Towing into the Wind

[skidooman93]

Just returned from a 1200 mile one way trip to Glacier National Park and back. We were fortunate to not have to deal with head winds to often.

My question is, how does everyone deal with days when you have tows with lots of hills and strong head winds. How do the diesels perform when towing up the rolling/semi steep hills of Montana while heading into a strong head wind.

[DutchmenSport]

EstorilM wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
I did not read all the posts on here yet, but my Chevy Diesel 3500 duly Duramax ... even in the hilliest places we've been in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, towing over 10,000 pounds with winds from all directions ... well??? ... my kitty just keeps purring so sweet. Never had a problem, slow down, or anything. My baby just purrs and purrs and purrs, 60 mph with cruise, exhaust brake, and tow mode. Never touch the peddles unless its a curve requiring less than 60 mph. My baby just purrs. Gosh I love my truck!

Are you talking about I-64 from VA through WV into KY? That was my first real trip with the TT a few weeks ago. Absolutely brutal but it did very well and somehow averaged over 10mpg with a 4.4l gasser!

Yes sir there good buddy! Drove that stretch in March 2017 for our March Trip from Indiana to South Carolina. I knew part of it was toll. Hadn't been on a toll road in years and years, so actually, was a bit surprised the tolls were not more than they were.

We actually jumped off 64 somewhere in West Virginia and ended up following a river bed that wound around some pretty impressive coal mining country. It was so hilly and curvy, first chance we got, we jumped back on 64 at the next possible spot. Great side tour, interesting driving, challenged my whits a bit, but the truck performed marvelously yanking that trailer around.

What kind of fuel mileage do I get traveling those states? Well ... everyone knows when you traveling, fuel efficiency is a term that is non-existent. But wow! That truck sings the most beautiful under such loads.

For anyone living in Indiana, or flat lands of Ohio, even Nebraska, you just can't appreciate the power of a good truck, until you get somewhere that makes your truck tow under those conditions it was designed to overcome so purrrr..fectly!

I love driving those hills and mountains. Indiana is just too flat!

[RinconVTR]

I'll take head winds over crosswinds and take the MPG hit any day.

Towing out West (and back, we encountered 2 days of East winds!) when I talked to others towing the same day and direction we just did, my Toyota 5.7L didn't do bad at all. I was seeing low 7's and the diesel trucks (Always 3/4 ton...go figure) were all 8's. On more typical days, no diesel owner I talked to was getting over 10. Not one.

Power was never an issue for the gasser, you just have to know how to drive it. I ran 4th gear around 3100 RPM 80% of the time. Only on the inclines with headwinds, I'd sometimes drop to 3rd and hold a steady 65mph right around 4,000 RPM. Piece of cake.

[JAC1982]

Now that we have a much larger truck, wind is no big deal, even when we're fully loaded up. We drove from Colorado (near Denver) to the Flaming Gorge all along I-25 and I-80 in July and it was a very pleasant drive. Hills were no issue either, could zoom on up those going 65, and we were around 15,000lbs with full water, full gas, and our RZR in the back. Our toyhauler 5th wheel is just over 13' tall.

We haven't done I-70 through the mountains yet with this rig, that will be next summer, but I have no worries about doing that either.

[Vintage465]

Like other comments, the wind really has no affect on my pulling. Doesn't matter if it is side winds, tail winds or head winds. The only thing about head winds is the mileage goes down. In all winds I have my truck on cruise and it chugs along at 65mph at 1700 or 1800 RPM. Just gets more thirsty as other people have said. Of Course, I have to say, my trailer is not really much of a challenge for my Tow Vehicle and that could be one of the reasons it doesn't affect me.

[Bedlam]

Steady cross winds don't bother me. Now if I have side gusts, that's when I change bearing or take a timeout.

[Dave5143]

I'll take a headwind any day over crosswinds. The trailer tracks straighter in a headwind. Screw the drop in MPG. Diesel fuel is cheaper than it used to be.

[Cummins12V98]

West bound I-40 Oklahoma about 40mph headwinds. Was cold and wanted to get the AZ warm weather so we hauled butt!

6.5mpg towing at 75mph 29K combined 11 HO Dually.

[JAC1982]

Our very first trip with our old rig was from Cheyenne to Rock Springs, WY, on I-80. It was quite the butt clencher though, considering our trailer was a 12' tall 32' long toyhauler, and our TV was a 2013 F150 EcoBoost, and we found out later our Equalizer was not hooked up correctly. But, we made it in one piece at about 6mpg.

Now I'm not recommending you do this. The next day we drove the trailer from Rock Springs north to Pinedale and almost flipped it. Father in law ended up bringing it back home to CO for us, he was a hot shot trucking business owner so he just slapped it on the ball on one of his larger trucks and got it home no problem. Bought a new truck before our next trip with it.

[SidecarFlip]

enblethen wrote:
If it is too bad, we stop! Wait until later in day or the next day!
We have no calendar when on the road!

Thats us...vacation, not a race to get there.

[SidecarFlip]

Isn't that a Bruce Springsteen song... Against the wind?

[1stgenfarmboy]

Wind is my biggest factor for MPG, tail or no wind in the hills 13.4 mpg....semi strong head wind in the hills it will drop to 10.3 to 11 mpg, but I need to watch my EGT's they can hover around 1,150* up a good grade with a head wind.

[EstorilM]

DutchmenSport wrote:
I did not read all the posts on here yet, but my Chevy Diesel 3500 duly Duramax ... even in the hilliest places we've been in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, towing over 10,000 pounds with winds from all directions ... well??? ... my kitty just keeps purring so sweet. Never had a problem, slow down, or anything. My baby just purrs and purrs and purrs, 60 mph with cruise, exhaust brake, and tow mode. Never touch the peddles unless its a curve requiring less than 60 mph. My baby just purrs. Gosh I love my truck!

Are you talking about I-64 from VA through WV into KY? That was my first real trip with the TT a few weeks ago. Absolutely brutal but it did very well and somehow averaged over 10mpg with a 4.4l gasser!

[DutchmenSport]

I did not read all the posts on here yet, but my Chevy Diesel 3500 duly Duramax ... even in the hilliest places we've been in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, towing over 10,000 pounds with winds from all directions ... well??? ... my kitty just keeps purring so sweet. Never had a problem, slow down, or anything. My baby just purrs and purrs and purrs, 60 mph with cruise, exhaust brake, and tow mode. Never touch the peddles unless its a curve requiring less than 60 mph. My baby just purrs. Gosh I love my truck!

[Rubiranch]

I just drive. Winds and hills are no big deal.