What's your towing MPG?

[JCWDCW]

Boxite QUOTE ["Then along came a decision to get an Airstream a year later, and we've now taken 8 trips with it,...several short ones of a few hundred miles, and two longer ones of a couple thousand, one along the coast and the other up thru the mid-west hills. This has shown me that this engine is fine for level and gentle-hills Interstate, but marginal for the mountains.
I am not someone who is in the habit of changing vehicles every other year. I drive 'em until they're either totally worn-out or they're wrecked, ....so I'll keep it awhile longer in the hopes it can do the job,...but I'm wondering about our plans to drag the AS out West and Northwest. We'll have to see.]"

Interesting, you don't say the size of your unit, but ...you have the 3.92 rear end; I have the 3.55 on my Dakota with the 4.7 and I find it adequate but often wondered if the 3.92 might have been better. I turn 2600 rpm at 60 mph. That would be 2870 at 60 mph with the 3.92, which takes the engine up a notch into its torque rating; HP is entirely adequate...wish for another 25 -50 lbs of torque. I wish the "passing gear" on my "5" speed would hold in longer, but apparently this combination of 2nd gear and OD also drops out the torque converter lock up which generates tons of heat so they limit its use in the programming. I choose this vehicle for its ability to pull the 25 or even a 27, but I also wanted good mileage when not pulling the AS. I can average 20 MPG on flat hwy runs. You're right ...it does the job on Interstate but once the speed drops below 50 the engine needs 2nd or even 1st gear in steep country. I don't live near mountains, but I have done the run north of Lake Superior with plenty of 6 and 7% Grades. Usually if I can get a run at the bottom of the hill and hold revs up around 3000 then I'm good to the top or maybe just finishing up in "passing gear" or 2nd. I've got 225K Kilometers (140K Miles) on the 03 Dakota and plan to do at least another 100K. Then I'll probably be too old to continue Air-streaming any real distance!
JCW

[acater]

2015 Jeep Grand cherokee diesel and a 2016 Int 25FB I avg about 18mpg when towing

[Bruce B]

New Ram 2500 Cummins this spring.
Way too much truck for simply towing our 16' Bambi but...well...I wanted a Cummins!
8000 or miles on it now and about 2000 miles towing.
I began recording fuel consumption on Fuelly after about 1000 miles.
So far we have averaged 18.3 mpg overall and about 16 while towing.
It's not even broken in yet!
We will put a bunch of towing mileage this winter as we will be setting off on what will ultimately be a loop of the country.
Bruce

http://www.fuelly.com/car/ram/2500/2...erbeard/423884

[Kemblkr]

2013 Ram 5.7 pulling 22 international at 12 MPG in tow mode connected to new 8 speed tranny. 22 MPG highway without camper.


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[pappy19]

Took great pains to record 2 long trips, 7,000 miles each. Coast to coast, average 8.6 mpg with my 2008 Ford F-250 with the 6.8 V-10 gasser. Never a need for more power and no worries of bad diesel fuel or urea, and I am $8,000 ahead from the difference in a gas engine vs diesel cost.

[Bruce B]

Originally Posted by pappy19

Took great pains to record 2 long trips, 7,000 miles each. Coast to coast, average 8.6 mpg with my 2008 Ford F-250 with the 6.8 V-10 gasser. Never a need for more power and no worries of bad diesel fuel or urea, and I am $8,000 ahead from the difference in a gas engine vs diesel cost.

There is no question about the economics!
$8000 buys a lot of fuel. Say at $3.20 a gallon about 2500 gallons to be exact.
That's a lot of driving!
Bruce
P.s. I still love my diesel, even if I never need the power. I just like it!

[KJRitchie]

I averaged 12.6 mpg (hand calculated) towing our 2008 Classic 25fb with our 2015 Ram 2500 4x4 CTD on our trip to Glacier National Park last month. Best leg was 14.9mpg worse leg was 11.1mpg. While I attempted to keep around 60mph often I found I was cruising more around 65mph.

In contrast with my previous tow vehicle, 2010 Tundra DC, 2x4, out to Utah and back last year it averaged 11.9mpg (hand calculated) but I definitely towed slower between 55 and 60mph.

Kelvin

[FCStreamer]

10.5mpg towing, 16.5mpg not towing. That 6.2L engine is THIRSTY.

[Alluminati]

10 MPG at 65 MPH
12 MPG at 55 MPH

300 miles 65 MPH 30 gallons 4.6 hours

300 miles 55 MPH 25 gallons 5.45 hours

So I slow down, drive 50 minutes longer and save $10

(QE3 weighs 9.5K lbs
Tug is rated to pull 10K)

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by Alluminati

10 MPG at 65 MPH
12 MPG at 55 MPH

300 miles 65 MPH 30 gallons 4.6 hours

300 miles 55 MPH 25 gallons 5.45 hours

So I slow down, drive 50 minutes longer and save $10

(QE3 weighs 9.5K lbs
Tug is rated to pull 10K)

In the aviation-market, it's generally accepted that hourly, direct (excluding insurance/storage/parking), total-operational costs are about twice the fuel costs. (I.E. If the airplane consumes $100/hr in fuel, it's maintenance costs are also $100, total direct ops costs per hour is $200. This is accurate within 10% in all airplanes I've ever operated which range from single-engine Cessnas to Boeing 737.)
If similar operational costs exist in autos, ...then the $10 approx. you saved by reducing speed cost an addt'l $10 in mx. equating to a "wash". (Obviously, this is purely hypothetical, ...however the imagined savings is not necessarily factual and the costs of hourly ops is largely missed by ground-transportation accounting for various reasons.)

