Mileage while pulling camper

[F150tripin]

My mileage experience towing...

Own a 22' Outdoors RV bumper pull trailer, basically a box on wheels (GVWR 7400). Have a weigh distributing hitch.

So far I've been to my property in Nevada twice - 800 mile round trips from CA not far from the Pacific Ocean. I leave sea level and travel over Donner pass (7900ft) and down the mountain through Reno. Head west and turn south down US95 . There are several mountain passes along 95. Destination elevation is 7700 feet 11 miles off paved road.

CA limits speed to 55 lawfully and I average about 60. NV limit is 70!

GPS calculates my average speed with gas stops at about 58mph. I calculated the MPG for both road trips resulting in a meager 9 MPG.

It's not 9 all the time, unloaded in normal driving i'm getting over 22.

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[SRMD]

With one Spring and summer camping season completed, I will share my experiences.

26’ TT, 6500 total TT fully loaded, 12520 GCVWR per CAT scales. Only run 93 when towing

Elevation change, tow speed and wind greatly affect fuel mileage. Example, last week 150 mile tow to the ocean average between 60-65mph, flat, no wind, 12.5mpg per truck computer. Return trip into 15+mph wind, similar speed averages 10.3mpg.

As the others suggest, lock out 9&10 as a minimum and manually downshift to 7 or even 6, depending on the hill. You don’t think you are in much boost, but even in 8th with a slight incline , you will be pushing 8lbs. The truck heats up very quickly. I do this not for better fuel mileage, but to help keep engine coolant temp (ECT) and Trans Temps down by staying out of the boost as much as possible. Do not rely on those idiot gauges on the dash. They do not move from normal position, even with 30F temp swings in both Trans and ECT.

Get a Bluetooth OBDII dongle, I use OBDLink MX+, follow the threads and set up to monitor ECT, boost and Trans Temp as a minimum. You can download PowerBoost 1.4 from thread and have everything ready to go. Then, you will see how fast the temps climb in this truck when those turbos are working. You can thank @turbopilot for all his work to make our lives easier.

I hit the mountains this weekend with a full cord plus of wood in my horse trailer, which I will estimate to be about 7500lbs, plus building supplies. I expect to be running in 6th and 55mph on the steep long pulls. Mileage, I am expecting 8-9.

I am more worried about operating temps than mileage.

 

[redline]

If it is windy out you gas mileage when towing goes in the tank …. Well out of the tank more accurately…

 

[madsend81]

I'll be towing a ~4klb TT from San Diego to Tucson and back for the Thanksgiving holiday. There's about a 4,000 ft elevation gain East of SD before dropping down to below sea level, all in the first 2 hours of travel. I'll report back on what mileage I get. I'll use tow/haul mode and see how easily it is to stay out of the turbos on the climb up and cruising.

 

[ks54703]

Had a 21 XLT 302a PB non moon roof with the tailgate step and just towing 1640 payload. Found the PB made so much torque running that in Trailer Tow when pulling under a 7K load Trailer Tow was more of a determent to fuel mileage than a benefit basically got the same MPG as the previous 19 701a with max tow.

Changed to Normal Mode and let the truck do it's thing along with locking out 9th and 10th gear. Fuel mileage increased and the truck didn't care. Only real change was slowing and Regen generally took care of that difference in engine braking or downshifting in Trailer Tow.

Now have a 2.7EB with the 2.7EB payload package which NEEDS Trailer Tow mode while doing the same work the PB easily accomplished in Normal Mode.

Leave it in Normal Mode and let the beast do it's thing.

 

[BoostIt]

I've done a couple trips since getting my PB, and round trip sailing(!) down the Columbia Gorge with the wind behind me and I can get 11mpg. On the way back, even at 55mph, it's a more dismal 8mpg. ~6,500TT, ~30 feet long.

 

[Gros Ventre]

One thing I noted on a 2006 Escape Hybrid was that when towing (a medium U-Haul w/lots of furniture and other stuff), It did better in rolling terrain than on flat ground. As best I can figure is that the downhill regeneration was greater because of the load. The rolling terrain was Appalachian foot hills (both sides) and the level was Missouri & Kansas. Just a thought... Haven't towed enough with my F150 to see that difference.

 

[Chosenman]

3.5 eco pulling a 3000lb teardrop.

 

[2023XLPB]

I towed a car on a uhaul trailer yesterday and got about 16 mpg whether I was in Tow/Haul or Normal. Relatively flat and I was using 93 Octane.

 

[Aron]

I agree with all of the other posters above that are saying that wind resistance is your biggest enemy here; weight is a distant second. I have a 6500lb, 11' tall travel trailer that I've towed with the F150 probably 3000-4000 miles at this point. When I'm on the interstates, I can move at 70-75mph, and I'll usually get 8-9mpg. When I'm on the secondary roads going 50-55mph, I can often get 12-14mpg. (Unhitched, I usually average 24-26mpg over the 700+ miles in a tank of gas.)

Unless I have a real reason to get there fast, I try to stay in the right lane on the interstates and go at the speed of the big rigs--this has the double benefit of improving the gas mileage and keeping the engine and transmission a bit cooler.

If you haven't found it already, there should be a setting on the steering wheel menu to replace one of the digital gauges with the boost gauge. Once you can see when the turbos start to engage, you can start adjusting your driving habits to minimize the amount of fuel burned in the turbos, which should help in improving fuel usage considerably.

 

[Kanuck]

I agree with all of the other posters above that are saying that wind resistance is your biggest enemy here; weight is a distant second. I have a 6500lb, 11' tall travel trailer that I've towed with the F150 probably 3000-4000 miles at this point. When I'm on the interstates, I can move at 70-75mph, and I'll usually get 8-9mpg. When I'm on the secondary roads going 50-55mph, I can often get 12-14mpg. (Unhitched, I usually average 24-26mpg over the 700+ miles in a tank of gas.)

Unless I have a real reason to get there fast, I try to stay in the right lane on the interstates and go at the speed of the big rigs--this has the double benefit of improving the gas mileage and keeping the engine and transmission a bit cooler.

If you haven't found it already, there should be a setting on the steering wheel menu to replace one of the digital gauges with the boost gauge. Once you can see when the turbos start to engage, you can start adjusting your driving habits to minimize the amount of fuel burned in the turbos, which should help in improving fuel usage considerably.

You can change the center two gouges to different readings. It is under the steering wheel menu. I think under settings

 

[marinerjoe]

With my 2016 F150 3.5 CC pulling a Keystone Cougar 26RBS along I-95, doing the speed limits (but not over 65), I was getting almost 9 mpg. If I drafted other campers (not very desirable), or 18-wheelers I would get up over 10 mpg. As others have said, the frontal area and wind resistance are your biggest factors.

 

[tommyxc]

I've towed many different trailers with many different trucks (1500 and 2500) .I've never gotten better then 10 or 11 mpg with any of them except diesel.

 

[HammaMan]

With my 2016 F150 3.5 CC pulling a Keystone Cougar 26RBS along I-95, doing the speed limits (but not over 65), I was getting almost 9 mpg. If I drafted other campers (not very desirable), or 18-wheelers I would get up over 10 mpg. As others have said, the frontal area and wind resistance are your biggest factors.

Snuggling up to an 18 wheeler when towing a brick wall is magical for mileage, not so much for safety. They also don't like it.

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