Recently purchased a used 2017 F-250 4X4 Crew with a 6.2L, 3.31 gears & 46K miles. Not much out there on 6.2 performance that I can find. The truck does pretty good commuting to/from work but gets low 12's MPG. I'm ok with that but wouldn't mind a savings. The issue I'm having is pulling my travel trailer that weighs 9,900 lbs., I know, it's because of the axle ratio but without changing the gear ratio would a tune for the engine or some other light mods do much good?

 

you most likely have 3.73 gears. As far as helping with towing without changing gears. 5 Star Tuning is what you are looking for.

 

I would leave the factory tuning alone and re-gear your truck, or add an under drive unit. The under drive will help your towing without hurting your commuting.

https://www.gearvendors.com/index.html

 

Your gears are 3.73 as 3.31 wasn't a option. The 6.2 needs 4.30 gears, no tuner will overcome that mechanical disadvantage.

 

I have a 2011 F250 CC SB 4X4 6.2L with 3.73 gears and tow a 11,200lb. trailer with the 87 octane 5star towing tune. I tows well for what it is. Its not a diesel and if that's what your expecting you bought the wrong truck. Your truck weighs 8,000lbs + and a trailer that weighs 9,900lbs that's 17,900 with 378 CI for power. Gears would help but with a 4X4 that's probably $5K + unless you do the work yourself or you know someone. Try the tuner first you will never recoup the cost of gears.
I can go as fast as any diesel on the flats but the newer diesels will always walk away from me in the hills. Also a tuner will not help mileage at all (in less you get the economy tune which you cant tow with) in fact it slightly hurt mine.

 

You're right, 3.73 gears. Thanks!

 

Thank you very much! Nothing is better than experience. I purposely bought the gas over the diesel knowing I wouldn't be towing too often so I knew what I was getting into, just trying to improve things now.
I'll go with the tune, it's a low enough cost that it won't kill me if it doesn't help.
Next step, I know NOTHING at all about tunes. I briefly spoke with a service advisor at Ford and he said there are tunes that you can change on the fly. I guess you'd tow using the towing tune then drop the trailer and switch to an economy tune, sound right?

 

Mine isn't a change on the fly tuner. The biggest improvement for me in the 2016 I have is throttle response. Ford tuning prevents wot below a certain rpm. The tuner removes that plus changes shift points. There is some hp and torque gains but not sure how much on lower octane cause I haven't dyno proven it yet.

 

Get the SCT 5tar tuner with their tow tunes. I have the 91 and 87 octane tow tunes. I didn't find enough diffrence between the two tunes so I use the 87 octane tow tune all the time. To be able to use cheaper gas. Their is a slight power diffrence over stock but as mentioned before the shift points and throttle response make it worthwhile for me. You won't get better milage in fact my experience has been slightly lower. Probably because of the better throttle response, but drivability is so improved that it worth it for me

 

I have a similar 2016 with the 3.73. The key IMHO is keeping rpm up. Everyone is right: for towing the 4.30 is the answer but since you, me and a whole lotta us have 3.73s listen to what is working for me, try it if you like: First, you don’t have a diesel, they will outrun you on hills, flats and back to the dealership for warranty work. They will not beat you past a gas station though,lol! So, I’ve just recently returned from a camping trip to NC from my home in MS. Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Asheville. You start pretty flat but end up with some real deal “hills” so it’s a pretty fair test.
When I’m ready to roll, it’s T/H and 5,6 locked out. When I am out on the open and hit 4th I put her in manual and control the shifts myself. Most of my cruising is in 5 with downshifts to 4 for hills. On downhills I will go to 6 when drifting ( this is where I think you will pick up some mpg). Now, 5&6 are useless for power at reasonable towing speeds so use 4 and down as your “ hammer” gears. I repeat, am not pulling in 6, it is only for drifting downhill. Using this method I achieved high 8’s and low 9 mpgs handcalculated on above trip. I saw 3 a handful of times, saw 2 twice on the steepest grades( 4000-4500rpm at 45-50mph). It is a busy way to drive but it worked well for me. My TT is 7800 dry and 9000+ loaded up. I too have and am considering a gear swap BUT the 3.73 are still getting it done. When I get off the highway and/or slow down, it’s back to D and the bottom 4(with T/H of course).
Advantages to controlling the shifts? You can hold a gear a little longer with a little speed loss...Disadvantage? You can hold it too long and ol Girl will start to “wallow”. RPM is your friend and 2500+ saves the day! Every hill has a backside so power up and slide down!
No, it’s not a diesel but it’s still a very capable power plant. I do not mean to be preachy- I’m still learning about this too. This forum is great bc you can read what others are doing and try them yourself. I’ve read and hybridized what I’ve learned to fit me- Thanks Folks! Good luck and GOD Bless!

 

A regear will not cost you 5k. At least it better not. Maybe at a dealer it will but I would not have a dealer do it. Take it to a 4x4 shop or another type of shop that is familiar with ring and pinion work. On my 2015 Ram I had and got rid of I was quoted from a 4x4 shop about an hour from me 450 per axle for labor plus parts. It was going to be about 2-2500 bucks for it out the door.

 

Yeah, 5k is robbery. 18-2500 depending on area, type of fluids are going back in, and what all they replace while they are in there. Carrier bearings are expensive. With lower mileage, they can normally be reused. Hub o-rings and spindle seals are way over priced, but need to be replaced, or you will find yourself replacing them soon after. My regear was done by a reputable 4x4 shop with a one year parts and labor warranty for right at 2k.

 

Good detailed info, I really appreciate it. I did something similar to this on my last trip but I wasn't comfortable on how high to allow the RPM's to go and maintain. I worked with the manual shift but had issues with it responding timely. Something to work on, this is definitely something I'll try before going to a gear change or tuner.

 

That $5K was scaring me off a bit, thanks for the info. I'm back to the regear being a viable option. By far, most of my use is commuting to work, how much will the 4.30 effect my commuting mpg?

 

Not much, and may help around town. Your tire size plays a big factor.