New to the F150 world!

[Kanuck]

If you had a turbos, you would not be asking these question. You would know that the turbos don't really become noticable till around 2500 RPM. The RPM difference is not that great when locking out the OD gears. On my truck it is about 450 RPM higher at 100km/h with no change in boost level.

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[SilverPigeon]

WOW, thanks, I will have to do some research on that. Definitely makes sense though , using higher rpm and less turbo. How does one lock out the gears, shift it manual? I think in the towing mode it keeps it in a lower gear, below 10 ....I think, lol

When in drive (D) hit the minus (-) button on the shifter. Repeated presses will lock out more gears. What you're looking for while towing is to keep the truck with as low revs as possible with low engine load, but minimising turbo boost at higher loads.

City driving: in low speed traffic when towing heavy loads and not much constant traffic movement, the stop-start nature of the traffic will mean there's not a lot you can do to stay off the turbos. You're looking to minimise engine load. It's engine load which makes the truck command more fuel and therefore the truck tries to suck more air to make use of that fuel; that's when the turbos will spool up. Once your traffic is constantly moving (e.g. an 80 km/h long stretch) the truck will be in 10th gear running at approx 1,600 rpm. But, as soon as you hit a hill on that stretch, 1,600 rpm and heavy towing, while the truck tries to stay in overdrive gears, will force a high engine load situation, thus using the turbos a lot. Try to anticipate these driving conditions ahead and plan for locking out 10, 9, 8 etc to keep the revs as much as possible out of the demanded turbo range; as @Kanuck Don says around 2,500 rpm. In these situations "high revs" means 2,400 rpm instead of 1,600 rpm to minimise engine load as much as possible.

Highway driving: the same applies. The difference being that you will have to fiddle with the +/- button on the shifter a lot less due to less stop-start traffic and fewer changes in slope. In this scenario of heavy towing down a long downhill stretch, there is now an added factor: brakes. Now you would need to have a 3-way compromise: engine load (turbo use at high load) versus engine braking at high revs to save wear on brakes versus using the truck's brakes enough but not so much that brake fade could result as an issue.

Only a fair amount of experience will have you maximising economy in these situations.

The problem is the higher RPMs is where the turbos spool. That advice doesn't make any sense. What you want to do is stay in LOWER GEARS and keep the RPMs below the turbo spool point. And that makes it like you're towing with a normally aspirated 3.5L V6 and cutting off the power that engine produces that makes it such a beast for towing. And the other issue these things spool at low RPMs to give it low-end grunt for towing. You're not staying off the turbos with towing in an Ecoboost.

As @Kanuck Don was saying Tony, we're talking enough revs to minimise engine load while keeping off the turbo actuation speed. If you look at a DI map, you will see high engine loads at low rpm but high demand for fuel (going WOT from a stop to humble the ranger next to you at the lights ? or towing heavy from a stop for example) and very high rpm where the load isn't quite as much, but the turbos are being used to maintain fuel delivery at those revs while maximising use of lower gears (sport mode for example).

So for the OP's scenario of maximising economy, we're talking fairly low revs (~2,400 rpm max), but also the lowest gear that allows us to stay out of lugging the engine and causing high engine loads (the same as taking off from the lights with a heavy tow). Its a real juggle which requires a fair bit of concentration and most don't take it to extremes as fuel is cheaper than mental fatigue while driving ?‍

 

[Rio]

When in drive (D) hit the minus (-) button on the shifter. Repeated presses will lock out more gears. What you're looking for while towing is to keep the truck with as low revs as possible with low engine load, but minimising turbo boost at higher loads.

