Tow mode MPG

NTXTremor

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TLDR: If Tow Mode performed better in EPA tests, Ford would have made Tow Mode the normal mode, but there is a very remote chance that Tow Mode could perform better in "real world" economy.

I am also skeptical. With people complaining that the Ranger shifts too early to maintain lower RPMs for improved fuel economy while others find that the fuel economy is better in Tow Mode, it does not jive. You would expect that Ford engineers did everything they could to maximize fuel economy performance for the EPA CAFE numbers, so why would they make the Ranger drive worse AND get worse fuel economy than making Tow Mode the standard?

BUT...

In the early 90s I worked at a petroleum research facility, and my job was to "drive" cars on a dyno following the EPA courses used for the fuel economy numbers you see on window stickers for City and Highway. We were not an EPA facility, but we did the tests for oil companies to test different gasoline formulas for fuel economy and emissions.

I believe that the tests changed in 2007 to better reflect driving styles and conditions and to add higher speeds since the original tests were based upon a 55mph highway speed, but ultimately, these tests do not truly reflect how YOU drive. In other words, your mileage may vary. :wink:

My experience driving literally hundreds of these tests was that the "City" driving portion was pretty aggressive, at least for the 1980s/1990s cars we were driving (probably not by today's standards), while the "Highway" driving portion was pretty slow even by 1990s standards. In other words, back then, you could easily improve on the sticker mpg for city but you were less likely to hit the highway mpg unless you drove under 55 all the time.

Back to the "BUT," and it is a very big "but," even with the variety of driving conditions covered by these tests, which are undoubtedly very well known by the automotive manufacturers (ex: see VW's cheating on the diesel tests), optimizing for fuel economy and emissions performance for these tests MIGHT NOT yield the best overall performance for a particular vehicle. It is possible, however improbable, that for a given vehicle something like Tow Mode MIGHT outperform the regular driving mode in real world driving but perform worse in the EPA tests, and therefore the Tow Mode is not the standard mode.

Again, the additional tests added in 2007 probably close the gaps that existed in the original testing procedures, so this is a big stretch in my opinion.
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MXGOLF

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Thanks for the information which is very interesting. I think I will try the tow mode for a tank and see if it really is better. I mostly drive 4 miles to work and 4 miles back daily during the week. During the summer I then tow my tent trailer camping 4-5 times and did get 18.2 mpg on one trip last summer. Not bad. It's town driving that sucks and am usually around upper 15's mpg to upper 16's.
 

Ranger_Pawl

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I've been using tow mode almost exclusively for about the last year. I've been seeing 16-17 MPG at each fillup. The past month I've used D quite a bit, and have seen 18-19 MPG on the few fillups. Just my observation. To me it would seem that driving in D, with lower rpms and skipping gears, should be more fuel efficient.
 

D Fresh

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My point is that I expect that margin of error to be more like 2mpg, which would render the results of you experiment as "within the margin of error".

I agree that Tow is far better than D for a number of reasons, and I really dislike D. But I just don't believe the MPG savings is a universal thing and may just be expected variation due to the large number of factors that are at play.
I can't totally disagree with you. There ARE a lot of factors to account for.

I do, however, highly doubt that my MPGs have a margin of error of 2. You've intrigued me enough to at least calculate over the next few tanks in order to verify.
TLDR: If Tow Mode performed better in EPA tests, Ford would have made Tow Mode the normal mode, but there is a very remote chance that Tow Mode could perform better in "real world" economy.

I am also skeptical. With people complaining that the Ranger shifts too early to maintain lower RPMs for improved fuel economy while others find that the fuel economy is better in Tow Mode, it does not jive. You would expect that Ford engineers did everything they could to maximize fuel economy performance for the EPA CAFE numbers, so why would they make the Ranger drive worse AND get worse fuel economy than making Tow Mode the standard?

BUT...

In the early 90s I worked at a petroleum research facility, and my job was to "drive" cars on a dyno following the EPA courses used for the fuel economy numbers you see on window stickers for City and Highway. We were not an EPA facility, but we did the tests for oil companies to test different gasoline formulas for fuel economy and emissions.

I believe that the tests changed in 2007 to better reflect driving styles and conditions and to add higher speeds since the original tests were based upon a 55mph highway speed, but ultimately, these tests do not truly reflect how YOU drive. In other words, your mileage may vary. :wink:

My experience driving literally hundreds of these tests was that the "City" driving portion was pretty aggressive, at least for the 1980s/1990s cars we were driving (probably not by today's standards), while the "Highway" driving portion was pretty slow even by 1990s standards. In other words, back then, you could easily improve on the sticker mpg for city but you were less likely to hit the highway mpg unless you drove under 55 all the time.

