Gas mileage (1 Viewer)

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I have a 2013 LC with bumpers ,40 gallon LRA, 33" tires and 4.88 gears. I tow a 3K trailer. I'm getting 8.5 mpg on the highway at highway speeds and it can drop to 7.0 with hills and winds.

What are you other trailer towers getting for mileage? I know I am heavy but am interested in any comparisons. Thanks

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I get a very consistent 12mpg in the mountains and 14mpg on the flats pulling my trailer. Usually have canoes/kayaks on the roof as well. Mostly stock other than tires and 24 gallon long range fuel tank. I drive 65mph max. I pull this setup all over North America / 20k miles a year.
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2016 stock get 12.5 to 13 pulling a 3500lb boat/trailer at 75mph. Most of time I only pulling it about 30miles one way. But few times I have pulled it 200+ plus miles I get 13mpg at constant 75 to 80mph with transmission set to 6th.
 
2016 stock get 12.5 to 13 pulling a 3500lb boat/trailer at 75mph. Most of time I only pulling it about 30miles one way. But few times I have pulled it 200+ plus miles I get 13mpg at constant 75 to 80mph with transmission set to 6th.
That's solid mileage, I've been seeing around 11.5 mpg towing a 2,000lb trailer with 2 pax, dogs, and gear cruising at 65-70, keeping my (mostly stock) 2014 in 5th.
 
I have a 2013 LC with bumpers ,40 gallon LRA, 33" tires and 4.88 gears. I tow a 3K trailer. I'm getting 8.5 mpg on the highway at highway speeds and it can drop to 7.0 with hills and winds.

What are you other trailer towers getting for mileage? I know I am heavy but am interested in any comparisons. Thanks

View attachment 3030220

I haven't done extensive towing with the 200 yet, but just some comments:

  • 4.88 gears and 33's probably not helping MPG any. You've got to be running significantly higher RPM than stock at a given speed. I bet it feels strong and tows great though.
  • Boxes on the roof have got to be hell for your aero. I've noticed a huge difference in wind resistance between different shape campers or hanging crap off the truck, even when the weight is similar (i.e. pop-up vs. boxy teardrop like yours). You really notice this stuff driving an 80-series into a headwind in Wyoming. Maybe build a wind fairing or find a way to get that crap inside or into a rocket box?
  • What's your typical cruising speed? Bringing it down to sub-70 will definitely help. I know this, yet I still can't bring myself to go any slower than the rig is capable of :hillbilly:
 
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I know I have a lot of wind resistance. Without the trailer ,I've seen 12-13 mpg. Speed is an issue and I factor that in. 65mph is very slow to a speed limit of 80mph.

It always seem when I go on a trip it is terribly windy.

According to reading posts on MUD it seemed 4.88's with 33 tires would be optimal for off road performance and pulling a trailer. With stock gears the truck is a dog off road.

I understand poor gas mileage is part of the fun. Just trying to gauge what others are getting similarly equipped.
I get a very consistent 12mpg in the mountains and 14mpg on the flats pulling my trailer. Usually have canoes/kayaks on the roof as well. Mostly stock other than tires and 24 gallon long range fuel tank. I drive 65mph max. I pull this setup all over North America / 20k miles a year.View attachment 3030256
Looks like a stock truck.
 
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I know I have a lot of wind resistance. Without the trailer ,I've seen 12-13 mpg. Speed is an issue and I factor that in. 65mph is very slow to a speed limit of 80mph.

It always seem when I go on a trip it is terribly windy.

According to reading posts on MUD it seemed 4.88's with 33 tires would be optimal for off road performance and pulling a trailer. With stock gears the truck is a dog off road.

I understand poor gas mileage is part of the fun. Just trying to gauge what others are getting similarly equipped.

Looks like a stock truck.
Wait, what? A dog offroad? That definitely needs a qualifier. Rock crawling? Muddy tracks? Long corrugated gravel roads? Ive driven them all, even pulling a trailer. 33s aren’t that much bigger than stock.
 
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I have a 2013 LC with bumpers ,40 gallon LRA, 33" tires and 4.88 gears. I tow a 3K trailer. I'm getting 8.5 mpg on the highway at highway speeds and it can drop to 7.0 with hills and winds.

What are you other trailer towers getting for mileage? I know I am heavy but am interested in any comparisons. Thanks

View attachment 3030220
We have similar builds (minus the gears) and I also often tow a similar size camper (4500lbs). In your MPG calculation, are you taking into account the larger diameter tire? I believe the factor to multiply your miles by is 1.06… but double check me on that.

On mine I get as high as 11 but that’s rare, it’s usually 9.5 once I get into the mountains or dirt. I’ve found that the aero is a major contributor to lackluster gas consumption. Not only are the boxes on the roof part of that equation but the front bumper is as well. The stock bumper directs a lot of air around the tires and helps greatly with MPG’s but totally sucks when it comes to the fun trail driving.

Also, weight will take up mileage. I’d weigh your setup at what you think is your heaviest pack out and see where you land.
 
If you do the math from stock height tire to 33” tire, the appropriate gears are 4.10. Add armor and you get to 4.30. Add towing and you’re around 4.56 is my guess. 4.88 is probably optimal for 35’s and armor towing.

And mpg will not be good.

