Tow Vehical MPG...

TabberJohn

Anyone using a wind deflector on their TV and measured the MPG difference?
Something like these -- 
http://www.purplelineusa.com/products-aeroplus.php
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IABDWLU
They claim up to 13% fuel savings. Let's say it's only 10%. 
How far would you need to travel at $3/gallon to pay for a $150-$300 wind deflector?  

falcon1970

All this info about TV mpg while towing is interesting, but has anyone compared mpg between towing and not towing?  What would be most interesting is the mpg penalty for the various TABs.  Someone with the instantaneous mpg readout on the dash (like Ford) might give us an approximation although I have reason to doubt the accuracy of those in-dash readouts.

LSkrabut

I am still figuring a new TV factor, GMC Canyon Denali with a diesel. 

Without towing, 30 + mpg.

When towing a 400, 14 to 22mpg. I have only towed the 400 for about 1800 miles so far and the Canyon only has 4000 miles on it, still not broken in yet.

I run up to 75mph, speed limits. I also am normally at higher elevations.   But right now I am in Quartzsite. I will say at lower elevations the TV rarely needs to down shift and mileage is better than at 6000'.

4ncar

Just back from dc/Boston round trip and got 37.5 mpg up & back. 960 miles round trip.  Without the trailer. That’s 1/2 tank each way. Road warriored on the way up, and didn’t even stop to pee...

DougH

New best while towing:  29.6mpg.  Mild hills, average highway speed 60mph, but I cheated... 10-15 tailwind on this trip segment.  328d station wagon (diesel).

N7SHG_Ham

DougH said:

New best while towing:  29.6mpg.  Mild hills, average highway speed 60mph, but I cheated... 10-15 tailwind on this trip segment.  328d station wagon (diesel).

Winds make a lot of difference, sometimes to your advantage, sometimes not! Aerodynamics, winds, terrian, speeds, gearing, weather and probably a ton more go into MPG. I follow a FB guy who is averaging right at 10MPG with a 2019 Freightliner truck and 53' van trailer, hard to believe compared to some of the mileage reported in this thread that something that big gets that good!

DougH

@N7SHG_Ham :  So true. I'm lucky to have a pension, but it's pretty small, so the difference between 10 vs. 25mpg on RVing is huge... especially if I want to cover some miles on a trip.  On a 4000 mile loop that's $700 savings I can put into the occasional nicer campground, or just money I can save for another health insurance payment.

treefrog

falcon1970 said:

All this info about TV mpg while towing is interesting, but has anyone compared mpg between towing and not towing?  What would be most interesting is the mpg penalty for the various TABs.  Someone with the instantaneous mpg readout on the dash (like Ford) might give us an approximation although I have reason to doubt the accuracy of those in-dash readouts.

We get 20-22 not towing, 11-13 towing.
Same roads and weather.
Speed 5-10 slower towing.

T@Balong

We just finished driving the Natchez Trace Parkway and were quite happy with the 20.5mpg.   Of course the 50mph speed limit might have been a factor!  Not much color at the south end but we saw more and more as we neared Nashville.

HowieJr

We tow our 320 S mostly in CA which has a 55 mph speed limit if trailering, and get 18-20mpg with a '14 Jeep Cherokee. rated at 4500lbs towing capacity.

Sharon_is_SAM

Regarding comparing mpg towing vs not towing, our Toyota Sienna takes a 40-50% hit while towing on highways, never more than 62 mph.  25 mpg solo vs 12-15 mpg while towing our TaB CS-S.

Bill

In our 2019 Honda Ridgeline, (Thanks to the Ridgeline folks at UCamp 18 for their walk-throughs and recommendations!) the early counts are showing about 15mpg towing and 30 not towing in Econo mode. I try to keep the speed between 60 and 65, even though some of those 70 mph speed limits are tempting. I also add on about 1/3 more travel time to trips due to lower speeds and more frequent gas stops.

MuttonChops

Lots of recent different threads include TV MPG comments as part of the discussion.  Thought I'd add a few data points to this older thread.

