Limited or Sport for Towing?

[msmccargar]

I am new to this forum and this is my first post. My question is I am thinking of buying a 2013 limited or sport. I have a boat that weighs 4500 fully loaded. will I need the extra horsepower to tow this much or will the standard V6 be plenty?

Also will the ride be rougher in the sport due to the sport suspension?

Thanks for your advice in advance

 

[dco43054]

Check the trailer towing guide
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/13prelimflrv&tt_explorerfeb6.pdf

And note that some people have reported problems in the past pulling a boat out on a slick boat ramp due to the front wheels spinning when the rear end is weighted.

 

[msmccargar]

Thanks for the link. Any idea if the standard V6 is sufficient or would the V6 Ecoboost be better?

 

[peterk9]

I am new to this forum and this is my first post. My question is I am thinking of buying a 2013 limited or sport. I have a boat that weighs 4500 fully loaded. will I need the extra horsepower to tow this much or will the standard V6 be plenty?

Also will the ride be rougher in the sport due to the sport suspension?

Thanks for your advice in advance

Welcome to the Forum msmccargar. :wavey:
UNfortunately I don't have definite answers. Both are capable of towing 5000 lbs but I would think that the Sport may do it a bit easier due to its better performance with premium fuel.
As for the ride, I would suggest taking out each model for a test drive since not everyone's opinion of the ride quality may agree with yours. If you are going to invest that much money in a vehicle, you want to drive it and find out for yourself.

Peter

 

[msmccargar]

Does the sport require premium fuel?

 

[13Sport]

Does the sport require premium fuel?

It requires regular unleaded, premium is recommended for best performance. The difference will likely be negligible, a few hp.

 

[peterk9]

Does the sport require premium fuel?

On the Canadian Ford website it shows Premium as the recommended fuel while all other models show Regular. Some posts have said that it can run on regular but it wouldn't be getting the performance it would if on Premium.
Unfortunately I haven't seen what the differences would be. I would guess that the HP and torque figures would suffer. I don't know if you can get the Sport Owner's Guide online yet. Usually if the manufacturer recommends a certain grade of fuel, it is for a good reason.

Peter

 

[msmccargar]

Does the sport require premium fuel?

 

[FordService]

I am new to this forum and this is my first post. My question is I am thinking of buying a 2013 limited or sport. I have a boat that weighs 4500 fully loaded. will I need the extra horsepower to tow this much or will the standard V6 be plenty? Also will the ride be rougher in the sport due to the sport suspension?...

Welcome to the forum, msmccargar! As you can see, the community here is really helpful. In answer to your question: yes, the Sport will ride a little rougher. For the towing question, the EcoBoost is rated to tow less than the 3.5L. So for towing a 4500 lb trailer, you would have to have the 3.5L and the towing package to get the bigger hitch. Also, the following is from page 289 of the 2013MY Explorer Owner Guide 1st Printing:

“*For towing trailers up to 3500 lb (1588 kg), use a weight-carrying hitch and ball which uniformly spreads the trailer tongue loads through the vehicle’s underbody structure. For towing trailers over 3500 lb (1588 kg), up to the maximum trailer weight, it is recommended to use a weight-distributing hitch to increase front axle load while towing.”

A free digital copy of the Owner Guide is available for downloading here:

http://Owner.Ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/OwnerGuidePage

Check the trailer towing guide
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/13prelimflrv&tt_explorerfeb6.pdf...

...As for the ride, I would suggest taking out each model for a test drive since not everyone's opinion of the ride quality may agree with yours...

It requires regular unleaded, premium is recommended for best performance. The difference will likely be negligible, a few hp.

dco43054, Peter, & 13Sport,

Thanks for offering your help, guys!

Cory

 

[13Sport]

On the Canadian Ford website it shows Premium as the recommended fuel while all other models show Regular. Some posts have said that it can run on regular but it wouldn't be getting the performance it would if on Premium.
Unfortunately I haven't seen what the differences would be. I would guess that the HP and torque figures would suffer. I don't know if you can get the Sport Owner's Guide online yet. Usually if the manufacturer recommends a certain grade of fuel, it is for a good reason.

Peter

Here is the spec sheet they released to the press
http://media.ford.com/images/10031/2013_ExplorerSport_Specs.pdf

This is where I got the regular unleaded / premium optional info

 

[13Sport]

the EcoBoost is rated to tow less than the 3.5L.

The Sport EcoBoost is rated the same as the regular 3.5L for towing right? You are talking about the 4cyl EcoBoost?

A free digital copy of the Owner Guide is available for downloading here:

http://Owner.Ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/OwnerGuidePage

The Owner Guide available is still the 1st printing and doesn't contain any Sport related information (that I can see)..

 

[peterk9]

Here is the spec sheet they released to the press
http://media.ford.com/images/10031/2013_ExplorerSport_Specs.pdf

This is where I got the regular unleaded / premium optional info

I've been doing some searching on the Internet as well and it says 87 octane but premium will provide better performance. How much it didn't say.

