Just got back from 1st trip with 07' F150 4.6L -Not Impressed with towing

[geeper]

Hi,
We just got back in from our camping trip with our pop-up camper and i was to say the least "very unimpressed" with the 4.6L towing ability. I have an 07' Super Cab FX2 2wd with the 4.6L V8 and 3.55 ratio axle. The truck would constantly down shift at any hint of a hill or if I tried to go over 60mph. I tried to run out of D and put it in 2, but the rpms were way too high at speed. The worst thing was the fuel mileage which was only 12mpg! This makes me want my old Chevy back! I was only pulling 2,500-3,000lbs and the truck acted as if I had it chained to a tree. The majority of the trip was flat to moderate grades until I got within the last 25 miles of my destination.
Is this normal? I can't see how Ford can say this truck is capable of 6,500lbs towing if it had this much trouble at half that weight. I had the tires pumped to max on the truck and the camper and had the truck serviced just before the trip as well. I only have 8,200 miles on the truck anyway. If this is what the 4.6L is all about, I guess I need a 5.4L then. Is there any really good upgrades that I can do to make the 4.6 more like the 5.4 and it's towing ability?
Thanks,LB

[dirt bike dave]

What size tires do you have?

Was the weather hot and humid? Windy?

Besides the load you were towing, did you have alot of weight in the cab and bed?

What exactly were you towing? Did it have lots of wind resistance?

FWIW, the max towing figures are often a bit of a fiction. If you crunch the numbers and look at axle maxs, gross combined weight, etc... to tow the rated max allowable you almost need no other load, 1/8 tank of gas in the tank and a 100 lb. driver, lol. It's all about the marketing.

[scott1981]

You have economy gears and not towing gears. To help get a CIA & Tuner to bump your numbers up a bit. Also going to 2nd is overkill, just take the truck out of overdrive and use third gear.

The 4.6 is the smallest motor available for that truck so it is not going to be a rocket. Let it come out of OD on the hills and slip into third. The 4.6 needs to sing a bit to make the power and the sweet spot of 2500-3k is where you would be if you took the truck out of OD.

The hot air also really effects how this motor puts power down, wait till its 40 degrees then tow and it will act like a whole different truck. Like I mentioned though a tuner through PHP, VMP or Troyer with a towing tune will make a huge difference.

[azmidget91]

didnt know the fx2 came with a 4.6

[BigMan]

You should have got the 5.4. I towed a 24' travel trailer that weighed roughly 6000lbs and I was running 70mph easily like it barely was there. I left it in overdrive and it pulled fine. But I have better gearing and a bigger motor.

[Smokewagun]

Originally Posted by BigMan

You should have got the 5.4. I towed a 24' travel trailer that weighed roughly 6000lbs and I was running 70mph easily like it barely was there. I left it in overdrive and it pulled fine. But I have better gearing and a bigger motor.

Well, i'm guessing you never towed with a diesel before. I've been too busy to tell my tale about my first towing experience with my 2008 KR Supercrew about three weeks ago, so here goes.

Our trailer is about 6,000# on average, a 27 foot Jayco Hybrid. I installed VMP's tow tune and couldn't get the load above 45mph. Justin was nice and rewrote the tune which helped a bit, but my overall impression of the F-150 towing has nothing to do with a custom tune as I run the stock tune for towing now.

I knew I was gambling going to an F-150 from my 2007 F-250 smoker, but the company made the decision and I'll live with it. Anyway, after I switched to the stock tune towing our trailer with this F-150, I didn't notice much difference from the VMP tune. Sinve I'm waiting for Troyer tunes, too, and I bought upgrade parts from them, I even called them to ask if I taking a big hit in the power department because of the AF1 and MBRP SIDO I installed. Stupid I know, but I was shocked. There was that much shock over what I used to experience with a diesel. The F-150 rides better with the load, but the "out of the hole" power absolutely stinks. You need a looooooong on-ramp to even access the interstate. Passing? Forget it. I know there is alot of wind drag, but I couldn't believe how powerless the 5.4L actually was. There is no way on this earth I would attempt to even come close to the specified tow ratings Ford posts for this vehicle for safety reasons alone. Don't get me wrong... the ride is nice, but I'm just not used to the hesitation, the upshift/downshift, the lack of low end moving power, and the squishy feel from the F-150's soft suspension.

Now, before some of you get your panties in a wad, I have "adjusted" since my first tow. I leave larger gaps, take more time entering the on ramps, and don't expect to get there as quickly. The truck does pull okay after the load is moving, and will keep up with traffic on the interstate at 62mph just fine. I run with the O/D on until the truck tells me it doesn't like it, or when I anticipate a hill or grade coming. I watch the ScanGuageII, and I average about 195 degrees coolant temp when it's 85 degrees out and the intake air is close to 98 degrees. The transmission temps rarely approach 200 degrees, and usually average about 178 to 180 degrees. All this at about 11-12mpg, too. That says all seems to be working fine. I just needed to make a MAJOR change in my driving style and expectations. Had I never pulled our trailer with a diesel before, I'd have nothing to talk about. I do remember hooking up to the trailer with the diesel for the first time after selling our pop-up. There, too, I noticed a BIG difference even in the diesel's performance - from 3,000# to 6,000#.

