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Old 01-22-2014, 12:06 PM   #1
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Vibe mileage

Hello all.

I'm looking at purchasing a new vibe and I'm curious how towing one effects mileage on the tv. I know the answer will be all over the place but just trying to get a sense of whether the v nose actually helps not hurt mileage as much.

As an example I currently tow with a jeep grand Cherokee. Best case mileage is 20 mpg on highway with no hills, no load and cruise set under 70 or so. Not towing but with kayaks, bikes and camping gear I'm in the 15-16 range. With my 18' traditional tt weighing 3200 pounds but little gear at 55 on flat ground I'm closer to 10. So pretty bad IMO. I'm also looking at trailmanor trailers and they claim to only need 1 gallon more gas per 100 miles. So using the 15-16 range and adding the trailmanor would only drop me to 13 mpg range and that's with kayaks and bikes. I would be a lot happier with that mileage.

I've seen where several people have driven several hundred miles to get their vibe. I'm wondering if any of you have tracked mileage with and without the tt.

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide. Also if the vibe tows better than the standard fridge on its side that most tts are.
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Old 01-22-2014, 12:27 PM   #2
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I tow a 6501 vibe with a KIA sedona. My milage is around 23 mpg on the highway. Towing my 2200 lbs popup i was around 20 mpg. Towing the vibe I am around 12-13 mpg (also have a 16' canoe on the van that does not help milage). The wind makes a differance of 1 or 2 MPG depending if it is a head or tail wind. Hope this helps.
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Old 01-22-2014, 01:42 PM   #3
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Once you get into something bigger than a pop-up, the wind drag plays a big factor.10mpg is not unusual.

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Old 01-22-2014, 02:40 PM   #4
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I notice on my Vcross that it doesn't have a lot of turbulence around large trucks.
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Old 01-23-2014, 08:51 PM   #5
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I towed our vibe 6503 from Alabama to South Florida about 700 miles and averaged about 13 mpg. Our tow vehicle is a 2012 Ram 1500 4.7 engine. We previously owned a r-pod about 500 pounds lighter and we were getting about 13.5 mpg. I would say the V front tows better than a round front camper. I will know better after we have made more trips. As far as owning a Vibe I wish there was a more active owners forum. I wonder how many Vibes have been sold there does't seem to be that many by the activity on this forum.
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Old 05-18-2014, 07:06 PM   #6
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I get about 14-16 with a 2012 Ford Explorer V6
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Old 08-18-2014, 06:18 PM   #7
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We just picked up a v-cross platinum. Towed it home with a GMC Sierra 2500 diesel 2013 model, 4wd. Trailer is a 275 vrl. Empty of course. Got 11.7 mpg by computer @ 70 mph with a/c on.
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Old 08-19-2014, 08:55 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Outdoorguyclt View Post

I'm looking at purchasing a new vibe and I'm curious how towing one effects mileage on the tv. I know the answer will be all over the place but just trying to get a sense of whether the v nose actually helps not hurt mileage as much.
Looking "head-on" you have the same surface area exposed to the wind with a v-nose vs. conventional trailer, but hopefully the nose of will "punch" through the air making the design more efficient as it goes down the road. We bought a trailer with a more severe "rake" than many trailers, hoping the increased aerodynamics would give me fantastic fuel mileage......not !! I do see somewhat better mileage that others indicate on the forum, but again I drive super conservative, and it could just be that.

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Originally Posted by Outdoorguyclt View Post
I'm also looking at trailmanor trailers and they claim to only need 1 gallon more gas per 100 miles. So using the 15-16 range and adding the trailmanor would only drop me to 13 mpg range and that's with kayaks and bikes. I would be a lot happier with that mileage.
The Trailrmanor claim of 1 extra gallon per 100 miles is close, at least on my vehicle. I figured we got 15.3 avg towing our Trailmanor.....as high as the mid 16s, and as low as the high 13s. Under like situations with the truck loaded and bikes suspended over the bed (there is a difference in fuel mileage with the bikes there) I get about 18 mpg without a trailer. That figures out to 1 extra gallon of gas per 100 miles. With our current setup, figuring 10.5 mpg, we burn and extra 4 gallons of fuel pulling the trailer vs. no trailer. Our current trailer weights 2000 lbs more than our Trailmanor, so that would figure into the equation a bit.
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Old 08-25-2014, 01:20 PM   #9
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Just completed my first real trip in my TT. I was able to get around 12 MPG towing around the hills of East Tennessee. My normal MPG is around 18.5 in my 4.0L 2013 Nissan Frontier 4x4.
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Old 08-25-2014, 01:40 PM   #10
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I got 14.5 mpg Philadelphia to Cape May and back .. Vibe 6504 pulled with 2013 Ford Explorer V6. Mileage is about 10mpg on city streets, but goes up dramatically on the highway. Key thing I learned, be sure to put things from the back storage into the bathroom (on our model, near tongue). I keep everything in plastic bins. When I move them to the bathroom, I get much less sway than if in the back. I also need to move my weight distributing bars up slightly (or so I'm told)
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Old 08-25-2014, 01:51 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by ptownvibe View Post
I got 14.5 mpg Philadelphia to Cape May and back .. Vibe 6504 pulled with 2013 Ford Explorer V6. Mileage is about 10mpg on city streets, but goes up dramatically on the highway.
I also found better mileage on highway. I had a ODBCII reader relaying information to my iPad mini while driving and would get 14 to 16 on level roads...(not many around here though... LOL) and 8 to 10 in urban areas. I had much better mileage going (14MPG) (downhill...) than I did coming back (10MPG) (uphill). Also, got stuck in 6 mile back up, 1/2 on a mountain side, for an hour.

