Hot windy day towing

par Dave_Anne 2020-07-29, 18:59

Sold our 2009 F150, now pulling with a 2016, 5.0l V8. Usual mileage when towing is around 14-16l/100k if we keep the speed under 100. It was so hot last Sunday and very windy en-route to Round Lake that the weatherstripping that fills the seams on both sides of the front of the trailer became super soft in the 37c temp and the strong winds dislodged both from their tracks. I noticed them flapping in the mirrors, stopped and replaced them (good thing I'm tall). I slowed down a bit and we were fine but the fuel consumption when loaded in a strong headwind on such a hot day was awful, 20l/100k. I honestly preferred the older truck for towing, it was all steel (this one is aluminum) and the older 5.4 motor developed torque at a lower rpm. The new 5l has the same axle, tires and transmission and often downshifts to 5th or 4th for small grades. More power than the older motor but it needs more rpm to do so and fuel economy suffers. I'm going to borrow a friends truck who has the 2.7 EcoBoost to see how it tows but I doubt the towing mileage will be any better with the turbos spinning! Stay safe!

par Caroline et Denis 2020-07-30, 08:48

Hi

Proud owner of an xtreme, it’s nice to see that even the bigger trucks still struggle when towing. Hot windy day towing 1f600

And your right, below 100km makes a big difference on gas. Towing is not a easy task. This was my first summer with my xtreme and I had to try different things for a comfortable ride. Plus, I learned not to use my cruise control in country roads, not a good thing for the motor. Embarassed

(lol) I had a Plus S pulled by a CRV for 5 years and loved every moment, even if the CRV was limit, it still did the job. Like someone told me, drive intelligently and everything should be ok. And again, wind, rain and heat are a bad combination for a trailer and gas mileage. Take care and hope to see you on one of the forum gathering.

Have a safe and nice summer

par Dave_Anne 2020-07-30, 09:14

Our drive home was much better, only 28c and no wind. Wind is the biggest issue, the truck is rated to pull over 9k but the wind is a huge limiting factor for fuel economy. I only use cruise on relatively flat roads, otherwise the truck tow/haul mode doesn't take advantage of gravity going down hills and will accelerate harder than required to climb uphill. I learned to drive in an old 40hp VW Beetle, you need to take advantage of the downhill grades to keep your speed going uphill!

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Hot windy day towing

Hot windy day towing

Re: Hot windy day towing

Re: Hot windy day towing