Since having my XCAL 2, I really haven't put my truck to the test. That was until today... I'm on vacation and I decided to load up the wife & bikes into a trailer (the wife got to ride in the truck, not the trailer) and drive to Asheville, NC for some two wheel fun. The trailer weighs 1300lbs, the accessories about 350lbs, 2000 VFR 515lbs, 89 Hawk GT 360lbs, bike stuff 150lbs, for a total of about 2700lbs. The truck has the XCAL 2, Gibson SISO 3" SS exhaust, AF1 intake & a 3.55LS axle.

I started in NJ with the 87 towing tune. I drove the PA turnpike to I-81. I-81 is fairly straight with some decent elevation changes. The truck felt very labored towing this trailer on these elevation changes. It kept shifting in and out of OD, torqued converter kept unlocking, etc. I was not impressed. I finished the day in Roanoke, VA. I got a disappointing 12.6 MPG over 440 miles. I had the cruise control set at 5 mph over whatever the speed limit was. I wasn't very happy with the results so when we stopped for the night, I loaded up the 93 towing tune.

Holy Sh$t!!! what a difference... No more bogging down and shifting in & out of OD. When pulling out from a stop, it PULLED. To really put it to the test, I decided to jump on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Anyone familiar with this road knows that it changes elevation from between 2000 ft to 5800 ft. It's maximum speed limit is 45mph. I had trouble keeping up that speed only in places where the grade was in the neighborhood in the 20%+ range. In fact, I was more limited by going around turns than I was maintaining speed. I was on a roller coaster of a road and managed to get 13.5mpg. That right there sold me on the XCAL 2. I was extremely happy with it before, now I'm thrilled.

If I haven't said this before, I'll say it now... The Ford 5.4 V8 sucks for towing... That's right, I said it... The 5.4 SUCKS for towing. I have almost $1200 of go fast goodies on my truck and it still doesn't tow a LESS THAN 3000lb trailer without difficulty. I can't even begin to imagine what the drive would have been like without the aftermarket stuff on my truck. I guess I'm going to start looking for a diesel. Hopefully the rumors of the V6 TD in the F150 will come true. If the V6 TD indeed shows up in the F150, you can rest assured I will be the first in line in NJ to get one... To give credit where it's due, when we dropped the trailer at the B&B the truck was VERY entertaining to drive with the 93 towing tune.

Pics will be posted when I get home.

KC-10 FE out...

 

I'll agree that the 5.4 sucks for towing, but then I'm pulling 6,000lbs of boat, trailer and gear with no mods. 3,000lbs should be no challenge at all. BTW, you should just turn off OD when towing, unless you are very flat roads. I doubt you'll see any difference in mileage.

 

I tow a 6500# 24 ' boat on a trailer up here in Alaska over some rough roads. My truck not only tows great, but last time I towed I passed a couple Chevy's that were not towing. The engine and transmission did great, the only drawback is that I have the supercab with the short bed, so there was a little sway doing 68 mph around big corners.

Just my 2 cents, but I have ridden with a buddy towing my boat with his 5.3L 1500 HD crewcab GMC and it sucked the big one. Had no power going up the hills.

Anyways, I have true dual 3" now and AF1 (which I have not towed with either on the truck yet) and am getting the XCAL 2 whenever Mike finish the tunes.

Peace out.

 

I pull a 3000 lb. plus boat to and from the river here is SoCal up and over some pretty steep grades and across the desert. Been towing it from the first week, didnt know that i was supposed to break it in, but its been towing great, 65 MPH at 3500 RPM on the steepest grades. In fact I have to get out of the gas for some of the turn. Only get about 12.5 MPG on these trips though.

 

For the guys who think the 5.4 sucks for towing may I suggest a Volvo Semi with a 500hp Cat engine

 

I don't know what people expect when towing. Even 3,000 pounds is over a 50% increase in vehicle mass. How can you not expect the vehicle to be impacted? I just pulled a 2,000 lb tent trailer all over the rocky mountains with no issues whatsoever. And then I pulled it all the way home (relatively flat) at 70 mph in 5th gear. All that and 17 mpg for the trip. All this is with a 4.2L. Are your expectations realistic when questioning the F150's ability to tow? Personally I'm not expecting to mimic Kimi Raikkonen in his McLaren. Not flaming anyone; just saying it is perhaps a matter of expectations and need for speed.

 

I've been towing my TT for over 9,000 miles of the total 19,500 miles I have on my 2004 F-150. I did the first 3500 miles on a stock tune (Not bad but not super either). After getting my 91 Tow/perf tune it was a different ball game. Here in California its 55 mph for towing but I can keep up with the rest of the traffic if need be. Total weight is about 6500# with TT and gear.

I ALWAYS drop out of OD when on uneven ground and use it on the flats only. Last trip to Oregon my mileage averaged 14/14.5 and that was up HWY 395, not on the interstates. I do believe my 4:10 gears help mucho plus with my long wheelbase I don't have the tail wagging the dog, 2004 F-150 XL Supercab w/longbed 163' WB.

Granted, if I were to upgrade to a larger, heavier TT I would be driving something like a 250 or 350. Sometimes we expect too much so you got to be realistic. Get the right animal to do the job you require.

