Any experience with Ford Escape 2.0L?

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by GirlGone

I haven't purchased yet ...The specs show the 2017 Scamp is 6.8 w by 7.6 h .
Am I taking the wrong measurement for calculating frontal area ?

You might be if you are using height x width. Calculating the frontal area off the specs is a bit challenging. Remember the body sits about a foot off the ground and some parts hang down below. The curbside of the body hangs lower, so it is actually "taller" than streetside.

(on edit) Not to mention that the total height should also include the elevation in the roof and the roof vent. The total height is a measurement provided for clearance. It really can't be used to accurately determine the frontal area. Sort of like saying that if some is A' tall and B' wide their total frontal area is not AxB simply because their head and legs are not as wide as the widest part of the body.

I feel the J2807 standard someone mentioned really has a lot to do with the frontal area drop somewhere around 2014.
Check out the orange area on this page: That Dam Towing Test: New SAE Trailering Standards Explained - Tech Dept. - Car and Driver
para phrasing that part of the standard a 3000' climb over 11.4 miles, with the AC on full blast
and without dropping below 40 MPH

IMO the frontal area is important, but if your towing is not like that in the standard, the standard might be considered overly restrictive. Why the AC? If you think about it. The cooling air travels through your extra tranny cooler first, then the AC condenser, then your rad that may also have a tranny cooling component.
Towing on that long uphill climb at a fast speed with the AC on full in Nevada is going to create a lot of heat. Heat damages components. The cooling system needs to be adequate. Can you get an oversized tranny cooler? The largest rad available?

FWIW, I found I had to slow down a bit, turn the AC off, open the windows and turn on the heater when towing the boler in the Appalachian region in New Brunswick to keep the coolant temperature in the normal range. Granted it was a very hot summer day. That was towing with my 4.0l Ranger whose frontal area limit is pretty close to that of the boler.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Roy in TO

You might be if you are using height x width. Calculating the frontal area off the specs is a bit challenging. Remember the body sits about a foot off the ground and some parts hang down below. The curbside of the body hangs lower, so it is actually "taller" than streetside.

(on edit) Not to mention that the total height should also include the elevation in the roof and the roof vent. The total height is a measurement provided for clearance. It really can't be used to accurately determine the frontal area. Sort of like saying that if some is A' tall and B' wide their total frontal area is not AxB simply because their head and legs are not as wide as the widest part of the body.

I feel the J2807 standard someone mentioned really has a lot to do with the frontal area drop somewhere around 2014.
Check out the orange area on this page: That Dam Towing Test: New SAE Trailering Standards Explained - Tech Dept. - Car and Driver
para phrasing that part of the standard a 3000' climb over 11.4 miles, with the AC on full blast
and without dropping below 40 MPH

IMO the frontal area is important, but if your towing is not like that in the standard, the standard might be considered overly restrictive. Why the AC? If you think about it. The cooling air travels through your extra tranny cooler first, then the AC condenser, then your rad that may also have a tranny cooling component.
Towing on that long uphill climb at a fast speed with the AC on full in Nevada is going to create a lot of heat. Heat damages components. The cooling system needs to be adequate. Can you get an oversized tranny cooler? The largest rad available?

FWIW, I found I had to slow down a bit, turn the AC off, open the windows and turn on the heater when towing the boler in the Appalachian region in New Brunswick to keep the coolant temperature in the normal range. Granted it was a very hot summer day. That was towing with my 4.0l Ranger whose frontal area limit is pretty close to that of the boler.

Clean the cooling system on your Ranger. Mine pulls our Scamp with absolute impunity in the mountains... or is that a "boulder" you are towing?
Modern vehicles have a WOT switch which shuts off the A/C at wide open throttle.
Are you saying that you can't meet J2807 if your TV is not equipped with A/C ? Moot point I know since A/C is mandatory on most new vehicles

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by Roy in TO

FWIW, I found I had to slow down a bit, turn the AC off, open the windows and turn on the heater when towing the boler in the Appalachian region in New Brunswick to keep the coolant temperature in the normal range. Granted it was a very hot summer day. That was towing with my 4.0l Ranger whose frontal area limit is pretty close to that of the boler.
[/COLOR][/COLOR]

Our V-8 Dakota pulls our 16' Scamp pretty well, but last year climbing out of Death Valley in CA where the temperatures were in the lower 120's, we had to turn our A/C off and even stopped twice to let the temps drop back down going up one of the grades.
I haven't had the same problem with headwinds, so I guess the extra airflow from a headwind is not quite as bad as trying to climb a mountain on a hot day.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I was reading my Subaru manual on towing and it rates the 2012 Forester at 2400 lbs with brakes- but long grades in hot weather- 1000 lbs.

