Am i doing something wrong?

[gmm715]

The 410 gear have more to do with the milage. Going back years I had a ford with a 460 engine and 410 rear got 9- 10 mpg hauling or not. And as others have said spending thousands to get a few mpg is not worth it.

[skipatroller]

Originally Posted by pd2436

Not looking to start a "should get a Ford, Dodge, Toyota......
But--Not sure if it is normal or not, but I pull my V nose TT weighing about 7000 with a 2015 Chevy 2500 HD with the 6.0L gas engine and 4:10 rear end.
I cant seen to get over 7.5 mpg no matter what I try. I have tried all ranges of speed from 55 to 70, tow mode and no tow mode, no cruise and cruise. I still hover on the 7.5 mpg.
I had to upgrade from my 2005 GMC sierra 1/2 ton because its max tow was just 7200 but I got 8 mpg with the 5.3 towing at max capacity.
My camping neighbor this weekend was pulling a 6000 pound Passport with a 2016 GMC 1/2 ton and he gets 10 mpg.
I am seriously thinking about downsizing my truck to a 1/2 ton. I don't intend to get a bigger camper, but I do love the guts this 3/4 ton has on big hills in the Ozarks and knowing I don't get blown around on the road by the big rigs. But I know a 1/2 ton can handle my camper...so thats my dilemma...
Am I missing something?

PD2436, No it is not you, I have had the same truck from 2002, 4 different 2500 HD 6 ltr. with 4:10 gears, not sure if you realize this but this set up is good to tow 13K lbs. I towed my camper that was 11K loaded and I towed my snowmobiles on a trailer and no matter what it was my mileage wasn't much better than what you get. The truck is set to tow versus going to a 1/2 ton, the 1/2 ton will wear out a lot sooner. Stick with the 2500. My last 2500 I actually got 113K on my original brakes.

[Idcruiserman]

Enjoy your 3/4 ton and get a bigger fuel tank. I loved the 65gal replacement tank on my dually Ford.

[jmnsandy]

Just for a little more context....
2016 Ram 1500 5.7l hemi, 3.92 rear 2304ks TT I get 20mpg average and around 10mpg while towing

[SSandman]

Things sure change. Our family friends had a late 50’s Airstream, 30 footer. All they ever towed with was the new Buick LeSabre they got every 2 years.

[beerfor2]

One of the largest factors of MPG is wind resistance.

[colretired]

I have a 2012 Ford F250 4x4 King Ranch Crew Cab with the 6.7 liter diesel with the towing package. I tow a 16,000 lb 41 foot fifth wheel and with the air on and traveling at 75 MPH get 9.8 miles to the gallon. Engine RPM's at about 1600 which is close to peak torque point. My empty driving MPG average is 18.4 MPG. I previously had a Dodge I drove for 287,000 miles and used it to tow a fifth wheel. Seems like it had a 3.55 rear end and I could get 11 MPH. I have also done that with the Ford without the air on and driving mostly level highway. I am running on full synthetics -transmission, transfer case, rear end. I eventually had to get the injectors replaced in the Dodge after ten years and it was starting to rust so traded it for the Ford. Absolutely love the Ford. It handles the load exceptionally well. Very comfortable truck with all the bells. I would be curious as to your unloaded fuel economy as a 4.10 rear end is a pretty "high" ratio. I wish you could get a split rear end.

[Toma1953]

Your gearing has a lot to do with it. 4:10's for towing? I have 3:38's and my mileage is great. It just takes a little more pulling to get to speed. A lot of the BIG TRUCKS on the road have these kind of gears mainly for the mpg. I drove at 80,000 pounds and got 10-12 mpg.

[scottwalton]

Here's a few things I didn't see mentioned.

1. What kind of gas do you put in your truck?

10% ethanol (which is all I can find if I drive through Iowa) will knock about 1 mpg off (at least). It is cheaper, but not very good for towing. Also, my SUV's manual recommends a higher octane gasoline (89 I think). I seem to get better fuel economy when I use it both towing and not towing. Again... more expensive gas.


2. AC

Running the air conditioner DESTROYS my fuel economy. At least 1 mpg if not 2. I will sometimes cycle the AC (10 minutes on, 20 minutes off). My family hates me, but it does help.

3. Dry weight vs actual weight

Do you have a lot of stuff in your trailer. Water in the fresh tank? Multiple passengers. Anything that adds weight will reduce fuel economy.