We all know terrain, wind, speed, altitude, TV & T@B contents impact towing MPG.  Here are two examples for my Chey Colorado non-turbo Gas V6 with 8-speed automatic.

Two legs of a recent adventure with TV & T@B loaded the same.

Overall for trips with driving legs of >= 125 miles (27 events) I've seen:

   Total Miles  5,536

   Average  MPG  15.8  (vehicle computer value)
   Maximum        16.8  (best single leg)
   Minimum         12.6  (worse single leg)

If there is ever another new TV in my future - - - hopefully it will be a turbo engine to offset the power loss above 4,000 ft altitude.

Jackie_Dave

We took our first far from home trip last week. From Harpers Ferry, WV to the 1000 Islands, NY to Rollins Pond, NY to a Harvest Host site Grovedale Winery, 119 Grovedale Lane, Wyalusing, PA 18853 (Very much recommend), then back to Harpers Ferry, WV. We averaged 13 mpg while towing. Was hoping for better, but will take what we can get. Had a great time and can't wait to do another one.

jpb0001

2014 5.3L Chevy Silverado (half-ton) pulling Tab 400 averages 12-13 MPG under ideal conditions (no wind, flat).  I was quite disappointed, especially when I hear reports of similar vehicles pulling Casita (heavier than Tab 400) averaging 15-16 MPG. I suppose the rounded corners of the Casita make a big difference.

LSkrabut

I got 17 to 25 mpg when used our diesel MB GLK pulling our 400. Even though it felt ok, I didn't like I was at max towing capacity.  The 17 mpg was on I-15 running at 75 mph, rarely even downshifting on the passes which most were over 6500'. 25mpg was slow steady roads, mostly flat running around 55-65. Speed make a big difference. 

I now use a Canyon CCSB diesel. Dropped to 13.5 at 75 on same run on I-15. Best I seen so far was 23 mpg. Pulls the 400 like a charm. I did get aftermarket mirrors which are the same as bigger GMC have.

Small issue on both TV's, got big tanks and pretty good range, hard to really get a reading just pulling the 400, lol. We try not to drive more than 300 miles pulling the T@B in a single day. Some sight seeing is done on the tank, then the mpg tends to shoot up over 33 mpg on the GLK or over 28 mpg on the Canyon. On Canyon I did opt.to use a WDH for safety.

ginsbuj

2018 ZR2 Colorado V6 & factory lift and TAB 320 Boondock. Depending on terrain getting as poor as 9 mpg to best 14. That being said the truck without the camper does around 20 mpg 

Camak

With my 2018 Jeep JK 2 door Rubicon & 2020 Tab 320 Boondock at 72 MPH 8 mpg, at 68 10.2, at 67MPH 12 mpg. I am on a 3600 mile trip, this stoping every 130 miles for gas really sucks. I should of drove my F150

Michael49

How about infinite mpg and avoiding the pumps all together? Looking forward to the day that I can tow fully electric and charge with the Sun. 2021 Rivian R1T, electric truck the size of a Tacoma, 400-750hp (depending on the battery) and will tow 11k (yep 11k). 400 mile range (not towing). Pricey, like all new technology, but in 10 years I'm hoping something like this will be my TV.....:)

https://www.caranddriver.com/rivian/r1t

https://insideevs.com/reviews/357978/comparison-rivian-r1t-truck-ford-f-150/

gulfarea

With my 2018 4 door Jeep Wrangler JK and 2018 T@B Boon-dock Edge 3,102 mile trip from Mobile Al to Munci IN then to Massachusetts and back to Mobile averaged 12.8 mpg, burned 241.5 gal of gas. all different speeds from 75 mph to stopped dead in traffic on interstates 3 times. Art

DougH

Like others with two liter diesels (ours in a low drag station wagon configuration), we get 20-30mpg towing depending on headwind and hills, keeping it around 60mph, and monitoring the eco-mode of the vehicle to keep load under 25%. Best mileage on flat roads. Occasional thousand mile stretches over 50mpg when not towing. Sadly, we cannot climb hills very fast, and hope someone comes out with a TDI / electric hybrid that can pull 7500lbs and use recharging stations in the next few years.

irvingj

Ditto. Unfortunately, emission controls on today's diesels are VERY problematic.. perhaps they'll get it figured out eventually... but I agree, a hybrid diesel-electric (like trains, for the past what--60 years?) would really make a lot of sense.

