Let’s hear your best MPG and driving style ?

[LandYacht35dies]

..... back on the forum with a new rig .....

[pianotuna]

1987 Fred 233123 miles average 12.5 mpg all repairs $0.25 per mile

2004 V-10 117000 miles average 10 mpg all repairs $0.08 per mile

[noteven]

I’m kinda like Gjac - my Kenworth with dools does um…10ish mpg hauling the toy hauler. My motorcycle does 50-60mpg ridin around once I’m camped.

[Gjac]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
The best way to increase your fuel mileage is to tow another vehicle. For a negligible affect on my fuel mileage I can get two vehicles from point A to point B by using almost the same amount of fuel. Basically this doubles my effective mileage. :B

I guess that is one way to rationalize our poor MPG. The way I rationalize it is my tow car gets 40 mpgs and my MH gets 8.7 towing my car from point A to point B but I usually put twice as many miles on my tow car as my MH just exploring the surrounding area. This increases my total MPG to 23 MPG.

[LandYacht35dies]

MM ... you are well equipped! ..... and very well travelled !!

[Mr_Mark1]

My 40,000 lb. Dynasty averaged about 7.5 with the 425 HP Cummins over 69,000 miles (always pulling a toad).

My 55,500 lb. Prevost averaged about 6.5 with the 500 HP Volvo over 63,000 miles (always pulling a toad).

My new 9,300 lb. Sprinter (22.9 ft.) has been averaging about 18-20 mpg without the toad. Towing the 4,200 lb. Lincoln MKX toad, I averaged about 16 mpg. The Sprinter has the 188 HP Mercedes V-6 diesel engine.

I now have purchased a new-to-me 2,800 lb. toad that needs to be set-up for towing.

Recently in the Sprinter, I joined a friend who was taking a delivery of a new motorhome in Iowa. With my friend being a 'newb', we drove 55 mph over a 700 mile trek home following each other.

My Sprinter recorded 21.1 mpg on that fairly flat terrain on two tanks of fuel. I have always enjoyed checking my fuel mileage just for the heck of it. One thing it shows me, slowing down will get you better mileage and life is not a race in a motorhome.

Safe travels,
MM.

[NRALIFR]

My MPG goes negative at times. :C :E



:):)

[rgatijnet1]

The best way to increase your fuel mileage is to tow another vehicle. For a negligible affect on my fuel mileage I can get two vehicles from point A to point B by using almost the same amount of fuel. Basically this doubles my effective mileage. :B

[DSDP_Don]

LandYacht35diesel wrote:
Let me throw this out there !

If you could improve your MPG by modifying your driving style a bit ... would you do so ?

And let me warn you .... some people are going to HATE ME for me posting my numbers

I've been driving RV's of various types for over 45 years. I always do my own maintenance and any modifications that can improve mileage, like different exhaust and improved air cleaner ducting, etc. This was done on my gas vehicles. On my first diesel, a new 2005 Monaco Diplomat with a 400ISL, I was able to change the engine fan and "returned" 25HP and later chipped it, adding 52HP. It only weighed 32K and had a low front profile as compared to newer coaches. Using the same driving techniques I use today, I got 9.2 mpg on a 7000 mile coast to coast trip. It was a powerful and great running coach. In the mountains out west it was typically an 8.5mpg coach and did better on flat land. However, almost all the driving I do, is up and down the Grapevine, Siskyous or the Baker Grade at the beginning and end of each trip. One mountain climb can wipe out 5 hours of good fuel economy.

Fast forward to my 2014 Dutch Star at 40K pounds and my 2019 Dutch Star at 42K pounds, the mpg took a nose dive. I still use the same driving habits. However my mpg is around 6.5 towing a Ford Raptor at 52K pounds combined. I once got 6.8 mpg.

