Tundra MPG Expectations

Thanks for all of the feedback. Frankly, I expected minimal improvement in MPG, but I do wonder if a shorter trailer with a lighter tongue weight would handle better. I hear people talk about their towing experience with a "you don't even know it's back there" but I've yet to share that experience!

I had a ceiling in my last house that had some drywall damage. It had a fancy inset area and I did pretty good at repairing it but it wasn't perfect.

I mentioned it to a buddy and he said "DONT LOOK UP". It worked really well for me. Keep enjoying your TT, it wont be much better with the smaller one.

I wouldn't expect you will get much better mpg going to the lighter trailer. It is all about aerodynamics, especially if you're towing on relatively flat ground.

X2. It's more about aerodynamics than weight unless you are towing uphill all the time. You'll save a little in gas getting the lighter trailer moving but once the weight is moving the difference in rolling resistance is minimal.

If you're looking at selling what you have to buy a new smaller TT just to save a gallon of gas, it's not worth it. The loss you'll take in sale or trade will never be recovered in fuel savings.

hookie wrote:
How is it that some people get such great MPG? No matter what combo I've had over all the years the best I could get was 9.5 mpg. In fact I barely got 15 mpg with a Windstar pulling a PU! And I know what some will say, slow down, etc. I know that so don't bother saying it here again. Then again math was never my favorite subject,it must be that new math you guys are using that I never caught onto.

Toyota digital odometers are programmed off by three percent in Toyotas favor. Shortly after Honda was exposed for a five percent error, in their favor as well, Toyota admitted to theirs being off. Both Companies stated that it was not done in malice, it was done to make their customers think they are getting better mileage than they are actually achieving. This was a few years ago, but it had been going on since the inception of digital odometers combined with vehicle speed sensors (in lieu of speedometer cables).

Just returned from a 3 week, 4,700 mile trek from eastern Iowa to northern California and back towing our Keystone Outback 250RS with the '08 5.7L 4X4 double cab. Trip mileage was 9.43 mpg driving 62-65 on mostly interstates, but at least several hundred miles on very twisty/winding two-lanes...and of course, all the mountains :E . IT may have helped aerodynamics that the Outback has a one-piece, rounded frontend cap.

N-Trouble wrote:
15MPH towing with a gasser is pretty optimistic...

Hell, 15 mpg not towing is in the ballpark for a lot of these trucks! 15 towing??? Umm ... :?

Anyway, I wouldn't expect you will get much better mpg going to the lighter trailer. It is all about aerodynamics, especially if you're towing on relatively flat ground.

Most of the time people exaggerate their mileage, go by inaccurate MPG gauges or are simply bad at math. You just have to read between the lines and not believe every claim out there. 15MPH towing with a gasser is pretty optimistic...

How is it that some people get such great MPG? No matter what combo I've had over all the years the best I could get was 9.5 mpg. In fact I barely got 15 mpg with a Windstar pulling a PU! And I know what some will say, slow down, etc. I know that so don't bother saying it here again. Then again math was never my favorite subject,it must be that new math you guys are using that I never caught onto.

I get the same as you with my trailer. Downsizing might help slightly, but probably not much. I get the same with my heavier, more aerodynamic 35 ft Windjammer as I got with my old 25 ft trailer that was about 6500 lbs loaded.

11-12 but it depends how fast you drive, the wind, elevation changes, winter/summer fuel etc. We have same truck and tow 23ft Airstream (5500-6000lbs) and drive mostly on flat at 60mph or less and get 13mpg.