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Dirt Sifter 
Senior Member 
Joined: 30 Dec 2018 Location: Right side OR Online Status: Offline Posts: 170 |
 Topic: towing MPG??Posted: 10 Oct 2020 at 11:23pm |
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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.
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Greg n Deb 2020 195 HRE
'07 Tundra 5.7L., '17 Tacoma 3.5L. Both with tow packages 1 Puggle, 1 Chihuahua support staff |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6288 |
Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 8:42am |
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In general, agree with the range, but we have experienced 11-16. Less if we wanted to try to go faster and in the mountains. Some of those fill-ups were in the 8-9 mpg range. I make it a practice to drive no faster than 60 mph. I get there and am much more relaxed than when I tried to drive faster.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 8:51am |
GlueGuy is correct. if I run a rig towing a 4000 lb boat with a frontal area of 35 square feet at 70 mph I get right at the 17 mpg on diesel. Change that to an rpod 192 with about 55 square feet frontal area, same weight and speed, I get 12 mpg. The combo of relatively high speed and dragging a big box around does it. Here's the fuel economy model I'm using in case you're interested. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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bruceb
Newbie 
Joined: 10 Oct 2020 Location: WI Online Status: Offline Posts: 6 |
Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 9:02am |
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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.
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 9:30am |
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.  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.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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bruceb
Newbie
Joined: 10 Oct 2020 Location: WI Online Status: Offline Posts: 6 |
Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 9:33am |
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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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 10:28am |
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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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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Capt Kidd
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 18 Aug 2015 Location: Chico, CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 212 |
Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 11:57am |
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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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The Pirate's Pod
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jato
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3220 |
Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 5:42pm |
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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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God's pod
'11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp 
Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
Posted: 11 Oct 2020 at 9:30pm |
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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towing MPG??