Thanks for the tip on the storage, I did notice a 'push' from the back when large trucks passed and the only difference between this trip and the drive home from the dealership was the items in the storage compartment. I had given that some thought before I left but I can't imagine there's more than 150 to 200 pounds that I've added back there. I'll move more weight to the truck bed or in front of the axle on the TT next trip for comparison.
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Old 08-25-2014, 06:25 PM   #12
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We moved our spare tire on to a rack I built just in front of the axle under the floor. Have not towed it yet after this change but curious to know how it effects towing. We have averaged about 13.5 mpg on a 1500 mile trip. We are towing with a 2012 Ram 1500 4.7, 3.92 differential.
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Old 09-30-2014, 11:53 PM   #13
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Hey, Ptownvibe:

We are doing the same thing in terms of moving stuff from the storage area when we are parked to the bathroom when we are on the road because of swaying. I also use some plastic bins
to make it a little easier.

I have a BlueOx anti-sway hitch, and the sway was still pretty harrowing before I figured out we needed to move stuff around.

Did you have any other advice about this? You mentioned moving the setting on the sway bars...

Thanks!


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Old 10-01-2014, 04:46 AM   #14
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x2 re: what ptownvibe said. I do the same, use plastic bins for storage and move to front bathroom area or truck bed. Seems to also work best by NOT GOING OVER 60mph.

My mileage on trip from Lititz to 1000 Island KOA (Henderson Bay) was between 13.5 - 14.0 mpg.
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Old 10-02-2014, 09:57 PM   #15
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Thanks, blubear - it's still a pain to schlep everything to the bathroom, but at least I know it's not just me.

I also find it's an issue when I get to higher speeds, and there are times I do find myself going at a pretty good clip (over 60 MPH - usually right around 66-67)




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Old 10-03-2014, 04:21 AM   #16
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I hear you on that one EB..it is a "pita" to move things in an out of the front bathroom, but the storage totes make it somewhat easier.

My 2nd "death sway" (on I81) last month on my way home from 1000 Islands was more than a reminder to keep my speed around 60!
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Old 10-03-2014, 11:08 AM   #17
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I too have a 2012 V-Cross 275 fiver and the 15" tires that came on it are rated at 65 MPH. Just letting the 70 MPH V-Cross 275 owner know that he will get a little better MPG at 65 MPH.
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Old 10-03-2014, 07:22 PM   #18
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Aside from slowing down, considering I already have BlueOx sway bars & in addition to Flower's suggestion about mounting the tire underneath, are there any other adjustments that can be made to perhaps avoid needing to move everything to the bathroom?

Is there an adjustment to make on the sway bars? My dealer told me to attach them at the 6th link in the chain. Also, do/should the sway bars also distribute the weight? My beloved husband follows me in his car (we are moving back to Cali & have both of our vehicles, I am towing the 6504) & he really notices the sway when I am passing other vehicles or trucks are passing me.

Thanks!




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Old 10-03-2014, 09:27 PM   #19
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Im now worried... When I bought my Vibe 6504... the dealer said "I think a stabilizer will be overkill" and the sway bar is only on one side.. different from anything I have seen before.. but ok.. I'm female.. they can pull stuff over on me....

Maybe because I have a 2009 Ford F150?
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Old 10-04-2014, 04:34 AM   #20
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Nan - I believe your TV (bigger then my Frontier which is a short bed too) should help out a lot yet I still think the single axle will contribute to some possibility of swaying. You should be fine. Still wouldn't want to "push" the speed. Just IMHO.

EB - I don't have the BlueOx sway bars so I don't know about adjusting, maybe someone else does here. Sounds like a wonderful traveling experience heading to CA
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