Towing with the Sport

[Nola20]

We are currently towing a small fishing boat behind the Sport now. Our speed has been ranging from 70-72 & the gas mileage is TERRIBLE! It is around 12.8-13mpg. We get almost 3mpg more towing with a
Diesel F-250. Has anyone else towed anything with the Sport & if so did you see the same mpg? We thought we were doing better by taking this vehicle, but we were wrong!

 

[WiEx]

I towed a small utility trailer loaded with camping gear for about 750 miles last week. The trailer weighs about 500 pounds and the gear was probably somewhat less. The vehicle had two people, a large dog and more gear. The average highway speed was in the low 60s. I was getting a bit over 20 mpg. The mileage dropped when the trailer was disconnected and we were driving about 20 to 30 mph in a state park. I did not use the tow mode because it didn't seem necessary with the small trailer. That might have a significant effect on mileage.

 

[peterk9]

We are currently towing a small fishing boat behind the Sport now. Our speed has been ranging from 70-72 & the gas mileage is TERRIBLE! It is around 12.8-13mpg. We get almost 3mpg more towing with a
Diesel F-250. Has anyone else towed anything with the Sport & if so did you see the same mpg? We thought we were doing better by taking this vehicle, but we were wrong!

In using the forum's 'Search' function I haven't found too much to help you. I don't tow so I can't give you any kind of idea either. I do know that if you dropped your speed to 60 it would definitely improve the mpg but that isn't always practical.
Here are some threads I found on towing. One poster gets a bit worse mpg than you.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325799&highlight=tow

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=379212&highlight=tow

You may want to read post #14 in the following thread;

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=376785&highlight=tow

I'm sure that other Sport members will chime in with their thoughts.
Also, are you using regular or premium gasoline. Premium is recommended for top performance.
Good luck.

Peter

 

[Fish4five]

My wife pulled her two horse trailer (just one horse) which weighs about 4k loaded. I reset her trip to see what she would get as I didn't go with her. She got just over 18 but she only went just over 90 miles round trip and it was mostly interstate. I'm sure though she didn't get much over 65 pulling.

 

[Seditious Jerk]

I'm averaging about 14.9 without towing a damn thing... don't feel too bad.

 

[Ryan327]

I can't add much about towing mileage but I'm guessing at that speed the boat was adding a bit of drag. I can say that I feel the whole ecoboost thing is purely hype/marketing. You just can't make v8 power without a cost (fuel). I'm getting 16-17 averages so far though I'm still low in miles.

 

[ieee_raider]

There's a lot more to the occasion too... hilly terrain will kill your mileage with ecoboost, with or without a trailer. I'm sure it's even worse with a trailer.
Try running in manual shifting and see how well you do.

 

[Riley]

I can't add much about towing mileage but I'm guessing at that speed the boat was adding a bit of drag. I can say that I feel the whole ecoboost thing is purely hype/marketing. You just can't make v8 power without a cost (fuel). I'm getting 16-17 averages so far though I'm still low in miles.

How is it purely hype? You're getting exactly what Ford rates the Sport at which is only 1mpg less than the n/a 3.5L. Look at the 5.7L in the Durango and it's rated at 13 (AWD like the Sport), which is a best case scenario.

 

[13Xworldchamps]

We are currently towing a small fishing boat behind the Sport now. Our speed has been ranging from 70-72 & the gas mileage is TERRIBLE! It is around 12.8-13mpg. We get almost 3mpg more towing with a
Diesel F-250. Has anyone else towed anything with the Sport & if so did you see the same mpg? We thought we were doing better by taking this vehicle, but we were wrong!

I tow 2 Sea Doos on a 2 place trailer weighing in at 2,600+ lbs. I use the tow mode an set the cruise at 70/71. I'm towing through quite hilly terrain and have averaged 13 mpg. I'll be towing later today heading south on flater terrain although more stop and go traffic. We'll see how the mpg's do this trip.

Eddie

 

[1995E]

I really notice that it really depends for the MPGs when it comes to 60 - 75 MPH. When I was going 75 on the New Jersey turnpike I got 22 MPG. When I went a low 60 t0 65 along I-95, I got 23 - 25 MPG on my XLT. Pulling a trailer and going that much faster really does use more fuel. Try towing at a lower speed like 60 - 65. Maybe that will improve fuel economy by a lot.

To go at a higher speed, you have to put in more energy. Especially with a trailer in the back, higher speed equals more drag. That 10 MPH difference goes a long way.

 

[roamingphantom]

We are currently towing a small fishing boat behind the Sport now. Our speed has been ranging from 70-72 & the gas mileage is TERRIBLE! It is around 12.8-13mpg. We get almost 3mpg more towing with a
Diesel F-250. Has anyone else towed anything with the Sport & if so did you see the same mpg? We thought we were doing better by taking this vehicle, but we were wrong!

Dude! You are towing a boat and getting that - i have an Ex Limited and getting that towing myself around town and i dont weigh as much as a boat...lol. I've seen people getting 20's and wonder how they do it.

 

[Obreezevic]

I'm not surprised that your diesel F250 gets better mileage than your Explorer when towing. Diesels generate torque at much lower RPMs than gas engines.

 

[exilepa]

Keep in mind when using the tow mode all it's doing is not allowing the tranny to shift into 6th and help you with downshifting for braking. That being said I regularly tow a 800lb ATV on a trailer that ways about the same and average about 18MPG at speeds ranging anywhere from 70-80. I am very impressed with the towing of the Sport. The turbos like to pull!

 

[guyspat]

Towing Gas Mileage

I have to agree the gas mileage is pretty low with a trailer. I improved my mileage in '13 Sport by keeping to the speed limit on the highway (65 mph here in PA). Now I manage 13 mpg with a 6x12 single axle enclosed trailer. My mileage was 11.5 when I was running a 70 mph on the highway. Call me a p*ssy but I keep the tow mode engaged as I do not want any warranty problems. I just wish the fuel tank was bigger because you can't get far at only 13 mpg and filling up with a trailer is a PITA. Now don't get me going about trying to rent a trailer from Uhual and being told a decade old lawsuit means no rentals to Explorer owners.

 

[JohnBoyToo]

Tow mode has no impact on warranty

I regularly tow 15,k lbs and rarely use tow mode !

Course that's with my 350 platinum deezle , but tow mode is NOT a prerequisite, only a suggestion.... if your tranny is doing a lot of up and down hunting for the right gear .

But its your car so do what you want - I am not the spa telling you what to do

Oh, and Harrisburg is where my 1st ex wife was born !!! That may explain it

To the op define 'small' please. - weight and frontal area

We get from 8 to 13 towing in our 350 and speed , weight, and frontal area are the biggest variables ... We didn't get the sport for towing

 

[s1000rr]

Mainly I tow two kawasaki jetskis which both weigh around 1100 pounds. I have a 15 min commute to the dock that includes a little bit of highway and city drive. Usually get around between 16 and 18 mpg.
I use tow mode to accelerate on the highway and then when I have my speed set turn tow mode off. When you do that you will see the rpm drop a lil since it seems like its keeping the rpms a little higher. That may help you with increased mileage