A turbocharged 6-cylinder engine can be just as formidable an 8-cylinder, and the Ford F150 EcoBoost is no exception. It is baffling how a turbocharged 6-cylinder with so much power can get a decent fuel economy. However, there are a few tips and tricks that can help you to get the best miles per gallon (MPG) for your F150 EcoBoost.
How do you get better MPG with Ford F150 EcoBoost? There are several ways to get better MPG with a Ford F150 EcoBoost. Some of the best ways to get better gas mileage include using cruise control, remaining with stock wheels and trim, and specific energy-saving driving techniques.
The F150 loses MPG very quickly. It is amazing how little can throw these pickup trucks off. Adding aftermarket accessories, being a bit too heavy-footed, or even getting the vehicle too dirty can affect the overall MPG and gas mileages of the Ford F150 truck.
So, to help you get better gas mileage with f150 EcoBoost, I’ve put together the top 10 tips to get better MPG with your F150 EcoBoost.
Handy Hint: The EcoBoost uses a twin-turbo V6 engine. 6-cylinder engines respond to specific gas saving tips and trick better than larger engines.
How to get better MPG in a Ford F150
1: Keep your speed under 70
It seems pretty apparent that if you drive slower, you will get better gas mileage. But that is not always as easy as it looks. The city driving economy for cars and trucks is still less than the highway MPG fuel economy. This means that there is a golden speed where the engine in your F150 is working at the optimal speed to burn fuel efficiently.
In the United States, where we just can’t drive 55, little attention is paid to how to operate efficiently. But, in the UK, much attention is paid to the fuel economy by the government. UK government studies and recommendations for the best way to drive efficiently on their roadways are continually being updated.
A recent survey by the UK government-run Energy Saving Trust showed that the speed between 55 to 65 mph was the best way to maximize fuel economy.
At any rate more than that, the MPG tends to drop rapidly, and this is especially true for F150s. In fact, at 80 MPH, you are not only breaking the law but also breaking your MPG by using 40% more fuel than if you had been driving 70 MPH!
2: Watch your RPMs
Generally, F150 truck drivers today have automatic transmission trucks. However, if you have a manual transmission or want to use the digital manual shifting on the steering column, there is a gear-shifting strategy that can help to save gas. Upshifting gears before your RPM’s reach 2500.
This can help in giving you a 15% increase overall and put less strain on your engine. Watching your RPMs can also help to train you to drive with a lighter foot, even if you are not practicing shifting gears efficiently. Watch your RPMs on straightaways and keep them low when you are accelerating to keep the fuel economy at its best MPG possible.
3: Watch the road ahead
One of the best tips on this list to watch the road ahead. Watching the road conditions ahead helps you to do two things. First, watching the road conditions ahead helps you to anticipate the conditions to help with speeding up and slowing down efficiently for fuel economy.
Watching the conditions ahead also trains you to drive safely and defensively. Planning the road ahead will help you to drive your F150 more smoothly with better gas mileage on EcoBoost models.
Try to avoid hard braking and fast acceleration. Drive smoothly and evenly with acceleration. Try not to use excessive acceleration while driving uphill grades and try to coast on the way back down a hill.
4: Air conditioning is a killer of MPG
If you are going to use the air unit in your F150, use the heater. Generally, heaters don’t use much gas at all to work. However, air conditioning uses gas quickly. If you are driving below 40 mph, opening the windows has little effect on gas usage.
But air conditioning always drains your tank. Air conditioning is also something that is easily the least efficient accessory on your F150. If you are going to make a sacrifice, not using your air conditioning should be one you consider.
5: Don’t change anything from stock
Most F150 truck drivers and enthusiasts will be disappointed with this one. But, try to maintain the stock model of your F150 to keep the MPG higher.
Mudflaps, chrome, roof racks, and other aftermarket add-ons all add weight and wind resistance that can have a significant effect on the ending MPG in your F150.
