F-150 with Ecoboost

[p38fln]

I have one of the new F-150 pickup trucks with the twin-turbo V-6 engines, also called the Ecoboost. Traded a 2003 Ranger FX4 for it, and have been very happy with the fuel economy. I'm not a hypermiler at all, and have been consistently getting 17.4 MPG on rolling terrain at 70, and 19.5 MPG on flat level ground at 70. It goes over 20 at 65 MPH on flat ground, but I've never found more than 4 or 5 miles of it to really try it out.

The few times I've been on a road with a 55 MPH speed limit, it definitely goes well into the 20's somewhere

The HIGHEST I ever got the Ranger was 17 MPG at 65 MPH on flat, level ground in Illinois for about a hundred miles.

If you're wondering how I found this place since fuel economy + pickup truck is usually not mentioned in the same paragraph, I was trying to figure out what on earth the pickup had an air dam for. Never seen one of those before lol

After what I've read here, looks like I should leave it on unless I just want to buy more fuel for no reason

[theycallmeebryan]

Dont want to buy more fuel for no reason?

SLOW DOWN

70mph is way to fast for any automobile with fuel economy in mind, especially for that rolling brick you drive.

[p38fln]

yes I know that it will get its best fuel economy around 55 MPH...but I dont want to accept that fact It actually gets really good at 55 MPH (For a 4x4 off-road truck). Something like 22-23 MPG.

[theycallmeebryan]

Originally Posted by p38fln

yes I know that it will get its best fuel economy around 55 MPH...but I dont want to accept that fact It actually gets really good at 55 MPH (For a 4x4 off-road truck). Something like 22-23 MPG.

Why don't you want to accept that fact? It just so happens to be one of the rules of science on this planet.

BTW: I'm not just flaming you. I'm being honest.

[p38fln]

hah cause if I admit it, then I'll have to slow down.
I'm actually hoping that the next model year F-150 has the full MyKey with the speed limiters so I can limit myself to 65 MPH no matter what kind of hurry I feel like I'm in at the time (And that the instrument panel can be swapped into my 2011 model)
Also so my cousin can't go at 82 MPH to make up for all the time we lost when I was driving (Her words, not mine). We definitely got there faster...

[Frank Lee]

You are barely beating a 17 year old V8 4x4 that only gets used for hauling, and you are not even close to a 13 year old Ranger V6 that does 28 and 30 mpg on a good day.

Looks like your investment isn't paying off yet.

[p38fln]

It beat the Ranger I used to have, which is all that really mattered to me
How on earth did anyone manage to get 30 MPG out of a V-6 Ranger? I couldn't ever break the 20 MPG mark with mine...I hit it once or twice with some very careful driving, but its average was closer to 9 in the city (Where I do 99% of my driving) and 16 on the highway.
Gearing difference? Mine had the 4.10 rear end and absolutely hummed at 2,500 RPM at 65 MPH

Ford had a hypermiler event when it first came out and managed to get one of them up to 30 MPG with a 3.15 rear end - unfortunately mine's got a 3.73 rear end. It looks like its absolute best MPG is at 1,500 RPM, which is basically 55 MPH for me.

[p38fln]

I wanted to add this - the EPA estimate for the truck is 17 city / 21 highway. So far, i don't think anyone has ever managed to hit either estimate, or come even remotely close during normal driving.

I think its problem is weight - it weighs almost 5,700 pounds with a driver and full tank of gas. On flat ground I'm sure its capable of those numbers, and it's instantaneous fuel economy seems to reflect that, but even the slightest hill I can hear the turbos spool up and watch the avg fuel economy line start to drop. It's got enough power that you never notice what's happening - the torque converter will stay locked in even on a 8% to 9% grade and all you hear is the whine of the turbos and a deeper exhaust note.

It has a nice fuel economy display, a large bar graph that moves up and down with the instant fuel economy and a white line in the middle of the graph that shows the average since last reset - seems to be dead on accurate to hand calculations as well.

[Ryland]

What do you use this truck for? any idea how it handles towing? did it come with any kind of stock belly pan?
I do agree with slowing down, after all we live in a state where the highest speed limit is 65mph

[Kodak]

Originally Posted by p38fln

If you're wondering how I found this place since fuel economy + pickup truck is usually not mentioned in the same paragraph, I was trying to figure out what on earth the pickup had an air dam for.

Hey man, there are others out there in the same position. A lot of people are thinking 'fuel economy' these days.

If slowing to 65 is doable for you, then you'll find it to be very beneficial. I'll do some math for you.

If you take 19.5mpg and 20.5mpg (you said it gets over 20mpg at 65mph) and convert to to gallons per 1000 miles...(which I do frequently, because gpm better displays fuel consumption)

You get a difference of 2.5 gallons or about $9.50 at current prices.

If the price trend continues, you'll be saving ten bucks every 1k miles by slowing down 5mph.

Try some basic hypermiling techniques. Anticipate stops and slowdowns, drive with a buffer zone and keep your tires inflated properly. These alone can make a major difference without making you too 'hyper.' I wouldn't be surprised if you could get to 21mpg with these techniques and a more efficient speed.

By the way, is a bed cover an option for you? It sounds like you do a lot of highway driving, but I'm not sure if you carry large cargo and need an empty bed most of the time.

Welcome to the board p38fln.