Actual Gas Mileage

[MagillaGorilla]

I just did a 244 mile trip with my 37' gasser powered by a Ford V10. After a refuel I was able to calculate my mileage at 9.04 MPG. That is 2 MPG better than what I expected and 3 MPG better than my last coach.

Yes I know 9 MPG is no smart car BUT I have to say I am elated with this. That is 33% greater than what I expected. 33% will be HUGE when we do our 4000 mile trip next year.

[Blaster_Man]

MountainAir05 wrote:
...Don't count on those numbers every fill up...

Agree, it will take a good while travelling different roads to other places before a MPG base line can be established.

[J-Rooster]

I get 9 also if I drive 59 MPH or less if I drive 65 MPH it drops to 7!

[Billinwoodland]

MagillaGorilla wrote:
I just did a 244 mile trip with my 37' gasser powered by a Ford V10. After a refuel I was able to calculate my mileage at 9.04 MPG. That is 2 MPG better than what I expected and 3 MPG better than my last coach.

Yes I know 9 MPG is no smart car BUT I have to say I am elated with this. That is 33% greater than what I expected. 33% will be HUGE when we do our 4000 mile trip next year.

Thats really good mileage. I usually pull a little suzuki vitara and get about 6-7 with the same engine and a 35' coach.

I am leaving on a big trip in the next few weeks. I always log my MPG, with the hopes to get a number like yours. Not sure why I do, but I do.

On a funny note, I was filling up at Costco and this very nosy lady, who was filling up a Toyota Prius, asked me how much it costs to fill the motorhome, how is the fuel economy, etc. And she said, I drive a Prius which gets 50 mpg. I just smiled, and told her my motorhome was a hybrid and it got 30 mpg. I was going to come clean with the joke, but she left before I could say much more.

[MagillaGorilla]

Wow there are so many negative people on this forum it amazes me. This is actually the third time I have tested my mileage. Each time it has come out to just over 9 MPG. Each time it was filled and then refilled at the same gas station with the same pump. Sheeeeesh.

I understand that each time you drive the MPG can be different due to many factors like head winds, hills and so on. I get it. BUT you have to start somewhere and the place I have to start is with the trips I actually take and not the one that I wish I could take. Twice now I have driven to Old Orchard Beach in Maine (122 miles each way) and twice my mileage worked out to just a hint over 9. That is the furthest I have driven so far. I have made a bunch of other shorter trips too.

If, when I go to Florida next year, I can get close to 9 MPG I will be happy. If I end up getting 7 it will be as expected.

Some people on here suggest that you cant tell your mileage unless you drive 5000 miles first. That is just not how we use our coach. We take lots and lots of short trips. My last one I had for 10 years and never went more than 200 miles in a round trip. I guess I'm lucky in that I live close to where I want to go/stay for vacations.

[MagillaGorilla]

sch911 wrote:
Outstanding news. I'm guessing you don't tow a car, and you drive less than 60mph mostly right?

I do not tow a car and I tend to drive at 60.

[ArchHoagland]

I've seen 10 with a tailwind, however at 80,000 miles my overall average is 7.1 mpg.

I suspect on your trip you will drop to around 7.

[Bill_Satellite]

One short trip will not give you an accurate average. It's great to see those kinds of numbers but keep all your fuel / mileage records for 8-10 trips and you will get a more accurate picture of what you can expect long term.

[DSDP_Don]

Magilla......you're probably close on your mpg numbers, but as many have said, don't get too excited until you've done several trips across different terrain. Keep in mind that these fuel tanks are huge. If your coach is leaning by 2" to the side you're filling from, you can take almost five gallons less.

Since many fill up at a station near home and then top off upon return, try to use the same lane and the same pump. This way the coach is in the same position for the departure fill up and return fill up. This will give you pretty accurate numbers.

[AAFD]

My new coach also had great mileage on our first trip. We had a tail wind on the way home but did 10 MPG, 400 mile worth of trip and put 37.8 gallons of gas in the tank. So happy!! No towed and I do drive around 62. No reason to hurry!!

KC

[naturist]

Glad to hear it, keep up the good work.

Not bad at all for a rig that size.

[Matt_Colie]

If you write the odometer reading on every fuel slip, you can sit down later and load them in a spreadsheet and find out what your fuel rate really was. I have done this for years and also use it as a tune-up predictor.

Matt

[Kayteg1]

9.04 is what pickups with this engine would be happy about.
Do at least 2 fillups, preferably 3 and give us average from them.
Also speed is crucial for fuel consumption.
My 5-tons Superduty with Powerstroke can make over 20 mpg if I drive below 50mph.
Not that I gave it lot of tries.

[bluwtr49]

That's pretty good. However that is a very short trip for determining what it will do long term. I like to look at two numbers, mileage over each 5000 mile summer trip and the mileage since the engine was born 91000 miles ago.

Knowing the long(er) mileage is useful in computing range and fuel stops when on the road.

[sch911]

Outstanding news. I'm guessing you don't tow a car, and you drive less than 60mph mostly right?

[MountainAir05]

Don't count on those numbers every fill up. I too get that amount but not as much as I wish. Just too many factors you have no control over.