Expected milage from Ford EcoBoost with the 3.55 Gear

[michael_h]

I have a 2011 F150 Lariat Screw 4x4 EcoBoost with factory brake control and the 3.55 gear. We live on the coast of Virginia but often travel to the mountains of Va, WVa, & NC for our getaways. Presently I have the Premier 19FBPR that weighs in at 4213 lbs per the manufacture specs. We have really enjoyed our little trailer and in the 2 years we've had it, we've logged just over 4K miles of travel. Our average mileage is around 11mpg, though we've done as poorly as 8 in strong head wind, and as many as 12 driving smartly.

Lately we have thought of maybe upgrading to a larger TT, and have gravitated toward Premier 26RBPR which has a reasonable weight of 5755lbs, but that questionable thought is how much of a loss in fuel mileage can we expect? I just don't want to upgrade and then find out that 8mpg is all I'll ever be able to expect.

So my question is geared toward where do you tow mostly, what is your truck gear ratio and what's your average mileage.

Thanks in advance for your helpful replies


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Michael H

[Desert185]

With the signature rig below, 10-14 MPG towing in the associated map area, and 20-23 MPG not towing. Gears are 3.55 with 265/75-16 diameter tires. SRX grosses at 12,650#, but I doubt if I've had it that heavy.

[GaryWT]

We have a Premier 31BHPR and use to tow with a F150 2010 3.15 gears 5.4 liter. We got 10-11 mostly when towing and 17-18 when not towing. Currently we tow with a gas 350 and get 10-11 towing and 14 when not towing.

Currently enjoying the lower gas prices but not holding out hope that they will last until camping season.

[jkohler70]

If fuel prices are $2.50 a gallon, a 4 MPG loss would cost an extra $20 for a 200 mile round trip. More likely, your difference will be only 1-2, if anything. Is this difference of $5 - $20 per trip not to upgrade?
I previously towed a 3500# hybrid with a minivan that had a 5 speed transmission and 240HP V6. I now tow about 6000# with a 6 speed transmission and 340HP V8. My mileage is nearly the same. It seems from posters here, that nearly everyone with a gasoline engine gets in the neighborhood of 10 MPG when towing.
Sometimes, when going downhill, my instant readout reads 99.9 MPG! :p

[GmaPaTime]

Before my F-250, I had a 2010 F-150 SC SB RWD with 5.4, 3.55 rear and Tow Pkg. Same results as "GaryWT", 11-13 towing 4k, 18-20 Hwy with out.

[JRTJH]

I think the question the OP, michael_h, is asking is:

"If I use my current tow vehicle, a 2011 Ford EcoBoost with a 3.55 rear end, How much more fuel will I use when towing a Premier 26RBPR instead of my current trailer which is a Premier 19FBPR?"

It does not appear that he is asking if he needs to upgrade the tow vehicle, but rather what to expect as differences when using the current tow vehicle.

I think that there are some things that won't change between the two trailers, frontal wind resistance being one of the most significant. Some things will change, weight of the trailer and payload carried by the truck, side surface area of the trailer and overall increase in the total combined weight.

Essentially, since the frontal area is about the same between the two trailers, there won't be much difference in the amount of energy needed to overcome the wind resistance: ie, pretty much a "wash".

Total weight will increase somewhere in the neighborhood of 1500-2000 pounds. It will take more fuel to pull that weight increase. How much more fuel? A lot of that depends on driving habits, headwind, temperature, tire pressure and a host of other factors which differ from driver to driver and day to day. The payload in the truck will likely increase as well, simply because there is a greater capability with the larger trailer and that creates a desire to carry more "stuff" since there's room......

I would think that you'll see a decrease in MPG with the larger trailer, but how much less is as much where and how you tow as it is how heavy you tow.

Hopefully some members who have towed with the EcoBoost can give their personal experiences of fuel mileage that they have seen. With the information of what they are towing, the OP can make some "best guess" judgments about what he would be likely to experience with his proposed upgrade.

