sushidog wrote: Is anyone able to break 30mpg at highway speeds?
Towing a sub 1000lb tiny teardrop doesn't count !
But I'd still love to hear from you.
I'm sure my 2002 VW Jetta TDI could easly break 30 mpg at highway speeds pulling your 1750 lb A-liner. 35 mpg easly and maybe 40 mpg after I put in new injectors. I don't use her for RVing but I do pull a trailer with her and have hauled heavier that the 1750 lbs. Haven't read thru the whole thread yet to see what anyone else is doing, but I know that there are a few VW TDIs out there that are RVing with TTs, popups, Aliners and the teardrops.
Okay, now that I've read it all, I see a couple TDIs mentioned. With bigger injectors it should be no problem. As to the weight distributing hitch, don't know of any, but I, and others have added rear air bags to keep us, and the headlights level. The Euro hitch is the way to go, but they are not DOT certified so they are hard to find this side of the pond. The hitch and the way it is attached is one of the weak points, but some mods add strength and reinforcement.
* This post was
edited 11/01/07 10:52pm by wny_pat *
I greatly appreciate everyone's contribution to this thread. It is causing me to think outside the box and consider the additional storage capacity of a mini-van.
I am still leaning towards the Toyota Rav4 with it's excellent 4wd ratings of 19/26 mpg. However I could nearly double my storage and load carrying capacity with either a Honda Odyssey with it's 16/23 est. mpg and the Toyota Sienna with it's 17/23 epa mpg. Cost wise, all three of these vehicles will run within $1,000 of each other (around $26k msrp with the needed options) so this is not a consideration. What I have to decide is if the added capacity of the mini-van is truly needed, and if so, does it outweigh the versatility of a 4wd and the 4mpg mileage penalty (22mpg avg for the rav4 vs 18mpg avg for the minivans). I believe that the real world towig mpg will be less of a difference because the minivan's larger windblocking frontal area more closely matches the frontal area of the Chalet camper, making for a more aerodynamically slippery package. But since less than 1/2 of my actual mileage will be towing, this won't affect the "big picture" that much.
Sadly, all small 08 pick-ups have epa mileage ratings in the teens, making them far too thirsty for consideration, in spite of their additional load handling ability. Also, they no longer make VW TDI's due to emmissions. Maybe the new round of turbo diesels that will be comming out next year won't jump too much in price (due to epa restrictions), and will have similar fuel efficiency as the old units.
Not only is diesel fuel a little harder to locate than gasoline (a problem an extra/bigger fuel tank would solve) but the average price of diesel nationwide is currently $3.15/gal while gas currently averages $2.87/gal or about 10% more. This is equivalent to a 10% mileage penalty. As the next round of fuel efficient diesels pass EPA and their numbers increase, the demand for diesel fuel could force the spread in the price of gas vs diesel even more. Still, I look forward to see what's on the horizon, but as of right now, there are no new TDIs available, making any discussion entirely speculative and moot.
Plus the gas powered vehicles I'm considering will have much more horespower (mid-upper 200hp range) than a small TDI could possible produce (mid 100hp range?), though the torque of a diesel is much closer, making it an acceptable towing platform - just not much fun to drive. This is another reason I'm strongly considering the Rav4, as it's a lot more fun to drive than a minivan, regardless how practical they ultimately turn out to be.
sushidog wrote: However I could nearly double my storage and load carrying capacity with either a Honda Odyssey with it's 16/23 est. mpg and the Toyota Sienna with it's 17/23 epa mpg.
Sushidog, check out the OdyClub forum. Odys that are 2 or three years old and well broken in are seeing hwy mileage much higher than 23, up into the 27-30 range with minor modifications like synthetic light oil, K&N filters and Scangauge real time MPG indicators. Anecdotally, one guy in the forum claims over 30 MPG hwy. Besides that, they're way more plush than a rav4, My MIL has a rav4, and while it's nice, it's nowhere near as nice as the Ody. Take care not to get the previous gen ody which had a poorly designed transmission.
sushidog wrote: However I could nearly double my storage and load carrying capacity with either a Honda Odyssey with it's 16/23 est. mpg and the Toyota Sienna with it's 17/23 epa mpg. Cost wise, all three of these vehicles will run within $1,000 of each other (around $26k msrp with the needed options) so this is not a consideration. What I have to decide is if the added capacity of the mini-van is truly needed, and if so, does it outweigh the versatility of a 4wd and the 4mpg mileage penalty (22mpg avg for the rav4 vs 18mpg avg for the minivans). I believe that the real world towig mpg will be less of a difference because the minivan's larger windblocking frontal area more closely matches the frontal area of the Chalet camper, making for a more aerodynamically slippery package. But since less than 1/2 of my actual mileage will be towing, this won't affect the "big picture" that much.
I certainly get your thinking, it's a lot like my own.
I do want to point out that in addition to the extra space and comfort of the minivan, you will also be dramatically improving your towing performance. The Rav4 is a really nice compact SUV and certainly capable of pulling a Chalet, no question. But a Sienna (or like) minivan is longer, wider and lower and has a much tighter suspension built for touring rather than off roading. The handling of the minivan will be a great improvement with a trailer over any compact SUV.
Food for thought.
'04 Ford Freestar (Primary tow vehicle) '05 Subaru Forester (Backup tow vehicle) '65 Bethany popup (best popups ever made!) Looking for a tow vehicle Minivan towing
I'm noticing a couple of questions here. I get about 28 mpg towing my flagstaff with my Malibu. We do a lot of camping in the winter. But, we don't get much snow here in western Washington. However, it can get darn nippy at night. My thinking is that the cost of heating a canvas structure over the winter will use up any savings you get by towing a lighter trailer. If you are planning on living in it full time, you should really consider a hard sided trailer. Although we've been out in the snow, it wasn't on purpose and it didn't seem good for the pup.
Hi, in may 07 we purchased a brand new silverado 4.8 v8 and have pulled our starcraft 2407 several times with it this past summer, and it has performed great, Last trip this past weekend we went over 400 miles and got 17.83 miles per gallon, and this was in very hilly and mountanous terrain, the 2407 is not the lightest of pups either have een vry satisfied.
I get about 18 HWY driving in my diesel with the 3000# PUP. My PUP has everything (A/C, Furnance, Frig, Water Heater, Extend-A-Room, Microwave, etc.). But the question is would I fulltime in it. Probably not. I would go hardside if I were to go fulltime in a trailer.
My A-liner is a hard-sided fold-up camper, as is the Chalet that I am considering for full-time use. Here is a pic of my A-liner, the Chalet XL is quite a bit larger:
Here's a pic of the new Chalet XL1935:
The walls and ceiling of both are made of structural insulated panels (SIP's) which are made by vacuum bonding 1" of Styrofoam insulation between filon panels and aluminum sheeting (dual filon panels for the Chalet).
It's got plenty of insulation and is more durable for long term, continuous use than tentage, just like a fixed wall hard-sided camper.
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I get about 24 MPG just "driving" and about 15-16 real world towing. I get 17 MPG if I stay at 55.
27 foot TrailManor 2720 pulled by a Nissan Quest (3.5L 240HP/242T) - Dual EU2000i Honda Generators
Now with over 52k miles - Pictures of the rig and trip snapshots
If it tows like "it is not back there" you have too much tow vehicle
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