F150 gas mileage

[Plan Man]

Originally Posted by NJKris

I did find this: https://fordauthority.com/2019/08/is...st-ford-f-150/
Apparently it does give better performance at high speeds. But you only see a 0.6 mpg improvement in mileage, not worth the premium price.

The ford manual specifically states run 91 octane when towing. There are some posts i read prior to trip and although some debate the consensus seemed to be to go with the manual. It was more expensive and i am really not sure if it made sense but why would they call it out in the ford manual?

[Virginian]

Not sure what year model you have, but my 2013 states to use 87. It is a 5.0 and not the 3.5 EB.

[Plan Man]

Originally Posted by Virginian

Not sure what year model you have, but my 2013 states to use 87. It is a 5.0 and not the 3.5 EB.

2018 EB

[Virginian]

Originally Posted by Plan Man

2018 EB

Ok. Well you would have different requirements than me.
I would certainly follow the manual recommendations.

[moose074]

Many truck manufacturers suggest higher octane when towing.

[Guspech750]

I drive my 2017 Ford Expedition XLT EL 4x4, 3.5 Ecoboost V6 towing our 2021 Grey Wolf 23MK with a full tank of water I think max it’s 7600+ pounds. My truck gets 8.5 to 10 MPG.

[Nick Danger]

Haven't done a lot of long distance travel with my 2020 and trailer but getting right around 10 mpg in tow/haul mode. Never go over 65 with it attached. Not real excited about pulling into a random gas station pulling a trailer. But assume I'll have to do sometime.

[moose074]

I averaged just under 9 on average days, windy days 6.5. Unless tailwind then maybe I get 10 if I was REALLY lucky. I had 2014 Platinum 4x4 with eco 3:55 rear. Towed a almost 10k fully loaded Trailer 35”10 inches from rear bumper to hitch. I understand gas station concerns

[Mike134]

Originally Posted by moose074

windy days 6.5. I had 2014 Platinum 4x4 with eco 3:55 rear. Towed a almost 10k fully loaded Trailer 35”10 inches from rear bumper to hitch.

Nice to hear of real time experiences towing long and heavy with a 1/2 ton. To many armchair quarterbacks repeating what they "heard" about 1/2ton limits although they themselves have no personal experience.

[Theo]

For FHU camping, we're in the 10,000-11,000 lb range for our GCVWR and have been averaging around 12-mpg (+/- 0.5-mpg) in tow/haul mode. All our mpg data are calculated based on miles traveled and gallons consumed. Being retired, we travel at a relaxed pace and never exceed 60-65-mph. Truck specs are in the signature below.

Last summer we dry camped for a week and weighed our rig at the Cat Scales on the way to the campsite (see below). TV weighed in at 6,820 lbs (with WDH) and the TT weighed 6,000 lbs. This was, by far, the heaviest configuration we have ever towed! During that trip, we faced a headwind on the way out (9.8-mpg) and a tailwind on the way back (12.4-mpg).

I was actually quite pleasantly surprised at the mpg numbers during that trip!

[NJKris]

Consistently getting 11-12 mpg towing with 2015 F150 V8. I am gentle accelerating, but do try to keep up with traffic on highways, generally in high 60 mph range when limit is 65, and when speed limit was 70, tried to maintain it at that. I'm lucky my trailer does not stick up as incredibly high as others. Trailer loaded is probably between 4 and 5k.

[Pariah]

I'm curious on just how much difference pulling an 8 foot wide camper effects MPG vs pulling a 7 foot wide camper. There's a lot of real estate hanging off the sides and catching winds on the wider trailers while the 7 footers more closely match the pickups profile.
I'm guessing there is a significant difference, but don't know any real numbers. Any Geo Pro, E Pro owners care to post their MPG's?

[asr524]

Originally Posted by Pariah

I'm curious on just how much difference pulling an 8 foot wide camper effects MPG vs pulling a 7 foot wide camper. There's a lot of real estate hanging off the sides and catching winds on the wider trailers while the 7 footers more closely match the pickups profile.
I'm guessing there is a significant difference, but don't know any real numbers. Any Geo Pro, E Pro owners care to post their MPG's?

