul mode too.
You likely will get a little better mileage using regular, but it's with the extra cost for the grunt ethanol gives you.
Be sure ti put your truck in tow haul mode too.
10-15-2012, 04:29 PM
#4
I have a 5.0 screw with 3.55 gears. I tow right at 5200 pounds when I have my jetski in the box of the truck and the boat, trailer, and gear on the hitch. I get 13.5 to 15.5 MPG. With a 32 travel trailer I would agree with the perosns above. Your looking at 9 or 10.
10-15-2012, 05:46 PM
#5
Senior Member
I've got a 5.0 w/3.73's and a 29' (tongue to bumper) camper and we averaged 10.6mpg towing it this summer (and that was with a full freshwater tank, something that will not happen next year since we dont need it). No tune, no problems.
I think at highway speed (I kept it between 60 and 65 mph), the frontal area affects mpg more than the weight does.
I think at highway speed (I kept it between 60 and 65 mph), the frontal area affects mpg more than the weight does.
10-15-2012, 06:18 PM
#6
Senior Member
Do yourself a favor, and fill up the tank with ethanol when you tow that trailer. It will up your torque by a great deal, especially in the low end of the rpm band, and you should still get around 10mpgs towing that big trailer, which is better than an EB. That extra torque will help alot with holding sixth gear on hills.
You likely will get a little better mileage using regular, but it's with the extra cost for the grunt ethanol gives you.
Be sure ti put your truck in tow haul mode too.
You likely will get a little better mileage using regular, but it's with the extra cost for the grunt ethanol gives you.
Be sure ti put your truck in tow haul mode too.
LOL
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Kenferg1 (05-26-2013)
10-15-2012, 07:30 PM
#7
One Bad MoFoMoCo Owner
It's better than alot of people have posted their EB getting towing heavy loads. People post 8 mpgs in some cases on here towing heavy loads for long distances.
Hell there is even a detailed report from a guy who owns both and has driven both on a long trip with heavy loads, and the 5.0L had better mileage than the EB.
Granted, the EB has more low end tourque, but it has to use alot of fuel to deliver it. It has to get the extra energy somewhere. That's a simple matter of physics.
So laugh all you want. It's true though.
Hell there is even a detailed report from a guy who owns both and has driven both on a long trip with heavy loads, and the 5.0L had better mileage than the EB.
Granted, the EB has more low end tourque, but it has to use alot of fuel to deliver it. It has to get the extra energy somewhere. That's a simple matter of physics.
So laugh all you want. It's true though.
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10-15-2012, 08:03 PM
#8
Senior Member
It's better than alot of people have posted their EB getting towing heavy loads. People post 8 mpgs in some cases on here towing heavy loads for long distances.
Hell there is even a detailed report from a guy who owns both and has driven both on a long trip with heavy loads, and the 5.0L had better mileage than the EB.
Granted, the EB has more low end tourque, but it has to use alot of fuel to deliver it. It has to get the extra energy somewhere. That's a simple matter of physics.
So laugh all you want. It's true though.
Hell there is even a detailed report from a guy who owns both and has driven both on a long trip with heavy loads, and the 5.0L had better mileage than the EB.
Granted, the EB has more low end tourque, but it has to use alot of fuel to deliver it. It has to get the extra energy somewhere. That's a simple matter of physics.
So laugh all you want. It's true though.
and some instances I towed a 22 foot enclosed trailer 400 miles total weight was 9875 lbs got 13.8 on the way there and 12.9 on the way back. 70 mph some of the way and 65 the rest. hills and all So to just say the 5.0 gets better mpg towing then the EB is WAY to general.
. So don't make general statements and I wont laugh 
Its clearly how you drive it
Also if he were to use E85 towing his fuel mileage would go to complete crap. E85 makes more Tq and hp BUT it requires 29% more fuel to burn to make the same HP vs just gas. So his MPG should drop by 15%.... and that is 100% a fact. So on E85 he would get WAY worse MPG
http://environment.about.com/od/etha...ol_perform.htm
Question: How Does Ethanol Performance Compare to Gasoline?