4. Mechanical Stuff

I am not mechanical, at all, but I have had my SUV in to the transmission place and had the engine looked at before big trips. One time they did some maintenance on the transmission and the fuel economy got better.

5. Fuel additives?

I once used a fuel additive that I got at a gas station in Carthage, Missouri. It was the kind you paid for at the pump and it was added in the fuel mixture. I don't know what it was but I got 10.5 mpg (normally I get 8-8.5) for that tank. After the next fillup, it went back down though.

6. RPM's

Sometimes I will try to drive by RPM's rather that speed. I try to find the sweet spot where my engine isn't gunning it all the time, especially where there a lot of "small hills" that seem to make the engine work harder. So I may take a small hill at 63 mph, but go down it at like 70 mph, keeping the engine working at about the same level the whole time. Just under 2800 RPM's seems to be the sweet spot on my rig.

7. Tire inflation

Yes. It helps.

Again, I am not mechanical, experienced, or anything. Basically just an idiot who has tried some things.

My rig:
2007 Dodge Durango 6.0 liter HEMI (7500 towing capacity)
2016 Cherokee 274RK 6800 lbs dry weight

[dbark]

I transport almost every brand of truck out there and my preference is the Ford F250 diesel, which would probably give you better fuel efficiency. But the cost of buying any truck would greatly outweigh what you would spend in fuel. So if I didn't Need another truck I would keep what I have

[Wifshowfur]

I have found that people who pull tts are like fishermen they like to exaggerate. I have pulled a camper many many miles and have seen that a gas truck pulling nearly any size tt gets from 6-9 mpg. I drive 60-65 mph. I did get 11-12 with my 7.3 power stroke. I can however get really good mpg if I reset my fuel mileage computer at the top of a long down hill stretch. 7-8 mpg is good for a 6.0 Chevy. That is about the same as my previous truck which was a 1500 HD 6.0.

[dbark]

The newer 6.7L diesel gets 22mpg empty and about 15mpg depending upon weight ( it can tow a 20k trailer) and teraign.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by Wifshowfur

I have found that people who pull tts are like fishermen they like to exaggerate. I have pulled a camper many many miles and have seen that a gas truck pulling nearly any size tt gets from 6-9 mpg. I drive 60-65 mph. I did get 11-12 with my 7.3 power stroke. I can however get really good mpg if I reset my fuel mileage computer at the top of a long down hill stretch. 7-8 mpg is good for a 6.0 Chevy. That is about the same as my previous truck which was a 1500 HD 6.0.

X2 Same here.

[BobnVic]

I think that is just about right. I've got a 2018 2500 HD same specs as everyone else has been saying. I pull a 35 foot TT that weighs 7300 lbs dry. Payload of 2,000 pounds plus. I get about seven and a half to 8 miles to the gallon. And I am happy. I had a half ton with the same specs that you all we're speaking of and would not go back to that because it didn't feel good. Now I have a truck pulling my TT. Happy Chevy owner

[cmysstailights]

15 2500 silverado 6.0 just towed to seasonal spot. Off and on traffic, e85 6.5 mpg decent hills. Tt plus golf cart, tt weighed in around 9500 payload was about 2500 including hitch weight.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by beerfor2

One of the largest factors of MPG is wind resistance.

If not THE biggest factor.

[eswing]

When I was still towing, we had a Chevy 3500 van when they were still putting an 8.1 V8 in it with a 4.10 rear dif. Regardless of weight being towed, I still averaged between 7.5 and 9 mpg depending on grade/speed/junk packed in van. It also didn't matter if I used regular or premium grade gas. We started out with a Dodge conversion van with a small V8 that was the little engine that couldn't even though our Dodge and RV dealers both said it could. Unless you want to go diesel, if you're not having problems moving, be happy with it.

[BobnVic]

I've been reluctant to try the e85 only because of the mileage. With
the price of the gas 1 mile per gallon would be worth it to be less than 7.5 or 6 that I get right now

[dbark]

Yes E85 is cheaper, but it is a lower octane level and you get some or a lot of knocking in your engine.

[eswing]

Because of the engine size and towing needs, we only used premium in our van except for once or twice when our dealer told us it didn't matter. It mattered to us in the end and that was when it was costing me over $100 to fill up the 20 gal gas tank. That van was THE BEST and we only traded it with our trailer for our motorhome. If you're going to pull, have the power to do so. Our motorhome gets about 6.5-9 mpg on regular. Either way, it's all good!