2025 KR PowerBoost towing engine temps

[bpesch59]

First time towing with this new rig. 2025 F150 KR 5.5bed FX4 with tow/haul package and 3.73 electronic locker and 7,400# GVWR package. Towing a 2 horse slant load Sundowner horse trailer. The trailer dry weights about 3,000 pounds, was hauling about 1,000 pounds of hay and it has 500 pounds of gear in the front tack room so 4,500 pounds total. It is a two axle, electric brake rig.

When towing, loaded with the hay the water temp rose to 224 degrees on the highway, doing 65 mph, it seemed to want to go higher this was only a 15 mile trip so I could not run it longer. Oil temp was 210. This seems high to me, all my other trucks ran 200 degrees maybe 205 Max. Truck is new, break-in with 800-ish miles on it. (Yes I know lots of people say not to tow until well over 1K on it… I subscribe to the break it in like you will use it camp…)

What are other people seeing in terms of water and oil temps? Appreciate the feedback.

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[Iron Mike]

First time towing with this new rig. 2025 F150 KR 5.5bed FX4 with tow/haul package and 3.73 electronic locker and 7,400# GVWR package. Towing a 2 horse slant load Sundowner horse trailer. The trailer dry weights about 3,000 pounds, was hauling about 1,000 pounds of hay and it has 500 pounds of gear in the front tack room so 4,500 pounds total. It is a two axle, electric brake rig.

When towing, loaded with the hay the water temp rose to 224 degrees on the highway, doing 65 mph, it seemed to want to go higher this was only a 15 mile trip so I could not run it longer. Oil temp was 210. This seems high to me, all my other trucks ran 200 degrees maybe 205 Max. Truck is new, break-in with 800-ish miles on it. (Yes I know lots of people say not to tow until well over 1K on it… I subscribe to the break it in like you will use it camp…)

What are other people seeing in terms of water and oil temps? Appreciate the feedback.

I am towing about 6000 pounds and those numbers you reported are about exactly what I was running. I was a little concerned at first, but they would fluctuate depending on the terrain. 2024 XLT power boost with 3.73 years. My last trip was about 300 miles total. Gas mileage was about 11 mpg‘s.

 

[Mancerator]

My 2023 Lariat 3.5 PB Hybrid is similarly equiped for towing and is used to tow a recently acquired Featherlite BP, 3 horse, slant weighing 4,100 empty. You are easily within the trucks capability! Was your transmission in "tow/haul" mode? The attached picture was taken today as my daughter came off the hiway to a stoplight while towing the empty trailer home from being serviced. See the trailer icon in the lower left corner of screen and the explanation below from a Google search.

In a 2025 Ford F-150, "Trailer Mode," or Tow/Haul mode, optimizes performance for towing and hauling by adjusting the transmission for more torque, using engine braking on descents, and managing transmission heat to provide better control and reduce wear on your vehicle's components. This mode is essential for safely carrying heavy loads, offering enhanced control on hills by preventing the transmission from constantly shifting gears and by using engine braking to slow the truck down.

 

[FaaWrenchBndr]

First time towing with this new rig. 2025 F150 KR 5.5bed FX4 with tow/haul package and 3.73 electronic locker and 7,400# GVWR package. Towing a 2 horse slant load Sundowner horse trailer. The trailer dry weights about 3,000 pounds, was hauling about 1,000 pounds of hay and it has 500 pounds of gear in the front tack room so 4,500 pounds total. It is a two axle, electric brake rig.

When towing, loaded with the hay the water temp rose to 224 degrees on the highway, doing 65 mph, it seemed to want to go higher this was only a 15 mile trip so I could not run it longer. Oil temp was 210. This seems high to me, all my other trucks ran 200 degrees maybe 205 Max. Truck is new, break-in with 800-ish miles on it. (Yes I know lots of people say not to tow until well over 1K on it… I subscribe to the break it in like you will use it camp…)

What are other people seeing in terms of water and oil temps? Appreciate the feedback.

Completely normal temps…..these trucks are designed to run warmer.