I actually believe the difference is negligible especially as speed increases.

I used to have a Tacoma and seen no MPG difference between a 6x10 V-nose cargo trailer and a FSX 180RT toy hauler.

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by Pariah

I'm curious on just how much difference pulling an 8 foot wide camper effects MPG vs pulling a 7 foot wide camper. There's a lot of real estate hanging off the sides and catching winds on the wider trailers while the 7 footers more closely match the pickups profile.
I'm guessing there is a significant difference, but don't know any real numbers. Any Geo Pro, E Pro owners care to post their MPG's?

I just did above your post.

[Pariah]

Originally Posted by NJKris

I just did above your post.

You certainly did, thanks!

[IsleDog]

we tow with a 2009 4x4 super crew king ranch with 5.4L and 3.73 gears and max tow and have a 7 foot wide 21 foot long camper in the 4-5K lbs range. we see a low of 9 mpg with a strong headwind and average 12 mpg. this is towing only and not a combined trip (driving unhooked). speeds are always around 60-62 mph and engine cruises around 1500-1700 RPM in tow/haul mode. unhooked highway mpg is around 20 average.

[Theo]

Originally Posted by Pariah

I'm curious on just how much difference pulling an 8 foot wide camper effects MPG vs pulling a 7 foot wide camper...{snip}

IMO, the difference would show up due to the increase in frontal area and its role in creating drag on the powertrain. Assuming that both TTs are 10' tall, the 8' wide TT would be exposing an additional 10 sq/ft of frontal area to air resistance in the air stream, increasing the drag coefficient (Cd).

Remember, most TTs are one of the LEAST aerodynamically-shaped objects one could drag through the air (see graphic below). Airstream decided on a (close to) half-spherical shaped frontal area to attempt to reduce the Cd by about 50% compared to a rectangular design. Perpendicularly increasing frontal area in the air stream of a rectangular design only makes the Cd increase. Increasing the Cd will usually affect gas mileage. However, the degree to which it will be affected will vary based on the TV's powertrain, the TV's/TT's aerodynamics, the increased weight of an 8' wide TT, etc.

I'm not sure your question can be answered with any degree of accuracy through anecdotal evidence. One would need a scientific inquiry using controlled test conditions including: the same TV with exactly the same weight, the same trailer weight, the same environmental conditions, etc. Safe to say that there would be some difference.

From Wikipedia:

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Pariah

I'm curious on just how much difference pulling an 8 foot wide camper effects MPG vs pulling a 7 foot wide camper. There's a lot of real estate hanging off the sides and catching winds on the wider trailers while the 7 footers more closely match the pickups profile.
I'm guessing there is a significant difference, but don't know any real numbers. Any Geo Pro, E Pro owners care to post their MPG's?

Difference is negligible. I towed a 7ft wide 24ft TT and now tow a 8ft wide 26ft TT. No noticeable difference in mpg.

[Guitar G]

I have a 2019 F-150 with the 3.5 EcoBoost, max towing package, 36-gal. tank, towing a Flagstaff 26RBWS, with a dry weight of about 6400#, probably towing about 8000# total. Just completed a trip between PA and Asheville, NC, averaging 9.5 mpg for the 1500+ miles round-trip. I have noticed on other trips that headwinds can make a big difference, sometimes dropping my mpg down to 8.5 or so. My experiments with premium vs. regular are consistent with what others on the forum have stated: very little improvement with higher octane, and certainly not worth the price difference. With the larger fuel tank and the above stated mpg, I start looking for gas at about 200 miles driven so I have lots of leeway. In the East, availability is not a big issue, but finding a station where we can comfortably get our 29-foot trailer plus truck can be a challenge. We mostly use Pilot/Flying J (their app helps in locating them) and then check on Google maps satellite view to see how much room is available and where the pumps are located. The locations with separate RV pumps are great, but there aren't that many. Hope that helps.

[NJKris]

Those headwinds really make a difference! If you are doing 65 mph into a 20 mph headwind, your relative speed is 85 mph. Imagine the mileage loss of towing at 85 mph if you were safely able to do so.