After years of pulling a travel trailer and a fifth wheel, I now am in a disagreement with my brother over towing speed. I have been of the opinion that keeping a moderate RPM over a long haul was better than a slow speed and geared way down. Any of you have a good argument either way?
Botz, Betty, and Max (the dog)
2004 Silverado Ex Cab D/A
Alumascape 31 SKT
Depends so much on the type of ICE, the tranny gear, the diff ratio, the tire
rev's per mile, what is being towed and the terrain/ambient conditions
Finally the biggie, how the driver likes to drive or their style of driving
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...
There are to many variables here. Truck size, engine type and size, gear ratio, trailer weight and height. As far as how to tow, and what gear to use, I would go by the manufactures recommendations in your owners manual. Also for every 5 MPH you go faster your millage will drop about 10%. And lastly what speed feels comfortable to you for the size of rig you tow.
I get good mileage towing at about 60 mph. That is the speed the truckers tow at when the posted limit is 55. It is nice to just go with the flow of the trucks. Flat land to moderate hills I run in 6th about 1,400 rpm. If there are steeper hills or a head wind I drop to 5th and around 1,700 rpm.
2011 Ram Laramie Longhorn 3500 Dually Long Bed, Cummins 350/800 HO, Towin Machine
B&W Companion Hitch, Maghytec Trans and Rear Dif Covers, AMZ/OIL Top To Bottom
2007 1/2 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 27,000# Combined
Depends on how slow and for what reasons. My opinion- Slower is safer because you have a better chance of avoiding a crash if something goes wrong. By slow, I mean about 58 MPH for me. Slower is also always better for fuel economy as long as your transmission isn't downshifting to a lower gear resulting in higher than necessary RPM's. Don't let anyone tell you they can do better at 70 than 55. The faster you move the mass, the more wind resistance and more energy is required.
I noticed a significant difference in MPG (gas engine) recently when towing at 60 MPH vs. 70 MPH. Despite the "lead car" wanting to get there sooner, I ultimately kept it at 60 or under to reduce my fuel costs. And those are significant when you are towing 3300 miles.
Me '54
Him '58
Maggie the wonderdog
2008 Fleetwood Fiesta LX 34N
my thing is cost of fuel, yep would like to tow anything for no cost but that aint happening.gas mpg and rving dont go together. at best a give or take. happy-camping
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