Forum Discussion

liquidspaceman's avatar
Jun 07, 2013

Gasoline Gripe

I just got my 28 foot class C and I'm already griping about gas. Here's why. I went to the beach - a simple 33 mile drive. In between I stopped for supplies and firewood so two stops. Total mileage was 72 miles to the beach and back home.

With that short trip, a quarter of a tank was used up. I did the math. In a 55 gallon tank, I used 13.75 gallons. That means my average MPG was 5.23 miles? Jeez louise. Was it the stop and go or is this pretty much what I can expect?
  • Allworth wrote:
    After you figure your actual MPG, then explain to me why diesel fuel is more per gallon than gasoline when it cost half as much to make.


    lol I will think about that
  • After you figure your actual MPG, then explain to me why diesel fuel is more per gallon than gasoline when it cost half as much to make.
  • If you want to play, you have to pay!

    When I am getting 9 MPG towing my trailer, that is a good trip.

    Jack L
  • Like everyone has said, fill up and note mileage then fill up and note mileage. Gas guages are notoriously inaccurate. And, stop and go kills mpg on these things.

    Having said that... My Ford F53 w/ 460 cid gets around 5.5 mpg towing the car on a dolly. So, don't get your hopes up too high.


    Doug
  • I'm going to fill up this week and head to arizona. Will report back with my real MPG. I was just estimating because my fuel gauge shows quarter of a tank gone so I figured that was 13 gallons I used. That was really scary to me.
  • You just think you used 13.75 gallons or you know you used 13.75? Untill you fill up and know how many gallons you won't know the real MPG. MPG should be an average of more then just a short trip like that. I plan on 40 cents a mile but always do better then that.
  • Is that based on how much fuel you put back into the tank or how much your estimating you burned? On my bus the fuel gauge is only a reference because when its near 1/2 a tank (75gallon tank) I would expect to fill with somewhere closer to 37 gallons, but its usually full and up the filler neck by 28-30 gallons.
  • Fill up. Take a trip. Fill up again. Then you know the actual gallons used. If you have a GPS, use it for the miles traveled rather than the odometer. Your results may vary. :)
  • +1 Fuel guages arn't always very linear. My Yukon Stays "full" for about 150kms then look-out!
  • Stop and go are MPG killers. Try to accelerate gently and anticipate so you can back off the throttle as soon as you know you'll be stopping. When paying attention you should be able to tell when more throttle is giving you little or no further benefit - try to stay just below that point. Fill up again and run the numbers (miles / gallons to full) to make sure your calculations are correct - fuel gauges are not always ultra reliable, even in a brand new vehicle so you might not be as bad as you think...

    - R