Gas mileage ?

All about towing and tow vehicles

Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby booyah » Fri Sep 04, 2015 2:21 pm

I just did a trip of a little over 500 miles, about two thirds of it was freeway (68 in a 70 zone) the rest was 55 mph two lane (I did 57-58)

Tow vehicle is a 2010 scion XD with a 5 speed manual and 1.8l 4 banger.

Normally on the freeway stuff not running AC, and driving 70, I would be mid to high 30s, (35-37) and the 55 stuff driving 57-58 i would have pulled easily in the low 40s. so average say 38MPG for that type of a trip

Towing the tear I averaged 29, so a 9 mpg drop is pretty decent, but at nearly 30 average I'm certainly not going to complain.
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby felixx » Fri Sep 04, 2015 3:33 pm

My 1967 ford anglia (997cc -60Cubic inch) does 34mpg unlaiden and 25mpg with the tear on the back (I have done one trip and it was uphill all the way there and into a howling southerly all the way home)

However it was my first trip with it

my 2015 outlander however, does 9.6 L/100 km (29.5 mpg)
However I do not care about the mpg with this wagon as fuel is paid for by work
(6000 personal miles a year)
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby KennethW » Fri Sep 04, 2015 4:44 pm

A 5 wide behind a ford freestyle. A trip from Minnesota to Devils tower,Yellowstone Flame canyon, Dinosaur and down thru Rocky mountain and home with two group meets in two weeks. Posted speeds +4 so at times 84 mph. I got 17 mpg which I thing is OK at them speeds.
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby deceiver » Sat Sep 05, 2015 8:33 pm

TechScott wrote:Reading this thread everyone alludes to the same factors that effect mileage when towing:

    Trailer Weight
    Aerodynamics (width or resistance)
    Aerodynamics (shape or drag)
    Tow Speed (breakdown of aerodynamics)

Missing is the relationship of the horsepower, torque and aerodynamic efficiency of the tow vehicle.

Many vehicles are optimized to provide the proper horsepower and torque to maintain the best possible fuel mileage at a certain weight and drag. One of the posters has a Golf TDI, this is a highly optimized diesel that get great mileage; when you operate it a certain way. A couple of years ago I went on a trip with friends. We budgeted out money to share the expense of a long drive across Germany and France. We took out funds at the bank to cover the whole trip before we left to avoid ATM fees on the road. Then we met a couple of Americans backpacking across Europe who need to get to Frankfurt to return home to deal with a family emergency. No problem we were heading to Frankfurt anyway and they had plenty of time to make their flight. The problem, the additional weight of our passengers and gear (about 350 lbs by my estimate) total threw off the fuel mileage. The finely setup TDI dropped 8-10 MPG! We were driving on the same roads at the same speeds! I did notice we were: downshifting earlier on inclines, and lost some aerodynamic efficiency as the front end was slightly higher. I also noticed we were spending more money on fuel and ATM fees. But how could the addition of two passengers and a couple of backpacks cause so much havoc to the mileage?

The additional weight and loss of aerodynamics threw the diesel engine outside its most efficient operating range.
This is why cars with small engines and great gas mileage loose so much efficiency when adding a trailer.

They have the perfect weight to power and torque ratio until you add the trailer.

That's my 2 cents worth,

-TechScott
Mission, Texas USA


I've also noticed that Cars seem to tach lowest at the old 55mph pike speed. Anything above that and it spikes.
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby gudmund » Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:29 am

2000 S-10 2.2 L-4 cyl, 5 speed w 3.73 rear-end gear (basic plan-jane el-cheapo PU - no options) 25 to 29 mpg everyday driving, towing 1250 lb tear 22 to 24 mpg. Now, 2007 Colorado 3.7-5 cyl, Auto w 3.73 rear-end gear (4 door with all the options) 17 to 21 mpg everyday, towing the same 1250 lb tear - 17 to 21 mpg - No difference overall but it's more 17 to 19 with slow stop and go driving back roads, no freeways and 19 to 21 mpg flat constant freeway cruising. The BIG difference between the two is POWER!! 120HP with the S-10 and 242HP with the Colorado along with almost twice the torque - 140 lbs S-10 and 242 lbs Colorado - a bit less gas mileage but worth it when it comes to the power difference. The Colorado has a cab high canopy which planes out the same height as the tear which probably helps on the aero part (S-10 also had a canopy)
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby vax » Tue Nov 17, 2015 11:23 am

