I just pulled my Travel Trailer this weekend. It weighs about 5000 lbs. I got about 12MPG. Anyone else want to share their experiences?

Scott

 

I was getting about that my first time towing and after i hit a few thousand miles it increased slightly. I now get about 13-14mpg towing the mountain roads. I very rarely get on a flat road so i cant tell you my avg mpg for that. My trailer weights about 7klb I also have the platinum so im at the limit of waht i can really to with this truck.

 

Scott,

Be careful to compare apples to apples here. Each answer is specific to the corresponding set up.

What rear end and cab config do you have? Is it a 4x4?

I have a FX4 Screw with the 3.73. My trailer is 5K as well and on my first rip out I racked up 10.1 MPG. Last trip out, with 2,600 miles on the truck, I was getting 10.1 to 11.1 MPG, but this was driving down HWY101 (along the Oregon Coast climbing hills pretty consistently).

On the last leg of the trip (100 miles failrly flat ground) I found that I was getting better MPG if I could hold the truck at 62ish and keep the transmission from slipping into 5th gear. Once the truck slips to 5th, the MPG dropped to 9.2 or so. Problem is I like towing at 55. Safer and I get to enjoy the scenery at the same time.

I just had the transmission TSB applied on Thursday and am hoping that it will help improve the MPG performance slightly, but with the initial results I am seeing I will not hold my breath.


My buddy in CA has a 4x4 Screw with the 3.55 and his trailer is around 7K lbs and is narrower and more streamline than mine. He averaged 12.2 miles on a 2,700 mile round trip to Oregon this Summer, but I believe this included some unhitched driving.

Hope this helps.
RoundII

 

If you put in the signature what kind of truck you have and the specs (i.e. supercrew, 5.4, 3.55 ls, auto 6-speed, 2wd, 17" tires etc.) it makes these type of questions relative and easier to answer specifically. I am curious myself to know what kind of mileage I will be getting when towing my 6k trailer.
It also helps to know if you were towing down I-10 (flat) or up the 5 at the Cal/Oregon line(extreme mountains) or on I-81 in Virginia/Penn (moderate hilly). Another thing is to say weather your MPGs are computer or hand calculated as the computers can be anywhere from 1-3 mpg off.
Thanks for your input, it is important.

 

The computers on the 09's are pretty much spot on. I have tried both ways and they have come out to almost the exact same amount every time so i just use the computer now. With all the control the ECU has with the engine now i think the caculations are a lot better with MPG meters than they ever use to be.

Also i didnt even notice you have to tick the sig box to get it to show. How long has that been an option. Mine always use to show.

 

what are you guys getting unloaded? how many MPG per tank of fuel?

 

Best two trips by far: ~ 200 miles each loaded with two adults, 3 kids, dog and ~500lbs of camping gear/bikes (as dry as I have had while on the Hwy).

• Portland, OR over MT Hood to Bend, OR (more than half way) at 70 MPH = Computer 18.2 MPG, hand cals was 17.6

• Bend, OR back over to Salem and up to Portland 60 to 65 MPH = 21.1 MPG. Drove a little in town before filling up and it dropped to 19.6. Hand Calc was 19.1. Bend, OR is located in a high desert area, so heading back to Salem has a lot of down hill section grades and Salem to Portland is another 60 miles of relatively flat I5.

Note: We can not fill our own fuel in Oregon (except Diesel or gas in motorcycles), so the hand calc is not as accurate. Last time I filled, the pump clicked off and they topped it off, but I was only a little over ¾ full and the MPG was better Vs the following fill that was terrible.

 

My new 2009 KR Supercrew with 5.4L has about 1300 miles on it now. From Austin to San Antonio, the average highway gas mileage was 21.3 MPG driving on I-35 at approx. 75 MPH. That was without towing a trailer, just family members riding in the truck. I installed a KN air filter, which I believe helps the gas mileage. In comparison, my old 2001 XLT with 5.4L would average 19 MPG on the same stretch of road. I'm happy to see that the new truck is performing better.

 

SO there HAS to be something wrong with my truck; I am getting less MPG than the OP with no trailer around town. Trip to College Station and back last night netted a whopping 14.5 MPG. How is anyone getting 18+ on the highway?

 

With the 3.55 you should be getting better milage than me, but I failed to mention that there was a tailwind, a solar eclipse and Jesus himself came down and blessed the truck prior to the trip.

Seriously, the only thing consistent with the ’09s are the inconsistencies across each one rolling off the line: Paint, leaking third light, Tranny TSB, Tranny Temp gauge, clarity of the Sync mic, sagging headliner etc.

The mileage is just one more to add to the list.

RoundII

 

I have noticed that if i drive like i have to get another 100 miles out of the next gallon that i can get very good MPG. But if i drive normal it can be as much as 5mpg less. If i thrash it i get about 6mpg less. Also how many miles do you have on her?

 

Got 2,600 as of this weekend- keep thinking once she is broken in, it will get better, but thus far no dice.

 

It will get better. I think mine took about 3000 if i remember correctly. Was a long time ago and cant really remember.

 

To clarify my trip, it was mostly flat driving. I updated my signature which gives specs necessary to compare vehicles. My trip computer said 12.4 but my hand calculation was 11.7. Half of the trip was in heavy rain. My average driving speed was around 60MPH. I didn't use the tow button. Any suggestions to improve mileage? or is it what I should expect....

Scott

 

11.7 isn't too bad (IMO). I'm not sure what you should expect I haven't done any long range towing in mine yet.
I would definitely use the the tow button, especially with the 3.31 diff.
How was your trans temp did the guage go above (unloaded) normal?