19 Explorer issues towing at highway speed

[Michael Lopour]

Bummed for you but this is why I wouldn't tow with NA V6, only the TT V6, based on online research.

 

[Artracing]

Bummed for you but this is why I wouldn't tow with NA V6, only the TT V6, based on online research.

Yea, we will work it out. But I hope this thread stays active for people shopping.
The Explorer will tow, but my advise is, don’t leave town.
Ford needs to spec , load vs. speed , rpm and fuel mileage.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Yea, we will work it out. But I hope this thread stays active for people shopping.
The Explorer will tow, but my advise is, don’t leave town.
Ford needs to spec , load vs. speed , rpm and fuel mileage.

Nobody specs any of that.

 

[peterk9]

I believe you are the only one to have this issue. There are several members who have towed heavier loads. Although they were pre 2019 Explorers, I don't think there were any changes made that would contribute to your particular issue so it doesn't appear to be a problem with Ford itself.
Here are some threads that may be of interest;
2016 Explorer towing review
Gas mileage when towing.
There are several more.

Peter

 

[peterk9]

Bummed for you but this is why I wouldn't tow with NA V6, only the TT V6, based on online research.

Many have towed at, close to or over the 5000 lb. limit before the Ecoboost came out. What do you tow with your 5th gen. Explorer?

Peter

 

[Artracing]

What can I say. Dealer drove the car with my trailer and agree with me. So you tell me?

 

[JAPeterson]

For my 2 cents worth, have you tried towing with the trailer empty?

I also agree that you can not compare a "passenger" vehicle with a truck type vehicle. Transmission and rear end gearing can be quite different and in the case of the Explorer the front end gearing.

 

[Michael Lopour]

Bummed for you but this is why I wouldn't tow with NA V6, only the TT V6, based on online research.

Many have towed at, close to or over the 5000 lb. limit before the Ecoboost came out. What do you tow with your 5th gen. Explorer?

Peter

I'm just trying to point out the difference between "can tow without ruining transmission/voiding warranty" towing and "vehicle has enough power/torque to actually tow x pounds" because those are usually two different things for most vehicles, especially non-trucks.

 

[Flying68]

Only real test is to put it on a dyno and see if the power is where it should be.

I have never towed a trailer with mine (towed my 68 f100 once), but I do know that significant headwind will greatly decrease fuel mileage and I don't get anywhere near 22mpg. I am lucky to get 20 mpg on a 1200 mile 90% highway round trip.

 

[Adrian Gitch]

I can vouch that the 3.5 NA isn't a tow/hauler by any means. Towing 2000lbs+ in the area where I live, it stayed at higher rpms in tow/haul mode which I expected. But I do think the OP is expecting too much and you can't even think of comparing it to the 2.7 TT in the F150. It'll tow better than the F150 with the 5.0. Big difference in torque over the 3.5NA. As far as only being able to go 40mph just because you're at max weight, that doesn't make any sense. And as for the 3.5TT in our expedition, I love towing with that, it's a beast.

 

[Artracing]

I can vouch that the 3.5 NA isn't a tow/hauler by any means. Towing 2000lbs+ in the area where I live, it stayed at higher rpms in tow/haul mode which I expected. But I do think the OP is expecting too much and you can't even think of comparing it to the 2.7 TT in the F150. It'll tow better than the F150 with the 5.0. Big difference in torque over the 3.5NA. As far as only being able to go 40mph just because you're at max weight, that doesn't make any sense. And as for the 3.5TT in our expedition, I love towing with that, it's a beast.

Well thanks for validation. It’s now over, dealer taking car back and I now have a 2019 F150 with 2.7 eco boost.
Game over.
Thanks all.

 

[Adrian Gitch]

Well thanks for validation. It’s now over, dealer taking car back and I now have a 2019 F150 with 2.7 eco boost.
Game over.
Thanks all.

