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2021 PowerBoost and Towing... Terrible MPG while towing

jmsanchez85

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This week I had a 12 foot closed box trailer hitched up to my new KR V6 Eco/PowerBoost and let’s just say my eyes popped out of my head when I realized a refuel was needed far sooner than both my 2001 Lariat and 2011 Lariat V8. I used the drive mode selector and chose tow mode which didn’t seem to help MPG much at all. I drove a total of about 200 miles before it was time to refuel. Anybody else experiencing shockingly low MPG while in tow? Any tips?
I know this truck is far more powerful off the line and tows like a dream handling wise, but this MPG decrease has me a bit disappointed.
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JCU Delt Ox

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Not much you can do. A smallish v6 will be pushing boost almost the entire time you’re towing. Boost means more fuel, more fuel means less MPG.
 

150ish

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Speed and acceleration are huge factors. There's a lot that goes into improving towing fuel economy.
 

John_C

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Not much you can do. A smallish v6 will be pushing boost almost the entire time you’re towing. Boost means more fuel, more fuel means less MPG.
Not in my case. I pulled a flatbed trailer with a mini excavator a couple weeks ago (about 9,000 pounds), and I couldn't believe how much gas I had to give it to get it to build boost. I thought it would be all boost all the time but I was shocked. I could easily tow it around town and build no boost.
 

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Rich1982

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Not in my case. I pulled a flatbed trailer with a mini excavator a couple weeks ago (about 9,000 pounds), and I couldn't believe how much gas I had to give it to get it to build boost. I thought it would be all boost all the time but I was shocked. I could easily tow it around town and build no boost.
I think wind/air resistance seems to make a bigger difference in MPG's (very small data set)
 

John_C

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I think wind/air resistance seems to make a bigger difference in MPG's (very small data set)
I agree with this, especially with the common trailer type being a travel trailer.
 

daemonic3

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Yep. Just increasing from my comfortable 60mph to something like 63mph mine will enter boost. If I keep it locked at 60mph and 7th gear the boost meter stays 0. If I allow 8th, it enters boost a tiny bit and gets less mpg even though the RPM's are 2.3 in 7th and 1.9 in 8th.

Everyone will have a different wind resistance and trailer weight so it all varies but the original poster can try playing with upper gear lockouts and varying speed, and using the Trip meter on flat ground for testing.
 

don.mullins

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I am still pretty low on mileage towing, but so far I am happy. I tend to pull @ 65 MPH on the highway - and I know the MPG curve drops quick when towing.

I am getting 10 MPG pulling a 30’ 7600# travel trailer. My ‘02 F250 7.3 Powerstroke got 8 MPG with the same trailer at the same speeds.
 

col

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I recall seeing someone else post about manually selecting gears while towing to get better gas mileage. Are you selecting 7th or just controlling through throttle? Any other speed/gear combo you've seen work better for MPG?


Yep. Just increasing from my comfortable 60mph to something like 63mph mine will enter boost. If I keep it locked at 60mph and 7th gear the boost meter stays 0. If I allow 8th, it enters boost a tiny bit and gets less mpg even though the RPM's are 2.3 in 7th and 1.9 in 8th.

Everyone will have a different wind resistance and trailer weight so it all varies but the original poster can try playing with upper gear lockouts and varying speed, and using the Trip meter on flat ground for testing.
 

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uavmx

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I was also not happy getting 6-8mpg on my 24ft TT. My grand Cherokee got 10+ on the same trailer. Hoping it was the engine not being broken in and headwinds that screwed me. Will be towing the same route next weekend, so we'll see if it improves
 

ricko24

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About 10 trips pulling my 3500# AIrstream...getting about 11-12 mpg in tow haul mode and about 14-15 in normal mode. Relatively flat driving mostly. Our V8 X5 was getting 10-12 depending on destination. Using 93 octane fuel on both...not sure that makes a difference or not.
 

uavmx

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Yep. Just increasing from my comfortable 60mph to something like 63mph mine will enter boost. If I keep it locked at 60mph and 7th gear the boost meter stays 0. If I allow 8th, it enters boost a tiny bit and gets less mpg even though the RPM's are 2.3 in 7th and 1.9 in 8th.

Everyone will have a different wind resistance and trailer weight so it all varies but the original poster can try playing with upper gear lockouts and varying speed, and using the Trip meter on flat ground for testing.
So the idea is keep it out of boost and it does that in lower gears with higher RPM?
 
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jmsanchez85

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Thanks for the insights here... this is a lot of information and also shows areas I can explore to increase MPG while in tow.
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