Tundra MPG Expectations

Campfire Time wrote:

N-Trouble wrote:
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...

He tows an Airstream. Big difference in aerodynamics. While I suspect that at 65mph he won't get 15, I also think in the right conditions its possible he can get it at 55. I emphasize, the right conditions. No wind, or a tail wind, flat terrain, moderate temperature.

Yes anyone (and a lot of people do this...)can get on the highway under perfect conditions, reset their MPG monitor to get an inflated number, then come on here and brag about it. Now, go drive a 500mi+ round trip and come back and post numbers and I'll bet they're a bit more realistic. Instant or averages taken over a short period "under perfect conditions" doesn't mean much in my book. Averages over long hauls under varying conditions are all that matter when its time to put fuel in the tank.

Regardless of what I tow I get my best mpg's on the internet:B

W.E.BGood wrote:

DaveF-250SD wrote:

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).

You wouldn't have a link to a factually-substantiated source for that (cough, cough) "story" would you?:R

Can't substantiate DaveF-250SD's Toyota "story", but Honda did lose a class-action lawsuit a few years back because of their optimistic odometers. I received a settlement letter for my 2006 Civic that extended the factory warranty about 1500 miles as compensation.

Previously drove a 2011 5.7 DC Tundra. Currently drive a 2012 5.7 DC. Get the same mpg's with both. The same 5.7 engine has been used in 2007-2014 Tundras with very few, if any, changes.

Used to pull a 4,500 lb. TT (loaded). I could get 12 mpg if I kept it at 55 mph (flat, no wind). Dropped to 11 mpg at 60 mph. Currently pull a 7,000 lb. (loaded) TT and get 11 mpg at 55 mph and 10.0 - 10.5 mpg at 60 mph.

Will the lighter trailer still have two sheets of plywood in the front? If yes, same fuel consumed.

7-10mpg all gas engines pulling all high walled RVs at 60-65mph. 4000 pounds loaded or 10000 pounds loaded doesn't matter.

N-Trouble wrote:
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...

He tows an Airstream. Big difference in aerodynamics. While I suspect that at 65mph he won't get 15, I also think in the right conditions its possible he can get it at 55. I emphasize, the right conditions. No wind, or a tail wind, flat terrain, moderate temperature.

DaveF-250SD wrote:

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).

You wouldn't have a link to a factually-substantiated source for that (cough, cough) "story" would you?:R

9-9.5 mpg towing Winnie @ 6300 lbs or so and @ 60-65 mph. Towing our old Sunline TT @ 8000 lbs. or so and gas mileage was still around 9, but only towed the Sunline a couple of timesbefore getting the Winnie. So...don't expect much difference. Towing 6k with a 5.7 Tundra has been a really good match for us.

It's been my experience that you'd be lucky to see a 1 mpg difference.

srennier wrote:
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 dont know about Tundras but it's basically a half ton truck? Right? My last truck was a 2013 Chevy Silverado 1500 5.3 pulling a 24 TT loaded to 5000 total. The truck had a fiberglass cap and was loaded to 100 over the 1650 payload with tongue weight and all.

It did about 9.5 to 10.5 mpg and was very easy to drive. It would get up and go without flat pedaling it and didn't down shift real bad. This truck had a towing capacity of 9,600 lb. I have little experience compared to most of these pros but yes, I would guess that you would have a better towing experience if you shed 2,000 to 2,500 lb. I wouldn't do it just for the fuel savings.

The thing I didn't like about our TT was no slide. It didn't matter when we first bought it but as we realized we would use it more there is no way we could do it without a slide.