I've towed before, plenty of miles logged, and I've never had such poor mileage. 8.8 average towing my Lance 1474 S trailer, loaded maybe 3500 lbs. What the heck is going on? Using 4th. gear and ECT sometimes. In the past averaged about 12 MPG.
Good thing gas is cheap, recent trip and very poor mileage towing (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Bendcruiser
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cboyd
GOLD Star
A lot of variables here - headwinds, uphill, etc. maybe the heavy smoke and particulates from the fires messing with the computer?
It’s amazing these SUV’s weight listed is 5815 lbs . The V8 is a Thirsty beast even with the 8 speed . Not sure what the diesels version but I would think better than the gas version .
I have a buddy who want’s me to help him do a Cummins conversion to his LC , I don’t see the conversion worth it there are plenty of 5.7 used low milage motors out there and just deal with the gas and as you said cheap gas .
My biggest problem with the gas is the Ethanol blended into it with no choice at the pump in most states .
There is something wrong when the government or president partners with a failed Ethanol industry and continues to mandate you my buy minimum of 10% blended Gas Post right on the pumps .
New car manufactures use 100% Real gas to hit the Government mandated MPG set by the Government then you have to buy gas that gets 10% less MPG because the states get Highway money from the Government ... and the gas is crap .
So as you said good thing gas is cheap .
Any of you guys lucky enough to live in a state with Ethanol free gas and notice better MPG ?
I have a buddy who want’s me to help him do a Cummins conversion to his LC , I don’t see the conversion worth it there are plenty of 5.7 used low milage motors out there and just deal with the gas and as you said cheap gas .
My biggest problem with the gas is the Ethanol blended into it with no choice at the pump in most states .
There is something wrong when the government or president partners with a failed Ethanol industry and continues to mandate you my buy minimum of 10% blended Gas Post right on the pumps .
New car manufactures use 100% Real gas to hit the Government mandated MPG set by the Government then you have to buy gas that gets 10% less MPG because the states get Highway money from the Government ... and the gas is crap .
So as you said good thing gas is cheap .
Any of you guys lucky enough to live in a state with Ethanol free gas and notice better MPG ?
Hard to tell. I just got back from a 2500 mile trip pulling my 3500 lb camper trailer. Power button always on. On highway (65-75mph) and off road (10-20mph). I averaged 14.6mpg over the trip. Low of 12mpg when dealing with high winds. High of 16 mpg when no wind, temps in the 40’s, flat ground. All on that ‘evil 
’ E10 regular unleaded. So many variables.
’ E10 regular unleaded. So many variables.For campers aero drag is a larger factor then weight. I get 8.8 mpg when I pull my camper (ORV 22BHS) on a good day. Most of the time I’m closer to 8-8.5, worst I’ve ever gotten was 7mpg, that was 40 miles with a 50mph headwind. And we only have EtOH free gas up here in AK. Nothing over 91 oct but all ethanol free.
bloc
SILVER Star
Is this hand calculated or per the trip computer? That is nothing short of magical mileage for towing a camper trailer. Like, throw 285/65/18 ATs on everything else stock mileage.Hard to tell. I just got back from a 2500 mile trip pulling my 3500 lb camper trailer. Power button always on. On highway (65-75mph) and off road (10-20mph). I averaged 14.6mpg over the trip. Low of 12mpg when dealing with high winds. High of 16 mpg when no wind, temps in the 40’s, flat ground. All on that ‘evil
What speed are you keeping? Any mods on the vehicle?
Wait, so are you saying you normally get 12 mpg towing the same trailer with the same LC? What changed? Any modifications, new tires, weight in the LC? I have a camper of similar weight, and hills play a huge role in my MPG. For example, uphill from the Front Range to the mountains here in CO (Boulder to Leadville area) I usually get 9.5 to 10 MPG. Reverse direction (downhill) on the same route is closer to 13 mpg.
If a similar situation in the past was 12 mpg and you just got 8.8 mpg, something's amiss. That's about a 25% drop. Brakes dragging on the camper? I run about the same weight/shape camper and regularly get about 11 mpg. Has your non-towing mpg changed too?
Spreadsheet calculated based on each fill up. I don’t jackrabbit start or floor the throttle. Makes a big difference. I typically see 18 on the highway and 16.5 city when not towing a trailer.
