Surprising Fuel Savings at 55 mph

[JamuJoe]

Good discussion! Many valid points made regarding improved safety, fuel efficiency and equipment life simply by backing off to 55 or 60 mph. It's not just about squeezing a few more miles per gallon, or lessening impact on the environment, it's the entire equation that can make the journey a safer, more rewarding experience. I'll take cruising the scenic byways at 55 to racing down the Interstate at 65 any day.

[JamuJoe]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I find it very interesting that many people on this forum [some on this thread] talk about, "If you can afford an Airstream" you can buy this hitch, change to this type of brakes, buy this type of brake controller, buy these tires and wheels, buy this type tow vehicle Etc Etc Etc. Like money is water and now they want to squeeze every mile per gallon from their fuel. Hey, if you can afford an Airstream, then you can afford to buy the fuel to tow it with too; And drive at a comfortable speed that is usually with the flow of traffic. For me to get better gas mileage, it will have to wait until I buy a newer, more efficient tow vehicle. Until then I get between 10 to 11.5 miles per gallon with the conditions that the traffic and weather give me.

I refuse to drive at 47.153624 miles per hour to pinch a few more miles from a gallon of gas.

Exxon, BP, and Shell would love you! I'll give you plenty of room to pass.

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I find it very interesting that many people on this forum [some on this thread] talk about, "If you can afford an Airstream" you can buy this hitch, change to this type of brakes, buy this type of brake controller, buy these tires and wheels, buy this type tow vehicle Etc Etc Etc. Like money is water and now they want to squeeze every mile per gallon from their fuel. Hey, if you can afford an Airstream, then you can afford to buy the fuel to tow it with too; And drive at a comfortable speed that is usually with the flow of traffic. For me to get better gas mileage, it will have to wait until I buy a newer, more efficient tow vehicle. Until then I get between 10 to 11.5 miles per gallon with the conditions that the traffic and weather give me.

I refuse to drive at 47.153624 miles per hour to pinch a few more miles from a gallon of gas.

With it being 500+ miles most any direction for me out of Texas to get somewhere significantly different, I agree with you, for what it's worth.

All you other guys, please keep to the Right.

[Phoenix]

We towed our Airstream around 15,000 miles this year. A quick estimate shows I could have saved 243 gallons of fuel by driving 5 mpg slower at 55 mph, instead of 60 (using the rough calculations in my original post). This would be a savings of about $900, using $3.75/gallon as an average fuel cost (just a guess).

We only cover a few hundred miles a day; so that 5 mph only lengthens the daily driving time by about 20-30 minutes, which doesn't mean anything to me, because we're retired and we enjoy the ride.

I can see that in Texas you might want to maximize the distance traveled each day, because everything is so spread out. However, in the Four Corners area, the next campsite is only a couple of hours away; so a few extra minutes doesn't make a hill of beans to me. I'll take the reduced stress and look out the side windows more often, and pocket the $900 savings per year to spend on local attractions at the next stop.

As an aside, my wife and I live on a budget, as most people do. And, the 16-inch wheels and LT tires we bought were not an extravagance. We bought these as a necessity, to stop replacing ST tires and repairing wheel wells. We both view this upgrade like repairing a hole in the roof; we had to stop the leak (in money). Otherwise, our 2005 Bambi is original, except for a few extra dents and stains that document our travel history. We didn't buy an Airstream because we are wealthy, as we certainly are not. We got it because we wanted an RV that would last. And, despite all the leaks, cabinet doors, etc. that used to fall off, and other little design deficiencies, it's still the best RV we've ever owned.

[Ganaraska]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I find it very interesting that many people on this forum [some on this thread] talk about, "If you can afford an Airstream" you can buy this hitch, change to this type of brakes, buy this type of brake controller, buy these tires and wheels, buy this type tow vehicle Etc Etc Etc. Like money is water and now they want to squeeze every mile per gallon from their fuel. Hey, if you can afford an Airstream, then you can afford to buy the fuel to tow it with too; And drive at a comfortable speed that is usually with the flow of traffic. For me to get better gas mileage, it will have to wait until I buy a newer, more efficient tow vehicle. Until then I get between 10 to 11.5 miles per gallon with the conditions that the traffic and weather give me.

I refuse to drive at 47.153624 miles per hour to pinch a few more miles from a gallon of gas.

There is a difference between spending money and wasting money. I can totally see investing in a good tow vehicle, new tires, hitch etc if it means having a rig that will give you the enjoyment and safety you desire.

I can also see planning trips, road speed etc. to maximize economy.

A lot of this is a matter of using your own judgement. For example, it would be false economy to spend $30,000 on a new truck to save $1000 a year in fuel. But if you can save a few hundred $$$$ bucks in fuel, not to mention wear and tear on yourself and your rig, by spending a little more time en route it is something to consider. Whether it is worth it or not, is up to you.