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NF - Towing/effect on fuel economy question


funfishing

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I get about 20mpg hwy in my v8 grand cherokee, it drops to about 16-17 towing my boat package which is just under 1000lbs combined

 

More than just weight is a factor tho, how aerodynamic the trailer is will also impact how much work your vehicle has to do. V6/I6 vehicles tend to have to work harder than v8s when towing so they will burn more 'extra' fuel when towing as well.

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Id be thinking about 15-20% per thousand pounds. Towing sucks fuel. Thats the price we must pay. Speed is also a huge factor. Keep it to the limit and you will save, rush and you will pay. I usually trailer my boat which pretty much maxes out my minivans towing cap during off hours when i can take my time. I get about 16mpg keeping it to a hundred kph or less with an 03 Olds Silhouette, normally, i get 23-26mpg depending on speed and driving conditions. Just remember to keep it out of overdrive, if your transmission is constantly shifting, it will heat up and fail prematurely.

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I see a 20 % loss with a 3000 lb boat behind the F150. I see the same with my 1500 lb boat. The drag factor is as important as the weight. I also can burn 15 % more if I go from 55 mph to 70 mph. A boat cover that fits well and does not flap will get you back 5 %.

 

 

Art

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When I used to tow with my v6 gran prix 1200lbs the milage would drop by at least 25% even with an empty trailer it was very noticable. I have towed my new boat 1900 lbs with a v6 suv, drops from 11lper100k to 13lper 100k with the same boat a v8 truck drops from 14 to 16 lper 100k.

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Depends on what you are towing and it's drag factor. Weight isn't the real issue. I can pull my 2150 Lund Baron.. loaded with everything for a season at the lake.. and mileage goes from about 12.8l/100km non-towing increasing to 16.5 to 17 l/100km pulling the boat (probably 4500lbs) Now pulling a lighter enclosed trailer.... the mileage drops to 24l/100km. Almost double the fuel burn. The worst thing I pulled for fuel mileage that totally surprised me was when Terry, Dan and I put 2 sleds and all our huts and such on a double sled trailer with Terry's ATV in the box of the truck. All that stuff grabbing air almost had us out of fuel by the time we got to Temagami..

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Thanks for all of the info everyone.

 

Would be towing a 6' x 12' u-haul cargo trailer, just read that it's 2000lbs empty. So about 3000lb full. Not a very aerodynamic shape, but at least no pockets to be catching air and creating excess drag. Would stick to 80km/h roads, I think that would be a good speed for improving mileage.

 

Cargo trailers create a ton of drag. I personally think that a lot of manufactures over rate the towing capacity. I wouldnt make a habit of towing 3000 lbs with an uplander.

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I tow a 2800lbs hybrid with 4 fat people and gear with my 05uplander...if your towing your supposed to be in 3rd not overdrive? On the hyway this will kill any chance of getting any reasonable mileage...however at a nice easy pace say 80km/h on a flat drive the milage is as good as going 120km/h empty.

 

I only tow this 5-6 times a year and generally under 2hours in one direction...I figured the tranny woulda died but the engine will go first lol. It has developed a bad lifter noise at start up(fine once some oil gets up there)

 

Take your time and if its not a daily exercise you'll be fine but as for calculating the cost of a trip good luck....the wind,the air temp, the terrain and 100 other variables could come into play.

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I would estimate a lot more then $500 for a 5000km trip...

 

I would too.

Even not towing with my Honda Pilot my trips to Alaska and back (6000kms) I spend atleast 3 times that much.

I haven't gone through last years trip receipts yet but I will bet I spent closer to $2000 on fuel.

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