Ford and the turbo 6

[Chukar60]

Last year I bought a brand spanking new F150. First and only new vehicle I bought.
I have been driving Ford Super Duty diesels for over 30 years. But I no longer needed the big trucks and went with the 1/2 ton.
It drove nice and had plenty of power.
Couple weeks ago I towed my personal work trailer about 220 miles to do a job. Gas mileage was terrible. I usually got 18 mpg average city and highway driving. This trip it dived down to 11 mpg. The trailer only weighs about 1700 lbs. Talked to a guy who tows a big camp trailer with his. Plenty of power but he gets about 8-9 mpg when towing. The Ford dealer confirmed this was normal.
Last weekend the F150 got traded in on a used F250 diesel. If I am going to get lower mpg I will drive the big truck.
Just posted this so others would know what to expect from the F150 3.5L if they were looking at one.
Great truck for the casual pickup owner. Poor choice if you are going to work it regularly. If the 5.0 litre is still available it may make a good compromise.

 

[Golphin]

I have driven 1/2 ton trucks for the last 40 years. The worst I ever owned was a 1990 Ford long wheel base with a straight 6 and 5 speed manual and only got about 14 MPG. The best were the 2 Chevy's with 350's one was a 87 and the other a 96 both 2 wheel drive and got 17 mpg average. Driving a Ram 5.7 4 WD now and average 16 with about 50% highway. I am sure it drops a lot pulling a trailer but I have not checked it. If you are going to pull anything very often a diesel is the way to go for sure.

 

[444 Magnum]

If you are going to pull anything very often

That's the key. How often you pull. I have a 2010 F250 with a 5.4L gas engine...still only has 89K so I'm not considering retiring it yet. As a residential contractor, I tow dump trailers and cargo trailers, but not everyday. I usually pull my cargo trailer to the job sight and park it till the job is finished. Same with the dump trailer. Yes, I get worse mileage while I'm pulling, but it's not enough to justify the extra expense of diesel, diesel oil changes, etc. If you're only pulling occasionally, it may not be worth all the extra expense.

 

[Goldstar225]

I've owned a 2012 F150 with the 5.0 and still own a 2014 F150 with the 3.5 ecoboost, both supercrews equipped with the 3:73 rear axle ratio . IME towing up to 6,000 # they are essentially equal. Above that the 3.5 clearly and easily out pulls the 5.0. By way of example, towing an 8K camper up a 5 degree grade both would maintain 55-60 MPH but to do so the 5.0 would drop to 3rd gear and hit 4,000 RPM while the 3.5 drops top 4th gear and runs 2,500 RPM. Remember this is with the same rear axle ratios so as apple to apple as you can get.

Gas mileage does drop when towing. Pulling my empty 6X12 utility trailer or bass boat I'll get 14-15 MPG versus 19-20 not towing. With the camper at 60 MPH 9-11 MPG on level roads. (Though I did get 6 MPG once pulling into a 35 MPH headwind!)

 

[terry_tr6]

pretty much matches my numbers with the 3.55 rear end. maybe slightly better towing gas mileage than with my old 2010 5.4V8, mile or 2 better without trailer, but wow, the extra power. i can tow the same TT over interstate bridges without downshifting. without the trailer it's fun blowing punks with riceburners off the line at stop lights

 

[LVSteve]

I'd be checking that the brakes or wheel bearings weren't binding on the trailer.

Question: Is the OP's trailer a flat trailer or a box trailer? It could be his gas mileage went to rats because of an unfortunate aerodynamic interaction between the trailer and the truck.

 

[GypsmJim]

I bought my first new car in 1970, and have only bought new since then. When the EPA first started reporting fuel economy I always compared my own numbers vs. their projections based on their test results. I always come within 1 or 2 mpg.

I have a 2018 Ford product with a 3.7 L V-6, with an EPA rating of 21. I consistently get 23 (avg hw & city).

The OP's 3.5L has a rating of 25. I suggest that 18 is too far off. He must be driving HEAVY city, or the engine is not performing up to what it should.

 

[LVSteve]

The OP's 3.5L has a rating of 25. I suggest that 18 is too far off. He must be driving HEAVY city, or the engine is not performing up to what it should.