 

Ham Radio,
I drive/tow a similar stretch of hwy you stated you frequent also. Just this past weekend I drove the 14 and 395 a round trip distance of about 700 miles, towing a tent trailer, which i dont know the weight of, although it is a larger one made by colman.

From home (in Santa Clarita) to Bishop i averaged 16.6 MPG;
Then from Bishop to Mammoth (a 3500 ft elevation gain) around mammoth for 3 days including some use of 4WD and back to Bishop I averaged 15.1 MPG;
Then on the final leg of the journey from bishop to home i averaged 17.4MPG.

My speeds were kept constant on the first and third legs, primarly on the 395 at around 65 mph. Side note: In May i got popped by a CHP on the 395 going 80 mph while towing, so yea to say the least i go as slow as possible now (65ish).

I am still waiting on the XCAL2 which should also hopefully help me a tad with gas milage.
OVERALL, the 2004 F-150 tows very nicely and i am pleased with it's performance.

 

None taken. I had a wake up call as far as expectations go, when I tried to tow my boat to San Vicente reservoir. I knew it was a steep grade, but I never thought twice about the truck making it. Well, I did not make it up the hill. The truck litterally stopped and would not go forward at all, and I had to back down. Not fun. I'm sure if I had put it in 1st and kept the RPMs at 4000 all the way up, I would have made it, but there are some hairpin turns that I wouldn't want to take over about 20 - 25 mph. My buddy is a ranger there and sees people get stuck all the time, so it is a tough hill. Unless I re-gear, I won't be going there. IMHO, 6,000lbs is too much for my truck, but it's all I have, so I'll just stay away from ultra steep grades.

 

In reading your posts, I am amazed at the gas mileage you all are getting while towing. I tow a 21' boat to Mexico from the Phoenix area and I average about 7-8 mpg. No tunes, just stock with the 3.53 rear end. My boat weighs maybe 4,000 lbs. When not towing I hang around the 15 mpg area. It tows pretty well but there are only slight grades and I run at about 75 mph. Could the 75 mph be the reason?

 

My 2004 5.4 3.73 pulls my boat up that grade no problem in fact I usually have to get out of the gas at the last sharp turn. Boat is not quite as heavy as yours, about 4500 lbs but the truck does great, even on trips to the river and back.

 

Sounds like your doing just fine on the mileage. Hate to think what that ticket cost ya! I try and keep my speed at 60 or under most of the time. I pulled the grade north of Bishop at 60/65 last October without any trouble. That is up to Sherwin Summit I believe. My mileage is a bit lower than yours but probably due to my 4.10 gears. I run that 395 every now and then for my company and the CHP is all over it.

Leaving on that route in about a week and a half towing again and I now have a few additional mods in place. So I am looking forward to see how everything works.
Added underdrives and e-fans since last year.

When I get where I am going I up the tune to 91 perf and enjoy driving around without the TT. Man, the next week is gona just crawl by!

This vacation is overdue.

 

i have a 2004 ford 150, build date after feb 2004, i towed a mustang convertible from cincinatti ohio to cartersville georgia, i averaged 12-13 mpg at 80, in third gear, those inclines through jellico i never had a problem, io even passed people at 85 not even a whimper from this truck.

 

OK, just got back from my trip to the mountains of NC... While I do not question anyones motives, seems that others question mine...

What a complete disappointment with my truck, 2005 Lariat, 2WD, 5.4, 3.55LS. A 2700lb trailer was almost to much for this thing to handle. What do I expect someone asked What I expect from my truck and Ford is the truth. If my truck is rated to tow 8700lbs, it should be able to tow less than a 1/3 of that without trying. It's a shame to say, but this truck, meaning the F150 doesn't tow worth a sh$t. My old 91 Chevy with 195hp would pull circles around my 300hp + $1200 of aftermarket performance mods F150. You can question my intentions but you cannot question my results. I have several witnesses who will attest to the lack of towing prowess of my vehicle. My wife was in the truck for the entire trip both way and she even commented several times about how gutless this truck was pulling up hills and such. The funny part, she doesn't know thing one about towing or tow ratings, etc... Maybe there is something wrong with my particular vehicle, I don't know. I will say this, there is NO WAY a F150, 2WD, 5.4, 3.55LS can pull a 8700lb trailer with out blowing up. I will not beleive this for one minute until I witness it with my own eyes. Several people responded saying they tow this and that at 80mph, no sweat. That's great, but I won't believe that until I see it. I plan on going to the local dealer on Monday to inquire about F250 PSD's. I really shouldn't have to do that to pull a 3000lb trailer.

While I'm very satisfied with the vehicle in almost every respect otherwise, I could not recommend this vehicle as a tow vehicle to anyone in good conscience. Tow and fuel economy are the two biggest disappointments I have with it.

One interesting thing to note: I gained almost 2 MPG by towing with the cruise control OFF. This is the first and only vehicle I've ever owned that got better gas mileage with the CC off. I got 12.6 on the CC and 14.4 off the CC. Interesting...

Pics will be in my gallery shortly.

KC-10 FE out...

 

Maybe you had the parking brake set?