Towing differences XLT and Platinum

[duneslider]

I just wanted to post up some observations of differences that I have noticed between the 2019 XLT max we had and the 2020 Platinum max we have now.

I have now made several trips with the 2020 and feel I am certain in my observations. The 2019 XLT did have Bilstein shocks set at the stock ride height which DID improve the towing performance/handling.

The CCD shocks DO NOT handle a trailer as well as the Bilsteins. This is for sure. Unfortunately, I don't currently see an easy way to improve the damping of the Platinum. If I can figure out a way to trick the platinum to not know the CCD shocks are gone I would for sure put bilsteins back on. From the moment I drove the Platinum I did not feel the CCD was a better ride than the bilsteins. Anyway, due to the soft rear shocks there is more bounce/movement from the trailer. The bilsteins controlled it much better. I also understand why others felt the ride had issues and added the heavy duty sway bars.

I have the sway bars on my list of things to change. I think it will help with some of the movement I feel but I don't know if it will solve all the issues. Sway bars are easier to add than the shocks though so it shouldn't be a tough add.

Thus far, fuel mileage has not been as good around town and towing as the XLT was. I am going to attribute this to the 22" wheels. I am still watching the classifieds for a set of take off 18" wheels. The 18" wheels fit my use case better than 22's anyway. I am not extremely worried about gas mileage but I seem to be 1-2mpg less everywhere with the platinum compared to the xlt. I had nearly 60k worth of data on the XLT and only about 5k worth on the platinum, so hardly a scientific comparison but thus far I have not seen numbers as good as the XLT.

We also just picked up a newer and slightly bigger trailer. It is only about 1200# heavier than our last one but it is wider and taller. I can feel it a bit more than the last one but it handles nearly the same. It is a rockwood roo 233s. Dry weight of 4900# and loaded weight of 6300#. We took it out this last weekend and there was one bigger pass we climbed up to about 8000' and I was able to maintain 65 but the temps got up there right at the top, it showed 237 on the dash as we crested the top and then it quickly cooled off once I was off the boost. I have climbed that same pass with the xlt and the lighter trailer and not had any temp issues. Still guessing it was just the extra weight putting extra load on it. I will watch this and be more mindful of speed on bigger climbs. I never had any temp issues with the xlt at higher speeds, just low speed steep grades. My previous hemi would heat up on climbs even at highway speeds though.

I am going to look at for sure doing the thermostat replacement and see if I see any improvement with that. I am also more seriously considering the aftermarket intercooler and the louver mod.

I am still really happy with the expedition and towing. I don't think there is anything better currently available. The new big Wagoneer might be close but having towed with a hemi I don't think it is "better" than the eco boost.

So, the changes that I want to make to hopefully improve towing are:
18" wheels and Load E tires
Sway bars
Thermostat
Intercooler and Louver mod

 

[cekkk]

Just a comment on holding 65 mh up to 8,000 from a guy who has owned 4 Expis while living at 9,000'. You've dropped a quarter of the engine's hp at the summit I would think that doing that once is not going to do much damage to your engine and transmission. But why bother? Those big trucks, designed to do this daily, are going up those long grades, 6 to 9%, often at a crawl. You want to keep temperatures no higher than 200, although I realize that 210, 215 maybe unavoidable at times. But I would just suggest going down a couple gears and taking it easy. You are pulling not a bass boat back there, but a bass boat with a 11 foot sail.

 

[duneslider]

Yes, I agree, I was going faster than I probably should have. HOwever, the normal operating temps in the Gen 4 is usually in the 210-218 range. That is not uncommon at all. I think ford lists the normal temp as 215. It would be impossible to keep it below 215. I'm not a fan of how hot these run but I wasn't the engineer on it.

 

[Mr Big]

I know this is a dumb question, but are you switching to tow/haul when towing the trailer?
My 2019 Platinum has the heavy-duty tow package with the 3.73 diff. I have no problem towing a big trailer. I do switch to tow/haul whenever dragging an anchor.

 

[duneslider]

Yes, I do have it in tow/haul when towing. I have made several more trips with no issues. I have climbed some similar passes(8000+ feet) but grades weren't as steep and had no issues. Temps have also been a little lower than the first trip.

Do to other things going on this fall, we are probably done camping until early spring. My daughter has a race in early november, so we might take the trailer for that but that's an easy pull down I-15 without much climbing.

 

[JasonH]

Yes, I do have it in tow/haul when towing. I have made several more trips with no issues. I have climbed some similar passes(8000+ feet) but grades weren't as steep and had no issues. Temps have also been a little lower than the first trip.

Do to other things going on this fall, we are probably done camping until early spring. My daughter has a race in early november, so we might take the trailer for that but that's an easy pull down I-15 without much climbing.

I suggest the E tires first. Once I made that change and increased the pressure I didn't feel the need to make any other changes. The downside is they they ride stiffer even when not towing and your mpg will drop slightly. But it was worth it for me. They eliminated the squirm I felt when the camper was hooked up and made the ride more planted at all speeds. The Hankooks I had on before were mushy, even at 50 psi. You also get more puncture resistance, so one less thing to worry about when towing.

 

[GlennSullivan]

Yes, I do have it in tow/haul when towing. I have made several more trips with no issues. I have climbed some similar passes(8000+ feet) but grades weren't as steep and had no issues. Temps have also been a little lower than the first trip.

Do to other things going on this fall, we are probably done camping until early spring. My daughter has a race in early November, so we might take the trailer for that but that's an easy pull down I-15 without much climbing.

Was it the same rear axle ratio in your previous and current trucks?

 

[duneslider]

Was it the same rear axle ratio in bot your previous and current trucks?

Yep, all the HD tow vehicles have the same specs in those regards.

 

[GlennSullivan]

Yep, all the HD tow vehicles have the same specs in those regards.

Yes, I see that now. both 19 and 20 with HD tow only had the 3.73 ratio option. The '11, '14 and '17 had multiple axle ratios available with HD tow. I have the 3.31 on the 17 and find it provides a good balance of pull capability and fuel mileage with 20+mpg not towing and 12.5+ towing 6300lbs.

 

[jjscsix]

Sway bars keep a vehicle from leaning in curves. They have virtually no effect on controlling damping that causes ”bouncing”.

Negative effects on a vehicle with an independent suspension is that the bigger you go on the sway bar the less “independent“ the suspension is. The result is that (for instance) if you hit a pothole on one side it will have more effect on both rear wheels.

While a different sway bar may offer some benefits, just be aware of the downsides and what they won’t do.

Out of curiosity, do you run in sport mode or trailer mode when towing? I do not know this, but there is a chance the shocks are firmer in sport mode.