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05-15-2015, 01:31 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 67
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How bad does your MPG suffer when towing?
Yesterday evening, I towed my new 29' RV trailer for the first time since buying it last week. Brought it home to load up and prep for tonight's sojourn an hour south to Galveston Island to get my RV feet wet.
The storage is about 29 miles away. I noticed I typically get about 21-23mpg on the highway. With this being my first tow, I think I was getting about 8 mpg.
Can I assume this is par for the course for such tows with my setup? My signature line describes what I have. Or, should I be doing something differently?
Furthermore, my RAM still goes into ECO mode knocking down to 4 cylinders. It's a 5.7-Liter V8 HEMI MDS VVT Engine. My dad thinks it's probably not good when towing putting more stress on the engine but I noticed it went to ECO mode often while towing. Thoughts on this?
Appreciate the feedback.
__________________
2014 Forest River Wildwood X-Lite 621BHXL
2015 Ram 1500 4x4, Crew Cab, 5.7L V8 HEMI MDS VVT, 3.92 Rear Axle Ratio
About Me: Prof. Web/UI/UX Designer, Prof. Photographer, traveler, writer, genealogist, husband & daddy of 2 & 5 y/o daughters
Follow my blog: americanbluestreak.com
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05-15-2015, 01:49 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,255
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With your setup.. yes. That's going to be about par for the course. Loaded you're looking at around 6k. I wouldn't expect much better than that with a 1500.
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05-15-2015, 01:49 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Kansas
Posts: 1,272
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Rule of thumb for trailers other than small popups ... about 1/2 your empty MPG while towing.
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05-15-2015, 01:54 PM
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#4
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Phat Phrog Stunt Team
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Iowa
Posts: 34,507
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8-9 sounds right!
TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded, 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "4 nights"
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05-15-2015, 01:58 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,255
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dieselguy
Rule of thumb for trailers other than small popups ... about 1/2 your empty MPG while towing.
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That's HIGHLY subjective. If you're running your TV near max gross then that probably does hold true, but not all folk choose to tow on the fringes.
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05-15-2015, 02:04 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: SoNV
Posts: 277
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That's about right for MPGs. If you have the tow/haul mode engaged it should not go into Eco mode. I would make sure you engage the tow/haul mode whenever you tow.
__________________
2015 Evo 2700
2017 Ram 2500 6.4 Hemi 4.10
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05-15-2015, 02:15 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Kansas
Posts: 1,272
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Yarome ... I'm in the 12.5K plus crowd and most always have been. Most of us pull with Powerstroke, Cummings, Duramax engines coupled to 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. Most all of us get about 1/2 ... maybe a bit better going from unloaded to loaded. I assumed gassers would parallel as I did say rule of thumb.
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05-15-2015, 02:18 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Oswego il
Posts: 2,430
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That's why I went to a diesel engine truck to improve my towing MPG's. With my old 2001, 6.0L gas engine, 2500 Chevy I would normally see 6 to 7 MPG towing a light 30' 5er. I than switched to a 2008 Ram, Cummins 6.7L (diesel engine) and I normally see 11 to 12 MPG when towing a mid-size 5er. This depends on fuel quality and if it is straight D2 and not that BIO crap that BP pushes. I have 7 and ˝ years of fuel data to back that claim up. When not towing I can see 20 MPG’s with the truck at 65 MPH.
I haven’t really towed my new Cedar Creek any distance yet; to see if there is any difference in fuel mileage between my older 5er and the Cedar Creek.
__________________
Jim W.
2016 34RL CC; 2008 Ram Mega Cab 2500HD, 6.7L, 68RFE 6 speed, 4X4, Smarty S67, TDR 145K+miles
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05-15-2015, 02:35 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 163
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Without the trailer we are getting around 30-35 mpg. With the 24' trailer loaded with 2 bikes we usually get around 20 mpg.
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05-15-2015, 02:36 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 247
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I tow a Rockwood 2703ws loaded about 7200 lbs behind a 2013 f-150 5.0 I get 16 w/o and 10 towing. I don't want a diesel. The additional upfront cost and higher fuel cost does not compute for me when I trade trucks every 6-8 years.
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05-15-2015, 02:41 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 247
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Klarowe: Are those MPG's or are you north of the border with KPG's. I don't know what could pull a 24' trailer that would get 30-35 non towing unless your pushed by an e5 tornado.
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05-15-2015, 02:41 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,255
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dieselguy
Yarome ... I'm in the 12.5K plus crowd and most always have been.
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I wasn't completely disagreeing.. just sayin it's a bit subjective. I pull 5.5k with a 3/4 ton powerstroke and only drop 5mpg or so when towing. If you gottanoughatruck you don't get hit quite as hard by the mpg fairy.
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05-15-2015, 04:53 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
Posts: 292
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Quote:
Originally Posted by klarowe
Without the trailer we are getting around 30-35 mpg. With the 24' trailer loaded with 2 bikes we usually get around 20 mpg.
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Yeah. I call BS or you need some math help...
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05-15-2015, 05:07 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Virginia
Posts: 9,933
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We had the 03 RAM 5.7 Hemi first ones It was before cyl cutouts pulling a small fifth wheel & got 8 mpg towing at best. About the same mpg pulling my box trailer loaded. 13- 14 mpg Solo at best.
__________________
2005 Dodge 3500 Cummins
2017 Wildwood Lodge 4092 BFL
1966 Mustang GT
1986 Mustang SVO
Lillie Spoiled Rotten Boxer Mix
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05-15-2015, 05:24 PM
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#15
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 5
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I have a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 5.7 liter HO, six speed. I just drove to Minnesota from California to pick up our new trailer, a 2011 Rockwood 8281ss (31 feet) Empty I averaged 19.4 mpg. Coming back towing it was 11.7 mpg. I am sure the average would be a lot higher if the cruise wasn't set at 75 both ways. That makes a big difference as well.
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05-15-2015, 06:02 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 104
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How bad does your MPG suffer when towing?
My Nissan got around 20 mpg mixed, 11 towing.
My new F150 gets around 20 mixed, and on my first 20 mile test drive, I got 10 mpg.
Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums
__________________
2014 Rockwood 2306
Fastway E2 equalizing hitch
Prodigy P2 brake controller
2011 Ford F150 Ecoboost, Supercab
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05-15-2015, 08:09 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 158
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pappcam
Yeah. I call BS or you need some math help...
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Down hill I get the same
__________________
2016 Rockwood ROO 233S
2013 Ford F150 3.5 ECO SCREW
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05-15-2015, 08:36 PM
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#18
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Done with this
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: KY
Posts: 698
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I get around 8.5...
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I'm a little too truthful, I guess.
Y'all have fun in "Fantasy Land".
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05-15-2015, 08:45 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 185
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Tundra 5.7L 17mpg mixed (babying it a lot) and 10mpg towing.
2013 Toyota Tundra 5.7L
2015 Apex 288BHS
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05-15-2015, 09:14 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Big brown desert
Posts: 3,003
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12 around town. 7-8 towing but every direction I tow is a hill climb out- no flat land around here.
__________________
2014 Stealth Evo 2850- "Woodstock"
2011 Toyota Tundra Rock Crawler TRD 5.7- "Clifford"
2013 Honda Accord Coupe V6 w/Track Pack- "Julia"
Just glad to get away
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