Help me get better then 6 mpg please.

[theholycow]

I wouldn't expect it to pull that in overdrive. 3200 sounds reasonable for 70 while towing...3500 would be too much IMO.

[theclencher]

Cat's out of the bag- they're speeding too much in it for decent mileage. I'm sure if I went 65 my fe would drop to single digits too.

OK how far are your trips? The trip times at different speeds are easily calculated. I too had antsy passengers when I drove on a 60 mile trip at 55mph:

60m @ 55mph = 1.09 hours, or 1 hr 5 min
60m @ 65mph = .92 hours, or 55 min

Woo Hoo, 10 minutes savings. We always screwed around more than 10 minutes prior to leaving, and screwed around more than 10 minutes after getting there, so IMHO that 10 min "penalty" is nothing. If it's that important, leave 10 min earlier.

[bobc455]

Any chance of going Diesel?

-BC

[GasSavers_mikemoss]

OK how far are your trips?

anywhere from about an hour and a half to 22+ hours. We are leaving from the middle of Missouri to go to Phoenix Arizona in a few days. Then either to Denver or somewhere in Pennsylvania.

The company has a different truck that is a Diesel that hopefully we will be able to use in the near future. I was just going to see if anyone could come up with some neat ideas. The company doesnt care what the fuel bill is I just like to see if I can improve my fe.

If we could improve 1 mpg with some areo mods we could save around 40 gallons of fuel. And if we could somehow average 10 mpg then we would save close to 100 gallons of gas.

Maybe I should bring that up with the owner.

**edit**

Going 65 we can shave around 3.5 hours off of our next trip. The speed limit is 70 so its not like we are speeding too much, I guess what we really need is a truck that will actually pull the trailer.

[theclencher]

I doesn't matter what I'm on- motorcycle, car, truck, truck and load... mileage ALWAYS drops precipitously above 60 mph. Unless you have a radical teardrop car like basjoos, that's how it is for the rest of us.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by mikemoss

The speed limit is 70 so its not like we are speeding too much, I guess what we really need is a truck that will actually pull the trailer.

The important issue when it comes to speed is trailering safely. 70 is pushing it in a rig like that.

You really should get the trailer and whole rig weighed, compare it to the truck's tow rating and GCWR, and make sure you've got lots of extra. If the whole thing wipes out because the tail wagged the dog, it's your driving record on the line, and your life on the line.

[JanGeo]

Yeah do a 40mph stopping distance test and see how that compares to conventional stopping distances you may find that it takes more than 100 feet at 40mph to stop and that translates to 50-60 mph stopping distances for cars - you need to slow down or you will ram someone trying to stop quickly. Use that as a safety reason for driving slower.

[GasSavers_mikemoss]

We have got trailer brakes. But I can see where you guys are coming from.

Safety first.

[theholycow]

Safety isn't only about braking; and trailer brakes are only supplemental.

Sway, crashes, emergency situations, etc all get more dangerous when the tail is heavier than the dog. If your brake controller has a manual braking button, you can correct minor sway by using it but if you get sway every day you need to change your rig. If you don't get sway that doesn't mean your rig is safe.

[theclencher]

Safety schmafety. Just go slower.