First real towing with my Titan......OUCH!

GaryB · 03-03-2008, 07:29 PM

05 KC LE. Pulling my 8.5x18 Thule cargo trailer from Ct. to Ga. Going to Ga, using cruise on/off, going 70 or better, I got from 8.5 to 9.5 mpg. On the way back, I kept cruise on, at about 71(just under 2000rpm)I got from 9.5 to upper 10's mpg. I never thought it would be this bad. I was figuring about 11-12mpg at that speed. Other than that, it towed pretty well. If you've never towed with a HD diesel, you don't know what your missing though. I've used a Chevy Duramax before and you don't even know a trailer is back there! I'm happy towing with it so far though, we'll see as the year goes on. If diesel was cheaper like it was back in the day, I'd be pissed!

GaryB · 03-03-2008, 08:58 PM

Also, I rarely towed in 4th. I used 5th most of the time with no issues. I kept an eye on the tranny gauge. The trailer did only have maybe 1000 pds in it, so about 3500 pds or so total.

**HudsonValleyTitan** · 03-03-2008, 09:00 PM

What's the weight you're towing? You shouldn't be using cruise while in tow mode but..so long as it did ok and the tranny didn't heat up, it's probably fine. I only get about 12 MPG w/o towing. I've gotten from 6 to 10 while towing depending on terrane.

albonismo · 03-03-2008, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryB

05 KC LE. Pulling my 8.5x18 Thule cargo trailer from Ct. to Ga. Going to Ga, using cruise on/off, going 70 or better, I got from 8.5 to 9.5 mpg. On the way back, I kept cruise on, at about 71(just under 2000rpm)I got from 9.5 to upper 10's mpg. I never thought it would be this bad. I was figuring about 11-12mpg at that speed.

damn dude, i get that much driving normally (like a teenager) w/o towing!

GaryB · 03-04-2008, 07:33 AM

I would normally really suck down the gas, but I was trying to keep a leash on it. Without towing at that speed, I would normally get about 17+. I found if you stay just under 2k rpm's works well. I did average 11.2 mpg for one fill up along the way....that impressed me!

hunter · 03-04-2008, 02:29 PM

Last summer, I towed my 5,500 lb travel trailer from Winnipeg,MB to Vancouver, BC and back again to Winnipeg - total trip of about 3,200 miles across the Canadian Prairies and through the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Towing in 4th gear and averaging around 65 mph - I ended averaging 12.6 mpg (Canadian) or 10.5 mpg (American)
I figured that this was quite good for a non-diesel powered vehicle

GaryB · 03-04-2008, 08:00 PM

Not bad at all for all that mountain driving!

07cajuntitan · 03-04-2008, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HudsonValleyTitan

You shouldn't be using cruise while in tow mode but..so long as it did ok and the tranny didn't heat up, it's probably fine.

I do this all the time, but I have never towed anything over 1500#. How would using the cruise at 70mph be different than doing 70mph via the skinny pedal? I'm not being a smart *$$ - I'm just curious.

**HudsonValleyTitan** · 03-04-2008, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 07cajuntitan

I do this all the time, but I have never towed anything over 1500#. How would using the cruise at 70mph be different than doing 70mph via the skinny pedal? I'm not being a smart *$$ - I'm just curious.

I believe it's over 2000 LBS the manual says not to use the CC. It may have something to do with the fact that you're supposed to be in 4th not 5th while towing and using tow mode...not quite sure.

travelship · 03-05-2008, 12:09 AM

You're driving too fast if you want the best fuel mileage. Speed and aerodynamics are the biggest factors in fuel mileage. Is it a box trailer or an open one? If the trailer is taller than the truck, that's a lot of vertical frontal area to move through the air. The Peterbilt in my signature has absolutely terrible aerodynamics partly because the trailer is taller than the sleeper. This Volvo http://www.volvo.com/trucks/na/en-us/products/vn/vn780/ will easily get 2 mpg more than the Pete. A camper shell would help you, even more so with some kind of fairing (even a Yakima rack fairing) or a Taylor wing on top of the rear of the shell. The distance from the rear of the truck to the front of the trailer is the biggest problem, it causes all kinds of air turbulence and eddies. Big rigs have the least drag when the trailer is sucked up as close as possible to the tractor. The trucks with the worst aerodynamics are the cattle haulers, with all the holes in the sides, it's like pulling a parachute.

**loufish** · 03-05-2008, 06:46 AM

Quote:

I believe it's over 2000 LBS the manual says not to use the CC. It may have something to do with the fact that you're supposed to be in 4th not 5th while towing and using tow mode...not quite sure.

Still nonsense! Using CC while towing will only cause issue's if you're towing hills and grades where the trans is doing a lot of shifting to maintain speed...Level ground, use CC as you see fit.

The OP's milage does sound low, but my own Titan gets bad milage most of the time, I'm averageing 12-13 on street/hiway combined. That being said, I've got 13+ while towing my tent trailer, 2 dirt bikes in the bed crusing level ground CC set at 66-67 mph...

Lounatk · 03-05-2008, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelship

You're driving too fast if you want the best fuel mileage. Speed and aerodynamics are the biggest factors in fuel mileage. Is it a box trailer or an open one? If the trailer is taller than the truck, that's a lot of vertical frontal area to move through the air. The Peterbilt in my signature has absolutely terrible aerodynamics partly because the trailer is taller than the sleeper. This Volvo http://www.volvo.com/trucks/na/en-us/products/vn/vn780/ will easily get 2 mpg more than the Pete. A camper shell would help you, even more so with some kind of fairing (even a Yakima rack fairing) or a Taylor wing on top of the rear of the shell. The distance from the rear of the truck to the front of the trailer is the biggest problem, it causes all kinds of air turbulence and eddies. Big rigs have the least drag when the trailer is sucked up as close as possible to the tractor. The trucks with the worst aerodynamics are the cattle haulers, with all the holes in the sides, it's like pulling a parachute.

Dont forget the poop!

Lou

travelship · 03-05-2008, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lounatk

Dont forget the poop!

Lou

A little bit of runny manure down the side of the trailer helps it cut through the air a little better. On a side note, loaded cattle haulers are the only trucks that are never inspected by the DOT. Wouldn't want to be crawling around under it on a creeper!

Troubles No More · 03-05-2008, 09:52 AM

I towed my 25 ft Howard boat (about5500-6000 lbs), from LA to Lake Havasu, AZ and back and I average 11.5 mpg at 60-65 mph.
On a side note I used my wife’s QX56 and had the same MPG to Lake Mead towing the boat.

GaryB · 03-05-2008, 05:54 PM

It seems to be all about keeping it below 2k rpm. The more under, the better the mileage!