When I lived in AZ on outskirts of Phoenix. We got seasonal gas. More than half of year we had 10% E. The rest of year 100% G. All of my vehicles at time always got better mileage when running the 100% G. Usually in 5 to 10 percent better numbers. I have pulled a 27 Foot travel trailer and I get about 8 to 9 mpg. Pulling my boat I get around 12 to 13. I have the 8 speed. When I tow I run in 6th with ECT engaged. I get 16 to 17 normal every day.
We have it at some places in the Dallas area, but you pay more for it, so it's pretty much a wash.
So many variables as mentioned already so I'll add a few more LOL. How long of a trip? If no refueling could be some weak gas. Also, any difference in the holding tank levels, clothes, food etc in the camper? Looking at your camper, just if your tanks were 2/3 full you are adding 500lbs of weight back there. Much less if you were packed heavier for some reason.
One thing about campers, the longer you keep them the heavier they get because you accumulate things you never use, just like at home.
One thing about campers, the longer you keep them the heavier they get because you accumulate things you never use, just like at home.
- Thread starter
- #14
All good points. I'm going to recheck the tire pressure on the trailer even though I did before the trip. Ethanol was definitely in play and I wonder about that too? Lots of wind but not all the time. The entire trip was all about 8.8 mpg from fill up to fill up. The wife and dog weigh the same! I don't think the trailer brakes were an issue, hubs not hot, no smell. The trailer was loaded with the usual stuff as any other trip. One thing comes to mind. This was the longest trip I've taken in this new trailer. It's a more current model than my last. Two factors that could be the difference, it's lifted and it has a small slide and therefore weighs more........
So new trailer new mpg? Maybe this is the new normal. Trailer axles not set up right?
Markuson
SILVER Star
I was just about to ask about wind....and you just mentioned it.
That can be a hugely impactful factor even without a trailer. On a trip from CA to Texas and back (very flat, boring drive), the only difference between two major portions each way (there and back) were head winds...and tail winds...and the impact on MPG was massive. I mean like 4 miles per gallon massive with no trailer. With a trailer, I would expect real impacts.
I got a fuel fill up in the girlfriends Subaru from a Shell and had E85 in the 10% or less , her car normally got 28 MPG and she was getting 15 MPG , most stations reserve the right to put any gas as long as it meets the manufactures standards but they must buy the premium from manufacture .
its bait and switch with gas and can’t trust any station , Sunoco just rebrands there gas I have a buddy who works for Sunoco and has said for years they rather buy gas on the open market and rebrand and make there money off the retail food and store .
its bait and switch with gas and can’t trust any station , Sunoco just rebrands there gas I have a buddy who works for Sunoco and has said for years they rather buy gas on the open market and rebrand and make there money off the retail food and store .
Almost all fuel is purchased on the open market from a set of Independant refineries / producers. Remember - fuel is shipped via pipeline and Shell / Sunoco etc don’t have their own. It is mixed by grade. If it is rated ‘Top Tier’ it is all the same quality when it leaves the pipeline/ truck and enters the gas station’s tanks. The quality can change quickly from there due to water contamination, rust, dirt, etc.
I get about 7 MPG when averaging 75MPH with my 6000# travel trailer. 8.8MPG would be wonderful, I can only get that if I keep to ~55.
Likewise, speed is the biggest variable to fuel efficiency in my travels. @55mph, in the slipstream of a big rig, I can see almost 11 MPG. @75mph, as low as 8-9 MPG. Add crosswinds and major hills, worse still. MPG doesn't have great resolution at his consumption level but that's a big 25% potential efficiency swing. On long distance 400 mile travel days, can swing the fuel bill upwards of $50.
I tend to drive aggressively, but on tow days, I try to keep a more reasonable pace of around 65mph, or 9-10 mpg. This is with an 8k lb trailer, or just under 15k lbs of combined rig. Aero seems to be the major variable over weight in my experience.
I tend to drive aggressively, but on tow days, I try to keep a more reasonable pace of around 65mph, or 9-10 mpg. This is with an 8k lb trailer, or just under 15k lbs of combined rig. Aero seems to be the major variable over weight in my experience.
