Does a lower profile tow better? NOT a mileage Question

My suggestion from 5 different trailers is to get the one with the floor plan that best fits your needs.....and forget about mileage. Good mileage when towing an RV just isn't going to happen.

Your plan ( Travel 3-5 times a year 100-300 miles) is just not worth even worrying about mileage.
If you set up whatever you get correctly it will tow just fine.

Good luck with you search and choice.

packpe89 wrote:
I'm looking to stay around 5500# and 28'. I've seen a couple of local used models that are lower profile and more aerodynamic (Cougar X-Lite and a Keystone Vantage). Their dry weights are 6200-6300#'s. Should I consider them as well?

No difference at all ... tow any full height travel trailer and +/- 10 mpg would be about average.

downtheroad wrote:
My suggestion from 5 different trailers is to get the one with the floor plan that best fits your needs.....and forget about mileage. Good mileage when towing an RV just isn't going to happen.

Your plan ( Travel 3-5 times a year 100-300 miles) is just not worth even worrying about mileage.
If you set up whatever you get correctly it will tow just fine.

Good luck with you search and choice.

I entirely agree! This thread will quite possibly get quickly swept up in payload questions - which are reasonable questions to ask, but not your point on this particular thread. So, assuming you stay within what you can do with your truck, I completely agree with downtheroad...

If you are generally doing 1,000 miles (or so) a year, the difference between 10mpg and 7mpg (random numbers, just for example) is approximately 40 gallons. At current prices - that's $100 per year in gas. That minimal kind of difference is not worth sacrificing the right floorplan.

Not worried about mileage. More concerned about 'how it tows'. Boats tow much better than travel trailers, they are made to go trough the water. So, does a more aerodynamic trailer tow better than a flat front?

Thanks

Should not be a problem but dry weights don't mean much when it comes to trailer weights. Loaded weights are all that really matter. A 8,000 loaded weight trailer should have about a 1,000 pound tongue weight. Take that off your payload to figure out how much capacity is left for people and "stuff". It shrinks very quickly.

I travel with some friends that have a Jayco Swift TT, theirs is about 6" shorter in height than mine and they don't have a roof air. He always seems to get 1-2 MPG better than I. He tows with a 98 GMC 1/2 ton 4wd with 3.73s.

Edited to add that there seems to not be much different in handling, I use a WDH and he doesn't.

A more aerodynamic front shape can improve mileage slightly; but not enough to make any real difference in your fuel bill with your intended usage. Go for the floor plan that you like best.

Please!!!

I'm not concerned about the mileage. Just wanting to know if the towing is really improved.

“It's specs are 1400# payload”

That’s tiny! My SUV Tahoe is 1,595. Watch your weight closely.

packpe89 wrote:
Not worried about mileage. More concerned about 'how it tows'. Boats tow much better than travel trailers, they are made to go trough the water. So, does a more aerodynamic trailer tow better than a flat front?

Thanks

Yes boats tow better than TT. but they are sitting on the trailer in a different way. Tongue weight is not so important with a boat because of where the axles are, and where the weight is carried.

TT on the other hand need 10 to 12% of their weight to be carried on the tongue. Once you get the weight balanced, and the WDH correctly setup. A TT tows very good. If setup correctly. you will have no sway.

As for a little lower profile. I have had both. You will NEVER feel, or see the difference. The only thing you will notice, Is that the lower profile TT, because it also sits lower to the ground. Will DRAG more on gas station entrances, CG roads, and well any where there is a radical road level change.

My current TT sits low, and in truth I thought that would help MPG. It don't, but as I say. It drags. so come spring. I am flipping the axle mounts, and raising it up about 5 inches.