# 2017 F-150 3.5L NA w/355 rear end-report



## 10sne1 (Jan 6, 2019)

Hard to find info. I just bought a 2017 XLT crewcab with a 3.5L non-eco boost. It is rated to tow 5000#. I am towing my 2500# Triton Aluminum. It tows the Triton very nice in the city and on the highway. Enjoying the truck. Getting a consistent 14.5 mpg towing. It’s not easy finding real world info on the motor and rear end set up, so thought I’d report, how this base model tows/performs. I drive about 12,000 a year and tow about 500 miles a year. Remember I am in Flat land Florida, so limited hills. I’d love to hear what any one else is towing and their story about this set up.


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## LDUBS (Jan 6, 2019)

I am on my third month with a new RAM Laramie 1500 crew cab V6 ecodiesel. I will put about 11K/year and guess more than half of that will be towing the boat. It is rated to tow something like 8,000# but I am skeptical of these ratings in general and would not plan on routinely towing anything near the max. 

I'm ecstatic so far about getting 19 mpg towing my boat. This is a heck of a lot better mileage than I got with my previous Nissan Titan 5.6L V8. In fact, I don't think I ever got 19 mpg in the Titan even when not towing. But, while the diesel has a lot more torque, it has a lot less HP and is also a lot more sluggish compared to the big V8. I don't have a heavy foot, but this difference did take a little while to get used to. 

Anyway, one of the things that helps my mileage is my boat & trailer is probably about half the weight of your Triton.


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## MrGiggles (Jan 6, 2019)

06 Silverado 5.3, almost 300k miles, she's a little tired but still performs.

14mpg towing my 17' Tracker deep V. Average is around 14.5, mostly city. I've seen as high as 19 empty on the highway.


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## jethro (Jan 8, 2019)

'17 GMC Sierra with the 5.3L V8, 6spd trans and 3.42 rear end, in the summer I tow my 21' Sylvan which is probably 5000lbs with the trailer and I get about 14mpg. Tows like a champ, never an issue. In the winter I tow my 19' V-nose sled trailer which has the extra tall package. It's probably 3700lbs loaded with 2 sleds and I get around 12mpg with winter blend gas as long as I keep it under 80mph.

Unloaded I get easily 22-23 mpg highway in the summer. That goes down 3mpg with winter blend gas.


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## handyandy (Jan 8, 2019)

my old 2002 4x4 suburban 5.3 liter V8 3.73 rear gear pulling my heavy 1554 boat I get 13mpg typically sometimes 14 sometimes 12 depending on elevation and terrain. It's not recommended with a half ton but I did tow a 32 enclosed trailer with a whole 3 bed 2 bed homes worth of furniture and crap in it. Didn't go real far with it towed the trailer empty around 25 miles loaded around 70 miles I filled up before and after out of curiosity so I could figure up the mpgs. I got 10 mpg, but that trailer was huge and was a hilly area most grades I was going up in 2nd gear. I tow a 20ft flat bed with various loads ranging from scrap, to another truck, or car pretty frequently with it I tend to average 12mpg with a heavier load on that trailer like another truck. Just recently towed home a new to me 2000 3/4 ton 4x4 chevy truck with my suburban I got 11 mpg, but that 3/4 truck weighs in around 5200 pounds plus the weight of my 20ft 10k rated trailer. So it was a pretty substantial load for the ole burb. 

With nearly every seat full with a boy scout and the single axle enclosed trailer loaded with camping gear/supplies I get around 12-13mpg. Unloaded I usually 15-17mpg depending on driving conditions. It does have 234,000 miles now. I'd like to have a newer truck that gets better fuel economy, but the couple thousand I have in the burb and the differenc between $35k or so for a new truck sure covers a lot of gas. I sure would like a diesel colorado or canyon, but I hate that you can't get a bare bones crew cab 4x4 with the diesel. I don't care for having ten million options in truck that would go largely unnoticed to me. That and I don't get to concerned about a door ding at work or where ever in the ole burb, new truck I'd be tore up over it.


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## Crazyboat (Jan 8, 2019)

10sne1 said:


> Hard to find info. I just bought a 2017 XLT crewcab with a 3.5L non-eco boost. It is rated to tow 5000#. I am towing my 2500# Triton Aluminum. It tows the Triton very nice in the city and on the highway. Enjoying the truck. Getting a consistent 14.5 mpg towing. It’s not easy finding real world info on the motor and rear end set up, so thought I’d report, how this base model tows/performs. I drive about 12,000 a year and tow about 500 miles a year. Remember I am in Flat land Florida, so limited hills. I’d love to hear what any one else is towing and their story about this set up.