Let's get some other unpalatable truth out there. Probably the biggest factor in gas mileage is the driver's right foot. If you are in the habit of caressing the throttle the same way you would step on a Black Widow, don't be complaining about your gas mileage.

 

[GypsmJim]

Let's get some other unpalatable truth out there. Probably the biggest factor in gas mileage is the driver's right foot. If you are in the habit of caressing the throttle the same way you would step on a Black Widow, don't be complaining about your gas mileage.

I was just trying to be nice, not confrontational, nor documenting any "truths". For sure, though, somting wong...

 

[ralph7]

I was just trying to be nice, not confrontational, nor documenting any "truths". For sure, though, somting wong...

Ah yes, I remember....

 

[LVSteve]

I was just trying to be nice, not confrontational, nor documenting any "truths". For sure, though, somting wong...

LOL!! I wasn't getting at you, Jim, just the motoring public in general.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Let's get some other unpalatable truth out there. Probably the biggest factor in gas mileage is the driver's right foot. If you are in the habit of caressing the throttle the same way you would step on a Black Widow, don't be complaining about your gas mileage.

I have found that my 2014 1/2 ton Chevy 4x4 with HUGE TIRES gets a total average of under 15 using cruise control all I can. Exact same route with NO cruise Control is less than 13!

Same octane gas but anybody's verses Shell 88 octane, Shell have 9% better mileage on the same route.

Ivan

 

[Jon651]

That's the key. How often you pull. I have a 2010 F250 with a 5.4L gas engine...still only has 89K so I'm not considering retiring it yet. As a residential contractor, I tow dump trailers and cargo trailers, but not everyday. I usually pull my cargo trailer to the job sight and park it till the job is finished. Same with the dump trailer. Yes, I get worse mileage while I'm pulling, but it's not enough to justify the extra expense of diesel, diesel oil changes, etc. If you're only pulling occasionally, it may not be worth all the extra expense.

Can someone please tell me where all this extra expense for a diesel is? I've been driving diesels since the 90's and it's never been so bad that I would consider going back to a gasser.

My current 2013 Chevy Duramax uses 10 quarts of oil as compared to the 6 quarts in a 350 - but my computer tells me to change my oil roughly every 10k miles so for me that is four additional quarts (about $35 more) about every 10 months. I use Wix filters so there is not significant difference in the price for those; the Valvoline Synthetic grease I use on the front end is the exact same; Since my Alison tranny has an external spin-on filter I change that when I change my oil (around $15) - but I would do that if a gas truck had the same thing.

This "diesel oil change" everybody is so worried about isn't all that and a bag of chips.

As for mileage:
- Unloaded at 70mph with the cruise control I get 20-21mpg;
- Towing my 8000# camper at 70mph I get 11-12mpg;
- Unloaded around town I get 15-16mpg.

My truck tips the scales right at 7000# and has 4wd and a crew cab. For me, diesel costs between mid-grade and high-test so I am happy with the cost per mile. It definitely isn't a deterrent based on fuel cost.

My point is other than the up-front price to buy a diesel, the cost of driving and maintaining one isn't so significantly different as compared to a gasser as to deter someone from using one as a daily driver. I'll admit diesels aren't for everyone, but the cost of entry so far has been the only real monetary roadblock, not the cost of driving one or maintaining one.

 

[twodog max]

I have a 2016 F150 with the 2.7L turbo engine. I really like it but I do little towing and then only my Honda SXS on a single axle trailer and never more than 75 miles. I now have almost 83,000 on it with no problems and gassed up today my mileage was 23.6 mpg no towing. When I do tow or haul a bed full of firewood the mileage does fall off to about 16 but I expected that the motor simply was not meant for a lot of heavy hauling. It will do it on occasion but I would not want to haul big loads every day. If I was going to do that I would have a different truck and larger engine.
IMO the 6 turbo engines are aimed at the majority of truck drivers that drive a lot and tow or haul seldom.

 

[vonn]

Just watch the boost. More boost worse mileage.

 

[Jason Demond]

Let's get some other unpalatable truth out there. Probably the biggest factor in gas mileage is the driver's right foot. If you are in the habit of caressing the throttle the same way you would step on a Black Widow, don't be complaining about your gas mileage.