[bec]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

What if it is raining or snowing? Does the extra weight of the precipitation hitting the trailer decrease the allowable frontal area?

Hi Glenn ,
Have just been reading through this thread . Our 02 Liberty( 500/5000) is still in really great condition ( especially mechanically ) and has only 170000 kl on it , but it seems we are hankering after something new . The 17 Ford Escape will have 350/3500 ......would you give an opinion on the lessor margin we are contemplating . ( our dry weight is 1590 ).....

[Glenn Baglo]

I don't have experience with the tow or trailer so I'm hesitant to offer a opinion.
But, the 17B dry weight is several hundred pounds more and I've satisfactorily towed it with 3,500/350 for eight years.

[bec]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I don't have experience with the tow or trailer so I'm hesitant to offer a opinion.
But, the 17B dry weight is several hundred pounds more and I've satisfactorily towed it with 3,500/350 for eight years.

Hi , thanks that is actually a great comment ,did know you were at that a 350/3500 with more weight . So your comment is encouraging we have a pretty good idea of the areas you drive ...being satisfied after that many years means something . Have a nice day !

[Glenn Baglo]

Should have added that my RAV4 Sport V6 has 269 horsepower.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by floyd

As for the not so good sized ones? (AKA full sized, or oversized)
I'm sure they can do it as well,but why?

I did not buy my full size truck solely on its' towing ability.
I find small cars / trucks cramped , lacking in head & leg room , carrying capacity and extremely uncomfortable especially when driving for long periods of time.
My son has a Dodge Dakota with a V6 which is suitable for towing a fiberglass trailer but after a short ride I have an extremely hard time exiting the truck.
There are many factors beyond towing capacity that determine if any vehicle fits the needs of the owner .
My reasons for purchasing my full size truck are just as valid as the choices others make. I wish I did not have arthritis in my knees ,hips and ankles but it is what it is , so I bought a vehicle that works for me.
If people were all the same size , they wouldn't make clothes or shoes or vehicles in different sizes.

[bec]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Should have added that my RAV4 Sport V6 has 269 horsepower.

The 02 Liberty has 210 ....the 2017 Escape Titanium has 240 ......thinking the one area the the liberty does best is going up the Coquihalla .... ( not on fuel for sure ) ......seems to be a tough decision for me - I love my Jeep - not so much for Wolf ......( we won't keep 2 )

[Uplander]

Most vehicles (cars/trucks/SUVs) spend far more time being utilized for tasks other than towing. You should always consider all the uses your selection will be employed in other than towing. Meet and exceed the towing requirement but always weight the other uses you will be using the vehicle for....the best vehicle will meet all your family's requirements including safely towing your camper.

Happy and safe traveling !

[floyd]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I did not buy my full size truck solely on its' towing ability.
I find small cars / trucks cramped , lacking in head & leg room , carrying capacity and extremely uncomfortable especially when driving for long periods of time.
My son has a Dodge Dakota with a V6 which is suitable for towing a fiberglass trailer but after a short ride I have an extremely hard time exiting the truck.
There are many factors beyond towing capacity that determine if any vehicle fits the needs of the owner .
My reasons for purchasing my full size truck are just as valid as the choices others make. I wish I did not have arthritis in my knees ,hips and ankles but it is what it is , so I bought a vehicle that works for me.
If people were all the same size , they wouldn't make clothes or shoes or vehicles in different sizes.

All true, but your choice was available, mine is not.
I applaud those who buy and like an oversized truck, but sympathize with those who must buy and tolerate one!

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by floyd

All true, but your choice was available, mine is not.
I applaud those who buy and like an oversized truck, but sympathize with those who must buy and tolerate one!

I also applaud those who buy and like small , miniature trucks
and sympathize with those who must tolerate them .
I think Tonka still builds small trucks but am unsure of their towing capacity. The Ford F250 is looking better to me everyday.
Have fun at Scamp Camp and hoping the weather is favorable.

Best Wishes
Steve D

[rdickens]

Originally Posted by Uplander

Most vehicles (cars/trucks/SUVs) spend far more time being utilized for tasks other than towing. You should always consider all the uses your selection will be employed in other than towing.

I agree with Patrick. Because my tow vehicle always has to double as my every day driver, I have usually chosen a more fuel efficient SUV (instead of a truck) as my tow vehicle.

