Picked up a f150 supercrew about a month ago(5.4 lariat 69k miles) so I could tow my Jeep. I hooked it up for the first time this weekend and was stunned. I averaged about 8.5mpg for the trip, mostly interstate. My Jeep and trailer together weigh about 6,000#'s. I ran between 70 and 75. The truck idles flawlessly, pulls great, so there is no hint that there is a problem with this engine but can this be possible. One of my Jeeping friends has a 36' motorhome with a v-10 that he flat-tows his jeep behind, he gets 8mpg. Should I be getting the same gas milage as a 36foot motorhome with a v-10....ouch. Can anyone tell me if this is normal...what should I expect for the f150, and should I sell this and buy a diesel immediately.

To make matters worse, I come from a Chevy family. To buy a Ford is to be ridiculed for life. Well I did it, and have even recieved some compliments, though tough to come by. I have to literally force them to even test drive the truck. Then my cousin, who accompanied me on the Jeep trip, calculated our milage. He ran the numbers twice(thinking there was an error) and then busted out laughing. I can still hear him say 8.46 mpg ha ha ha, snort.

Help.

Darren

 

I have been towing a 2800 lb car on a 1500 lb car hauler back and forth from Michigan to Florida for five years and average about 12 mpg, even through the mountains. I occasionally have towed a boat and trailer rig that weighs about 6500 lbs and has a much higher profile (parachute affect), and get 8 to 9 when I haul it. My truck is a 98 F150 SC 4X4 3.55 rear end, stock 265/70r/17 tires. The only upgrade was a K&N filter.

I have recently upgraded the exhaust with Gibson headers and a flowmaster 40 catback with 3" pipes, but have not towed yet so don't know if I gained anything.

 

Yes, pulling that kind of load down the hwy at 70-75 mph will kill your mpgs....especially with OD locked out.

Keep your speeds in the 55-65mph range, and I'll bet that you do a lot better.

I dont mean to sound like a jerk, but, towing that kind of weight at those speeds can be very dangerous when you consider that your ~5400lb truck has to stop 11400 lbs if your trailer brakes aren't working properly.

I would be surprised if your friend is getting that kind of mpg doing the kind of speeds you were.

BTW, welcome to FTE!