Hard numbers on MPG.

rbpru wrote:
One of the show stoppers for the new RV owner is the fact that they get half the gas mileage when towing. In my case it drops from 19 mpg with no TT to 10 mpg when towing.:(

Our TV is typical; we have an F-150, 4x4 with E-Boost and averaged 10 mpg over 8,000 miles of towing last year. I suspect this is more towing mileage than most RV owners do in a year and less than a few others.

I read where some folk add modification to their TV to improve their mpg. So I decided to do the math to see what would happen if I got 12 mpg, a 20 % improvement.

Starting with $3.25 a gallon for gas seemed reasonable, so at 10 mpg it cost us 32.5 cent a mile to pull our TT. At 12 mpg it would cost only 27.1 cents per mile. This is a savings of 5.4 cents per mile. So, last year a 20 % improvement in mpg would have saved us $432.00.

The problems as I see it are,
1. 8,000 miles was for us an exceptional towing year for us.
2. I doubt that there is anything they can do to my F-150 to gain 20% on my mpg.
3. Cheaper gas would make the saving even less.
4. Even doubling the price of gas to $6.50/gal. :E or the towing miles to 16,000; there would still be less than $1000.00 worth of saving; not enough to justify a different TV or any extensive motor mods.

So for the DW and me 10 mpg it is. My TV and TT combination tows well, has good low end torque and a comfortable ride. Admittedly, If I was younger and in my gear head days or some other person who enjoys the challenge of improved mpg, the cost would be secondary. ;)

Now IF you had MY 2013 F250 with 6.2 empty mileage is 15.5 and towing is low of 9.7 in mountains and high of 10.3 on rolling hills you would not have "lost" "half" of your mileage "towing" :B as you can see I only "lost" 1/3 the mileage towing.. And I did that while towing at 65-68 MPH

As far as "mods" that give better gas mileage, well those are pretty much snake oil.. You can buy all the gimmicks you want but they are not going to "increase" your mileage when towing.

Pretty much a proven fact that if you really want to gain mileage towing you must SLOW DOWN.. Many have reported an increase in mileage while towing when they are at 55-58 MPH..

As far as I am concerned, I am NOT "camping" to "save" money and I personally don't care if my vehicle is drinking gas, it is what it is.

My reasons are more for the slower paced lifestyle that you can't get in a high rise Hotel. I don't miss the slamming hotel doors all hrs of the night, I don't miss waiting 15 or even 20 minutes for an elevator.. I don't miss having to make sure I was out of the room around 10AM-11AM every day for the cleaning staff to rummage through my room pretending to clean.

If you add up ALL the items you need for camping along with the wear and tear on your vehicle you will have spent more on camping than if you lived in a Hotel room for several of your lives!

If folks are afraid to spend a little on some gas then they shouldn't even consider camping.. After all, the gas is the LEAST of the "expenses" you will have with camping.

I find it interesting that folks spend $50,000-$70,000 for a tow vehicle and $20,000-$50,000 for a trailer then turn around and grumble about spending $500 on gas!