Gas mileage with tow/haul mode
11-01-2018, 05:37 AM
#11
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Just purchased a 2015 F150 with 3.5 ecoboost and HD towing package. Will be towing a travel trailer that weighs about 5500 lbs loaded which is less than half the trucks tow rating. Question is what experience do you have with the effect on towing gas mileage between tow/haul mode and regular mode? Would like to optimize gas mileage since I only have a 23 gallon tank.
which do you have? if you had the Max Tow, you'd have the 36 gallon tank. If you had the HDPP, your payload would be more than 1790lbs.
so i'm guessing the regular tow package.
11-01-2018, 06:22 AM
#12
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1,790 minus 100 wdh minus 600 pounds for 4 passengers = 1,090. 1,090 / .13 = 8,385 max loaded trailer. Just one example.
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Simnut (11-01-2018)
11-06-2018, 09:09 PM
#13
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Tow Haul mode is there for a reason. It will be much easier taking off from a stop as it will shift through all gears with no skipping gears as in just D. I also have a 23 gal tank and tow a 6000lb travel trailer at 62mph. Get 11-12mpg. Stop every two hours for gas anyway to get out and stretch. If you want better mileage, go slower and keep the RPMs below 2000. Still plenty of power and torque at 2k.
11-06-2018, 10:19 PM
#14
Just completed 900 mile trip and averaged 11.4 mpg going 65 on the interstate. Incredible power and comfort. Need to fine tune my WD hitch. A little too much sway in cross winds.
A little surprised that the F150 didn't get any better gas mileage than my old 2006 tundra with a V6 with 154 ft. Lbs. of torque less.
A little surprised that the F150 didn't get any better gas mileage than my old 2006 tundra with a V6 with 154 ft. Lbs. of torque less.
11-07-2018, 03:02 PM
#15
What I've found is towing mpg for gas engines seems to be right around 10 mpg regardless of the vehicle or trailer. As to T/H mode I only use it in the mountains or very hilly terrain. When towing in the flat coastal plain I get around 12 mpg with our 5100 lb trailer. Tow/haul mode drops about 2 mpg off that. I've never compared mountain driving between the two but my guess is it would be a wash as you don't go up a 6% grade in low RPMs regardless of your shift points.
11-07-2018, 09:15 PM
#16
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What I've found is towing mpg for gas engines seems to be right around 10 mpg regardless of the vehicle or trailer. As to T/H mode I only use it in the mountains or very hilly terrain. When towing in the flat coastal plain I get around 12 mpg with our 5100 lb trailer. Tow/haul mode drops about 2 mpg off that. I've never compared mountain driving between the two but my guess is it would be a wash as you don't go up a 6% grade in low RPMs regardless of your shift points.
Last edited by bikendan; 11-29-2018 at 05:13 AM.
11-15-2018, 04:16 PM
#17
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I have a 17 F-150 with the 3.5 turbos and the 10 speed trans. I pull a 2004 Jeep TJ on an alum. trailer and use WDH. I took a trip in October this year and got 12-14 depending on the roads. I live in Michigan so there are few hills and they are not very big. Xway driving I was pushing 13 mpg. I drive 65 MPH. I agree with the post above you want better mileage you need to slow down. The tow mode worked very well, and I love the 10 speed trans. Only negative about the trans is in is programmed to down shift too early in the cycle. There are times you are a 3K RPMs when coming to a stop.
11-28-2018, 03:01 PM
#18
FWIW: I agree that, generally speaking, tow/haul mpg will be a little less than normal Drive, but the two reasons why I prefer T/H are... 1) better engine braking when letting up on the gas, e.g., going down slight to moderate inclines, and... 2) as mentioned in the Owner's Manual, it provides better transmission cooling. Keeping the brakes and tranny cool makes me feel like my TV will serve me better and longer... I hope I'm right!
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dean45 (11-28-2018)
11-28-2018, 05:00 PM
#19
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I tow with T/H on, but I also lock out 6th gear. With my trailer (8200lbs) my truck will tow it in 6th gear, but the increased boost in 6th gear uses more fuel then towing in 5th gear. I have observed this "live" when I was towing down a flat stretch of highway (I-95 in Georgia). In "M" mode I switched the transmission from 6th gear down to 5th gear and saw the green bar graph drop (my truck is in litres/100km, so dropping is a good thing). When I switched back to 6th gear, the bar went up.
