MPG under Towing

[CheekPKI]

I have been towing my 5th wheel (30 foot Rockwood/8000lbs loaded) and have been getting only 9 MPG average on trips. I tow with a 16K Husky slider, removed the tailgate, LT E-rated 18 inch tires, airlift airbags, NCD front kit (truck sits perfect under load now), run 87 octane, drive in 4th w/tow mode on and I control the shift points manually when a hill comes up. Is only 9 MPG normal? What do you guys get? Next year I will probably be going across to CA from NC, and am considering trading for a GM 3/4 ton diesel. I love the titan, but this MPG is horable under load. Plus, I think I am pushing on payload with the pin weight of around 1300. I have been overlooking that since I have the airbags and the 5th has its own double axle brakes w/ a Reese controller. Comments???

[dawgs77]

I get 7-8 mph with my 6500 lb bumper tow Travel Trailer.

[loufish]

I love the titan, but this MPG is horable under load.

That's good milage for the tow weight and a gas engine...

[titanmike]

I got between 9 and 10 towing about 5000 pounds on the interstate around 70 all on flat ground. I'd say getting 9 towing 8000 isn't too bad.

[95rioredvert]

That would be right on par if not a tad above par mpg for the titan puilling 8k pounds.

Don't be totally fooled by the diesel mpg claims. My dad has an 02 F-250 PSD and it gets 10-11 towing their 8500lb camper. It is a tad better mileage but not the 15-18 a lot of guys claim!!!!

Don't get me wrong, I love the diesels, and they are nice to pull with, but for me the routine maint. on them was just to much for the amount of miles i drive. $70 oil changes vs $25 with my Titan.

I avg 7-9 mpg towing my camper with the Titan its right around 7500lbs. but i don't really ever do anything to try and make my mpg better.

[MuskyHunter]

I have been seeing about 13-14 mpg with about 3000 lbs trailer and gear.

[titanmike]

I don't even see 13 to 14 towing nothing.

[Steamguy]

...but this MPG is horable under load.

Not really. Nine is about right, no matter whose half ton gas truck you own. Consider that for some manufacturers, you have to go to a 3/4 ton truck to tow that.

I tow a 7000# Arctic Fox travel trailer with my truck, and get about 9-10 MPG. This is through hills (no real flat land around here). With the exact same trailer and towing the exact same speeds, I got 13-14 towing it with my 2000 Dodge 3500 with a Cummins. Oh, and before that, I owned a Dodge 1500 (360 CID). That 1500 makes a good apples-to-apples comparison to the Titan, as the engines were both roughly the same size. However, even with 3:55 axles, that truck couldn't get out of its own way; and it only got 8 MPG towing that same trailer, and no better than 12.5 unloaded. Talk about a gas hog! Didn't take much pressure on the right pedal to get it to drop to 10.5 MPG unloaded either.

...considering trading for a GM 3/4 ton diesel.

You won't get that much better mileage towing with a diesel. It's just that the diesel is built for hard work, every day; with a subsequent increase in expected engine life. You also pay A LOT more going in. The only advantage was that diesel was a lot cheaper then and I had a 38-gallon fuel tank.

Diesel around here's finally coming back down in price, but on the down side of diesel ownership, there were the $75 oil changes that had to be done religiously at 3000 miles, (and no farther, as you would be compromising engine life), as the hidden price of admission, and fuel filters/water separators to be changed/drained periodically. Not to mention that any serious work I wanted to do on the engine took specialized gear.

Sorry to be throwing water on your fire, but you really are towing with one of the best gas-powered tow vehicles. If you go diesel, you're throwing a lot of money down for not a lot of change in fuel mileage. Not to mention what you lose in driving fun and handling. You're going to be plunking down about 20 large just for four, maybe five MPG in towing. You can buy a lot of gas for that kind of money.

[F_G]

9 mpg isn't all that bad towing 8,000lbs. We just got back from Utah towing our small toyhauler at about 5,500lbs, we averaged 11 mpg, and it is a very hilly trip. I was pretty impressed with 11 mpg.

[jbone]

I just towed my 7500 lb TT on a 400 mile trip and averaged 9-10 mpg with 2006 4x4 CC BT. My buddy was towing his 8000 lb fifth wheel with his Dodge 2500 4x4 CC CTD ang got 10 -11.Every time we got gas,I got 15 gals and he got 14.Within a gallon every time. Let me tell you the Titan is a towing beast.Quicker up to speed with TT than most without.Oh yea,I only get 12-13 mpg without the TT..go figure.

[walleeme]

I had on old Dodge with a 360, 3 speed auto and 4.11s and it only got 8 doing towing like you described.

[Z-Hauler]

6-10MPG depending on wind direction, hills, and I usually go about 80-90 on the highways since it's so open in Montana.

[loufish]

I tow much less(about 3000 lbs) but have the truck filled w/ 2 dirt bikes in the bed. I'll get 13 mpg if I tow at about 65-67 mph...

[ORTitan]

Just returned from a round trip to Kansas from Oregon towing a 8 1/2' x 20' enclosed car hauler weighing 7,000 lbs. Towing at any speed I wanted the truck averaged 9.5 mpg over 3,700 miles.

[Learjet]

I get 10 ish with a 5600 lb travel trailer. Its not all about the weight at highway speeds, the wind resistance or drag of the trailer has a lot to due with it. i.e... Frontal area, height, width etc

My trailer feels like I am pulling a drag chute