Does an extra 6 inches matter?

[flash82]

...get your mind out of the gutter..... Am talking about the areodynamics and towing characteristics of a 7.5 foot compared to an 8 foot wide. With things equal like frontal shape and height would there be much of a difference? Just a few inches more to stick outside the tow vehicle. It was a conversation we had earlier....just curious.

[mosseater]

Only negative difference you'll see is having less room going through the Jersey barriers in PA's never-ending road construction. Personally, I like the challenge of making it through without trading paint.

[Major_Dad]

We just went from an 8' wide to 8'4" wide trailer. I never tow over the 65 mph tire rating, and have a 3/4 ton diesel. No noticeable difference in mpg or handling, though towing in the city on narrowed construction lanes takes some getting used to.

[Campfire_Time]

I went from a 7ft wide trailer to an 8ft wide. Makes no difference.

[rbpru]

A 6 inch increase in TT width can make a surprising improvement in living space but it has far less impact on gas mileage than dropping your speed 5 to 10 mph.

[brulaz]

We went from a 24'x7.5' (56 sqft), 4000# (no slide) trailer to 28'x8' (64 sqft), 7500# (with slide).

Our mileage on regular gas went from 12.5 mpgUS down to 10 mpgUS.
(on Premium I'm now getting 10.7 mpgUS)

To us, the increased amount of interior space, especially with the slide, makes it worthwhile.

[LewBob]

We went from an 8-foot-wide, 32-foot-long TT to a 8.5/24 with almost identical gross weight. The longer unit had a more aerodynamic front cap compared to a flat, sloping front on the shorter trailer. Based on two cross-country trip in similar conditions, the longer, aerodynamic rig got slightly more than 1 mpg better mileage.

[wincrasher65]

I depends on how marginal your tow vehicle is. It's more surface area. If it's enough to effect mileage or handling depends on your tow vehicle.

Is this trailer a flat front? Or is an aerodynamic fiberglass cap? That makes more of a difference. If it has a rounded cap, the extra width might not make any noticeable difference. Flat fronts are the worst, and I never recommend them.

[valhalla360]

Yes, it makes a difference but not enough to make fuel consumption a serious consideration. In fact, you would probably be hard pressed to accurately measure the difference.

Where you will notice it is inside in the living space. On the surface it looks like you are adding 6.25% to the width and that doesn't seem substantial but reality is once you account for wall thickness and cabinets and other protrusions into the space, the actual open space will increase by more like 10-15% and that's what you really assess in terms of living space.

[Highway_4x4]

If you only miss something by 2 inches, that extra 3 inches could be a big problem.

[Dragonfly]

Yes it makes a difference but, it depends upon how you travel. For me, traveling back roads and often gravel roads, width makes a big difference on tight turns and in tight spaces. For me, towing with a HD F150 I wouldn't want the extra weight. For me on a limited budget, the extra square footage of air resistance and impact on gas mileage makes a big difference over long distances. For others who travel interstates and main highways and are satisfied with the other small sacrifices of the extra size, perhaps they would see no issue.

[doxiluvr]

The title of your question caught my eye, so had to check it out but I really have no idea if that 6 inches would make a difference or not.

[rexlion]

My wife doesn't think so.

[DutchmenSport]

I went from an 8 foot wide to an 8 foot 6 inch wide camper. I've not noticed any difference at all. Except the new one is longer and naturally heavier since it also has slides and the old one (shorter by 4 feet and no slides) was not as heavy. No difference on the road though. I never done a comparison of the actual trailer frame to figure out if the wheels are actually farther apart between the two trailers. It's possible the same frame width may be the same, and the tires may be the same width, I do't know, never measured it, never thought about it until just right now. But I do know, as far as wind resistance, ... nada! Enjoy the larger camper!

[fla-gypsy]

No difference