I got 32+ towing our early Dutchmen T@B with my '05 Jetta TDI Wagon, as long as I kept my speed below 60 mph. Hey -- small roads are cool!

The ultimate, as I perceive it, would be a small diesel, operating at maximum efficiency RPM, to power a generator, to power an electric power train...  Well, I can dream!

Unfortunately we no longer have our T@B -- traded "up" for a small RV -- but I still miss our little teardrop. Still love to catch up on this forum!

N7SHG_Ham

irvingj said:

The ultimate, as I perceive it, would be a small diesel, operating at maximum efficiency RPM, to power a generator, to power an electric power train...  Well, I can dream!

Agree, I must not understand the complexities, because that seem ideal a non plug in diesel electric, tons of TQ from the electric drivetrain and a highly efficient constant speed diesel would seem much easier to get clean exhaust from. Must be harder than it sounds?

irvingj

The big bugaboo these days with diesels is Nitrous Oxide, as well as diesel particulate matter (soot). Our T@B replacement is a smallish Roadtrek RV based on a Mercedes Sprinter chassis with a 3.0L V6 diesel. We've been relatively lucky with ours, but many people have had very expensive issues, 95% dealing with the emission control system(s).

So all diesels now come equipped with: DPF (diesel particulate filter); SCR (Selective Catalytic Converter); DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid -urea) injection system-- which has to have its own heater, BTW; EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve; and more sensors than you can shake a stick at. And since everything is computer-controlled, any glitch in wiring can --and does-- cause problems. Literally, replacing a light bulb with an incorrect one can create issues!

If the computer senses a significant problem (especially with the emission controls), it will tell you: "TEN STARTS REMAINING". Really! That thing will shut itself OFF if the problem isn't taken care of quickly enough -- of course, in the "opinion" of the engine control computer.

I mean, it's all great that our air is cleaner than it used to be, and I wouldn't want to go back 30 years in that regard, but diesels are no longer the simple, dependable, efficient machines they used to be. I keep my fingers crossed a lot!

gulfarea

I owned a diesel repair shop for 31 years and I will not buy one! Art

Tabnero

recent 2800 mile round trip to 9000 ft elevation several times, 2.8 Diesel Colorado, Tab CS-s full water. 20mpg

GatorEgg

Past weekend with 2003 Tacoma doublecab 3.4 v6 - 13 mpg.  19 mpg unloaded.

jgram2

Oregon to Iowa via I-84 and I-80 ~2000 miles, highest elevation ~8600 ft in Wyoming, T@B Outback, v8 4runner averaged 12 mpg going 60-70 mph.

morey000

Arizona- Tucson to Flagstaff Area.  2700ft to 1200ft to 5K to 3K to 7Kft and then back.  550mi.  65-70 mph.  some periods of stuck in traffic.  Hot- AC running.  TV:  Range Rover Evoque (2.0T engine- which would have gotten 26-28mpg without Trail T@rdis in tow  (320S Boondock).  Averaged about 14mpg.

sequimite

I too tow my 320S with a 2015 MB GLK250 diesel (the last model year). Plenty of power, good handling and stopping power. Even so, I feel like the 320 is the most I want to tow with my MB. @LSkrabut, I'm impressed with the MPG you got towing a 400. Our prior trailer was a Little Guy 5-wide and towing that trailer we got 32 MPG towing it at 60-65 mph, but total weight was mo more than about 1200 lbs in travel trim. 40 MPG with no trailer. We had the diesel cheat "upgrade" installed and MPG seems to have dropped a little.

One question. My only concern towing with my GLK is that the trailer pushes the car around in a push pull fashion when on an uneven road surface. It tends to smooth out over 50 mph. Did you experience this issue, and if so, how did you mitigate the effect?