Toad affect on mileage

Made the trip without toad and was very disappointed. So many places to spend time at along the way where could have used toad to visit the local attractions. If you have the time.

in my experience, I'm lucky if i see a 1/4 of a gallon per mile "hit" for towing the jeep.
its negligible and easily manageable w/ my right (throttle) foot.

personally i tow the jeep (sometimes even when i know were not gonna need it) as an INSURANCE piece....never know when you're gonna need it to run for parts or something you forgot to pack....
its worth pulling !

We did our Alaska trip last year from Wichita, KS. Went south west to Santa Fe to drive the Rockies from where they start in NM till you drive out of them when you hit the Yukon. 10 week trip of 10,366 miles in the RV and another 1,994 miles on the toad. We drove 3,000 miles to get to Mile 0 of the Alaska highway and then only 1200 more miles to get to Alaska.

I notice a 0.5 to 1 mpg hit while towing (see rig in sig. below). The trip you are taking is not about gas mileage, it is about the journey. Take the toad. You will want it for the side trips and it is cheap insurance for anything unexpected that goes wrong.

For the RV we purchased 1547.6 gallons of mid grade fuel to avoid pre-ignition knock while towing in the mountains. Average fuel price (all converted from liters and Canadian $) was $4.43/gal. Total fuel bill for RV was $6,857.89. And our RV gas consumption was 6.7 mpg.

Our trip was July 1 thru mid September. Gas is cheaper now, but who knows about next summer. We had a great trip and I trust you will as well. Enjoy the journey.

Let's talk physics here for a moment.

The answer is IT DEPENDS.

On flat roads, aerodynamic drag is by far the largest consumer of HP. Here weight is of much less significance (once up to speed). With some coach/toads, the toad actually REDUCES aerodynamic drag, as it helps "fill" the large vacuum behind the coach.

On grades, weight becomes the largest consumer of HP. So if you tow in rolling hills or mountains, a heavy toad will have a far greater impact.

I tow a Smart Car. Very little impact on MPG. Towed it to Alaska. Used a vinyl cover that covered the front to the top o windshield and side to door hinge. Worked well. It sure makes a difference to have a toad along. For two years I did the car rental thing and then towed a Prius on a dolly and finally the Smart Car four down. The latter has been the best.

We would advise not driving to Alaska without the toad. It will be a more enjoyable trip for you. Ours goes everywhere we go.

Thanks for the information.

rondeb wrote:

c_haggart@yahoo.com wrote:
I will be traveling to Alaska next year and am attempting to determine if it is worth towing the toad (Ford Edge crossover). I currently get about 7.2 Mpg with the toad, but have not traveled without it. What improvement can I expect in mileage without the toad? I have a Sunstar 26P, gas Ford V10.

With a gas engine, you should see about 1.5 to 2 mpg less towing your vehicle. You can't add that much weight and get the same mileage. It would be like going up a mountain without the toad. You will get less mpg than flat towing. If you are pulling the weight, same thing. A diesel engine might not effect you as much, but even with a diesel, when we towed our trailer with a Ford F250 diesel, we got 1.5 to 2.0 less mpg. It is just physics.

However all that said, take the toad. You won't regret it.

X-2, When not towing I gain 2 MPG in my Winnebago!

c_haggart@yahoo.com wrote:
I will be traveling to Alaska next year and am attempting to determine if it is worth towing the toad (Ford Edge crossover). I currently get about 7.2 Mpg with the toad, but have not traveled without it. What improvement can I expect in mileage without the toad? I have a Sunstar 26P, gas Ford V10.

With a gas engine, you should see about 1.5 to 2 mpg less towing your vehicle. You can't add that much weight and get the same mileage. It would be like going up a mountain without the toad. You will get less mpg than flat towing. If you are pulling the weight, same thing. A diesel engine might not effect you as much, but even with a diesel, when we towed our trailer with a Ford F250 diesel, we got 1.5 to 2.0 less mpg. It is just physics.

However all that said, take the toad. You won't regret it.

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Because of the roads in Alaska it would be a good idea to install something that would keep flying road debris from hitting the front of your toad. Mud flaps do not work, especially if they are too low.

Vertical shields can reflect rocks forward into the rig paint and DP rear radiator. The "best" device is the Protect A Tow type of screen.