F150 3.5L Ecoboost HDPP vs SuperDuty

[skrypj]

I would say that if you expect the truck to be loaded with the camper majority of the time, the F150 HDPP is not going to do any better than a gas superduty. It might even be a little worse.

I tow a travel trailer with my Ecoboost and my MIL has an E450 Class C motorhome with the new 7.3L V8. Her motorhome weighs about the same as my truck and trailer and she seems to consistently get ~10 mpg to my low 9’s doing the same speed in the same conditions.

 

[montypower]

For durability, capability and reliability... no question the Super Duty. Plus can get some great options like vinyl seats and floor, aux switches, locker, 4.30 gears. You can buy in the mid $40s with XL model.

F150 may have a very slight mpg increase. But mostly the advantage would be empty or limited load. And don't put LT tires on or lift or bumper or anything else... as it will be matching the F250 mpg fast!

F150 sacrifices reliability for the almighty mpg rating. Start stop tech, direct injection, turbos, electric steering, electric fans, passenger tires and on it goes. It's built for light duty consumer that primarily uses it like a car.

We easily added 1,000lbs with 2 passengers, gear, supplies and water to our base FWC weight. We were rolling 8k loaded on a Tundra with a 5,600lb curb weight. It did fine but had full suspension and LT tires.

Our hard side camper base weight is 1,800lbs. Added similar weight as the FWC. Our truck has lots of extra weight 37s, steel bumpers, winch, rock sliders... and roll a bit over 10k. It has no trouble. Plus we will tow our trailer at times. You just can't do that with a car truck like the Tundra or F150.

FWC is way too heavy for a Tacoma (I've seen it crack their frame) and marginal for Tundra or F150 even with upgrades. Light hardside campers should go on a HD truck. Heavier hardside should be on a dually.

 

[deserteagle56]

For durability, capability and reliability... no question the Super Duty. Plus can get some great options like vinyl seats and floor, aux switches, locker, 4.30 gears. You can buy in the mid $40s with XL model.

F150 may have a very slight mpg increase. But mostly the advantage would be empty or limited load. And don't put LT tires on or lift or bumper or anything else... as it will be matching the F250 mpg fast!

F150 sacrifices reliability for the almighty mpg rating. Start stop tech, direct injection, turbos, electric steering, electric fans, passenger tires and on it goes. It's built for light duty consumer that primarily uses it like a car.

We easily added 1,000lbs with 2 passengers, gear, supplies and water to our base FWC weight. We were rolling 8k loaded on a Tundra with a 5,600lb curb weight. It did fine but had full suspension and LT tires.

Our hard side camper base weight is 1,800lbs. Added similar weight as the FWC. Our truck has lots of extra weight 37s, steel bumpers, winch, rock sliders... and roll a bit over 10k. It has no trouble. Plus we will tow our trailer at times. You just can't do that with a car truck like the Tundra or F150.

FWC is way too heavy for a Tacoma (I've seen it crack their frame) and marginal for Tundra or F150 even with upgrades. Light hardside campers should go on a HD truck. Heavier hardside should be on a dually.

^Excellent, accurate post.

I have a F150 3.5 Ecoboost - it is my "Sunday go-to-meetin'" daily driver. Gets superb mileage empty - drops to 14 mpg if I tow my side by side on a trailer. Although mine has been ultra reliable - in 6 years it has not been in the shop for any reason.

For the times where a real truck is required I have a Dodge/Cummins dually.

 

[eyemgh]

First, you need to know that EVERYONE fudges their numbers. Payload numbers are always higher than they really are. Curb weights are always lower, and Camper numbers are always lower.

A fully wet and loaded Kenai will weigh about 2000 lbs. according to Truck Camper Magazine. (The Truck Camper Magazine Buyers Guide uses a standardized equation to calculate truck camper wet weights. Starting with the manufacturer’s base dry weight, the equation adds the full fresh water weight, full hot water heater weight, full propane tank weight, battery weight, and 500 pounds for stuff.)

