I used to drive a 1994 5.8L V8 F-250 worktruck (mostly in the city while not attempting to save fuel) and I usually got close to 11 MPG. And your RV is much larger frontal area, and heavier.
I am glad that you are getting great fuel mileage.
Just be careful when you are shifting to much out of overdrive. When that happens, you should lock out overdrive for a while, until conditions change.
I found that sometimes I need to drive a little faster when in overdrive, so that the engine RPM is high enough. I also sometimes need to slow down a bit to use drive and keep the engine RPM low enough to get good mileage.
I now have a Ford Edge, and it has a 6 speed transmission. It also only turns 1,500 RPM at 60 MPH, or about 40 MPH per 1,000 RPM. Most cars do not go over 30 MPH per 1,000 RPM.
Fred.
Money can't buy happiness but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche or Country Coach!
Last trip I was able to study just how interesting it is to tow with a 1/2 ton Suburban, small engine, 4.10 rear end and near capacity (~7000 lb 27 ft TT), and happened to have two 100-mile stretches on nearly perfectly flat ground.
It is really really hard to get it to stay in high gear...Seemed like it was about 60. Go ANY slower OR ANY faster and it drops down and I figure you loose a lot of mileage. And I emphasise ANY slower or ANY faster, or ANY incline...in reality it really never went into high gear except on halfway steep downgrades when I was in areas with hills.
(Ok, to be technical- maybe around 80 MPH you can get it to stick in high ;-) )
The things I learned are:
1) Those who call for you to target 80% of the tow capacity, have a point. I sort of figure that towing AT capacity means that your TV operates PAST optimum, while if you are at 80%, maybe the TV can spend some time in high gear, crusing at least a little bit fat, dumb and happy. If you are near CAPACITY, the TV CAN handle it but it's gonna WORK at it.
2) If you are going to go for the lightest TV and max it out when towing, then maybe go ahead and go for the lower-geared rear end. I say this because it appears that you will be stuck in a lower trasmission gear, with no way to get into high gear....so if you are stuck in a lower transmission gear, go with the higher-geared rear end to get maybe 10% lower RPM's.
3) As I continue to study the excess capacity vs. max-out vs. tow-haul mode vs. forcing lower gear vs. rear-end debates, I am convinced that the person who spends 98% of their time NOT towing, is NOT crazy to go with a "lighter" TV that works harder when it's time to tow....And I also understand that the person who tows a LOT is eqally right on in suggesting a little excess capacity in your TV.
4) I know some of you tire of this, but I seem to always hear: 1) I want extra capacity because it feels good and I can go 70 MPH up hills, or 2) Just slow down, or 3) I've towed 2000 lb overweight for 20 years with no problems. Everyone wants to STATE thier "correct" opinion as opposed to DISCUSSING the nuances ;-)
Class C getting 13.7 mpg. I hate to say this but maybe you better buy a new calculator Or maybe this is a joke and you are trying to see how many people bite. That's it, it's a joke. Ok, you got me.
>>>Yes, that's it, either I'm an idiot, or I'm trying to pull some sort of scam. That's the conclusion that YOU draw, because YOU'VE been unable to accomplish this kind of mileage. I'm surprised at my results, but they're perfectly valid, my friend. Don't snipe.
So it is safe to tow a 6000lb trailer while using overdrive?...so long as you are on a flat stretch?
I wanted to try it for the mileage gain, but am afraid of burning up the tranny. I do have a tranny cooler though.
I would like to add this; when pumping your gas we all have let the gas pump shut off by its self and just hung up the pump, this will give you better mileage. Squeeze off another couple gallons and your mileage will go down. Just something to think about!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wxguru wrote: So it is safe to tow a 6000lb trailer while using overdrive?...so long as you are on a flat stretch?
I wanted to try it for the mileage gain, but am afraid of burning up the tranny. I do have a tranny cooler though.
Here's an example where the previous poster's use of the scan-gage to check trans temp in the mileage game would work.
Wxguru wrote: So it is safe to tow a 6000lb trailer while using overdrive?...so long as you are on a flat stretch?
As long as your transmission will stay firmly in lockup while doing so, yes, it's perfectly fine. The problem with discouraging towing in overdrive is that most vehicles won't hold lockup while in overdrive, and driving in OD without lockup engaged creates massive amounts of transmission killing heat.
If your not sure what lockup is or how to tell if your vehicle will hold lockup when towing in OD, read this..especially page 2.
As for the original topic, yes, getting the engine to hold the higher gear by relaxing the throttle over hills (at the expense of speed) is easily a big fuel saver. Cruise control does the exact opposite (sacrificing economy for a raw attempt to maintain speed) and is one of the biggest reasons it will result in much worse fuel economy.
13.7 MPG in a gasser class C is impressive, so your doing something right - I get just over 13MPG with a diesel towing a 34' TT, so I'd be quite happy.
I agree with old guy, I run at 55mph on the flats, when going up long grades I hold my rpms at 2500-2700 rpms, when retired why hurry, smeel the air an injoy the sites. but be conciderate to fellow drivers.
Quote:"I would like to add this; when pumping your gas we all have let the gas pump shut off by its self and just hung up the pump, this will give you better mileage. Squeeze off another couple gallons and your mileage will go down. Just something to think about!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Sorry, but your logic completely escapes me here.
Mileage is miles driven divided by gallons used, so more gallons in the tank will get you more miles down the road. Divide as usual and your mileage should not go down just because there are more gallons in the tank.
They will if you drive it like you stole it after filling the tank, but not with your usual driving habits.
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