[Ken / Claudia]

I do not think you will find much mpg difference in towing those listed trailers.
Tow/pull with the rpms not so much as speed. Lets say the bigger trailer lowers the uphill speeds by 5 mph but, is towing at same rpms as before. Thats where you should travel at vs. pushing the engine at higher rpms to get that 5 mph back. That will lower your mpg and may cause other problems to the engine/drivetrain if being over worked. That is general towing advice, I have no personal knowledge of your truck/engine/gears. If I was you I would get that trailer, enjoy it and not worry if mpg drops 1-2, 2-3 while towing. My current truck pulls the rv (7000lbs) or boat 4000 lbs on same roads at same speeds at gets 11 -12 mpg. A 09 f250 v10 work truck pulled a 4500 lb 19 ft boat or 8000 lbs 24 ft boat over same roads, same speeds at 8 to 9 mpg.

[msp2jxr]

I have steady increased the size and weight of the trailers I have pulled over the years and really agree it is the frontal area of the trailer that will decide your mileage. I went from a 30 foot 8000 pound 5th wheel to a 38 foot 10,000 pound 5th wheel and lost about a half mile to the gallon unless I am doing a lot of starting and stopping like city driving. Then it does cut into the mileage more. Once you break the wind and get it all moving at a steady speed the length and weight of the trailer really don't seem to matter as much. Just MHO. Jay

[rnkburg]

I have a 13 eco boost and tow just about everything behind it. Towing Mpgs are pretty consistent across the board once you get above 5000 lbs on it. I tow in ky and wv primarily with the truck. I don't think you will see much of a loss. I went from a 5.4 to the eco boost and gained mileage and power with the truck. The 5.4 was a 2010.

I do not tow my camper with it though. I believe the raptor would flatten the little f 150


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[sherri330]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/04/5aa9b3daef9dc8196bda0ee107815546.jpg

This was our set up for 2 1/2 yrs. The truck is a 2011 EcoBoost. The trailer is a 33 ft. Palomino that weighed about 6,500 lbs. On flat roads, we were getting around 11 mpg. Once we got towards the mountains, more like 8 or 9 mpg. We upgraded to a heavier TT this year (8,300 lbs) and opted to go with a F250 rather than pushing the EcoBoost closer to it's limit.


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[tailpipe]

With that 3.55 gear you should pull in either 4th or 5 th at 55 MPH .You will not be lugging the engine and it will be in the power band .This is going to be your best fuel mileage. There are so many variables, but there is one constant the faster you go the faster your MPG drops. Lugging is hard on all engines I try to keep my eco boost above 2,000 rpm while pulling, depending on terrain, traffic and wind.

[flatlander]

I have the same towing vehicle, 3.5 Ecoboost, 3.55 gearing, and it has been my experience that the gas mileage will be in the 10 mpg range. We averaged 10.4 according to the meter on the dash for our 7500 mile trip to Alaska and have gotten similar mileage on other trips. Wish I could say the mileage was better but it isn't. Without the trailer the mileage is usually in the 17 to 18 mpg range for me but occasionally have gotten near 20 but conditions must have been perfect as usually never get 20.

[x96mnn]

Although my experiance is not with an ecoboost but a 1500 dodge, I will be shocked if you have a different experiance. I do not think you will see any difference in like conditions regarding mpg.

I towed a 17ft, 25ft and 30ft TT with my 1500 and I got the millage within a half mile of each.

17ft TT I had about 5000 miles on, (freinds camper that was taken to Boston and back)
25ft roughly 5000 miles
30ft maybe 10000 miles

All three, I would get 12mpg with wind behind me and 8.9 with it ahead of me.

Just my opinion.

[tech740]

I have a 2011 eco SCREW with 3:55. I tow a 2014 2920bh trailer. Weighs in at 5410 dry. 6300 ready to camp, truck pulls it great. About 9mpegs is all I get. That's in Michigan with no mountains.

[14george]

Tow with a Toyota Tundra with 5.7 trailer weighs around 5500 to 6000 lbs get 9-9.5 mpg

[michael_h]

Well we finally upgraded from our 19' 4100 pound Premier to a 26' 6100 pound Cougar. We are on our first long trip on moderate hills in mid-state Virginia and have been pleasingly surprised with the10.7mpg trip out to Kerr Lake from coastal Virginia Beach. Mid week we moved to Chippokes Plantation Park and was shocked to get 11.3mpg on the ride up I85. So far really pleased with the performance of my little ecoboost, though the summer mountain trips will tell the truth