The 3.5L EBs are thirsty girls. I can drive my Lincoln sedan like a little old lady and squeak out 12mpg of just around town driving. It has the worst fuel economy of any car I have ever driven.

She can break 20mpg on long trips though.

 

[Muley Gil]

I had a SWB 2WD '80 F100 with the straight 300 CI six and the 4 speed overdrive manual transmission. That sucker would get 24 MPG at 70 MPH, due to the 2.73 rear end. However, if you put a box of Kleenix in the bed, it wouldn't pull at all, due to that gas saving rear end.

 

[444 Magnum]

Can someone please tell me where all this extra expense for a diesel is? I've been driving diesels since the 90's and it's never been so bad that I would consider going back to a gasser.

Let's do the math. The current NADA guide gives a $7,975 valuation for diesel over gas in a 2020 F250. So let's assume we each have a truck and the diesel F250 cost $7,975 more than the gasoline F250.

Let's assume the following: we each drive 20,000 miles a year (which I don't), the diesel gets 22 mpg average, the "gasser" gets 17 mpg average, and diesel and gasoline are the same price (which they are not) we'll use $2.80/gallon.

I will save a whopping $749/year driving my diesel truck. Diesel in my area currently averages about 30 cents more per gallon. If we assume a .30 cent price difference in fuel costs, the savings drop to $475/ year. At that rate (excluding any other differences in operating, maintenance, and repair costs) the diesel engine will pay for itself in a short 16.78 years. Sounds like a good idea for the average driver who only pulls a boat or a lawnmower once or twice a month.

If this was a little too straight forward, the sensitive folks out there have my apologies. I've never been one to sugar coat.

Again, I'm not opposed to diesel trucks...if you need them.

Besides, it looks like we'll all be plugging in eventually anyhoo.

Steve

 

[LoboGunLeather]

My last Ford was a 2004 F150 XLT Super-Cab 4 wheel drive, 4.6L V8, automatic, towing package (trans cooler, oversized radiator, class 3 hitch). I used it to tow a 6000 lb. trailer from southern Colorado to and from Beaumont, Texas. Long hard trip, difficult to maintain 60MPH most of the time, and about 8 MPG.

Other than that, the truck was great. Plenty of scoot, 17MPG around town and 19-20 MPG highway. 12 years of service, still going strong when I sold it. Minimal maintenance issues along the way.

The key, in my opinion, is that the 6000 lb. trailer was close to Ford's recommended max towing capacity (6800 lb.). Anytime we use a tool or vehicle at or near its top capacity we should not expect premier performance (including gas mileage).

Now driving a 3 year old Nissan Titan, full size pickup with 4 wheel drive, 5.6L V8 (390 HP, 394 ft. lb. torque), 7-speed automatic. I'm not towing anything these days, but I can tell you this rig will run the wheels off my old F150. Very impressive acceleration, especially in the 50-100MPH range when needed for passing. 18 MPG all the time, 21-23 MPG on several highway trips with cruise control engaged. Great for comfort, solid on the road at any speed.

My biggest challenge was finding a TRUCK, not a Cowboy Cadillac. I wanted rubber floor-mats and utility-grade interior so I can open the doors and hose it out after a hunting trip. Dealers don't stock much in the more basic grades, the options add up to much higher profits. Took me over a year to locate this one and I'm keeping it!

Put new Michelins on it last week at 40,000. Good to go for a long time.

Need to haul heavy loads or tow something on a regular basis? You need to gear up for that. I'm good with a couple of passengers and a week's worth of gear, and still have good transportation around town the rest of the time.

 

[Cdog]

I have a 2018 crew cab Ram 1500 4X4. 3.55 gears, 300 hp 3.6 V6 powered, it averages about 22 mpg. I never imagined a full size truck getting that kind of mileage.

I don't do a lot of towing, but when I do I want it to be worry free.

With 2500 - 3000 lbs behind it that average drops down to around 15 to 16 mpg. Drove 200+ miles of N W Ga. foothills with trailer in tow yesterday.

When I first bought the truck I had concerns with the small V6, but it does every bit as well as my previous V8 powered Ford and Chevy half tons while averaging better towing than I was getting without a load on the other trucks.

We'll wait and see about long term.