[GMFL]

Last trip to Canada

[Vantair]

Originally Posted by lsbrodsky

25 FB, Silverado 5.3 12-14 mpg for a day, just about anywhere I have been.

Larry

Exact same here with same TV and Trailer size

[Texfx4]

We pull an '86 Avion 32S that tips the scales at 7,000 lbs loaded for our trips with a 2013 Ford Raptor. We average 10.5 to 11 mpgs depending on terrain, traveling at 65. We've put 3,000 miles on it this summer and it stays in that range. I pushed it to 70 a little on the last trip and watched the mileage start dropping, when it 9.9 I slowed back to 65. 65 is a happy speed for our rig, better on tires and more comfortable on ride.

I average 13 mpg for normally daily driving and 15.5mpg on 70-75mpg highway trips. We ran 80-85 from New Mexico to Missouri last Christmas and it only pulled it down to 14.7mpg. The truck wasn't built for miles per gallon, it was built for smiles per mile.

[cliffcharb]

2005 Sierra Denali with 6.0l gasser pulling 05 30' Bunk right around 10mpg. Pulling the 1981 Excella 31' I'm around 11.5mpg. This is all in the SE and Carolinas.

[Alluminati]

Originally Posted by Boxite

If similar operational costs exist in autos, ...then the $10 approx. you saved by reducing speed cost an addt'l $10 in mx. equating to a "wash".

Conversely, I was thinking that lower speeds would mean less wear and tear on the vehicles, resulting in lower costs in the long run.

But taking trailer tires for example, most are rated for 65 mph max. Is it better to run them at 100% of their speed capacity for shorter periods, or 85% of speed for lower operating temperatures, but for increased hours? (Of course number of revolutions remaining the same.)

Driving slower can be less stressful, but longer hours can be tiresome too. As a professional, my time is worth more than $10/hr, lol. Maybe slower is safer.

I don't know how to measure the variables.

[Bev1940]

I tow my 31' 1978 with a 2014 GMC 1/2 ton 2 w/drive 1500 gas powered regular cab 8'box, p/u truck, I got 15.5 mph on the trip to Louisiana from London ON. The trip I took to Whitehorse YK with my 1999 GMC 3 years ago I avg about 12.


''Women who behave rarely make history''

[switz]

That was a good illustration of the decrease in mileage with higher speeds in post #130.

I would see at least a 10% reduction in mpg for each five mile per increment in speed with my 2010 GoldWing motorcycle. Running 55 mph would see in the high 30s and the posted 80 mph on I-10 in West Texas would see mid 20s.

Similiar results with my 2007 Mercedes ML320 CDI V6 diesel and the Ram 2500HD Cummins.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Alluminati

Conversely, I was thinking that lower speeds would mean less wear and tear on the vehicles, resulting in lower costs in the long run.



But taking trailer tires for example, most are rated for 65 mph max. Is it better to run them at 100% of their speed capacity for shorter periods, or 85% of speed for lower operating temperatures, but for increased hours? (Of course number of revolutions remaining the same.)



Driving slower can be less stressful, but longer hours can be tiresome too. As a professional, my time is worth more than $10/hr, lol. Maybe slower is safer.



I don't know how to measure the variables.

Variables:

Average speed and travel speed won't be the same. Greater differential rate the higher the travel speed.

At work I ran IH20 over two days at a cruise control speed of 68-mph. Both days covered the same miles on the same time, by accident. What was not accidental was that the average speed was 56-mph due to traffic and construction both days.

A speed lower than 68 those two days would have meant little change to the average speed. But it would have meant fewer and shorter acceleration and deceleration events. A big difference on wear extrapolated over the life of the vehicle. Braking and steering inputs per 100-miles are measurable I terms of fuel consumption increases, thus vehicle wear. And driver wear.

Frankly, an RV'er running 300/miles per day isn't seeing any time savings running greater than 65. It's simply the unwillingness to run a speed at which the rig can be controlled under maximum braking. The sooner one is at or under 50-55, the better. With a 4WD pickup, even lower.

Running with the traffic is to be one of the morons.

Find the average speed. Time over distance.

Plan the stops a day ahead. Leave earlier. Etc. That's how to "save" time. It isn't done with the throttle.

[MarkR]

2001 F150 SuperCrew
3.55 Differential
5.4L Engine
Hwy 5 / Flat Central Valley
60 - 65 mph
'60 Tradewind (most likely 4,500 lbs)

Drum Roll Please:

9.5 mpg . . . so sad

[Alluminati]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Plan the stops a day ahead. Leave earlier. Etc. That's how to "save" time. It isn't done with the throttle.

Thanks! Wise counsel.

I recall seeing an impatient passenger urging the bus driver to hurry up. Bus driver says, "Wanna get there sooner? Catch an earlier bus."