Seriously! 9mpg towing 2,500# 7x16 trailer?

[Outrun]

I have a 7x16 trailer dual axle. I was pulling it with an F150 but it was just to much for it. So, I upgraded my truck. I got a used 2008 F250 Lariat with the 6.4.

Without the trailer I was getting about 17 to 19 on the highway and about 10 to 14 in the city. For the first time today I decided to take the truck and trailer out to see how it would do on about 4 miles on the freeway. What a joke!!!

I reached 70 and put it on cruise. Reset the avg mpg. It read about 9mpg by the time I exited. When I came back the same way I reset the mpg and the same thing. I don't even have the trailer loaded yet. The boost is around 1/4 to half and it is windy. Not sure how much wind plays into it.

Is this normal?

Thanks, Jason

[713Diesel]

Sounds about right for a stock truck based on what I have seen other folks post. I have been tuned and deleted since 5k mi so I do not have any real world knowledge.

[Outrun]

Originally Posted by 713Diesel

Sounds about right for a stock truck based on what I have seen other folks post. I have been tuned and deleted since 5k mi so I do not have any real world knowledge.

Does tuning significantly help? I would rather tune than have to do physical mods.

[713Diesel]

It will. I never towed any significant weight after my tune with my stock wheels and tires so I wouldn't be the guy to say what you can expect.

[dieselmatt]

That wind played a significant role in your MPGs because of the enclosed trailer. If you tune and delete you will see an improvement.

[blackcloud2k]

Wind is a huge factor. If you were pulling 10-15 lbs of boost the whole time that is going to eat fuel. Keep boost and RPM's in check and you will see much better MPG's. Tune it and it will get even better.

[Outrun]

Thanks for the info. I have seen so many tuners. They are not cheap that is for sure. Is the dpf the thing on the exhaust?

[Honey Badger]

Also keep in mind, you're basing your results off the Lie-o-meter. Even though those numbers don't seem to be too far off.
But like others have said, wind is a HUGE factor.

[XPLOSIV]

Yes, I'm tuned and deleted. With that being said, I know other guys that do better, but I pull a 13k 35 ft goose neck and am lifted 6" with 37" mud terrains and still get10 MPG hand calculated. You can't trust the lie-o-meter too much. You're probably getting worse. Mines is usually 3-4 MPG high from what I'm actually getting.

So, yes, to get much better mileage and performance you should be tuned and deleted. And agreeing with the above post, strong winds can make a huge difference when your essentially driving a big sail.

Check out the performance section. There are a lot of good reads. And welcome to the forum.

[69Stang]

I just towed my 32' 7500lb trailer about 750 miles and averaged 10 MPG. I was hoping for more, but it towed great. I'm thinking it's more wind resistance then weight when it comes to these trucks towing.