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I am towing my 1800 pound 914 on a steel 18 ft car hauler trailer with a 99 F150 4.6L Lariet with 6" lift and 32" tires air bags in the back.  I am wanting to upgrade to a 2002 or 2003 buy a F250 7.3L turbo Diesel . super cab  8ft bed.

Not a lot of power in the F150 cold air intake even with a evolution tuner set to tow.   Probably the big tires are not helping the 355 gear ratio at all.

 

Milage wise I get about 11 MPG towing @ 70 MPH  about 16 MPG empty

I have heard the 7.3L powerstrokes get around 16 MPG  towing small loads and up to 21 MPG empty.  prices are down to around 12 grand for a truck with about 100K miles.

 

So is it worth it towing 300 miles a month to autocrosses  Sometimes more.

 

 

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Want to go faster, please send money.

What does "worth it" mean?  Totally economics? Probably not, it'll take a bunch of miles to break even on the price of the truck and higher priced diesel fuel.  Around here diesel is about $0.70 higher than gas.  If "worth it" means better milage and a truck that does not struggle at all to tow your toy then maybe.  Watch the front end of an F250 with 100K miles, it may need a healthy $$ amount of repairs.  (ball joints, tie rods, etc)  Find one with that stuff done, the 7.3L will run many many miles.

 

Jeff Christianson

Joe,

Ditto what Jeff said. Also, diesel mileage, like the size of fish and the size of certain other things, is generally overstated quite a bit.  Also, factor in the maintenance costs which will be higher on a diesel (3 gallon oil changes)

Don't be afraid of the Ford V-10.  You'd probably get the same mileage as you do now, but the cost of entry would be much lower and it will tow much better.

HTH,

DaveW

 

I was rooting around the F250 and seen Twin I-beam front end.  DANG IT.  I am pretty good with a wrench and can replace ball joints but anything with replacing bushing in them huge beems sorta sucks.

You guys brought some some good points.  Considering my toy and trailer is not real heavy I could probably do better by putting a set of headers on the 4.6L  big trans cooler and some smaller dia. load range D or E tires and be on my happy way.  If I finally burn up a trans I could probably replace it cheaper than the beast behind a super duty.

 I do like the fact that my current truck had very stiff springs in it. there is no wallowing or wandering when towing.    Bottom line I guess I can buy a lot of gas for the extra 10 grand I would spend on a big truck.  including maintenance expense.

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Want to go faster, please send money.

You could also buy a lightweight trailer.  Costs less than a diesel and saves a lot on gas.  We went from a 2800 lb steel trailer to a 1000 lb Trailex.  Our mileage whent from 8 to 15 mpg with a 1999 F-150 STX with the 4.6.   Since then we've switched to a 2006 F-150 SuperCrew FX4 and it tows better and gets the same 15 mpg even with the larger motor.

Unfortunately Trailex trailers aren't cheap. 

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2007 Mazda MX-5 MRS (C-stock)

I purchased a 2000 Excursion (7.3L diesel) in the offseason before diesel prices went up.  I can tell you that I got 18.5 mpg empty driving back from TX to WI.  Around town I get about 16.5 mpg.  I've only towed to one event so far so I can't comment on the towing mileage.  Also worth noting that the Excursion is going to be heavier than a pickup (unloaded that is).

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Jason Frank
Bridgestone / datatoys.com / Redshift Motorsports STS Civic Si

TeamUndercoatRacing.com

Yep my trailer is heavier than my car,  Not near as sexy as an Aluminum trailer with good brakes and wiring.  Still cheaper than 12,000 for a big used F250.

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Want to go faster, please send money.

An observation : there are those who have towed with diesel, and those that haven't.

You'll rarely, if ever, see someone who has towed with diesel EVER wanna go back!

 FWIW, my tow rig is a 2006 GMC 2500HD with the Duramax.  Trailer is an 18 ft Sloan Kwik-Load (approx 2K lbs for the trailer alone).   Towing Charlie's STS 1993 Acura Integra (car + stuff in it = approx 2600lbs, so a little under 5K for car/trailer) to Topeka and back last year from the SF Bay Area we got right at 17 MPG...for the entire trip!   Freeway towing my 96 Chevy Impala SS on the same trailer (combined weight around 6500) is 1-2 MPG less.

 The Topeka trip was NOT "slow" towing either, we were doing the speed limit plus a couple in AZ/NM (75 MPH) for example.   At "CA-legal" towing speeds (trailering limit = 55 MPH here and in Oregon, you can "go stealth" from CHP up to about 62 MPH) the truck gets 18-19 MPG while towing the Acura!   This was observed from the SF Bay Area to Packwood last year.

Beyond the mileage though is how effortless it is to tow with this truck.   On climbing any Interstate-legal incline (I know, hills on roads not really an issue there on the Gulf Coast), the truck doesn't so much as even downshift (let alone lose speed)!    This is up 5-6% grades.   And the grade braking built into the truck (via the Allison transmission) makes coming down those same hills just as easy.

 

mitchman:

  We went from a 2800 lb steel trailer to a 1000 lb Trailex.  Our mileage whent from 8 to 15 mpg with a 1999 F-150 STX with the 4.6.  

I think something is up with this. Guessing: 10,000lb truck/trailer/car. Drop 18% (1,800lbs) and nearly double gas mileage? Must be some aero benefit to the trailex over your old trailer.

 

 

Well made my decision. Bought some new tires and wheels Going from 315/70-16 terra grappler monster truck tires to some 245/70-17 highway load range D tires.

Looking at headers next. and shopping for an aluminum trailer.

 

Riding my bicycle 2 days a week so if my truck gets 15 MPG and is only driven 2 days to work is that like getting 30 MPG.

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Want to go faster, please send money.

Joe_914:

Well made my decision. Bought some new tires and wheels Going from 315/70-16 terra grappler monster truck tires to some 245/70-17 highway load range D tires.

Looking at headers next. and shopping for an aluminum trailer.

 

Riding my bicycle 2 days a week so if my truck gets 15 MPG and is only driven 2 days to work is that like getting 30 MPG.

Smart move on the tires - a win-win with fuel economy, load capacity, and handling.

Unless you're hell bent on spending more money, i.e., on the headers, a *stock* V8 full size truck is more than enough to pull your combo.  Further, an insanely expensive aluminum trailer sounds like a waste of money. 

Take the header money and get a tow dolly.  If slapping some cheap rear tires on and off every race is not so bad (and I assume you rotate the 914's tires anyway), consider a tow dolly.  I've seen 'em in the SE, 0 - 1 years old, for as low as $700 with surge brakes and up to $1200 with electrics.  They only weigh 400 - 500 lbs. 

 As far as towability, all I can tell you is that we towed a Sunfire on a dolly from NY to FL with a 26' U haul beater with no problems.

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Adam Wosneski
91 240sx (S13) -- hopefully ITS/DSP in 09
Need funds, tow vehicle