Handy Hint: If you still want to make your truck look more aggressive, check out these awesome bad-ass upgrade tips!
6: Don’t slip into neutral to save gas
Some drivers feel that if they are coasting, they can save fuel by switching gears into neutral. The idea is that the engine will be working less and using less fuel.
However, most modern cars sense neutral as idling, which actually ends up using more fuel and power of the engine.
7: Keep your tires inflated correctly
The bigger tires with knobs and ample tread tend to cause more wind resistance and take away from the F150’s MPG. Keep the wheels on your truck stock.
Also, underinflated or flat tires can decrease MPG by up to 3%. Take the time to learn the proper inflation pounds per square inch for your stock tires and keep them at the proper inflation at all times.
Handy Hint: Have you ever wanted to put really big tires on your Ford F150 but weren’t sure what the largest sizes were? Check out this guide to big F150 tires.
8: Get a custom tune job
Getting a custom tune job done on your Ford F150 will probably be the work for a professional mechanic with the tools and knowledge to program your truck engine computer. You can also find information about the parts and tuning program specs from resources like this one.
You can buy a mini interface computer to plug into your truck’s engine computer and literally customize the performance of your vehicle in your own garage!
If you are looking to get better MPG in your F150 EcoBoost for city living, it is crucial to understand where the F150 suffers most while driving. In stop and go traffic or traffic jams that are bumper to bumper, F150s lose a lot of fuel economy.
These are usually in urban settings, so if you live in a city, getting a custom tune maybe your best option for maximizing the fuel economy of your F150 pickup truck.
Be careful to read the outcome of any customized tuning for your engine. Even though you will maximize the fuel economy for your truck as you drive around the city, you may actually be hurting the highway driving MPG.
It all depends on what you want and the kind of driving that you do most.
9: Use higher octane fuel, especially in hot weather
Octane quality of fuel is determined by the number on the button you press at the gas station pump. Most pumps have 4 options, 87, 89, 91(or higher), and diesel. Higher octane fuels have a higher pressure in which they can be squeezed before detonating or igniting.
Higher octane fuels also tend to burn more efficiently and can save you some MPG fuel economy here and there.
Keep in mind that the average cost of 89 octane is 10-20 cents more per gallon than regular 87 octane fuel.
10: Don’t warm up your engine
Most modern engines have no need to be revved up or “warmed up” before you put them into drive and drive away from your parking spot. Instead, revving an engine or letting it idle is only wasting fuel.
When you get into your truck, turn on the engine, and drive off immediately. This goes the same for idling everywhere else. If it isn’t needed, turn off the engine.
It can take an engine up to 5 miles to start working at peak efficiency, so if the trip is shorter, it will negatively affect the MPG of your F-1560 truck.
The biggest problems with the Ford F150 EcoBoost
For many F150 drivers, the feeling of driving a powerful truck with turbo-charged engines along with all the modern bells and whistles is a great sensation.
However, there are common problems in the F150. Because of the design of critical components of the F150 owners should be aware of these problems.
Many of these problems encourage owners to look at getting better gas mileage elsewhere. Also, owners may want to replace or tune certain parts of the truck at steady intervals.
Here are a few of the biggest problems with the Ford F150 EcoBoost.
The 365-horsepower engine in a V6
365 horsepower sounds like plenty of power to do all of the things that truck owners need. You can haul weight in the bed of the truck, tow basically any recreational vehicle. However, for a V6, this engine uses a lot of gas.
Twin-turbocharged engines each consume more gas and hurt fuel economy worse than a standard engine. However, with only 6 cylinders, this can have a counter effect.
Also, with a V6, small variations in wind drag have a more significant impact than they might have on a larger engine for the overall MPG.
Direct fuel injection engine = carbon buildup
Just because the Ford F150 is built tough doesn’t mean that there aren’t some features that you need to keep an eye on to maintain. One of the biggest problems with the Ford F150 EcoBoost is the direct fuel injection engine.