 

[Goldeneye36]

Those temps are in the normal operating range for these trucks, though slightly on the high side. As long as they didn't go too much higher I wouldn't worry a ton. For comparison, I recently did a 12-hour drive towing a u-haul 6x12 that weighed slightly more than 4k. I'm not sure how the dimensions compare to your trailer though.

I didn't record what my max temps were as I was more focused on mpg but IIRC I normally see 190-200 on coolant and right at 200 for both oil and trans temps when unloaded. During the drive I don't recall the coolant going higher than maybe 217 and the oil was hovering around 210 I believe. Trans might have been around 220 max but slightly less most of the time. I used tow/haul the whole time and locked out 9th/10th (and occasionally 8th) for pretty much the whole trip to minimize boost. The truck had no issues cruising around at roughly 2k-2.2k RPM with low/no boost for the entire 12hr trip.

 

[bpesch59]

Appreciate the feedback, I was in tow haul mode, picture below is not the highest temp reached but shows the trucks read-out.

I have been watching the temps in normal driving and this truck does not get to temp and stay there but “hunts” from the 190’s to the 220’s all the time goes up under acceleration and load and then back down when just cruising. Every other car or truck I have owned gets to temp and stays there. This seems odd to me like the thermostat is not working properly…

 

[firefightingjosh]

I think our t-stats also don't fully open until around 218 or so. So seeing temps a bit above that isn't overly concerning. Back with my old 1ton ram, i'd be pulling over if I had engine temps or trans temps in the 220* range. Those days are gone, todays oils and engine designs have no issue running well over 230* (oil, coolant, trans). As much as it still bothers me to see those temps, there is no real need to worry unless you see above about 240*. Obviously if its 15* out and you are simply running to get grocery and see 230* something is amiss, but towing or working it especially in warmer weather those temps aren't much of a worry.

 

[Davexxxx]

My 2023 Lariat 3.5 PB Hybrid is similarly equiped for towing and is used to tow a recently acquired Featherlite BP, 3 horse, slant weighing 4,100 empty. You are easily within the trucks capability! Was your transmission in "tow/haul" mode? The attached picture was taken today as my daughter came off the hiway to a stoplight while towing the empty trailer home from being serviced. See the trailer icon in the lower left corner of screen and the explanation below from a Google search.

In a 2025 Ford F-150, "Trailer Mode," or Tow/Haul mode, optimizes performance for towing and hauling by adjusting the transmission for more torque, using engine braking on descents, and managing transmission heat to provide better control and reduce wear on your vehicle's components. This mode is essential for safely carrying heavy loads, offering enhanced control on hills by preventing the transmission from constantly shifting gears and by using engine braking to slow the truck down.

My temps generally look like yours. 12:00-1:00 but the last towing trip, numbers came on beneath them, even though the indicators were as you show, nowhere near redline.

I knew they could be enabled with Forscan but I've never done that. Thought it might be a new feature via OTA but doesn't appear to be the case.

Snake posited that they only come on during an overheat but they were white, not red (Hear that Ford?).

I wish I could remember the conditions. Probably out west, possibly in the mountains but I don't remember it being anything extreme, or that the truck hadn't already handled easily. I might have thought more toward them being a warning if it had been.

I also wish I could recall the numbers but don't. I'll know to pay better attention to them next time. In either case, they disappeared after a while (Minutes).

I always use tow haul with the camper and go by the mantra of 65(mph), to stay alive.

 

[FaaWrenchBndr]

Appreciate the feedback, I was in tow haul mode, picture below is not the highest temp reached but shows the trucks read-out.

I have been watching the temps in normal driving and this truck does not get to temp and stay there but “hunts” from the 190’s to the 220’s all the time goes up under acceleration and load and then back down when just cruising. Every other car or truck I have owned gets to temp and stays there. This seems odd to me like the thermostat is not working properly…

The turbos have a huge impact upon temperature. Keep in mind the inner coolers in front of the radiator. As the turbo’s build boost and send air through the intercooler, some of that air from the intercooler heating up impacts the radiator thus impacting the engine coolant temperature.

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