Ethanol is widely available and reasonably inexpensive, but what kind of performance can drivers expect from a car running on ethanol or an ethanol/gasoline blend?
Answer: One gallon of pure ethanol contains about 66 percent as much energy as a gallon of gasoline. A gallon of E85, a common blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, contains about 71 percent as much energy as a gallon of unblended gasoline.
Drivers who use E85 can expect about 15 percent less fuel economy than they would get with gasoline. Other performance factors such as power, acceleration, and cruising speed are essentially equivalent in vehicles burning E85 and conventional fuels.
Ethanol is widely available and reasonably inexpensive, but what kind of performance can drivers expect from a car running on ethanol or an ethanol/gasoline blend?
Answer: One gallon of pure ethanol contains about 66 percent as much energy as a gallon of gasoline. A gallon of E85, a common blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, contains about 71 percent as much energy as a gallon of unblended gasoline.
Drivers who use E85 can expect about 15 percent less fuel economy than they would get with gasoline. Other performance factors such as power, acceleration, and cruising speed are essentially equivalent in vehicles burning E85 and conventional fuels.
Not trying to start an E battle just want to clear up my point
Last edited by geno51; 10-15-2012 at 08:18 PM.
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10-15-2012, 08:43 PM
#9
One Bad MoFoMoCo Owner
Its only true to some and some instances I towed a 22 foot enclosed trailer 400 miles total weight was 9875 lbs got 13.8 on the way there and 12.9 on the way back. 70 mph some of the way and 65 the rest. hills and all
So to just say the 5.0 gets better mpg towing then the EB is WAY to general. . So don't make general statements and I wont laugh
Its clearly how you drive it
Also if he were to use E85 towing his fuel mileage would go to complete crap. E85 makes more Tq and hp BUT it requires 29% more fuel to burn to make the same HP vs just gas. So his MPG should drop by 15%.... and that is 100% a fact. So on E85 he would get WAY worse MPG
http://environment.about.com/od/etha...ol_perform.htm
The reason that racers and guys making big power are using it is cause its anti detonation properties under boost or high timing advance. They still have to increase their fuel systems by a large margin to make up for using E85
Not trying to start an E battle just want to clear up my point
and some instances I towed a 22 foot enclosed trailer 400 miles total weight was 9875 lbs got 13.8 on the way there and 12.9 on the way back. 70 mph some of the way and 65 the rest. hills and all So to just say the 5.0 gets better mpg towing then the EB is WAY to general.
. So don't make general statements and I wont laugh Its clearly how you drive it
Also if he were to use E85 towing his fuel mileage would go to complete crap. E85 makes more Tq and hp BUT it requires 29% more fuel to burn to make the same HP vs just gas. So his MPG should drop by 15%.... and that is 100% a fact. So on E85 he would get WAY worse MPG
http://environment.about.com/od/etha...ol_perform.htm
The reason that racers and guys making big power are using it is cause its anti detonation properties under boost or high timing advance. They still have to increase their fuel systems by a large margin to make up for using E85
Not trying to start an E battle just want to clear up my point
So let's break it down.
Regular highway mileage for my SCrew is about 19mpgs. Many others report the same.
Highway mileage running ethanol is around 15% lower, according to you, and others (although it's worse for me, but I drive it like I stole with the extra power it produces), so around 16 mpgs.
Towing requires more power from your truck, but the ethanol is already making more power, so lets say it gets another 3mpg drop.
That's 13mpgs.
That's better than most posted mpg while towing reports I have seen on here for the EBs. That is towing heavy loads, not in general, as was previously stated. I didn't stated always, only when towing really heavy loads.
So while you say I am too general etc, I say you are too specific. Your individual results don't trump the multiple posts and reports in this forum.
Last edited by sullyman; 10-15-2012 at 08:45 PM.
