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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: towing MPG??
    Posted: 12 Oct 2020 at 11:47am
+1 to all of the above. I've never owned an Airstream trailer but I did have both an AS and a Revcon RV for awhile. same set of issues, plus no basement storage either. 

OTOH, I certainly would take one if someone gave it to me, Airstreams are now so ridiculously expensive I could sell it, buy two complete rpod rigs like what I have now, tow vehicles included, and have enough left over to buy gas for the life of both rigs. 
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1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Oct 2020 at 11:06am
Originally posted by bruceb


That said.. you couldn't give me another Airstream, regardless of how well it tows.

Why is that??
[/QUOTE]

Storage sucks, you know, all those square cookie, cracker, cereal, potato, etc etc boxes.. they won't go in the cabinets very well. you know, square box, round cabinet. You also LOSE tons of storage capability to the rounded profile. Since the main storage areas inside any RV are along the walls and periphery, when you round that, you give up 50% of possible space.

You worry about every possible scenario of what can scratch or dent it, constantly. I have personally leaned my bike against the Pod and the Lance, you can bet your bippy not the AS.

All the components are the same as what everybody else uses, and 95% of owner issues, regardless of brand, are components NOT manufactured by the builder.

AS continues to use a plywood floor, that is near impossible to repair when it gets wet, and it will.

EDIT: This was just sent to me in PM.. after 2 decades of owners asking, in the last couple weeks AS made this change. (thank you PilotPodder) So if you get a new build, you will probably have a composite floor.

They have a VERY narrow temperature comfort range. Between about 55F and 85F (maybe 90F if in full shade), the heat and a/c can keep up.. above or below.. not so much.

No slide means you have to go 6-12 feet longer to get the same floor space when set up..

Among many other issues I see with them.

I don't mean to tirade against them, or any other brand, but having owned one, like I said, won't ever again. For many people, all those are "not an issue" but they were to us. Our 18 foot RPod was way more "usable" or "functional" then our 31 foot AS. And the new camper, at 27 feet, beats them both in almost every category. That said, we anticipate a change in our camper needs in a few more years, and intended to go back to a Pod, but the out of production status of both the 177 and 178, means we probably won't.
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Posts: 6 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Oct 2020 at 9:25am

That said.. you couldn't give me another Airstream, regardless of how well it tows.
[/QUOTE]

Why is that??
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Posts: 259 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Oct 2020 at 8:55am
Originally posted by Dirt Sifter

...Also, at 70 mph on TT tires expect to be slowed by blow outs from time to time. 65 gets you there consistently quicker in my experience....

Big smile

So true.
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 9:30pm
Originally posted by bruceb

that is a cool web site.
Just trying to figure out if one shape of TT is really better than another.  Rpod vs airstream vs large teardrop vs traditional box.


Our 31 foot, 7,000lb Airstream got about 20% better mileage as our 3,500lb RPod, and Interestingly enough, our 6,000lb Lance gets +/- about 5% the same as the Pod.. We make several trips a year over pretty familiar ground, through the same mountains, etc. Repeatedly using the same fuel stops and comparing top off numbers, the variation between the Pod and Lance can almost totally be written off to weather or traffic.

That said.. you couldn't give me another Airstream, regardless of how well it tows.
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Posts: 3220 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 5:42pm
Have towed our 2011 177 with the following vehicles  '94 F-150 5.0L V-8 stick shift, '08 Ford Explorer 4.0L V-6, '13 Ford Explorer 3.5L V-6 - all these add up to 28,000 towing miles for the first 8 years of ownership and overall average was 12 - 12.5 mpg traveling at 65 mph which includes a lot of mountain driving in the Rockies as well as across the plains and about 5% city travel.  A year ago we went 6000 miles with an '11 F-150 5.0L V-8 automatic with similar speeds as above and only averaged 11.5 mpg.  Have now upgraded to a '17 F-150 3.5L V-6 Ecoboost and don't have enough miles on to give a good figure for mileage.  All travel has been on 'C' rated china tires at 50 psi, no blowouts, no flats, no problems.
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Posts: 212 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 11:57am
I tow with a 2016 Dodge Durango with a v-6 it is rated to tow up to 6200#.  I currently to a RP0d 196.

At 60 mph on flat level ground with no head wind I get 12-13 mpg.  I tow in 7th gear at 2000 rpm.  I got the same mileage when towing my 179 which was 1,000# lighter.  One of these days I will tow at 55 mph to see what if any difference in mileage is. 

I find if I let the car select the gear it wants to tow in 6th gear or 400 rpm higher. I have paddle shifters so it is easy to select the gear I want.  By using the paddle shifters I pick up 2 mpg. 
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 10:28am
What tires do you run on that boat trailer? 

Travel trailers generally come with ST tires which unless marked with a speed rating are rated for 65 mph. If you want to run at the speeds you're talking about you will need an M rated tire (81 mph) at least. 

Its also important to keep trailer tires inflated to their max pressure rating cold. Trailer tires have thicker sidewalls to handle the loads. Thicker sidewalls don't release heat as quickly so can overheat at high speeds or when underinflated due to the increased sidewall flexing. 

Trailer tires come in load ratings C, D, and E.  Run a tire with a load rating well above the axle rating of the trailer divided by 2. The OEM tires are typically pretty marginal in their load rating and are somewhat notorious for blowouts. 
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Posts: 6 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 9:33am
Originally posted by Dirt Sifter

I'd say 12 - 14 mpg, but wind resistance is the issue. Also, at 70 mph on TT tires expect to be slowed by blow outs from time to time. 65 gets you there consistently quicker in my experience. The R-Pod is a great choice.
Why blow outs?  I tow my boat to Florida from Wisconsin regularly at 70-80 mph and have never had issues.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 9:30am
Originally posted by bruceb

that is a cool web site.
Ya  I understand the drag thing.  I get 1 to 1.5 mpg better towing my boat with the cover than uncovered.
Just trying to figure out if one shape of TT is really better than another.  Rpod vs airstream vs large teardrop vs traditional box.

I've thought about that and concluded that the differences in drag coefficient between the different TT shapes are probably going to be pretty small. 

Most of the drag on a TT is due to air flow separation on the rear. If you look at the rear deck shapes of cars with good aerodynamics they all have a very gentle taper to prevent airflow separation as long as possible. From what I read the taper/slope has to be no more than 15-20 degrees. The big teardrops taper faster than that. There aren't any TT's that do that other than maybe this one that I've seen. 


Not having a couple of hundred k to throw at a TT that one's kind out of the question. Confused

So, when I run that calculator I just leave the Cd at around 040- 0.45 for towing. That's also pretty similar to what a boxy pickup or SUV typically is. If you want to reduce drag there is one sure fire way, tow slow and enjoy the trip. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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