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Hey everyone, what MPG do you get while towing?
I have a 2017 F150 with the 2.7 Ecoboost and a small travel trailer that weighs just under 4000 pounds. I knew that the mileage would drop, but not as drastic as I experienced this weekend.
I live in Charlotte, and am visiting family in Texarkana, Arkansas.
It started out at 17-18 MPG, which was about what I expected. As the day went on, it dropped down to the 15 MPG range. Not good! Yesterday, as I continued onto my destination, it got all the way down to 10 MPG! Not good!
My BIL is a Ford mechanic, and he says that it shouldn’t be that low. And, yes, I had the transmission in tow/haul mode.
I’m planning on taking it the dealer when I get back, but was wondering if anyone else had any suggestions
Thanks in advance!
I get 6 km's per liter while pulling my 7000lb equipment trailer. That is pretty well all in town driving. Working that out to miles per US gallon is 14.4 mpg. That's with the 302 and 3.55 gears.
It’s not always the weight but how much wind they catch.
Exactly.
Towed weight affecting fuel mileage is really only a factor in stop-and-go driving. Once you're "up on the rip strip", or, the interstate, it is aerodynamic drag that is the enemy of fuel efficiency.
In your F150 Owners Manual in the Towing section, there are suggested trailer frontal area guidelines. See if your trailer front's height and width adds up, or exceeds the square footage guidelines given.
About the only reason you'd see 17+ mpg while towing a travel trailer is with a good tailwind. Most folks here see 10 - 12 mpg while towing on a good day.
Mine is a '17 3.5 Eco SC with 3.55's. Tires are 275/65/20 E rated Toyo's. I get between 7.0-9.0 mpg towing an aluminum 28' enclosed Haulmark trailer with a 4 seat RZR and a couple 4 wheelers. I'm guessing roughly 6000lbs. The best I have seen is 9.5 mpg and that's driving 45-55 mph on flat ground.
Fuel quality can make a big difference. I made a trip from Alaska to nebraska last summer towing a 16ft trailer with a chrysler mini van, about 6500lb + 1000lb in the back of the truck down and empty on the way back. 4500 miles each way. I got 13.2 Anchorage to Whitehorse and from Whitehorse through Canada i got 13.8 to 14mpg. When I filled up in Minot ND W/10% ethanol. (1st gas stop in the US) My milage started to drop and by the time I went through Fargo, I was down to 10.7. Very little wind and the cruise set on 70. On the return trip 14.5 empty until I got into Canada, then my milage climbed to 17.
Near Grande Prairie AB.CA
For me towing is approximately 10 mpg. Winter gas does get lower mpgs than the summer forumla. Also is you can find ethanol free gas vs that mix junk (here is Jersey all you can buy is the mixed fuel) Mpgs go up by 2mpgs and the average even in our work trucks.
Also speed, hills and a headwind will kill you.
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: charlotte,nc
Posts: 109Thanks for all the advice!
We’re still traveling, but I have noticed one thing. Thursday when we got to our overnight destination, I dropped the trailer and we went to dinner. I didn’t reset the MPG computer on the display and that’s when it dropped to 10MPG.
Today, we left Texarkana and went up to the western side of Arkansas. I had done the reset over the weekend, and it only dropped down to an average of 13-14 MPG.
I dropped the trailer and we saw some friends for lunch (we had to go places out in the boonies where I really wasn’t comfortable towing the TT). I also did the reset while it was dropped.
However, traveling on I40 to Little Rock, I noticed that it got down to 11-12 MPG. But, it was fairly hilly coming here.
BTW, i checked out the trip menu that I reset when we left. We’ve gone almost 1300 miles and are averaging 11.7 MPG.
So, I’m pretty sure that I’m not gonna get great mileage while towing our TT and that I’ll just have to deal with it.
Thanks again for all your input!
Towing MPG Question
