I have a 2004 v8 excursion. On a recent trip to utah (we live in kentucky) I averaged about 8.5 mpg towing a ultra light travel trailer. I also had trouble keeping the truck moving around 70 mph. Is there anything I can do to improve performance?

 

cold air intake and exhaust mite open it up a lil bit helped my truck a lil but i have a v10

im not entirely sure but i think most v8 ex came with the 3.73 gears mite swap those out for some 4.30s to keep the rpms up and give you a lil more torque

 

Sell and buy diesel or V10. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

 

In Idaho the Interstate speed limit is 75 (the progressive West, like Utah, Montana, Wyoming, etc.) and I put the cruise control at 80 and get double your mileage, more if I go slower.

Listen to Scott..., except about the V-10!

 

Unlike our v-10's, you have the option of going into a supercharger or boost, because they are more readily available for the v-8's(5.4 l). The other option would be to regear. It would be cheaper to regear, but you would get more of a smile if you supercharged. <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

 

Calm down boys. Put your boners away and step back from the keyboard.


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tvdiet, how much weight total was your rig?

How many miles are on it? How long have you owned it?

When was the last time it was serviced and what was done?


Understand that you only have 255hp to drag around the same thing that we do with 60-100more hp.

 

THe 5.4 Excursions already came with 4.10 gears so going up to 4.30's may not really help mpg's as much as it helps your performance! I would install a cold air intake and exhaust system and install a supercharger and you will run pretty strong then!!

 

I have a 2000 V-10 Excursion with 3.73s and i was towing 10k lbs, and i was getting 13mpgs at 55mph. I kept my speed constant and since I have alot of power. It stayed in 4th the whole time.

The V-8 is a dog, and i have a couple in some 250 regular cabs, not a good engine for the ex.

Vance

 

mpgs...oh boy...first liar don't stand a chance on the internet...17mpgs TOWING at 80mph...

Seriously...

mpgs are VERY VERY VERY and did I say VERY liberally interpreted on the internet.

NO and I mean NO two sitations are ever the same.

Wind drag is the biggest killer over weight. And no two days will ever be the same from a wind perspective...

First of all...SLOW DOWN...why do you need to travel 70mph when towing?...ST tires (the tires on your trailer) are only speed rated to 65mph...now that doesn't mean they will explode at 66mph but they aren't designed to sustain high speeds and shed heat like regular tires...

Also the 5.4L V8 while a good motor is a little motor for this truck by itself...an Ex will weigh in at ~1500-2000#'s more than an F150 that the 5.4L is usually found in and your 5.4L is still only a 2V motor.

I've towed enough miles with my V10 to know how she reacts towing...I always know when I am figthing a headwind by how much go-pedal I have to apply...but in 20,000+ miles of towing with this Ex since 2006 I can tell you that my 'average' mpg over all those miles is 8mpg. Some tanks over 10 and others just under 7 but the AVERAGE hand calculated is 8mpg and I can show anyone the data book at Gatlinburg if they wish to see it...I even have how much per gallon I paid at that time...(yeah I'm geeky this way! )

There isn't much in the way of 'improvements' you can make to our modular gas motors...lock out OD and simply slow down and enjoy the ride.

Where are you towing at and are there lots of grades?...just curious...

Towing in Indiana is much different than Colorado or Utah for instance...I've towed all over this beautiful country...my 10 and 12 year old daughters have already been in 34 states in the Ex and counting...

And WELCOME to FTE!!!

Joe.

 

hey tv... my father in law has a 2000 expedition with the 5.7 v8 engine. for the expedition it seams to be a fine engine. i have pulled a 16 ft utility trailer loaded to the gills with his truck and it preformed fine. but my v10 EX is something else when it comes to towing my fleetwood prowler 29bh (about 7000 lbs plus 7 people). before the EX, i had a 1998 gmc suburban with a 5.7. it was a good truck, pulled the camper well. then after i bought the EX, i realized the difference. the Burb got about 10 or 11 mpg towing and the EX gets about 7 to 10 mpg, all depends on the conditions. and i have found that the EX likes the non ethanol gas better too.

 

Not quite....

4.10 gears were an option on the 5.4 engines as 4.30 gears were an option on the V10. Most 5.4 Excursions came with the factory 3.73 gears and not much more unless you ordered it or happened to luck out.

4.10 gears were what I was going to suggest regarding your towing issue. Another issue was what Ken aka Monsta brought up: when was the last time it was serviced? Something as simple as an oil change and a tune up can work wonders for power.

A buddy of mine had a 2003 Ram 1500 that ran, but not as good as it should. It got crappy mileage and would barely get out of it's own way; after I changed his plugs, Seafoamed his engine, added an S&B cold air intake, and changed the oil with fully synthetic oil, he had a brand new truck again that would seriously run.

Spend sometime below the hood of your truck, you'll be surprised as to what you can learn...

 

Prior to my Excursion - I've had 3 Expeditions with the 5.4. The first 2 (99 and 03) were the older 2v motor - 230hp and 260hp respectively. I towed with both - the 99 I towed a 24ft Sunnybrook and the 03 I towed a 29ft Sunnybrook. I could not imagine that same engine in an Excursion + trying to tow. My current Expy is an 07 and has the newer 3v motor good for 300hp. It towed my Sea Ray for a year and a half before I got the Ex but it didn't like it - especially starts with the new 6spd tranny. On all 3 trucks with various loads and conditions my towing average is 8.0-9.0 - weights ranged from 5500lbs to the current 9000lbs but mileage stayed about the same. Biggest thing you can do is slow down if mileage is a concern. Make sure all of your fluids are fresh (tranny, xfer case, axles and oil), clean air filter, check your plugs and clean your intake. Gears will most likely be your best bet - help keep the RPMs up but it wont help your mileage much. Good luck in your quest!

 

Is that all you get.

My F350 4x4 with V10 gets 95 MPG towing a 60 ton trailer, up a 42 percent grade, into a 88 MPH headwind.

And I slept at a holiday Inn last night.

 

Oh - that's no good.... if you had stayed at a Holiday Inn Express you may have moved into triple digits....

 

My trailer weighs about 4205 dry. I have only owned the truck about a year and this was the first time I pulled it 3/4 of the way across the country. the last trip was from cincinnati to st. louis. We did not do as bad on gas mileage or power as this time.