Back to the "BUT," and it is a very big "but," even with the variety of driving conditions covered by these tests, which are undoubtedly very well known by the automotive manufacturers (ex: see VW's cheating on the diesel tests), optimizing for fuel economy and emissions performance for these tests MIGHT NOT yield the best overall performance for a particular vehicle. It is possible, however improbable, that for a given vehicle something like Tow Mode MIGHT outperform the regular driving mode in real world driving but perform worse in the EPA tests, and therefore the Tow Mode is not the standard mode.

Again, the additional tests added in 2007 probably close the gaps that existed in the original testing procedures, so this is a big stretch in my opinion.
It is well known throughout the industry that CAFE testing DOES NOT equate to real world driving AND that manufacturers engineer to the test.
 


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I can't use D mode in my neighborhood, because the truck will try to lug itself to death.

Lots of 15-20 mph, stop sign to stop sign driving. Sometimes the transmission will refuse to downshift at 1000 rpm going uphill, unless I mash the pedal.

So I just pop it in sport mode to prevent the lugging.

Other than that, drive mode is 99% of my driving.

I do have the Livernois 93 Tune.
 

deleriumtremor

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Tow mode sounds interesting, think I will at least give it a try.

Truth be told, even with my disappointment of finding my on board computer was off on the high side (in the process of recalibrating it) and my first fill-up was actually 21.4, not the reported 24.6 on the dash, I am still pretty happy with the MPG. The Ranger blows away my previous two rides (Jeep 6-spd, V6 and small block V8 GM 1/2 Ton).

I can tell right now, the Ranger is a keeper, the actual/optimal MPG is an academic pursuit for me. :)
 

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My 2022 Ranger has 2000 miles on it now, and it has gone through stages of tranny driveability. First got it D was terrible, hung gears, downshifts when stopped, harsh shifts, lack of power. So I used S all the time. I tried tow once or twice, was ok but not as good as S. Now I'm using the truck in D, I notice the rpms driving around town are much less, the engine now has plenty of power and no longer lugs like when it was new, and the tranny is now shifting buttery smooth.
I will try tow/haul again and see how it feels. I'm getting 17 around town, lots of stop and go, doesn't like it.
 

Cabose-1

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I have been getting 24 to 26 mpg lately. In d mode. Live in south texas

I drive miss daisy around and like i have no lid on my bean pot and coffee and dont want to spill it on the carpet.

I drive super slow, 0 to 60 in 1 mile not seconds

Keep the rpms below 2 grand and i do not drive more than 68mph.
It is slow driving, very slow driving,
But i get it on a regular basis. I use tow mode when towing and hauling.
 

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You can get better mileage if you take your right shoe off when you drive.
You can do even better....
Only drive going downhill....even better, only drive downhill with the wind pushing you.
If you have to drive uphill to get to the downhill side, all bets are off, mileage degrades sharply.
You can also add some wind cutting/reducing accessories to your truck...

6075.jpg
 
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BDUb

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I use D daily and only go into T when hitting the 52 freeway at 10mph or less (traffick), I use S mode when I have had too much caffeine and folks need passing. I drive about 50 freeway miles Monday-Friday and I have the stock wheels and tires, however, the tires have less rolling resistance than just about anyone else's set up, because they are basically slicks now and running at 40 psi. I get 23 mpg in my 2019 4x4, leveled and front air damn removed. I'm in San Diego in East County where there are lots of hills. I will soon be on 275/75/17 all terrain falken wildpeak, LT, and Fuel wheels. I imagine my mpgs are going to take a pretty big hit.
 

Mojo Jojo

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My point is that I expect that margin of error to be more like 2mpg, which would render the results of you experiment as "within the margin of error".

I agree that Tow is far better than D for a number of reasons, and I really dislike D. But I just don't believe the MPG savings is a universal thing and may just be expected variation due to the large number of factors that are at play.
Who says you have to pick one. I use the best mode for the conditions. Drive when flat, small hills, gentle curves and hiway. Sport for hilly and curves. Tow for.....um TOWING
 

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My mpg seem quite similar with tow vs drive but because I love the shift points way better in tow mode, that is basically all I drive in, sometimes sport when I need the better throttle input. Trans temps do not really seem different either.
 

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Just completed a road trip this past weekend up to Omaha NE. The complete trip was driven in Tow Mode. Typical road trip, flat hilly, hwy, city, with & with out wind, most hwy speed was cruise set at 70 mph. The return trip had several hundred extra pounds of cargo. For the whole trip I averaged 23.5 My best tank was 25.6 This I can live with. My old beast got 10 mpg all the time. :like:
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