Tow Vehicle Effiency

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   I'm wondering what kind of MPG some of you are getting behind your tow vehicle?
I tow my 171 with a 2011 Honda Pilot. It gets the job done just fine, but a recent mostly flat run from NC to FL showed 10.6 MPG for the nearly 1000 mile trip. And that's on the liar meter on the dash, not my calculation at the pump.

Whose getting better fuel efficiency, and with what tow vehicle? 

Been thinking about upgrading, either my pickup to one of the Ford ecoboosts, or my wife's Pilot for a SUV with better MPG, if there is such a thing.

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CUGrad90 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 13 Nov 2020 Location: North Carolina Online Status: Offline Posts: 15	Post Options Post Reply Quote CUGrad90 Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Tow Vehicle Effiency Posted: 30 Jun 2024 at 8:38pm
	I'm wondering what kind of MPG some of you are getting behind your tow vehicle? I tow my 171 with a 2011 Honda Pilot. It gets the job done just fine, but a recent mostly flat run from NC to FL showed 10.6 MPG for the nearly 1000 mile trip. And that's on the liar meter on the dash, not my calculation at the pump. Whose getting better fuel efficiency, and with what tow vehicle? Been thinking about upgrading, either my pickup to one of the Ford ecoboosts, or my wife's Pilot for a SUV with better MPG, if there is such a thing.

Leo B Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 13 Jan 2012 Location: Lyndonville, VT Online Status: Offline Posts: 4518	Post Options Post Reply Quote Leo B Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Jul 2024 at 7:36am
	we tow our Vista Cruiser 23 foot with our Ford F-150 with the V-8 engine. Depending on the wind, we average 13.5 on our trips up and down the east coast. We had tail winds this last trip in the spring we averaged 14.5 down and 14.7 coming home. we use exxon/mobile mid level gas. we average 60 mph. I use both the little trip computer in the truck and double check it the mileage and gallons used.
	Leo & Melissa Bachand 2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171

GlueGuy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2702	Post Options Post Reply Quote GlueGuy Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Jul 2024 at 1:13pm
	We get 14 MPG towing with the 3.5L EcoBoost for the most part (depending). If we're doing hills, it will be a little worse than that. If we have favorable terrain/wind conditions, it can be a little more than that. I use the lie-o-meter (which I have corrected through Forscan), and also have an app on the phone that tracks it on a per-tank basis. After correcting the lie-o-meter, it matches very close to actual. When we're not towing, we get between 18 and 22. 18 when around town doing starts and stops. 22 when we are cruising on the freeway with favorable conditions.
	bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595	Post Options Post Reply Quote lostagain Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Jul 2024 at 2:19pm
	When we lived in NV we routinely got around 14 mpg towing our trailer with our F-150 2.7 ecoboost. Now that we live in the east, all of our mileage is worse, and we get closer about 12.5 to 13 mpg towing. I wonder if the gasoline formula differs and if there is more ethanol in the gas here. We've lost about 4 mpg for regular driving compared to what we got out west.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

gpokluda Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: NM Online Status: Offline Posts: 392	Post Options Post Reply Quote gpokluda Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Jul 2024 at 8:42pm
	We tow a small, fiberglass fifth wheel (tandem axle, 5500lb GVW) with a Ford 3.5 Ecoboost with 10speed tranny. We're having a bad day if we get bellow 12mpg. Usually closer to 14mpg in varied terrain and weather. The mileage you get with your Pilot is about what we would get when we pulled our 179 with a Nissan Frontier 4.0L. I know it doesn't make sense, but when an engine can spend more time in the lower RPM range, it's going to get better mileage.
	Gpokluda 2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Kawasaki KLR650

Pod People Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 22 Sep 2011 Location: Chapel Hill,NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 1088	Post Options Post Reply Quote Pod People Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 02 Jul 2024 at 10:08am
	We have towed our 179 for 7 years with both a 2012 Ford Expedition v8 and our new to us 2022 F150 3.5L Ecoboost. We have always used regular gas with 87(?) octane and have not tried higher rated fuel. The Expedition V8 usually gave us about 9-10 mpg depending on travel conditions. We recently came back from a 3 week round trip from NC to Texas. Towing with the F150 Ecoboost was much easier and we averaged 14.2mpg over 2500 miles. When not towing, we just averaged 21.9mpg on a weekend trip to the NC mountains We find the F150 to be extremely comfortable, easy driving/riding and a great tow vehicle. We added an ARE camper shell and Bilstein shocks on the rear. Everything else is standard Ford 10 speed I hope to keep this F150 as our tow vehicle for the rest of our trailering days Travel often and safe Vann
	Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3324	Post Options Post Reply Quote jato Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 07 Jul 2024 at 1:38pm
	Same 177 has been used for 13 years, loaded weight is 2940 lbs. and that includes the 36 gallons of water located behind the axle. Tongue weight is 340 and a Curt friction bar is utilized. First 8 years - .'08 and '13 front wheel drive Explorer's - average was 12 mpg. Next two years '11 F-150 with the 5.0 V-8 Coyote engine - 11 mpg. Last 3 years '17 F-150 3.5 V6 with ecoboost - 13 mpg. In all cases 87 octane (a couple exceptions we went with premium but only saw a 1 mpg or so increase, not worth the added cost, also all above include a lot of driving in the Rockies) was used, our destination from northern Michigan. Speed is normally 60 - 65 mph.
	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."

CUGrad90 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 13 Nov 2020 Location: North Carolina Online Status: Offline Posts: 15	Post Options Post Reply Quote CUGrad90 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Oct 2024 at 9:25pm
	Just a follow up, however many months later... Just made pretty much the same trip from NC to Fl and back...and this time got 12.6 on the Pilot. I definitely took it much easier on the accelerator. Maybe that's the reason. I also had 2 kayaks strapped on a kayak rack top of the pilot. I'm not aeronautical engineer, but I'm wondering if that might have actually helped break up the air in front of the camper and contributed to the improvement. I'm heading back down to Jacksonville in a few weeks without the kayaks, so I'm going to see if that changes things.

GlueGuy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2702	Post Options Post Reply Quote GlueGuy Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 02 Oct 2024 at 10:38am
	I wouldn't think that a couple of kayaks on top of the tow vehicle would help. Some kind of air tunnel tests would be needed to confirm. Most of the drag from a trailer is actually the vacuum bubble behind that big box.
	bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

jato Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3324	Post Options Post Reply Quote jato Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 02 Oct 2024 at 9:11pm
	Just returned from a 30 day, 6000+ mile trip towing a loaded 177 (2940#) from MI to IL to IN to IO to NE to CO to UT to AZ and then returned home going thru CO to NE to SD to MN to WI and back to Michigan. Used 87 octane (never more than 10% ethanol) and averaged 13.2 using the trailer towing mode. Gas prices ranged from 2.79 in Iowa to 4.49 in Colorado and 4.19 in Arizona.
	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."