How fast do you drive with camper on? .

specta wrote:

JimK-NY wrote:

specta wrote:
Not to drift off topic but gas mileage has never been a concern as to how fast I drive.

I drive at speeds that I am comfortable at and the gas mileage is what it is.

It makes a difference to me. My next trip is planned for about 15k miles. Fuel costs will be close to $4000 at current prices. Cutting back a bit on speed can easily save me 20% or $800. That is in addition to a safer, less stressful trip. Of course I will spent more time driving, but probably not by much. Less stressful driving and better fuel economy means fewer rest stops and fewer fuel stops.

The best gas mileage I have got hauling my camper was 10.8 mpg.
The camper was empty, 180 miles non stop, cruise set at 72 mph.

Not so sure how much better it can get than that without crawling down the road at 55 mph. Something that I will never do.

But then again, $800 is $800. That's still a lot of money to us poor people.

My rig is about 13,000 pounds and I pull my camper with a CTD. I get about 13 mpg at 65 mph. If I drop down to 55, the mileage will improve only a little, maybe to 14 mpg if I am lucky. Increasing the speed is a different issue. At 75 mph I would be lucky to see better than the 11 mpg you got with an empty rig. It is not weight so much as wind resistance. Even a consistent head wind or tail wind makes a difference. I have gotten over 16 with a tail wind and around 10 with a head wind.

And for you slow pokes, MOVE IT!!!!

Not everyone has all day to get to their destination.

JimK-NY wrote:

specta wrote:
Not to drift off topic but gas mileage has never been a concern as to how fast I drive.

I drive at speeds that I am comfortable at and the gas mileage is what it is.

It makes a difference to me. My next trip is planned for about 15k miles. Fuel costs will be close to $4000 at current prices. Cutting back a bit on speed can easily save me 20% or $800. That is in addition to a safer, less stressful trip. Of course I will spent more time driving, but probably not by much. Less stressful driving and better fuel economy means fewer rest stops and fewer fuel stops.

The best gas mileage I have got hauling my camper was 10.8 mpg.
The camper was empty, 180 miles non stop, cruise set at 72 mph.

Not so sure how much better it can get than that without crawling down the road at 55 mph. Something that I will never do.

But then again, $800 is $800. That's still a lot of money to us poor people.

jaycocreek wrote:
With the mighty 460 (7.5) ford,I don't drive over 2000 rpms....:B

My 6.0 likes 2500 rpm.

With the mighty 460 (7.5) ford,I don't drive over 2000 rpms....:B

My speedometer goes to 120. I try to keep it under that.

Reality Check wrote:


My wife points out that most often it's not an attitude, it's just a lack of paying attention to ones surroundings and basic awareness. Folks just don't pay attention. And I know she's right.

AND we all know, the wife is always right. :)


- Mark0.

Reality Check wrote:

Kayteg1 wrote:
Once a nuisance, always a nuisance.

lol, fixed it for ya...

Well, at least most of the reading has made this a good thread.

Just got back from 60+ days on the road. Freeways suck, and we use them to get somewhere, so speed limit it is. Have no problem doing 80's, and the MPG difference is remarkably minimal. Compared to my actual monthly fuel bill per month..it doesn't even register.

With that, we were less than 1000 miles total on freeway. The rest is on mostly secondary county/state roads. I drive what we're comfortable with, but....BUT.... ARE you listening folks who don't get the hell out of the way..... we pull over often, because it's not my place to hold up commerce just because I'm in a different place in my head than the rest of the world (relaxed).

It's annoyingly funny to watch someone tool along at a snails pace and then not pull over to let others pass; remember...."you're obviously not in a hurry/on a schedule/trying to make a living". I just don't get it.

My wife points out that most often it's not an attitude, it's just a lack of paying attention to ones surroundings and basic awareness. Folks just don't pay attention. And I know she's right.

I vote this most informative post of the year!
And yes it is amazing the high % of people who go through life clueless and not aware of their surroundings. This phenomenon is also somewhat exaggerated here west of the Cascades compared to many other locations. I call it the ADQ. Asian driver quotient!
Between them and the Save the World, 1 mph at a time Subie and Hybrid drivers, this place is a Mecca for clueless driving!
What’s even better is the random lane changers who can’t even fathom that regardless of fault, if they change lanes in front of you going slower, while you’re towing a mini semi trailer with a pickup truck, that if sht goes sideways, they are going to get run over and lose the battle!

Kayteg1 wrote:
Once a nuisance, always a nuisance.

lol, fixed it for ya...

Well, at least most of the reading has made this a good thread.

Just got back from 60+ days on the road. Freeways suck, and we use them to get somewhere, so speed limit it is. Have no problem doing 80's, and the MPG difference is remarkably minimal. Compared to my actual monthly fuel bill per month..it doesn't even register.

With that, we were less than 1000 miles total on freeway. The rest is on mostly secondary county/state roads. I drive what we're comfortable with, but....BUT.... ARE you listening folks who don't get the hell out of the way..... we pull over often, because it's not my place to hold up commerce just because I'm in a different place in my head than the rest of the world (relaxed).

It's annoyingly funny to watch someone tool along at a snails pace and then not pull over to let others pass; remember...."you're obviously not in a hurry/on a schedule/trying to make a living". I just don't get it.

My wife points out that most often it's not an attitude, it's just a lack of paying attention to ones surroundings and basic awareness. Folks just don't pay attention. And I know she's right.