Direct fuel injection is a process of internal combustion that can cause carbon buildup on the valves of the engine cylinders.
This can cause engine malfunction or even hurt engine performance.
There isn’t much to do about this other than to use superior quality gasoline or diesel and to have frequent tune-ups done. Many of the hybrid models with hybrid port fuel injection do not have this problem, but these are only on newer models.
The Engine is “punchy”
F150 EcoBoost gained a large fan base because it is a V6 capable of towing what would usually take an F-250. However, the bold design of the body and the powerful engine with turbo give the acceleration a punchy feeling that can be sensitive and take a while to get used to.
Other than the punchy feel (which some claim provides a sense of power behind the movements of the pickup) the engine is plenty powerful.
Handy Hint: Read the most comprehensive guide to Ford F150 towing capacities on the Internet. My guide lists multiple models and years all the way back to 2014.
The fake engine sound
The sound of the engine is not of concern here. In fact, the grumble of the V6 turbos is robust and sound great. Instead, it is the piped-in sound of the engine through the interior of the F150’s speakers that is a little strange.
When you throttle down the engine, a fake sound of V8 Ford engine is played through the speakers, which seems a bit lame. The engine itself does not need any synthetic speaker to make it heard. So, it is strange that Ford felt it was necessary to remix the 6 into a V8 sound… just for the cabin of the truck.
A recent article in the Washington Post clearly labels this as being sold on a bed of lies. I am not so sure that we would go that far.
However, fake engine noise is not just the dirty secret of Ford with it being used in the Mustang and F150 EcoBoost to increase the meaty sound at acceleration.
BMW and Volkswagen, among other car companies, are also piping in recorded engine sound to the cabin of the cars and trucks through the speakers. Who would have thought?
Conclusion
The Ford F150 EcoBoost is a sweet pickup with plenty of power behind it to give you the towing hauling ability that every truck owner is proud of. The twin-turbocharged engines allow for 365 horsepower with only a V6, making the engine lighter and more fuel-efficient.
However, a V6 means it is more susceptible to outside factors like wind resistance that can limit or negatively impact the overall fuel economy and MPG of your F150 EcoBoost.
If you can follow some or all of these tips, give yourself a better chance to maximize the fuel economy on your F150. To get the best MPG With an F150 EcoBoost, you really have to consider how you are constantly driving.
Acceleration, braking, and planning ahead of your trips have the most significant impact on your MPG. Keep in mind that the type of fuel you use and the accessories that are running while you drive your truck can make significant differences in the ending MPG, as well.
When Ford came out with the F150 EcoBoost, truck drivers were impressed to find a truck with so much horsepower and ability that could get up to 20 or more MPG. However, articles like this prove that drivers of the EcoBoost are people who will keep researching ways to save money at the pump and keep their trucks as efficient as possible.
The benefits of the V6 Ford F150 EcoBoost engine far outweigh the negatives listed for this truck. The V6 also comes in various designs. The V6 designs range from the sporty Raptor capable of being a sort of sand dune runner in Baja to the powerful V6 twin-turbo capable of towing heavy loads and recreational vehicles.
Most truck owners know that they are sacrificing fuel economy for grit and power. There is no shame in finding out the best tips to keep money in your pocket with efficient MPG techniques for driving and maintaining your F150.
Final thoughts…
According to the AAA, national gas prices in the United States are currently over $4.14. With gas prices soaring and truck owners all too aware of how much it costs to fill the tank of their trucks, it is a great time to consider some of the tips for getting better MPG from your Ford F150.
Don’t be caught paying more for the use of your F150 than you have to. Save your money and protect your wallet at the pump, not to mention save time and reduce your carbon footprint by following the tips and tricks detailed in this article.
Then, take a look at the biggest problems that I found with the F150 EcoBoost. I hope that helped in providing details about why the EcoBoost is still a great option and to give you a full picture of the truck you have chosen to drive.