Happily, towing our Scamp13, I've been getting about the same mpg (22.5) towing with either our 2014 Ford Escape FWD 2.0L Ecoboost FWD or our new 2016 Ford F-150 4x2/2WD 2.7L Ecoboost full sized truck.

With either the Escape or the F-150, I often tow in 5th gear or below. When not towing, I use the normal "Drive" transmission setting to use all of the gears .... including 6th gear. By often towing in 5th gear, I am trying to keep the engine RPM in the range where I can get as close as I can to optimum torque.

Rather than looking at the number of cylinders, the horsepower, or even the manufacturer's tow weight rating of a potential tow vehicle, I would suggest looking at the torque of the engine at towing RPMs. See link below.

Horsepower or Torque?
Measuring Torque and Horsepower - For towing, what's more important, horsepower or torque? | HowStuffWorks

Turbo engines, like the Ford Ecoboost, and diesel engines both produce high torque at low RPMs. Regardless of the manufacturer/brand, I think that I will probably always try to select a turbo or diesel engine for towing.

Coming back from California, towing our Scamp13, I set the cruise control on 60 mph and went up and over Donner Pass (on I-80) and never once slowed down. So, from my experience, the Ford Escape 2.0L Ecoboost (with the front wheel drive - not the AWD/4WD) has plenty of torque and power to pull a 1500/1600 pound FGRV trailer. (I've sometimes wondered if the rounded back of the Escape doesn't pull air from the sides of the car around to the back of the car and provide a little less "wind shadow" for the trailer than a taller and/or squarer tow vehicle. Still, I can live with the 22.5 mpg towing.)


Our new F150 XLT Supercab 2.7L Ecoboost is a 4x2 (not a 4x4) and it has a 3.31 E-locking axle, 20" aluminum wheels, and a Bakflip tonneau cover.
I have heard reports of far less mpg from the 4x4 version with the 3.55 E-locking axle and the 18" steel wheels.

That has just been my experience so far.
Of course, as always, YMMV.

Good luck with your choices!

Ray

[MarkyVasquez]

What's the difference between the 2.0 EcoBoost that tows 3500lbs and the 2.5 that tows 1500lbs besides the engine. Does the EcoBoost have a bigger radiator, transmission oil cooler, engine oil cooler, larger alternator, and heaver suspension, or a reinforced unibody? Is it just the engine? I checked the ford website and it doesn't specify anything.

[rdickens]

Marky,

The back of my owner's manual says that the difference in the tow ratings between different vehicles with the same 2.0 engine is the "factory tow package". IDK all of the components in that package but at least it includes a factory- welded hitch, some anti-sway logic in the on board computer, etc.

Ray

[jsuplick]

I got a lot of info on this from fordescape.org. Here's a link to the Towing forum. You might have to create a login ID. Towing - 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017 Ford Escape Forum

[bec]

We had a serious look at -test drove , priced out etc. and asked about every possible question re: towing for the Ford Escape 2017 - Titanium 2.0 Ecoboost (specifically ). The response on tow package is - they are all tow package ready , the hitch and wire harness are added at the dealer .
( we have no knowledge on older Ford Escapes )
They only add 4pin and class 11. The vehicle has plenty of power ...is quick - but the sales guy in this case said " it would not do as well going uphill compared to our Liberty - or the Cherokee ".
We did test drive and considered the Cherokee when the new model came out in 2014 . It did not feel like a safe vehicle - response to gas was poor , transmission was rough -odd -felt like one could end up stuck in traffic with no power followed by sudden jump forward .
Ruled it out in 2014 ...... ( we had driven 9 speed trans in Germany 2012- was beautiful ) ....we have now taken another look at the Cherokee and another drive and will be taking another drive soon .
We find ourselves reconsidering . We did not encounter the same issues as 2014 ....
As Ford only adds 4 pin and class 11 hitch ( which gave us pause for thought ) plus interior space ( driver side in particular - brake controller ?) plus dealer bolted hitch , hitch height - we've decided it is not really for us . But it is a nice vehicle - especially with the two tone interior .
If we do not feel comfortable enough ......we'll just stick with our Liberty a while longer - it's been excellent and is less than 180 K and in very good condition .......

[charlesjerrywalker]

I bought 2016 Titanium 2.0 Eco boost rated 3500 lbs tow but have not used it. It came with installed tow pack a ge.

[Roadsterrv]

https://s19.postimg.org/b9a7e303n/image.jpg

I have no Issues with a 1.8 litre MX5 and My Replacement car is a 2.0 Litre MX5.I have towed it the Trillium all over Florida right down to Key West with both Cars..From Ontario Canada to L.A through the Big Sur to Carmel and back again..