Towing improvement with tuner on 5.0?
10-23-2017, 08:15 PM
#31
Senior Member
10-24-2017, 11:43 AM
#32
Senior Member
What I learned when towing with my 6.2 F250, that has carried over to the 5.0.
5th and 6th gear are both overdrives. Don't plan on being in either very much except on flat ground with a tail wind.
Manually downshift prior to a big hill. It will reduce the need to downshift to 3rd gear if you leave the Trans in auto. If I downshift at the bottom of a 6% grade, many times I could make it to the top in 4th gear if the grade wasn't to long.
And when pulling a travel trailer with a large frontal area, just slow down. The faster you go, the harder that big sail behind you pulls back. My retired truck driver Uncle would tell me it's like adding weight to the trailer.
5th and 6th gear are both overdrives. Don't plan on being in either very much except on flat ground with a tail wind.
Manually downshift prior to a big hill. It will reduce the need to downshift to 3rd gear if you leave the Trans in auto. If I downshift at the bottom of a 6% grade, many times I could make it to the top in 4th gear if the grade wasn't to long.
And when pulling a travel trailer with a large frontal area, just slow down. The faster you go, the harder that big sail behind you pulls back. My retired truck driver Uncle would tell me it's like adding weight to the trailer.
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steevnt (10-25-2017)
03-12-2018, 11:26 AM
#33
Hey all, I wanted to post an update for anyone that may be feeling the same way I did about towing with the 5.0. I purchased a new S&B air intake and tune package from 5Star. It made a big difference in how the truck ran and shifted when not towing, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to make much difference towing. So I started truck shopping, and brought home a 2013 Ecoboost and tried that. It was much better than my 5.0 towing on the highway but still wasn't quite the 100% effortless towing I was looking for. Now granted, that Eco had some issues that was probably affecting its performance so it may not have been the best test truck to tow with. So after much research and shopping I opted to go with a 2009 GMC 2500 SLT diesel. I took it on a test run with the camper and it exceeded my expectations 10 fold. It stays in overdrive up hills, almost zero sway (I'm using a 4 pt Equalizer) and I think it's actually laughing at me for only putting 5500 lbs behind it! Anyway, I know a diesel is a little overkill but I thought I would share my experiences for anyone interested.
03-12-2018, 12:28 PM
#34
Hey all, I wanted to post an update for anyone that may be feeling the same way I did about towing with the 5.0. I purchased a new S&B air intake and tune package from 5Star. It made a big difference in how the truck ran and shifted when not towing, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to make much difference towing. So I started truck shopping, and brought home a 2013 Ecoboost and tried that. It was much better than my 5.0 towing on the highway but still wasn't quite the 100% effortless towing I was looking for. Now granted, that Eco had some issues that was probably affecting its performance so it may not have been the best test truck to tow with. So after much research and shopping I opted to go with a 2009 GMC 2500 SLT diesel. I took it on a test run with the camper and it exceeded my expectations 10 fold. It stays in overdrive up hills, almost zero sway (I'm using a 4 pt Equalizer) and I think it's actually laughing at me for only putting 5500 lbs behind it! Anyway, I know a diesel is a little overkill but I thought I would share my experiences for anyone interested.
03-12-2018, 12:33 PM
#35
I'm not real versed on diesels but I do believe it is pre-emissions. I think the guy told me it was the last year. It's bone stock though, no mods or tunes and I think some old man had it from the condition. I've considered doing some sort of basic tune to up the mpg but I don't really want to get into doing the egr delete, changing the exhaust, and all that so I may just leave it alone.
03-12-2018, 01:11 PM
#36
I'm not real versed on diesels but I do believe it is pre-emissions. I think the guy told me it was the last year. It's bone stock though, no mods or tunes and I think some old man had it from the condition. I've considered doing some sort of basic tune to up the mpg but I don't really want to get into doing the egr delete, changing the exhaust, and all that so I may just leave it alone.
03-12-2018, 01:17 PM
#37
My old man didn't get into any other modifications other than the tuner. He's an old guy and drives like one. He just wanted to improve his MPGs and make the engine run smoother and the Bully Dog did the trick. He tows an 11k lb 5th wheel with it and still gets 11-12 MPG. It runs very smooth. You can do your own homework on it, but he was very happy with the results of the tuner. It rides and drives very nice.
03-12-2018, 03:00 PM
#38
This is what I dont understand. I have a 17 f150 5.0 3.73 gears and have towed over 12,000lbs with it and it rarely drops down to 3rd gear and never doesnt have enough HP&TQ to accel up every hill ive driven on including TN mountains. Flat ground no wind and it will hold 6th. How can a 5.0L F-150 have a problem with a 5,500lb trailer? To me it sounds like theres brakes being applied to the truck or trailer for sway control causing a towing situation that tequires more power to overcome the extra drag of the brakes keeping the trailer inline.