I average around 12 in town and 17-19 or so going 55-60 mph on flats…ive got 33’s and a bullbar in stock gears. 13-16 mpg towing a 17’ Jon boat.

Aero is a killer…and aerodynamics aren’t linear. The faster you go the even harder it is to push the air out of the way.

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I have a 2013 LC with bumpers ,40 gallon LRA, 33" tires and 4.88 gears. I tow a 3K trailer. I'm getting 8.5 mpg on the highway at highway speeds and it can drop to 7.0 with hills and winds.

What are you other trailer towers getting for mileage? I know I am heavy but am interested in any comparisons. Thanks

View attachment 3030220
That photo tells the story. Your lucky to get the 8.5mpg! Front bumper, heavy tires, square boxes on top, non-aero trailer, loaded everywhere stuff can be put; wow. The coefficient of drag would be off the charts. Ever weighed the setup on a CAT scale?
 
Wait, what? A dog offroad? That definitely needs a qualifier. Rock crawling? Muddy tracks? Long corrugated gravel roads? Ive driven them all, even pulling a trailer. 33s aren’t that much bigger than stock.
Steep hill climbs . Even in low range I felt I was running out of power. My impression. Now no issues.
 
That photo tells the story. Your lucky to get the 8.5mpg! Front bumper, heavy tires, square boxes on top, non-aero trailer, loaded everywhere stuff can be put; wow. The coefficient of drag would be off the charts. Ever weighed the setup on a CAT scale?
No need to weigh anything. If I could get away with less I would.
 
If you do the math from stock height tire to 33” tire, the appropriate gears are 4.10. Add armor and you get to 4.30. Add towing and you’re around 4.56 is my guess. 4.88 is probably optimal for 35’s and armor towing.

And mpg will not be good.

I average around 12 in town and 17-19 or so going 55-60 mph on flats…ive got 33’s and a bullbar in stock gears. 13-16 mpg towing a 17’ Jon boat.

Aero is a killer…and aerodynamics aren’t linear. The faster you go the even harder it is to push the air out of the way.

View attachment 3030738
There are no 4.56 gears for the 200 series . Having a 6spd trans does not help. The 8spd would be better.
 
I’m in the minority that thinks 4.88 is the right place to be for the 6 speed and 35s.
I have a lighter build and enjoy them all the time.
My mileage is 10-12 around town and 14-16 on the freeway.
 
Not to invade your thread... but it's reassuring to hear what all of you have posted. It's confirmed my decision to keep my 2008 all stock. After having no more patience waiting for vendors to provide pricing/materials for suspension parts (including one member in this forum), I'm going all OEM for suspension replacement. Anywhoozle, our family completed a 3,238 mile trip from Denver to northern Michigan and back last week. We had the cargo area full going up and returning. Didn't tow. The average mpg was about 19 including highway and city. Average highway speed was about 70. I keep acceleration rpm's below 2500 and highway rpms 1600-1800.

We did a 3.3k round trip from Denver to the Alabama coast last month. Similar situation and same mpg. I've experienced 20-22 highway mpg with nothing in the cargo area.

Kudos to all of you who can put all that cool stuff on your rig, tow stuff, and pay for the gas.
 
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It's a slippery slope and a balance. With everyone probably comfortable with a different balance. I think @highfructose hit all the major points and I'm in agreement. Aero (and speed) is singularly the biggest variable.

As much as I'm tempted to build a cool looking rig, the need to tow my large 8k trailer keeps me grounded. To a degree. And when towing potentially saps half the range, it becomes a more major consideration. I've kept away from adding weight and external accessories as each one just saps that much more efficiency. Doesn't mean I've given up on them completely, just went about it differently. Like installing the longer factory LC rack with multiple cross bars on my LX. Keeping front bumper with small cutout for winch. Super low profile and lightweight RTT. Re-geared to 4.3s to get that back-to-factory gearing with 35s to maintain good wheel torque while reducing windage losses with extra RPM. And adding incrementally weight where it makes the most difference, like 35s, and an aux tank.

To answer the OPs question, I'm at 15,200lbs combined rig weight with the 28' 8k lb trailer. I typically get 9-10MPG. I can eek out 10.5 and almost 11 MPG if driving more conservative at 58-63 MPH and get behind a big rig. I usually cruise closer to 65-75MPH, getting closer to 9 MPG at those speeds. If I'm going faster or there's winds or grades, I've seen 7-8 MPG. So it's elastic based on whether I'm trying to be efficient or make time. On long haul days, speed may not help as it can drop range significantly and require more gas stops. The cost of driving faster can also really add up - $80+ more on a single day 350+ mile day.

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My 2009 when I got it in 2018 never got better than 18mpg, in stock form, on the Michelin p rated highway tires. And 12 in short trip around town driving where I see 10 now.
 
On long haul days, speed may not help as it can drop range significantly and require more gas stops. The cost of driving faster can also really add up - $80+ more on a single day 350+ mile day.

Now that is some perspective. I'll have to calculate the cost in dollars vs. minutes the next time I'm tempted to book it across the windtunnel (I-80) at 80mph.
 
After switching to 4.88 gears my mileage dropped from 15mpg to 13mpg with 285/75r17 bfg these were really close to 33".

I just switched to 35x12.5r17 and just got 16mpg on a trip to Brianhead Utah, from Vegas. It's up hill too. I'm happy.
 

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