Personally, I will never again put a camper other than something like a GoFast on a half ton. I lived that with my FWC Raven shell on a Silverado 1500. We were always bumping up against the GVWR, mileage was poor, and it was constantly hunting gears. Now we have a F350 with a 7.3/4.30 carrying a Hallmark and a bed. It drives and handles like a dream and gets the same bad mileage. Load up a half ton, and all the promise of great mileage will vanish like dust in the wind.

There is one, and only one scenario where I might consider doing it again. If you leave the camper off the vast majority of the time, it might make sense.

The bottom line…no secret free lunches Out there.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

If the camper is going to be on full time, I would say super duty. I'd probably go F350 if I were looking at a Super Duty.

If looking at a factory order for either truck, be prepared for a long wait. Most order are 6 months +.

I went with a F150 because for me, 90% of the time the truck is unloaded. So, the MPG between the EcoBoost and a 6.2 /7.3 would be substantial.

So far I'm averaging 22 mpg. (I do have the ideal commute for getting decent mileage...)

 

[Grassland]

My 14 F150 3.7 on "34s" towing our Escape 19 trailer that weighs under 5000# and a slight incline and delightful head wind has me getting 9.8 MPG whatever 23.5 l/100 works out to
Unloaded with just my shell and nothing on the roof rack I can see 19 MPG.
Can't cheat physics.
Load up an Ecoboost and it uses fuel to make power.

 

[Regcabguy]

First, you need to know that EVERYONE fudges their numbers. Payload numbers are always higher than they really are. Curb weights are always lower, and Camper numbers are always lower.

A fully wet and loaded Kenai will weigh about 2000 lbs. according to Truck Camper Magazine. (The Truck Camper Magazine Buyers Guide uses a standardized equation to calculate truck camper wet weights. Starting with the manufacturer’s base dry weight, the equation adds the full fresh water weight, full hot water heater weight, full propane tank weight, battery weight, and 500 pounds for stuff.)

Personally, I will never again put a camper other than something like a GoFast on a half ton. I lived that with my FWC Raven shell on a Silverado 1500. We were always bumping up against the GVWR, mileage was poor, and it was constantly hunting gears. Now we have a F350 with a 7.3/4.30 carrying a Hallmark and a bed. It drives and handles like a dream and gets the same bad mileage. Load up a half ton, and all the promise of great mileage will vanish like dust in the wind.

There is one, and only one scenario where I might consider doing it again. If you leave the camper off the vast majority of the time, it might make sense.

The bottom line…no secret free lunches Out there.

Excellent post. The difference now is that you can tow an Ecoboost and get the same bad mileage. I hope this fuel comes down. It's killing the world.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

My 14 F150 3.7 on "34s" towing our Escape 19 trailer that weighs under 5000# and a slight incline and delightful head wind has me getting 9.8 MPG whatever 23.5 l/100 works out to
Unloaded with just my shell and nothing on the roof rack I can see 19 MPG.
Can't cheat physics.
Load up an Ecoboost and it uses fuel to make power.

True. But so far I'm finding the EcoBoost better on on fuel when towing then the 5.0.

But, could be other factors as well comparing:

5.0L, 6 speed w/ 3:73 to
3.5L, 10 speed w/ 3:55

Last trip was windy on the way back. Way up was around 18 mpg (12.5 l/100 km)way back was 15 mpg (15.5 l/100 km). Trailer is about 5,000 loaded.
If I recall correctly 5.0L was around 10 mpg when we last took it up on this trip. (mostly flat highway)

 

[Grassland]

True. But so far I'm finding the EcoBoost better on on fuel when towing then the 5.0.

But, could be other factors as well comparing:

5.0L, 6 speed w/ 3:73 to
3.5L, 10 speed w/ 3:55

Last trip was windy on the way back. Way up was around 18 mpg (12.5 l/100 km)way back was 15 mpg (15.5 l/100 km). Trailer is about 5,000 loaded.
If I recall correctly 5.0L was around 10 mpg when we last took it up on this trip. (mostly flat highway)

That's pretty good fuel economy in my books when towing.
110kph? If I dog it at 90-100 I could probably see 16l/100. If it isn't windy and I'm doing 110 I'm around 18l/100.
The extra gears and that your power band is lower and the torque on tap earlier with the EB will help and it has a taller final. But I'm still impressed with that

 

[Todd n Natalie]

That's pretty good fuel economy in my books when towing.
110kph? If I dog it at 90-100 I could probably see 16l/100. If it isn't windy and I'm doing 110 I'm around 18l/100.
The extra gears and that your power band is lower and the torque on tap earlier with the EB will help and it has a taller final. But I'm still impressed with that

No I kept it pretty much at 100 kph. I towed the same trailer a couple weeks earlier but the drive was a little more hilly so my mileage suffered.

