So far I’ve towed 3500lbs 3000 miles including across the Rockies and back with my 2020. My thoughts

I’m over half way on my journey towing my 3500lbs camper and gone over the Canadian Rockies and back. Look up Rogers pass. It’s one hell of a hill. I’m very happy with the way the truck has performed. Some of my thoughts below if anyone is interested.

1. I can say that when towing a 3500 lbs trailer, the 2020 v6 definitely does not need the auxiliary transmission cooler. I did some serious mountains and I was over payload and my pan temperatures were never alarming at all. The converter climbed to 230 a couple of times but those short transient spikes don’t mean anything. The pan temp. Maybe hit 212 for a short period but that’s nothing.
   
2. I spent a good amount of the trip manually shifting in sport mode. Wrong. The truck got better mpg and ran cooler when I just put it in s5 with ect power on and let it do its thing.
   
3. Don’t use cruise control. That really makes the transmission jump on hills. On down hills or flat runs without wind you can use it to give your foot a rest otherwise do it old school.
   
4. I’m averaging 12-15mpg depending on terrain. A good headwind = a good hill and the mpg gets pooched. I guessed 12mpg average and so far I’ve been better on every tank. (Scanguage and manual calculation).
   
5. This maybe in my head but the truck seems to be doing better the more I go. Holding gears longer, better mpg and I wonder if it isn’t the computer readjusting. I’m expecting mpg to be better on the return as I feel like I was driving uphill and into a wind all the way to the continental divide.
   
6. For my trailer, 3500 and pretty aerodynamic, the truck does a great job. It’s got plenty of power up top. Let it do its thing. It can tow. It’s just a bit more like a 2 stroke bike. Torque is up top. Don’t drive it like a v8.

 

Sounds like a great trip and your truck did well indeed. Do you know what your total trailer weight was loaded? Also how much weight in the truck - passengers and gear?

 

Around 3500. The truck had 1100lbs in it total so 160 over payload. Not my usual practice but I made an exception because I was bringing stuff to my grandkids.

 

Last week I brought home a 4000 pound car on a 2100 pound trailer, about 122 loaded miles and 230 unloaded - had to return the rental trailer.

The weather was in the mid 70's, low humidity and no wind, the terrain is mostly flat with long gradual hills, the Finger Lakes area of western NY. Almost all the trip was on good secondary roads, 55 mph.

I filled up with 90 octane non-ethanol ($4.59/gallon ) and the truck ran like a watch.

My truck is completely stock including the Firestone Destination LE2 highway tires.

I have a manual transmission, all the loaded driving was in 4th gear maximum.
Unloaded I used 5th on some level or downhill sections, keeping the RPM above 2000.
Unloaded you hardly notice the trailer there.

Power was adequate for the job, obviously not as capable as my old 460 powered F-250 but with attentive driving it did just fine.

Overall the trip gave me about 18.5 mpg, the 122 loaded miles was 15.9, I was both impressed & stunned.

I have towed my 5 x 12 utility trailer with the 4 foot high rear mesh ramp/gate and been well aware of the drag by that gate, on a windy day I was down in the 11-12 mpg range with only about 2500 pounds behind me.

 

My truck definitely shifts differently (for the better) when I tow. 2014 w/A750. It's subtle, but I can detect it. It holds the up-shifts a little longer in the hills and down-shifts more quickly and climbing up hills when you really need it. Also when you are going down-hill and are applying the brakes more frequently to control speed, (and seemingly/especially in curves with lots of steering adjustments it actively works to control the speed. When you apply/push the gas pedal again, it will quickly resume shifting back up through the gears when things as things calm down. I thought all the automatic downshifting without any intervention was an issue, but I learned somewhere in here or out there, that it's actually the intelligence using the steering input to work the "gears". I always did my down-shifting on other cars manually to control downhill speeds, but it is usually not necessary on this one: The truck/transmission usually beats me to it... and performs the same task back up the gears. Pretty slick and was happy to learn I didn't have a loopy, worn out transmission that couldn't make up its' mind.

Also, I can't swear to it or find any documentation to confirm it: but I think the cruise control is on the team and involved as well, on the downshifts to control speed... and gets de-activated automatically when the programs start doing their thing. The light is always on (green) as soon as you activate it, but was it actually set?? I can never remember. Most cars I have had with cruise had a white indicator for "On" and a separate green indicator for "engaged".

 

The 1100lbs include the tongue weight? If not you were about 600lbs over payload, which I've done as well in my 2nd and 3rd gens and the trucks didn't fall apart.

 

Did you use a weight distribution hitch? Looking at getting a 80"x14' cargo trailer with the a similar GTW.

 

From post #4 "I filled up with 90 octane non-ethanol ($4.59/gallon"

Where can you get non-ethanol gas? I have not seen any advertised in CT.

 

Good luck in new england. There is a few around but I would check a local form.

 

https://www.pure-gas.org/

Although it should run just fine on anything you can buy (that's E15 or less).

 

Thanks, great site for checking. I found only a few that actually sell from a pump, most were 1-5 gallon cans for power equipment or 55 gallon drums for racing. Did find one a reasonable distance but it's $12.50 a gallon which is cheap compared to the small cans. Might fill up the lawn equipment cans if I'm in their area. Would have to check if it's unleaded before using in the truck. Fuel injection not as problematic as the carbureted lawn equipment. Should get some before putting things away for storage. My local power equipment dealer has quarts that end up costing over $30/gallon/

 

$12.50...

It is fairly common around here, I just paid $4.69/gallon this evening.

 

No and zero problems.

 

Is your suspension modified at all and if so what did you do?

 

No totally stock. Trailer tongue is about 460. Rear suspension only drops a couple of inches.