Fuel Ecomony - Towing

[289457]

Currently I am towing a 28ft travel trailer with a 2014 Silverado 1500, 6.2 liter gas and 3.42:1 rear end. The trailer weighs about 7,500 lb. Loaded for shorter trips, the trailer axles and rear truck axle are loaded to capacity, so for longer trips, we have some limitation as to what we can carry.

So - for the next truck, I am planning on a 3/4 ton and wonder if anyone has any insight as to what fuel economy I would expect towing this trailer. The current setup delivers about 10 mpg at around 60 mph. A little less in the mountains and a little less in a strong wind of higher speed.

Any thoughts on what mileage I might expect towing with a 3/4 ton gas or diesel?

[Retired_JSO]

Depending whether the tow vehicle is an everyday driver or just a tow vehicle. The biggest change will be going to a 10 speed transmission and choosing the appropriate rear gear to get the best mileage.

[StirCrazy]

valhalla360 wrote:

thefivers wrote:
Hello all, this hasnt been mentioned so its probably not an option anymore. Years ago a friend changed the chip in his computer, he was running diesel and it increased mileage with both towing and unloaded. Is that still a thing, will "chipping" (I think they call it) increase the mileage of a diesel, or gasser too?

Yeah, because the manufacturers never thought to improve efficiency by different programing.

You can chip to get more power (possibly causing engine damage if abused) but the manufacturers are pushed hard to maximize MPG by govt rules.

What they are mandated is that their gas fleet overall must meet a specific fuel milage target on average. diesels trucks generally are exempt from epa mandates as they are not in the same classification as your family mini van. Also, diesel targets are focused on by products from combustion not actual fuel milage as doing one drops the other at a basic level. for example it is easier to properly tune a diesel electric engine so it has low outputs and good milage as it is only designed to run at one speed so it can run at that speed very efficiently, who cares about the 20 second start and warm up, but a truck motor has to operate as efficently as it can at any speed and throw DPF filters and DEF fluid processing in the works and it becomes a tuning nightmare. so, a lot of time factory tuning in modern emission vehicles is a compromise for every condition.

for example, my truck when it does a regen for the DPF, consumes an extra gallon of gas per regen that contributes nothing to milage

[StirCrazy]

well as for the dealers, they have to balance performance and comfort. there is a lot of performance given up in an auto trans tuning for comfort. With an engine you are balancing performance, milage, and durability. As new materials come out that can handle higher temps, we see more fuel-efficient vehicles. for manufactures resale is the highest priority (as in when this one burns out you liked it so much you come back and a buy another) so like I said it's a huge balancing game trying to make most people like the reliability, the power and the comfort.

[thefivers]

StirCrazy wrote:


diesel yes, gas no for a simple answer. The reason being that a diesel engine is severely under tuned and increasing power increased efficiency a lot. A gas engine due to epa and other rules over the years is close to the max efficiency already and are lighter duty so you can lean out a diesel and make a lot more heat and power but if you do that with a gas engine you damage stuff. So, to get a significant amount of power from a gas engine you have to introduce more fuel. There is some to gain in a gas engine, but it will not get you the gains a diesel will when tuned. now you can get even more gains by deleting emissions but that is against the law 😉

for example, my 2014 f350, before I was tuned, I got about 18 to 19mpg us empty depending how I drove I might tickle 20. after tuning with a 100hp emissions on tune and a medium shift point high line pressure trans tune I got 22 mpg US empty. for towing the 5th wheel a couple weeks ago I put it down to a 35HP emissions on tune. towing to Alberta and back stock I get about 10 Mpg us. my trip two weeks ago I got 13 mpg US n that same 1000 mile trip driving the same way. apparently if I delete my DPF and EGR it will get even better but I haven't got to that point yet.

valhalla360 wrote:


Yeah, because the manufacturers never thought to improve efficiency by different programing.

Thanks Stircrazy, good to know we can pick up some mileage with tuning. You got a nice pickup, 10% adds up over time. I appreciate the feedback and results from your experience.

That would make valhalla360 correct about the manufactures, "they never thought". Unless he is just being sarcastic and was wrong?

Thanks again!

[StirCrazy]

thefivers wrote:
Hello all, this hasnt been mentioned so its probably not an option anymore. Years ago a friend changed the chip in his computer, he was running diesel and it increased mileage with both towing and unloaded. Is that still a thing, will "chipping" (I think they call it) increase the mileage of a diesel, or gasser too?

diesel yes, gas no for a simple answer. The reason being that a diesel engine is severely under tuned and increasing power increased efficiency a lot. A gas engine due to epa and other rules over the years is close to the max efficiency already and are lighter duty so you can lean out a diesel and make a lot more heat and power but if you do that with a gas engine you damage stuff. So, to get a significant amount of power from a gas engine you have to introduce more fuel. There is some to gain in a gas engine, but it will not get you the gains a diesel will when tuned. now you can get even more gains by deleting emissions but that is against the law 😉

for example, my 2014 f350, before I was tuned, I got about 18 to 19mpg us empty depending how I drove I might tickle 20. after tuning with a 100hp emissions on tune and a medium shift point high line pressure trans tune I got 22 mpg US empty. for towing the 5th wheel a couple weeks ago I put it down to a 35HP emissions on tune. towing to Alberta and back stock I get about 10 Mpg us. my trip two weeks ago I got 13 mpg US n that same 1000 mile trip driving the same way. apparently if I delete my DPF and EGR it will get even better but I haven't got to that point yet.