If I recall I think I was around 18L / 100 km.

Oh power band is a huge difference. Slightest incline and the 5.0L seemed to pull 4,000 rpm for a few minutes.

The 3.5 seems to happily motor along at 2,000 RPM while towing on flat roads. Slight incline and it might bump to 2,500 rpm for a few seconds.

 

[nickw]

First, you need to know that EVERYONE fudges their numbers. Payload numbers are always higher than they really are. Curb weights are always lower, and Camper numbers are always lower.

A fully wet and loaded Kenai will weigh about 2000 lbs. according to Truck Camper Magazine. (The Truck Camper Magazine Buyers Guide uses a standardized equation to calculate truck camper wet weights. Starting with the manufacturer’s base dry weight, the equation adds the full fresh water weight, full hot water heater weight, full propane tank weight, battery weight, and 500 pounds for stuff.)

Personally, I will never again put a camper other than something like a GoFast on a half ton. I lived that with my FWC Raven shell on a Silverado 1500. We were always bumping up against the GVWR, mileage was poor, and it was constantly hunting gears. Now we have a F350 with a 7.3/4.30 carrying a Hallmark and a bed. It drives and handles like a dream and gets the same bad mileage. Load up a half ton, and all the promise of great mileage will vanish like dust in the wind.

There is one, and only one scenario where I might consider doing it again. If you leave the camper off the vast majority of the time, it might make sense.

The bottom line…no secret free lunches Out there.

+1....I was at the dump this past weekend and they have a weigh scale in/out to charge you, a fella in front of me had an early 2000's Tundra with a camper, I was curious what it weighed, 7,250! It had a small hard side camper on it....looks like the GCWR is 6,600 for that era tundra....so 650 over with a single person for a really small camper, who knows how much over the rear axle rating he was, it adds up quick!

 

[skrypj]

+1....I was at the dump this past weekend and they have a weigh scale in/out to charge you, a fella in front of me had an early 2000's Tundra with a camper, I was curious what it weighed, 7,250! It had a small hard side camper on it....looks like the GCWR is 6,600 for that era tundra....so 650 over with a single person for a really small camper, who knows how much over the rear axle rating he was, it adds up quick!

For some reason this is a thing with Tundras. I think its the fact that Toyota doesnt make an HD and the owners refuse to own a domestic so they just overload it.

I saw a picture on the Tundra forum of a guy with a decent size camper in the back of a 1st gen Tundra and was towing a boat at the same time.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

For some reason this is a thing with Tundras. I think its the fact that Toyota doesnt make an HD and the owners refuse to own a domestic so they just overload it.

I saw a picture on the Tundra forum of a guy with a decent size camper in the back of a 1st gen Tundra and was towing a boat at the same time.

But if I just put in helper bags....... lol

 

[skrypj]

But if I just put in helper bags....... lol

Well thats the crazy part to me. A 1st gen tundra is on an 8.4" axle which is whats in a Tacoma. It's not a particularly stout truck.

I also don't understand why someone would want an overloaded truck with an aluminum DOHC VVTi V8 over a domestic monster truck with axles the size of tree trunks and a pushrod iron block V8 when reliability is a concern.

 

[calicamper]

No I kept it pretty much at 100 kph. I towed the same trailer a couple weeks earlier but the drive was a little more hilly so my mileage suffered.

If I recall I think I was around 18L / 100 km.

Oh power band is a huge difference. Slightest incline and the 5.0L seemed to pull 4,000 rpm for a few minutes.

The 3.5 seems to happily motor along at 2,000 RPM while towing on flat roads. Slight incline and it might bump to 2,500 rpm for a few seconds.

Definitely noticed the 3.5 rarely ever gets over 3000. If it does your way into triple digit speeds or hauling a massively heavy trailer