Average towing speed

[DDC]

What is the average towing speed for the best MPG, any thoughts and are they all different with each set up?

[punkaccountant]

When I bought my Dodge 2500, the instruction manual said not to exceed 50MPG for the first 500 towing miles. So I took several trips down I-71 towing my trailer at 50 MPH. I averaged about 14 MPG. I wasn't the most popular person in central Ohio on that day but I did get very good mileage. After that I went up to 60-65 MPH and my MPG dropped to around 10 MPG. If I average 60 on the interstates then I can average around 10.5 MPG. It is really hard to go slower than that but I never exceed 65 due to tire ratings.

[bikendan]

i find that 60-62mph provides the best compromise for me.
yes, i'd get better mpg at 55mph but going that slow drives me crazy.
but the drop in mpg going faster than 62 is significant.
so, staying between 60 and 62 gives me the best balance.

[KyDan]

Wind resistance is HUGE.
The faster you go the higher the resistance.
Slower is lower resistance.

I typically go 65 MPH on US interstate hwy with speed limits of 65 or 70 MPH.
Since traffic usually travels slightly over the speed limit this allows me
to travel in the right lane with cruise control on and not have to do
much lane or speed changing.

I see you are Canadian so you'll have to do the metric conversion.
Wind resistance increase is a CUBE of increase in speed.

This is from Drag (physics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A car cruising on a highway at 50 mph (80 km/h) may require only 10 horsepower (7.5 kW) to overcome air drag, but that same car at 100 mph (160 km/h) requires 80 hp (60 kW). With a doubling of speed the drag (force) quadruples per the formula.

So go as slow as traffic and your schedule will allow in order to get the
best MPG.

[h20ski]

I am very comfortable and best MPG for me is 60-63 MPH. I have found things happen when I get in a hurry.

[Malco]

I find with my Dodge I get the best fuel economy while going 90 KM/h.It is the same for either towing or not towing although the fuel consumption is way up while towing it is still best at 90 for me.

[caper]

I try to keep the speed at 55mph. If I find that the traffic is backing up behind me i will pull over and let them pass. Being retired and not in a hurry is a luxury. Life is too short to rush. When going through the mountains of BC, I will let the big rigs pass me before the long hills and follow them up. I can keep the RPM's below 3000 and may only be traveling 25 to 30 mph at the summit but the truck I am following is also doing the same speed. On the down hill side they want to speed up. I want to take it slow and easy.

[Terier]

Originally Posted by bikendan

i find that 60-62mph provides the best compromise for me.
yes, i'd get better mpg at 55mph but going that slow drives me crazy.
but the drop in mpg going faster than 62 is significant.
so, staying between 60 and 62 gives me the best balance.

Don't you just love our 55mph speed limit in California? I keep do it at 55 but my mileage just sucks. Maybe 10.4 - 11.4 mpg. I was expecting a little more since it only me and a light weight trailer.

[EdJunior]

65mph. Sometimes less.

[Malco]

Terier what mileage do you get when not towing? Maybe you should trade for a Dodge. Seriously I burn a little more than twice as much gas while towing on average.

[acadianbob]

Towing my 5,500 pound Surveyor with an F150

55 mph = 11.5 mpg
60 mph = 10.5 mpg
65 mph = 9 mpg

Wind resistance is the key and it is not a linear function but rather is squared (geometric). Square your speed and then compare the squared numbers.

50 X 50 = 2500
60 X 60 = 3600

Difference is 1,100. 1,100/2,500 = .44 or 44% more energy required to tow at 60 versus 50 (due to wind resistance). If you were to tow at 70 (and I wouldn't do it), it is 4,900 or nearly double the wind resistance compared to 50.

[padave65]

Originally Posted by Terier

Don't you just love our 55mph speed limit in California? I keep do it at 55 but my mileage just sucks. Maybe 10.4 - 11.4 mpg. I was expecting a little more since it only me and a light weight trailer.

5.7 liter towing a sail....what do you expect? Trust me, you will not do better except maybe with an ecoboost 150. Hang in there and enjoy the camping.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Terier

Don't you just love our 55mph speed limit in California? I keep do it at 55 but my mileage just sucks. Maybe 10.4 - 11.4 mpg. I was expecting a little more since it only me and a light weight trailer.

air resistance affects mpg, more than weight. that's why the faster you drive, the more air resistance affects gas mileage.

you're getting excellent mpg for towing a full-height trailer.
unless you have a diesel or are towing a popup, you're on the high end of towing mpg.
you could pull a trailer that weighed another 1000lbs. and you'd probably get close to the same gas mileage.

[JimChow]

With the Tahoe the best I ever got was 11 mpg @ 60mph, and that is with a K&N air filter and MotorKote in the crankcase along with full syn motor oil. I might have had a tail wind too.

[hatstomper]

I try and stay and 100k to 105k, 62mph to 65mph. The truck seems to like it best at that and I get about 11.5mpg.

[crocus]

With the 4.10 gears in our diesel, 50 mph and we get very good fuel mileage, but not very practical. Eventually some idiot would rearend us.
At 70 mph it is just horrible, down around 11 mpg, so we also compromise and try to keep it just over 60. That keeps us out of trouble and do about 13 mpg.

[tentcamper1]

I average 60-65 mph and get 8.5 to 9.5 mpg-
our trailer is just over 8100 lbs loaded

[SaskCampers]

I try and keep right around 62 mph as much as possible. It is the same as most people who answered here, I find it is the best compromise and well the trailer tires are just not rated to go much beyond that anyway. Even driving through Montana it seems people driving at the 75 mph limit were ok with trailers running at abt 60 and never got nuts, of course you will find crazies everywhere that are impatient if you look hard enough.

[mike54]

60-65 mph it means better mpg, less me telling the stupid people how to drive and less driving instructions from the copilot

[Crusader]

I get 10.3 mpg going 65 mph burning regular. I have used E85, I lose about a few 10ths of a mile per gallon. Sometime for the price difference its worth it. 65mph is plenty fast for me !!


2009 F-150 5.4L crew cab
270 ret Crusader