Driving habits.....we live in California and RV's that are towing are limited to 55mph, but you can safely get away with 63-65 mph. I use the cruise control for 90% of my driving. When I enter an on ramp, I lightly accelerate until I reach 30 mph. I engage the cruise control and then increase speed by increasing the cruise control a mph every second or so. SO no mashing the pedal.

I run the Silverleaf VMSpc computer program on my dash and know exactly what the coach is doing by watching both the "rolling" mpg, horsepower and torque. My coach is very stable and with a tag axle, weight and Comfort Drive, I don't feel wind much, but I can see changes on the computer. When I'm getting a tailwind, I'll sometimes increase the throttle and take advantage of it. When I'm in a headwind, I can see my mileage drop off and will slow down some, until it picks up a little. On the grades I set the cruise and climb, on the down hill side, I try and let the coach run as free as possible and gain speed for the next hill.

With all that said, you can help your mileage a little, maybe .5mpg, but there is NO magic system or way to increase mileage.

What many forget on here when they make their outrageous mileage claims, they seem to forget that we're all driving similar vehicles and their higher than normal mileage claims are from behind a keyboard, not real life. If none of us ever drove an RV, then you might fool us, but not experienced drivers.

One of my favorites.....someone says they get great mileage....I ask if they calculated it buy filling their coach the same way, while level and over three to four tanks while travelling on various terrain....they reply, no, I just know that I drove about 400 miles and only used about 48 gallons or so.

[mountainkowboy]

07 F53 V10 3V with 5 spd, we have only put 2,500 miles on it since we got it, but 7 mpg towing 6,000lbs at 60-65 mph, and 8 mpg alone running between 65-70 mph. I think I can get into the 8.5 range with time and a good tune. I will later down the road get the Banks exhaust system. It "woke up" my 460 and I expect it to do the same for the V10.

Worst mileage......Highway 26 in Oregon, 6% grade for miles with a 40 mph headwind. I used 19 gallons of fuel to go 63 miles. That's 3.3 mpg.

As for best mileage.......14.5 mpg in an 05 W22 8.1 with Allison 5 spd, going east from Twin Falls Idaho with a 40 mph tail wind with 60 mph gusts for over 2 hours.

[dodge_guy]

LandYacht35diesel wrote:
Let me throw this out there !

If you could improve your MPG by modifying your driving style a bit ... would you do so ?

And let me warn you .... some people are going to HATE ME for me posting my numbers

I’ve tried different speeds, the differences in the numbers are negligible.

[LandYacht35dies]

Let me throw this out there !

If you could improve your MPG by modifying your driving style a bit ... would you do so ?

And let me warn you .... some people are going to HATE ME for me posting my numbers

[dad4papa2]

1996 Damon Intruder with the almighty 460 Engine in it I get 6.1-to 6.5 mpg towing or not towing. this is at an average 65 MPH.
Dad

[Groover]

Thor Palazzo 32' with 6.7 Cummins and no trailer returns about 11.5 at 65-70mph, 12mpg if I stay in the lower 60's.

Pulling a Ford Taurus on a dolly round trip from TN to the Grand Canyon it showed 11.1mph for the 4500 mile trip. I let the kids drive some as I got very sick and they drove about 75mph.

Pulling a three horse trailer with tack room I seemed to consistently get about 9.9mpg.

Wind speed and direction can alter the numbers 10-15% so I don't generally worry too much about "best ever" mpg, I just want to know how to plan a road trip. Also, if you run the roof air, the household fridge and the microwave oven while traveling do you count the generator fuel which comes out of the same tank?

All in all, the 32ft diesel returns much better fuel economy than the 1991 F250 gas with slide in camper so I am very pleased with it.

[hotjag1]

I used to check fuel mileage several years ago and was getting about 9mpg. Haven't checked it in many years because it wouldn't make any difference if we got 5mpg. Either way, we will be hitting the highways and seeing the country. I set the cruise control at about 64 mph which seems to be the best mileage according to how fast the needle on the fuel gauge moves...lol