Peter

 

[HDJulie]

I have the 2012 Limited 4WD with the 3.5L engine and it came with the Trailer Tow Package. Is that the "heavy duty trailer tow package" that is referenced if you want to tow more than 5000 pounds? And how do I know what my final drive ratio? We are trying to determine if we can tow our two Harleys to Sturgis

 

[peterk9]

I have the 2012 Limited 4WD with the 3.5L engine and it came with the Trailer Tow Package. Is that the "heavy duty trailer tow package" that is referenced if you want to tow more than 5000 pounds? And how do I know what my final drive ratio? We are trying to determine if we can tow our two Harleys to Sturgis

I'm guessing that your EXplorer came with the class III towing package which will allow towing up to 5000 lbs. Do you have a copy of the window sticker that came with the vehicle? I'm not sure if the info is shown on it or not. If you don't have it, you can look it up using your VIN. There is a sticky on this procedure, http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=308458

Peter

 

[msmccargar]

Welcome to the forum, msmccargar! As you can see, the community here is really helpful. In answer to your question: yes, the Sport will ride a little rougher. For the towing question, the EcoBoost is rated to tow less than the 3.5L. So for towing a 4500 lb trailer, you would have to have the 3.5L and the towing package to get the bigger hitch. Also, the following is from page 289 of the 2013MY Explorer Owner Guide 1st Printing:

“*For towing trailers up to 3500 lb (1588 kg), use a weight-carrying hitch and ball which uniformly spreads the trailer tongue loads through the vehicle’s underbody structure. For towing trailers over 3500 lb (1588 kg), up to the maximum trailer weight, it is recommended to use a weight-distributing hitch to increase front axle load while towing.”

A free digital copy of the Owner Guide is available for downloading here:

http://Owner.Ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/OwnerGuidePage




dco43054, Peter, & 13Sport,

Thanks for offering your help, guys!

Cory

I am talking about the Ecoboost V6 in the sport model? Also does the weight distribution hitch apply to boats as well? I had read in another thread that you could not use it on a boat and that it was not needed.

 

[spitfisher]

Towing, go 4wd, you'll never regret it........ok maybe at the pump, but backing into a campsite in the dark with a ditch nearby, wet grass, uneven terrain, or pulling a boat out of steep or slick ramp you may like the piece of mind.

 

[waskly]

It requires regular unleaded, premium is recommended for best performance. The difference will likely be negligible, a few hp.

ecobost requires 91 or better octane.

 

[peterk9]

ecobost requires 91 or better octane.

I just checked out the 2013 Explorer Owner's Guide online and for the 2.0 L I4 EcoBoost it stated 87 octane. Unfortunately it didn't list the 3.5 L EcoBoost.
I wonder if it has its own manual?

Peter

 

[VinceL]

ecobost requires 91 or better octane.

Ford would disagree:

http://media.ford.com/images/10031/2013_ExplorerSport_Specs.pdf

 

[FordService]

The Sport EcoBoost is rated the same as the regular 3.5L for towing right? You are talking about the 4cyl EcoBoost?...The Owner Guide available is still the 1st printing and doesn't contain any Sport related information (that I can see)..

13Sport,

The Sport with the 3.5L EcoBoost has not had any final specifications published on it about horsepower, torque, and towing capacity. Stay tuned for officially released information.

I have the 2012 Limited 4WD with the 3.5L engine and it came with the Trailer Tow Package. Is that the "heavy duty trailer tow package" that is referenced if you want to tow more than 5000 pounds? And how do I know what my final drive ratio? We are trying to determine if we can tow our two Harleys to Sturgis

HDJulie,

The tow prep package comes with the class III hitch (2” receiver), which is up to the max of 5000 lb for the 2012. There is no towing heavier than that. As for the final drive ratio, it’s a 3.39 ratio for 4x4 vehicles and a 3.16 ratio for 4x2 vehicles.

I am talking about the Ecoboost V6 in the sport model? Also does the weight distribution hitch apply to boats as well? I had read in another thread that you could not use it on a boat and that it was not needed.

msmccargar,

A weight distribution hitch is recommended for towing anything over 3500 lb. It’s not required, but it does help with the vehicle ride and ease of towing. This does not matter if it’s a boat or any other type of trailer. It’s specifically based on weight of the trailer.

ecobost requires 91 or better octane.

waskly,

The 3.5L EcoBoost is designed to run on 87 octane fuel.

I've been doing some searching on the Internet as well and it says 87 octane but premium will provide better performance. How much it didn't say...

Towing, go 4wd, you'll never regret it........ok maybe at the pump, but backing into a campsite in the dark with a ditch nearby, wet grass, uneven terrain, or pulling a boat out of steep or slick ramp you may like the piece of mind.

Peter & spitfisher,

Thanks for all your help, guys!

Cory