Tundra 5.7 Owners
What gas mileage are you getting towing and how much weight are you pulling?
Forum Discussion
esjay wrote:
I'd like to know real world mpg figures. Can I reasonably expect 12-13mpg towing a slippery, 68" wide, single axle fiberglass 3,000 pound trailer?
Honestly no. Its not so much the weight of the trailer, its the wind resistance from the front of the trailer. I have a 2010 with 5.7 and heavy E rated tires. I pull a 6500 lbs trailer and if I keep it under 65 I can get 10.5 or so driving up and down the level east coast. When the speeds go up, the mileage goes down quickly. When I pulled in the Appalachian mountain range, mileage when down to about 8 or 9 at those same speeds.
If you have a rounded front wall, you might get better mileage. If you keep your speed at or below 55 or 60, you might get better mileage. If you have a camper shell on your bed that reduces wind drag between truck and camper, you MIGHT get better mileage.
All that being said, 12 or 13 towing seems unlikely, but it could be possible if all the variables are in your favor. Unfortunately your low fuel light will come on after only 20 gallons, so even at 13 mpg you'll be getting that fuel light at 260 miles.
Honestly though, the 5.7 is a BEAST of an engine and will pull that trailer with ease.
On edit I failed to do the math. 68" is 5.5 feet wide, not an 8 foot wide travel trailer. You will have less wind resistance and its probably not as tall as a travel trailer either. With a small profile you should be able to get better mileage than if you were pulling a similar weight full size travel trailer. 13 might be very possible with the smaller profile of the trailer. Good luck.