What is it you want to know about the engine? It's same 3.7L eng minus .2L and instead of having 302 HP it pumps 282 HP. You lose 20 HP but if you have the aluminum truck you save 900 pounds so a better HP to weight ratio then with the 302 HP and standard truck.

Lots of people use a pick up for the bed and hauling stuff and rarely towing, if you don't plan on towing more then 5K I wouldn't worry for a secondo about the power of that engine.


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## LDUBS (Jan 8, 2019)

*". . . . . as long as I keep it under 80mph."
*

I'm that guy in the right lane with the cruise control set at 59 mph. Haha

*" I don't care for having ten million options in truck that would go largely unnoticed to me."*

There is a lot of truth to that. There is stuff going on with my new RAM that I'll probably never use, or maybe a better way to put it is never understand even what it is. The owners manual is a 700 page PDF document which contains verbiage about various media and apps that I don't even know what the words mean. 

I also don't like how it makes decisions for me, like putting the trans back in park if the door isn't closed all the way or turning the seat/steering wheel heater on when it is cold (I wondered why I was getting hot). Or the feature that is supposed to help get going uphill from a standing start -- feels like someone is holding the brakes for a fraction of a second. I'm perfectly capable of pulling up the ramp without this "help", thank you very much. I guess I'm a geezer cause I also feel kind of foolish giving voice commands (though I do enjoy asking Alexa to make fart noises -- haha). 

I shouldn't even admit this, but I was at the car wash last week and couldn't figure out how to keep it in neutral with the engine off. I mean, I've been driving for literally over 50 years and should be able to do this, right? I googled it when I got home and learned that it cannot be in neutral with the engine off. 

But I do have to say I like the proximity alarms/display and the back up camera makes hooking the trailer up real easy.


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## 10sne1 (Jan 9, 2019)

Thanks Crazy, appreciate your post. I may wish to tow a Travel Trailer in the future and looking for some other real world tows with this motor and 355 gear. I am enjoying the truck so far!

LDUBS we just keep laughing at our self and life is grand. As a friend used to say “ i’m Going to have to tell one on my self”. After he did another silly/stupid something.


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## ppine (Jan 10, 2019)

I drive a one ton Ford 7.3 diesel. I do not get the idea of investing a lot of money in a tow vehicle that can only handle 5,000 pounds. 
It will probably be fine for towing a boat in Florida. 
What if you want to go somewhere else or tow an RV, or a bigger boat?
Many people seem to think that buying a tow vehicle that is "just enough" is the right thing to do. 
I bought my diesel new in 2002. With a few mods Nelliebelle gets a max of 23.8 mpg empty. I tow a 19 foot aluminum boat at around 18 mpg, and an RV at around 14 mpg all over the West. 
I have used her as an every day driver, and she is the best vehicle I have ever had out of about 30.


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## 10sne1 (Jan 10, 2019)

Thanks PP, glad I didn’t spend a lot of money on a tow vehicle that was bought to tow an aluminum boat. Wife has 4 x 4 Ram for the heavy lifting or towing. Just looking for quality information on a simple question. Thanks again PP


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## handyandy (Jan 15, 2019)

ppine said:


> I drive a one ton Ford 7.3 diesel. I do not get the idea of investing a lot of money in a tow vehicle that can only handle 5,000 pounds.
> It will probably be fine for towing a boat in Florida.
> What if you want to go somewhere else or tow an RV, or a bigger boat?
> Many people seem to think that buying a tow vehicle that is "just enough" is the right thing to do.
> ...



don't get a 6.0 or 6.4 ford diesel stick with that 7.3.


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## earl60446 (Jan 17, 2019)

I also have the 3.5 liter NA engine in a 2016 ford xlt supercrew 3.73 gear, 5.5 bed. I like it a lot, plenty of power for my towing and hauling needs.
Why pay for more than is needed? My daily driver, only vehicle I have. New engines in todays pickups last 300 - 400k easy with proper maintenance.
The 2.7 EB was tempting but got a great deal on the 3.5 NA.


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