Chevy Duramax Fuel mileage
I am looking for an honest answer from actual campers. I am considering buying a used 2005-2008 Chevy 2500 w/Duramax with a Alison Tranny to tow a 10,000 - 11,000 Fifth Wheel. Those of you that have a...
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Recommend you shorten your list to 2006 to early 2007.5 (Classic) trucks with the LBZ engine. It is a lot more reliable than the earlier engines or the later LMM one with its flawed emissions setup.
A friend with a 2005 was towing a 13.5k 5th wheel all over the western USA for years and getting 8-9 MPG. He added a Edge tuner and was getting 11 MPG towing the same trailer. Pretty good percentage increase in fuel economy.
MPG is going to be largely influenced by the weigh to the trailer, the amount of air drag, and the speed at which you drive down the highway. Air drag increasing with the square of speed so driving twice as fast means four times the air drag that needs to be overcome. That translates into more fuel burned.
I get a 10% hit in MPG with a 15 MPH headwind when driving at 65 MPH. I get a 15% hit with a 20 MPH headwind at that same speed. I would expect the same with the average 5th-wheel trailer as no RV generates more air drag than these trailers for their size.
A friend with a 2005 was towing a 13.5k 5th wheel all over the western USA for years and getting 8-9 MPG. He added a Edge tuner and was getting 11 MPG towing the same trailer. Pretty good percentage increase in fuel economy.
MPG is going to be largely influenced by the weigh to the trailer, the amount of air drag, and the speed at which you drive down the highway. Air drag increasing with the square of speed so driving twice as fast means four times the air drag that needs to be overcome. That translates into more fuel burned.
I get a 10% hit in MPG with a 15 MPH headwind when driving at 65 MPH. I get a 15% hit with a 20 MPH headwind at that same speed. I would expect the same with the average 5th-wheel trailer as no RV generates more air drag than these trailers for their size.