City driving: in low speed traffic when towing heavy loads and not much constant traffic movement, the stop-start nature of the traffic will mean there's not a lot you can do to stay off the turbos. You're looking to minimise engine load. It's engine load which makes the truck command more fuel and therefore the truck tries to suck more air to make use of that fuel; that's when the turbos will spool up. Once your traffic is constantly moving (e.g. an 80 km/h long stretch) the truck will be in 10th gear running at approx 1,600 rpm. But, as soon as you hit a hill on that stretch, 1,600 rpm and heavy towing, while the truck tries to stay in overdrive gears, will force a high engine load situation, thus using the turbos a lot. Try to anticipate these driving conditions ahead and plan for locking out 10, 9, 8 etc to keep the revs as much as possible out of the demanded turbo range; as @Kanuck Don says around 2,500 rpm. In these situations "high revs" means 2,400 rpm instead of 1,600 rpm to minimise engine load as much as possible.

Highway driving: the same applies. The difference being that you will have to fiddle with the +/- button on the shifter a lot less due to less stop-start traffic and fewer changes in slope. In this scenario of heavy towing down a long downhill stretch, there is now an added factor: brakes. Now you would need to have a 3-way compromise: engine load (turbo use at high load) versus engine braking at high revs to save wear on brakes versus using the truck's brakes enough but not so much that brake fade could result as an issue.

Only a fair amount of experience will have you maximising economy in these situations.
As @Kanuck Don was saying Tony, we're talking enough revs to minimise engine load while keeping off the turbo actuation speed. If you look at a DI map, you will see high engine loads at low rpm but high demand for fuel (going WOT from a stop to humble the ranger next to you at the lights ? or towing heavy from a stop for example) and very high rpm where the load isn't quite as much, but the turbos are being used to maintain fuel delivery at those revs while maximising use of lower gears (sport mode for example).

So for the OP's scenario of maximising economy, we're talking fairly low revs (~2,400 rpm max), but also the lowest gea that allows us to stay out of lugging the engine and causing high engine loads while keeping (the same as taking off from the lights with a heavy tow). Its a real juggle which is a fair bit of concentration and most don't take it to extremes as fuel is cheaper than mental fatigue while driving ?‍?

Thanks for the descriptive explanation, I will definitely have to tinker while towing to find the sweet spot!

 

[SilverPigeon]

Thanks for the descriptive explanation, I will definitely have to tinker while towing to find the sweet spot!

You can also use this technique in each on-road drive mode to find out which is more economical in your circumstances.

 

[Rio]

You can also use this technique in each on-road drive mode to find out which is more economical in your circumstances.

Will look into that as well, so much to learn about this truck, thanks !!

 

[Dakar09]

If you had a turbos, you would not be asking these question. You would know that the turbos don't really become noticable till around 2500 RPM. The RPM difference is not that great when locking out the OD gears. On my truck it is about 450 RPM higher at 100km/h with no change in boost level.

Ok, brother. I have driven , built, and raced more turbo cars than I like to admit. Higher RPM ALWAYS equals boost. Period. Unless you are putting specialized waste gates to bleed off exhaust gasses and lower spool up, which I'm fairly certain don't come on a stock Ecoboost. I also had a 1st gen Ecoboost that I towed a turbo rally car with, and the truck was on boost constantly. A 4" exhaust made it clearly evident when the turbos were spooling. Once you're above a certain RPM UNDER LOAD they are spooling.

I am well aware of locking out gears to manage RPM. But if you do that to keep the turbos from spooling, you are not producing that engine's power. And what's the point of getting that tow beast if you hamstring it? This is all some mystical turbo voodoo you think makes sense and is shit advice for someone planning on towing HEAVY with an Ecoboost. You might get away with this towing a little dinky utility trailer or small camper that doesn't stress the engine. But good luck towing anything substantial with no boost.

 

[Kanuck]

All I can suggest is for you to drive 3.5 or 2.7 EB with the 10 speed transmission. Set the IPC to display the Boost gauge. Tow a trailer with and without the OD gears locked out. Watch the boost gauge and fuel mileage.

There are threads on here about towing and fuel mileage members are getting and how they do it.

 

[Dakar09]

Yeah, goes against everything I've experienced personally with turbos, including my old Ecoboost.

But you do you and believe what the internet says vs personal experience.

 

[Kanuck]

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