G23 and an Ecoboost!

[GCSuper]

You have three things going against you for towing. Tall rear end, big wide tires, and the level kit. All three of those hurt you. Seems like the biggest knock on the EB is the fuel mileage while towing. While it does have amazing power, that small motor is working it's arse off to do it. I bought a new F150 FX4 in December of 2010. The EB has just come out, but I opted for a good year end deal on one of the last 5.4's. Even with the 3.73, it's not a great tow vehicle either. Bottom line is most half ton trucks were never intended to be heavy duty tow rigs. That's what the 3/4 tons are for.

[imkitbishes]

... I wouldn't say it worked its *** off, of you look at that pic of my dash, I'm a little over 1800 rpm doin 70mph, I just had to keep her hydrated (gas) haha. The next day was way better! May look again at that raptor!

[OKWAKEBDR]

That leveling kit and big heavy bfg 33" tires are hurting a lot more than you think. That is costing you at least 10% mpg. I had the same set up (in a 5.4 3.73 truck F150) while living in Denver and I had to take the leveling kit and big tires off to get the truck to tow like I wanted it to.

Depending on which package you have, you probably have 3.55 gears. (That is the most common package in a 4x4 Crew Cab Ecoboost). You can get 3.73 and even 4.11 in the "max tow" ecoboost package, but they are less common and come with the giant mirrors that most people are not a big fan of. Turning off your cruise control and locking out 6th (or even 5th) gear will help towing also. The truck will run a lot more smoothly because it won't be shifting as much. MPG probably won't be affected. If you're only running 1800 rpm at 70 mph pulling probably close to 7k lbs, the truck probably shifted at every single slight incline. Honestly, 8 mph is not bad all things considered. 10mph would be really good imo - it's not a diesel, and I doubt there's any other half ton truck out there that would do as well. (The weight you are pulling exceeds most half ton's towing capacity.)

BTW - I'd be surprised if the raptor did any better on mpg. That is a big truck, big engine, tall gears, and really big 35" tires.

[AirTool]

... I wouldn't say it worked its *** off, of you look at that pic of my dash, I'm a little over 1800 rpm doin 70mph, I just had to keep her hydrated (gas) haha. The next day was way better! May look again at that raptor!

Connect a scan tool and read the throttle position sensor data. IMO, if its more than 75% at this condition....I'd say it was workin' its arse off.

[ironj32]

This should make you feel a little better...I only get about 7mpg. I have a 2011 Silverado Crew Cab LTZ with the 6.2L and Max Trailering Package (3.73 gears, 9.5 inch rear axle)...rated for 10,600 pounds. I am all over the gas pedal, however, so I am definitely not complaining...when I'm towing my G23 and want to get moving, it does just that.

[TRBenj]

I think everyone here said it. Lots of things contributing to crappy mileage! When I went to BFG AT's, I saw a 2-3 mpg hit on the highway- and that was between 2 AT tires of the same size. Theyre heavy tires! The bigger and heavier they are, the more they hurt.

I also agree that the trailer is probably pushing 2k lbs. A single axle Ramlin for a 196 is in the 1k lb range. I think Mike's comment on the wind resistance is a big driver as well. I suspect you'd see a big improvement if you kept the speeds at or below 60mph.

[TX-Foilhead]

I'm going to be a different and say that's not that bad. I have a trailer that I've towed with a V6, V8 and a V10, they all are within 1 mpg for the same trip. The smaller ones do better unloaded and the V10 doesn't really change when towing the trailer. It's a lawn trailer and I've always had an extra truck to do the same weekly loop so the numbers are very repeatable in my case.

If you do drop the rear end ratio I would call it a wash. You may gain some towing ability, but you'll loose some unloaded mpg. If you made it almost halfway across the country with that already able to go the speed limit I think you already have plenty of ability, so your mostly looking at lowering your MPG some. If you have a long frequent tow to the lake a diesel or keeping the boat closer may save more fuel.

[Airnautique54]

I ended up buying an older 5.4 because of this very issue. According to the truck reviewers (here's an example)

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/04...-6-part-1.html

the ecoboost is running nearly 18 lbs of boost and when under load the MPG's drop significantly more than a V8 underload because of the turbos. As everyone else said its a great little engine unloaded and when loaded you have a ton of power just not the MPG's. For me saving a couple grand and getting the old reliable V8 was the ticket.

[swc5150]

That truck sure looks tiny with the G23 strapped on! Between the truck and trailer, it looks like both will need serious breaking power to bring it all to a halt. Good looking boat! I like the green.

[NautiqueJeff]

I would love to see what the reading says on a truck scale with that rig.

[bblueg]

I would love to see what the reading says on a truck scale with that rig.

There is a Flying J at the exit we 'usually' stop when heading north in the summer...I had thoughts of doing the same thing next summer. Although, I may have adjust my stopping points to account for the extra fuel that will be consumed

[eff1fitty]

Be careful with choosing the Raptor path. The towing capacity goes down with the softer suspension. Raptor only has 6500 lbs of capacity which may be pushing the limits with a G. Another downside is the mpg's for daily driving. I get 13-14 unloaded whick sux! It's ok for me though because I have a company car to get me around daily. It's really just a fancy boat hauler. I am a sucker for the sweet soft ride though. I would take Tx foilheads advice and keep the boat closer to the water. I did and figured it should save me big on towing back and forth and wear and tear on truck, as well as, trailer tires. For me, I have a marine storage that will put the boat in for me if I decide to take the company car down.

[imkitbishes]

What a great thread and community, I think you are all right in what you say... Further more I would like to thank each and every one for picking this apart and flaming it up!!! I really think I may way that bad boy up! Of anyone is every in the little rock area and wants a tow... You can def holla at me! Now I just need to see of I tow enough to justify taking those sick tires off! Ha!

[Zach@n3]

My 10 Hemi Ram under 70 mph highway will average 21-22 MPG 70-75 runs 19-20. A heavy head or side wind kills economy unloaded or towing. The variable valve timing really helps the low end torque and towing my boat it rarely downshifts. Now a G boat is a whole new game in means of weight and wind. No wind I see 14.5 towing. Had a 12 200 OB behind it for that instance. Indiana is flat. The truck has the 3.92 rear end. I'm glad it didn't have the 3.55's because every one of those I have driven seems like a dog after running with the 3.92. I would imagine my truck would be in the 8mpg range towing a G down south as well. When it all boils down at the end of the day a load is a load and it will take the same ammount of power to pull it between any truck(gas) so fuel mileage will be similar between all brands.

Diesel is a whole different world. Our 96 ram with almost 400k would grab 20mpg towing my 86 or any other load for that matter.

No doubt it's pretty amazing the economy and power they are pulling out of trucks with gas engines these days. Even when we look back 5 years or so truck economy was horrible.

[MongoSV211]

Exactly. Contrary to the hype, towing with the Ecoboost will cost you extra bucks at the pump. Put a load on a forced induction engine and gas mileage heads south fast. I would bet the 6.2L would get better mileage towing over 5K pounds. The 5.0L probably gets several MPG better. On the plus side, if you are pulling at higher elevation the turbos will mitigate the horsepower drop caused by the thinner air. The 3.5L is a beast.