I average about 21-23mpg in my 2000 toyota tacoma on the highway, when I'm towing my trailer (cargo conversion not tear drop but its got the nose cone) I get around 18-20 depending on grade. all in all I cant complain, except that a bigger truck would more power would be nice = ]
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby deceiver » Tue Nov 17, 2015 2:47 pm

I just picked up a new f-150 crew cab V8 2015. I haven't put the trailer on it yet but in 800 miles I've averaged 21.5 mpg. It keeps track in the electronics. That's with mixed driving. Aluminum body and 6 speed auto transmission might be the reason? My old 2003 silverado... 15-18 mpg depending on driving conditions.
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby KCStudly » Tue Nov 17, 2015 4:50 pm

You will probably see an increase over the next 20,000. My Escape gained about 3 mpg once it was broken in.
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby daveesl77 » Tue Nov 17, 2015 8:15 pm

My 2004 F150 5.4 triton gets 17-18mpg normal mileage on the highway at about 65. Pulling the trailer reduced this down by about 1 mpg (16-17). My old pop-up, slidein truck camper knocked it down to about 14mgh. Pulling my 25' Coachmen at 55 mph put it down to about 12mpg. All were way better than my old 34' Bounder, which got 4-6mpg (454 gas) and drove like a billboard.


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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby Cliffmeister2000 » Wed Nov 18, 2015 12:56 am

Those electronic gas mileage things in the newer vehicles are notoriously optimistic. My 2014 Durango with 8 speed tranny gets 2-3 mpg less in reality than the gauge says I'm getting. Still, I'm happy with the unloaded 30mpg I get in a 7 passenger vehicle.
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby deceiver » Wed Nov 18, 2015 6:39 am

Cliffmeister2000 wrote:Those electronic gas mileage things in the newer vehicles are notoriously optimistic. My 2014 Durango with 8 speed tranny gets 2-3 mpg less in reality than the gauge says I'm getting. Still, I'm happy with the unloaded 30mpg I get in a 7 passenger vehicle.



I'll have to check it with some actual math. I was just happy to feel a noticable longer ride from a tank of gas than my 2003 silverado.
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby Steve33455 » Thu Jan 14, 2016 8:20 pm

vax wrote:I average about 21-23mpg in my 2000 toyota tacoma on the highway, when I'm towing my trailer (cargo conversion not tear drop but its got the nose cone) I get around 18-20 depending on grade. all in all I cant complain, except that a bigger truck would more power would be nice = ]
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby Adirondackersouth » Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:10 pm

Hello I am new, not gnu that's a horse of a different kind. :R

I read every entry on the thread and I wanted to add my hopeful comment and add something else to the mix. My summer camping excursions run between 3-5000 miles and I do this in a Toyota Highlander without a Teardrop or Tiny Travel Trailer. I mean I load up my vehicle with a kayak, canoe, camping gear, telescope sometimes, cooler, tarps underwater filming equipment, fishing tackle, hiking gear, cooking, clothes and sundry other items. Since I travel alone I can fill every available space and my fuel economy does not change one iota loaded or empty that I can tell. Maybe I lose a mpg here or there but its not noticeable enough to note. I get 23-24 up and down mountains in the East from VA to Maine and back to VA.

If I add a teardrop that weighs 1200-1300 lbs and leave it essentially empty and keeping most of the gear in my vehicle would that be just adding another 1300 lbs of weight and thereby reducing fuel economy?

Or

Would it be no difference if I stowed the majority of my gear in the teardrop and called it a day.

Does this kind of micropacking count for anything?
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby KCStudly » Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:37 pm

If you are doing mostly highway driving with few stops and starts, hauling a heavier load inside of the vehicle won't necessarily show up as much as loading things onto a roof rack (including the rack itself) or towing them in a trailer. The roof mounted stuff and trailer adds to the aerodynamic drag all of the time at speed, whereas the extra weight more or less just needs more energy to get moving, or to climb.

In my Ford Escape I saw about 1 to 1-1/2 mpg gain just by switching from high test to 87 octane; I mostly operate very close to sea level.
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Re: Gas mileage ?

Postby daveesl77 » Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:42 pm

Well, since we downsized from the F150 to the Kia Sedona, did a test trip and got 23 mpg, an increase of 6 mpg or 33% over the truck. I like it! Towed very, very easily.

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