Fuel mileage
I have searched for answers in various forums but most are out of date or full of trolls/debates. We are looking at purchasing a heavy duty truck for towing a new fifth wheel. The fifth wheel will be ...
Forum Discussion
Mine varies it seems. It's now got 3500 miles (yea, new!)
At first it got 10 mpg (diesel) towing. Then after a couple thousand miles it jumped up to 14-15, and now last trip is averaged 12. I think a lot has to do with the type of roads you are on, how fast you are driving, and how much you are towing. Actually, the front cap surface is more critical than the weight you are towing. The bigger the surface, the more wind resistance you get. Also, standing idle time (like at stop lights and traffic slow downs) impacts your towing mileage also. And one more biggie that I think contributed to that 15 mpg ... the air-conditioner running in the truck ... or not. When we got the 15 mpg trip, we did not have the air on.
My previous 3500 diesel (2005 model - Chevy) got a flat-out 10 mpg towing. All this year we have avoided interstates 100% (especially in Indiana) and have taken the slower secondary roads, small town Indiana routes, stop and go traffic, and never over 55 mph. So our towing mileage is jumping around between 12 and 15 now. (See my signature below for my truck model).
At first it got 10 mpg (diesel) towing. Then after a couple thousand miles it jumped up to 14-15, and now last trip is averaged 12. I think a lot has to do with the type of roads you are on, how fast you are driving, and how much you are towing. Actually, the front cap surface is more critical than the weight you are towing. The bigger the surface, the more wind resistance you get. Also, standing idle time (like at stop lights and traffic slow downs) impacts your towing mileage also. And one more biggie that I think contributed to that 15 mpg ... the air-conditioner running in the truck ... or not. When we got the 15 mpg trip, we did not have the air on.
My previous 3500 diesel (2005 model - Chevy) got a flat-out 10 mpg towing. All this year we have avoided interstates 100% (especially in Indiana) and have taken the slower secondary roads, small town Indiana routes, stop and go traffic, and never over 55 mph. So our towing mileage is jumping around between 12 and 15 now. (See my signature below for my truck model).