[thefivers]

valhalla360 wrote:

thefivers wrote:
Hello all, this hasnt been mentioned so its probably not an option anymore. Years ago a friend changed the chip in his computer, he was running diesel and it increased mileage with both towing and unloaded. Is that still a thing, will "chipping" (I think they call it) increase the mileage of a diesel, or gasser too?

Yeah, because the manufacturers never thought to improve efficiency by different programing.

You can chip to get more power (possibly causing engine damage if abused) but the manufacturers are pushed hard to maximize MPG by govt rules.

That makes sense, if there is any room to increase the power or mileage, the manufacturer most likely has already built-it-in.

[thefivers]

289457 wrote:
Currently I am towing a 28ft travel trailer with a 2014 Silverado 1500, 6.2 liter gas and 3.42:1 rear end. The trailer weighs about 7,500 lb. Loaded for shorter trips, the trailer axles and rear truck axle are loaded to capacity, so for longer trips, we have some limitation as to what we can carry.

Do you have any issues towing 7500#'s with a 6.2 gassser? How about uphill? Thanks

[valhalla360]

thefivers wrote:
Hello all, this hasnt been mentioned so its probably not an option anymore. Years ago a friend changed the chip in his computer, he was running diesel and it increased mileage with both towing and unloaded. Is that still a thing, will "chipping" (I think they call it) increase the mileage of a diesel, or gasser too?

Yeah, because the manufacturers never thought to improve efficiency by different programing.

You can chip to get more power (possibly causing engine damage if abused) but the manufacturers are pushed hard to maximize MPG by govt rules.

[thefivers]

Hello all, this hasnt been mentioned so its probably not an option anymore. Years ago a friend changed the chip in his computer, he was running diesel and it increased mileage with both towing and unloaded. Is that still a thing, will "chipping" (I think they call it) increase the mileage of a diesel, or gasser too?

[Boomerweps]

bikendan wrote:

289457 wrote:
Thanks to all for your replies. The concern with fuel economy is not cost, but range. Trying to gain some confidence that a new gas 3/4 ton (probably Ford or GM) and leaning toward a Silverado w/ 6.6L and 3.73 rear end will go farther on a 34 gallon (or so) tank than the current truck takes me on a 25 gallon tank.

Then get a F150 XLT 3.5 Ecoboost with Max Tow package. Gets you a 36 gallon fuel tank. Mixed mpg- 16+, Highway mpg- 19-20

You can get the 36 gallon tank as a stand alone option. You can now also get the Max Tow package with the 5.0.

[kellem]

On our 4th trailer and have towed with Chevy, Dodge and now Ford 7.3.All my trucks were 7 - 10 mpg towing in these here mountains.

[mkirsch]

way2roll wrote:

deltabravo wrote:
A long time friend once said "People that get concerned about "fuel economy" with towing, or upgrading to a different vehicle probably can't afford to RV in the first place."

Concerns with range are a lot different than concerns with cost of fuel. A more efficient vehicle and/or one with a larger tank can make a big difference in how and the ease in your travel. And are you trying to imply that folks upgrading to a different vehicle are trying to save money?

Yes, but you can rest assured that the lion's share of fuel economy questions are stemming from the "How much is it going to cost me to run this thing?" that's going through the back of your mind when considering upgrading trucks, or buying a truck in the first place.

Gas stations are all over the place, and most vehicles are equipped so you can comfortably drive 400+ miles on a tank of fuel, and tow 200+ miles. Unless you're out on the high desert just passing the sign that says "Next fuel 121 miles" range isn't anywhere near the top of your list.

[Grit_dog]

bikendan wrote:

289457 wrote:
Thanks to all for your replies. The concern with fuel economy is not cost, but range. Trying to gain some confidence that a new gas 3/4 ton (probably Ford or GM) and leaning toward a Silverado w/ 6.6L and 3.73 rear end will go farther on a 34 gallon (or so) tank than the current truck takes me on a 25 gallon tank.

Then get a F150 XLT 3.5 Ecoboost with Max Tow package. Gets you a 36 gallon fuel tank. Mixed mpg- 16+, Highway mpg- 19-20

And still under 10 towing. What was your point?
The Ecoboost is no more fuel efficient loaded or empty than any of the V8 gasser counterparts.

[StirCrazy]

289457 wrote:
Thanks to all for your replies. The concern with fuel economy is not cost, but range. Trying to gain some confidence that a new gas 3/4 ton (probably Ford or GM) and leaning toward a Silverado w/ 6.6L and 3.73 rear end will go farther on a 34 gallon (or so) tank than the current truck takes me on a 25 gallon tank.

if your worried about range, go with the diesel. better MPG directly relates to more range. empty the gassers might get decent milage but loaded up they fall far short of the diesel