For the twelve times a year I tow our flying brick, and the other six times I haul a 3,200# landscape trailer, the F-150 is fine. I'm just not getting all warm and fuzzy over what some seem to think is "an easy tow". Hopefully the 2009's will earn better bragging rights. It's pretty reasonable in my mind that if I pulled more than I do a season and if I kept a truck longer than I do, the wear and tear would undoubtedly begin to show alot sooner than any 3/4 ton. The F-150 works fine for a weekend warrior, but anyone seriously considering towing in the 6k+ weight range on a "more often" basis might consider a larger rig.

[Lee F.]

Originally Posted by geeper

Hi,
The truck would constantly down shift at any hint of a hill or if I tried to go over 60mph. I tried to run out of D and put it in 2, but the rpms were way too high at speed.

I didn't see any mention of OD - I have a 5.4 FX4 SCAB and while I don't know about the 4.6, I do pull a pop-up with no problem. In the hilly country it might hunt in and out of OD, in which case I just turn the OD switch off, and the revs are fine. I've gotten 16 mpg pulling the pop-up, with a front mount bike rack and three bicycles providing extra wind resistance up front.

Were you turning OD off or really shifing into 2nd?

[ohmyf150]

Originally Posted by Smokewagun

I even called them to ask if I taking a big hit in the power department because of the AF1 and MBRP SIDO I installed.

I tow about the same weight as you and with the Magnaflow Catback on, mine was terrible towing. I put the stock exhaust on and the truck tows waaay better. No it won't be like the diesel you had but it has much more low end torque with the OE exhaust. I could not tow before in OD without alot of gear hunting but now it tows it in OD torque converter locked easily.

Let us know if your custom tunes help out with the low end torque loss.

[geeper]

Originally Posted by dirt bike dave

What size tires do you have?

I have the stock FX2 pkg 18" tires, not sure what exact size right off


Was the weather hot and humid? Windy?


Temp in mid 80's, moderate humidity,slight wind


Besides the load you were towing, did you have alot of weight in the cab and bed?

Nothing in the bed,everything was in pop-up camper. I am figuring my weight of 3,000lbs max including passengers and all gear since the camper is just over 2,000lbs dry.


What exactly were you towing? Did it have lots of wind resistance?

I was towing an 18' Aliner Expedition pop-up camper like this:
I don't think it has much wind resistance since it is folded flat when towing.

FWIW, the max towing figures are often a bit of a fiction. If you crunch the numbers and look at axle maxs, gross combined weight, etc... to tow the rated max allowable you almost need no other load, 1/8 tank of gas in the tank and a 100 lb. driver, lol. It's all about the marketing.

Just not exactly what I was expecting from the truck as far as towing goes.

[geeper]

Originally Posted by azmidget91

didnt know the fx2 came with a 4.6

Yep, I have the Super Cab 5 1/2' bed with 4.6L V8

[geeper]

Originally Posted by Lee F.

I didn't see any mention of OD - I have a 5.4 FX4 SCAB and while I don't know about the 4.6, I do pull a pop-up with no problem. In the hilly country it might hunt in and out of OD, in which case I just turn the OD switch off, and the revs are fine. I've gotten 16 mpg pulling the pop-up, with a front mount bike rack and three bicycles providing extra wind resistance up front.

I only have D, 2, 1 on my shift indicator. No OD or no OD switch that I know of. It is an 07' year with the console shifter.


Were you turning OD off or really shifing into 2nd?

I actually shifted down to "2"

[geeper]

Originally Posted by scott1981

You have economy gears and not towing gears. To help get a CIA & Tuner to bump your numbers up a bit. Also going to 2nd is overkill, just take the truck out of overdrive and use third gear.

The 4.6 is the smallest motor available for that truck so it is not going to be a rocket. Let it come out of OD on the hills and slip into third. The 4.6 needs to sing a bit to make the power and the sweet spot of 2500-3k is where you would be if you took the truck out of OD.

The hot air also really effects how this motor puts power down, wait till its 40 degrees then tow and it will act like a whole different truck. Like I mentioned though a tuner through PHP, VMP or Troyer with a towing tune will make a huge difference.

I am not really totally downing the truck. So don't get me wrong, I LOVE it! It just let me down when towing. The salesman told me that the 4.6L would do great for my needs when they actually had 5.4L trucks just like mine as well. I would have went the extra few dollars if it would have made that much difference. I have a friend who went through the same thing with his 07' Dodge Ram 1500 4.7L V8. He wished that he would have went with the Hemi 5.7L. I drove a 4.8L Chevy Silverado and it felt sick to start with, so I marked it off my list quickly. The F150 I have actually felt very peppy on the test drive, so I figured it would be fine for me. I am definitely going to investigate doing some power upgrades or maybe trading the truck for a 5.4L just like this one. Thanks

[the4by4freek]

It has an OD off button. They have not changed the trans since the 04's. You should have a button on your console that says OD off. It will also illuminate a light on the dash. I only use 2nd if I am in a steep grade going up or down.... it works well both ways.

[Budha05STX]

Originally Posted by azmidget91

didnt know the fx2 came with a 4.6

The majority of the Fx2's on the 5-6 dealer's lots around here have the 4.6L.

Scratch that, all of the FX2's on the 5-6 dealer's lots are 4.6's.

[Paralyzer]

your od off button is on the shifter...