bstar1952

Hi all - Recently downsized from a 2015 Chevy 2500LT 6.0 gasser to 2017 F150 Supercrew XLT with the 3.5 ecoboost. We tow a 7500 lb 32' travel trailer 2 or 3 times a year about 200 miles to the coast, flat land towing. We do take a long trip once a year from the San Antonio, Texas area to Utah and other places out west, lots of mountains and steep grades. The Chevy was a great truck and towed the TT flawlessly, I averaged 9 mpg while towing. I downsized because with towing only about 5% of the year, I could no longer justify the everyday 13mpg the Chevy got. Several friends own the F-150 ecoboost and all say they have no problems towing basically the same TT as mine and they get 20+ mpg when not towing. So after a lot of research, we decided to get one. Of course as soon as I purchased, I started finding threads on how bad the aluminum body F-150s handle when towing so I was a little worried. Anyway, adjusted my Equalizer WDH, hooked up the TT and took a 100 mile drive through the Texas Hill Country and I-10 from Bourne to Kerrville. Truck towed great, not kidding I was very pleased. The good:

• One of my big worries was getting blown around by the semi's on the Interstate. Yes, I could feel the "push/suck" when being passed but it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated and I never felt unsafe.
• Going up steep grades was easy, in fact I had to slow down. With my Chevy 6.0 gasser, you put the petal to the metal and up she'd go. With the ecoboost you have to actually watch your speed.
• I had no sway issues at all. Didn't feel "pushed" around by the wind either.

Only one bad - 8.0 mpg towing. Expected at least 9. May get better when engine gets a little more broken in. I have the max-tow package and the only things I have done to make the truck tow better is I installed a set of SumoSprings in the rear and put on a set of Cooper Discoverer LT tires. Loaded up, truck sets level. I really like the SumoSprings much better than airbags or spring helpers (that's just my opinion).

I did have an issue with the truck that I assume is not related to towing. About halfway thru the trip I received several warnings in the center stack, one right after the other. Service AdvanceTrac; Steering Assist Fault, Svc Required; Hill Start Assist not Available and Hill Descent Control Fault. Luckily I was at an area where I could safely pull over. Turned the truck off and everything cleared when I re-started and I was able to drive home without any other warnings. Hope the warnings threw some codes as I have an appt with the dealership on Monday. I was able to find a couple of threads from other folks having the same warnings/problems, hope its an eazy fix.

Hope this thread might help someone with towing questions. Cheers.....

Siskiyou

I don’t know anything about the problem you are having but as far as the mileage towing is concerned, keep in mind how much extra power you have vs. the v8.

RubyRed Canadian

1mpg worse than your old truck for towing...that's not bad at all. You'll make that up on the fuel savings when driving solo.

jtnuge

There have been a few that have had you error message. Some have taken it to the dealer and it was a minor fix. Can not recall the fix, sorry. Look in the 2015+ thread, it is in there.

Camping2

Appreciate the write up OP and keep us posted on what the Dealer does to fix the warnings.

BigDozer66

Nice to hear about the new truck and it's performance!

Whenever I get error messages on mine ( only happened a couple times ) I always get one in my Ford Pass app as well.

That makes it easier for me to remember what they were.

WestOGuy

Great report! Hopefully the ride is more comfortable than that 2500 - esp when not towing. Curious, were you running Premium fuel on your run with the TT?

bstar1952

Yes sir, the ride is more comfortable. As much as I liked my Chevy, and it was well appointed, you knew you were riding in a truck. I suppose most HD trucks are like that. I was not using premium gas. I will use premium on longer trips and especially when we head out west. Seems once you hit El Paso, regular is 85 octane.

Apples

Welcome, bstar.

Glad to hear you're well set up and happy with your rig. These are superb, but light weight, trucks. I am always happy to drive mine, no matter the conditions.

Since you mention octane ratings, you'll find recommended in your F150 Owners Manual for hot weather max towing the use of premium fuel for it's higher octane. This apparently limits the amount of timing and boost pulled by the ecm and allows your engine to develop maximum torque.

chimmike

were you running 93 octane when towing?
I actually saw a 2+ mpg improvement when using 93 octane and towing.