My brother has a 2018 F150 with the 2.7 eco boost and it is very nice. Loved the torque it had when I drove it. I've seen online that they are even more impressive with a performance/tow tune.

 

[Artracing]

My brother has a 2018 F150 with the 2.7 eco boost and it is very nice. Loved the torque it had when I drove it. I've seen online that they are even more impressive with a performance/tow tune.

With the specs of Explorer I thought it would work for me. Just use the trailer for my carrying. Live and learn.
The 2.7 eco is a rocket in F150

 

[KayGee]

Ideally, you should probably be towing at 55-60 mph. I couldn't imagine towing 5k with a 3.5NA on the freeway for any period of time. High single digits or very low 10s mpg sounds about right in my experience, especially at 70mph. I can get 15-17 mpg around town pulling 2500-3500 lbs at 45-50mph.

Ideally, anyone buying a vehicle specifically for towing should always rent one and try it out first. A lot of stuff sounds/looks good on paper...

 

[Elfiero]

i bought 2019 Explorer. The car gets 9 mpg towing 2500lb trailer. Engine is 3.5 with factory Class 3 towing package.
Worst part, it runs most of time in 4 gear at 4300rpm with tow/haul on. Top speed about 68 to limit rpm.
If I run 73mph it would be at 4500 rpm all the time. The only time it goes into 5 gear is down hill.

So far dealer can’t find problem.
Does anyone know anything ?

The 3.5 is rated 5000lbs. At that rate I would have 40mph top speed.

I read this entire thread and also have a lot of experience pulling a similar load. I have achieved similar results. I too have the towing pkg on my 2017 NA 3.5. I have just resigned myself to the fact that these explorers just weren’t meant to pull a load. When I pull a trailer, the first thing I do is push the tow/haul button(according to the manual, this locks out 5&6 gears). Then I don’t exceed 55 mph, I use the cruise, and I stay in the far right lane, and get flipped-off freaquently. This procedure will net me about 12mpg’s. It ain’t pretty, but it gets the job done.

 

[blwnsmoke]

It is amazing how many people are not educated on tires for trailers. Most are not rated above 65mph. Pulling 13k, first thing I did was get rid of the china bombs and put USA made tires on my trailer.

All these V nose, snowmobile, 4 wheeler, landscaping trailers with junk tires flying by.

 

[KayGee]

It is amazing how many people are not desucated on tires for trailers. Most are not rated above 65mph.

I don't believe there are any typical bias ply or ST trailer tires rated for more than 65. There are some LT tires that will work for trailer applications that have a higher speed rating, but YMMV.

As far as not being educated on tires, I'm more surprised at the lack of general/basic knowledge and the lack of people that don't seem to know how to do basic research on their own.

 

[Adrian Gitch]

It is amazing how many people are not educated on tires for trailers. Most are not rated above 65mph. Pulling 13k, first thing I did was get rid of the china bombs and put USA made tires on my trailer.

All these V nose, snowmobile, 4 wheeler, landscaping trailers with junk tires flying by.

The hair stands up on the back of my neck every time I see someone passing me going 80 on the interstate pulling a trailer even worse when you can tell it's a neglected trailer.

 

[Artracing]

I read this entire thread and also have a lot of experience pulling a similar load. I have achieved similar results. I too have the towing pkg on my 2017 NA 3.5. I have just resigned myself to the fact that these explorers just weren’t meant to pull a load. When I pull a trailer, the first thing I do is push the tow/haul button(according to the manual, this locks out 5&6 gears). Then I don’t exceed 55 mph, I use the cruise, and I stay in the far right lane, and get flipped-off freaquently. This procedure will net me about 12mpg’s. It ain’t pretty, but it gets the job done.

And that is it in a nut shell. If you can deal with that, then buy the Explorer. Not for me sorry to say.

 

[Odrapnew]

Why didn't you get a Sport or Platinum Explorer with the 3.5 Ecoboost? Keep the utility of the Explorer and gain the power of the bigger Ecoboost.