I have 5* tow tune. Amazing tune. Best $450 ive ever spent on a vehicle. Went from a pickup to a rocketship. The big difference i noticed with the tune is the low end grunt it now has. The tune reduced or eliminated the torque limiters for hard accels from a stop. When sitting still I can mash the right pedal and lay rubber all the way to 7,000rpms and big bark when shifting to 2nd. The shift points are way better too. Shift firmness is better. Not mushy when changing gears.
To the OP. Try towing the trailer with the anti sway control off and see if it reduces the strain on the engine. Just something to try that has a $0 price tag. Beyond that, having trouble towing a 5,500lb trailer with a 5.0L has me perplexed.
I have 5* tow tune. Amazing tune. Best $450 ive ever spent on a vehicle. Went from a pickup to a rocketship. The big difference i noticed with the tune is the low end grunt it now has. The tune reduced or eliminated the torque limiters for hard accels from a stop. When sitting still I can mash the right pedal and lay rubber all the way to 7,000rpms and big bark when shifting to 2nd. The shift points are way better too. Shift firmness is better. Not mushy when changing gears.
To the OP. Try towing the trailer with the anti sway control off and see if it reduces the strain on the engine. Just something to try that has a $0 price tag. Beyond that, having trouble towing a 5,500lb trailer with a 5.0L has me perplexed.
03-12-2018, 03:08 PM
#39
This is what I dont understand. I have a 17 f150 5.0 3.73 gears and have towed over 12,000lbs with it and it rarely drops down to 3rd gear and never doesnt have enough HP&TQ to accel up every hill ive driven on including TN mountains. Flat ground no wind and it will hold 6th. How can a 5.0L F-150 have a problem with a 5,500lb trailer? To me it sounds like theres brakes being applied to the truck or trailer for sway control causing a towing situation that tequires more power to overcome the extra drag of the brakes keeping the trailer inline.
I have 5* tow tune. Amazing tune. Best $450 ive ever spent on a vehicle. Went from a pickup to a rocketship. The big difference i noticed with the tune is the low end grunt it now has. The tune reduced or eliminated the torque limiters for hard accels from a stop. When sitting still I can mash the right pedal and lay rubber all the way to 7,000rpms and big bark when shifting to 2nd. The shift points are way better too. Shift firmness is better. Not mushy when changing gears.
To the OP. Try towing the trailer with the anti sway control off and see if it reduces the strain on the engine. Just something to try that has a $0 price tag. Beyond that, having trouble towing a 5,500lb trailer with a 5.0L has me perplexed.
I have 5* tow tune. Amazing tune. Best $450 ive ever spent on a vehicle. Went from a pickup to a rocketship. The big difference i noticed with the tune is the low end grunt it now has. The tune reduced or eliminated the torque limiters for hard accels from a stop. When sitting still I can mash the right pedal and lay rubber all the way to 7,000rpms and big bark when shifting to 2nd. The shift points are way better too. Shift firmness is better. Not mushy when changing gears.
To the OP. Try towing the trailer with the anti sway control off and see if it reduces the strain on the engine. Just something to try that has a $0 price tag. Beyond that, having trouble towing a 5,500lb trailer with a 5.0L has me perplexed.
03-12-2018, 04:17 PM
#40
This is what I dont understand. I have a 17 f150 5.0 3.73 gears and have towed over 12,000lbs with it and it rarely drops down to 3rd gear and never doesnt have enough HP&TQ to accel up every hill ive driven on including TN mountains. Flat ground no wind and it will hold 6th. How can a 5.0L F-150 have a problem with a 5,500lb trailer? To me it sounds like theres brakes being applied to the truck or trailer for sway control causing a towing situation that tequires more power to overcome the extra drag of the brakes keeping the trailer inline.
I have 5* tow tune. Amazing tune. Best $450 ive ever spent on a vehicle. Went from a pickup to a rocketship. The big difference i noticed with the tune is the low end grunt it now has. The tune reduced or eliminated the torque limiters for hard accels from a stop. When sitting still I can mash the right pedal and lay rubber all the way to 7,000rpms and big bark when shifting to 2nd. The shift points are way better too. Shift firmness is better. Not mushy when changing gears.
To the OP. Try towing the trailer with the anti sway control off and see if it reduces the strain on the engine. Just something to try that has a $0 price tag. Beyond that, having trouble towing a 5,500lb trailer with a 5.0L has me perplexed.
I have 5* tow tune. Amazing tune. Best $450 ive ever spent on a vehicle. Went from a pickup to a rocketship. The big difference i noticed with the tune is the low end grunt it now has. The tune reduced or eliminated the torque limiters for hard accels from a stop. When sitting still I can mash the right pedal and lay rubber all the way to 7,000rpms and big bark when shifting to 2nd. The shift points are way better too. Shift firmness is better. Not mushy when changing gears.
To the OP. Try towing the trailer with the anti sway control off and see if it reduces the strain on the engine. Just something to try that has a $0 price tag. Beyond that, having trouble towing a 5,500lb trailer with a 5.0L has me perplexed.
