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Topic ClosedNew 2015 r-pod 178 hood river

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knoopr55 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: New 2015 r-pod 178 hood river
    Posted: 01 Dec 2014 at 1:57pm
My wife and I just purchased a new 2015 r-pod 178 hood river edition and we love it. However our first trip was a little shocking. We are pulling it with a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi 4x4. For 1 year we pulled a huge Jayco popup trailer that weighed over 4000 lbs and got about 14 MPG then our first trip with new R-pod and boom 9 MPG, almost thought brakes were on but no. Any Ideas as to why such a drastic drop in mileage per gallon? It weighs much less, could it be the high profile? Any insight would be great.

Thanks Keith
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Podster View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Dec 2014 at 2:01pm
Howdy from San Antonio and congratulations on the 178 acquisition. Yes, most of us get between 10-12 mph and it's very likely the high profile AKA "frontal area" is the culprit. Not sure what speed you are pulling at but keeping it between 60-65 may help some.  
Cliff & Raelynn
Ranger 4.0/178
(1/2 ton 5,800lb tow capacity)
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knoopr55 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Dec 2014 at 2:34pm
Really love it but gas consumption will be a concern. Yeah we drove 55 or 60 MPH the whole way. Even on down hills the drag would slow us. Maybe a shell on the truck will help. Thanks
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hogone View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Dec 2014 at 2:55pm
yep; pulling pods sucks gas for most our vehicles no matter what your using.  i will fully admit that when i intially starting looking at them and even after purchase, i assumed they would be gas friendly to the tv; nope.  they look like they would be (or at least to me, i'm not an aerodynamic engineer!!), but there not.  oh well, pod on.  hogone
Jon & Pam
2013 RP177
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2009 HD Lowrider
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Dec 2014 at 3:32pm
Yup, frontal area has by far the biggest affect on mpg.  Once you've graduated to a full-height camper like the pod, no matter how round, you'll hit the numbers mentioned above.  The last 2 summers we drove our pod 5000 and 7000 miles and both times the trip average was around 9.5-9.7.  We hit some big hills on both trips, especially this past summer which I expect kept us below 10.  I recently upgraded to a 6000 pound camper and while I've only had 2 semi-local trips, the mpg didn't change much.  

Here is a comparison for you.  Our prior TV was a Sienna.  Daily driving it got 23 mpg.  With our Coleman popup, around 3500 pounds loaded up, it got 16.  The pod was around 2700-2800 pounds loaded and it got 11-12.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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knoopr55 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Dec 2014 at 11:54pm
Thanks for all the input everyone, looks like it is just a fact of R-pod life. Duck hunting just got a little more expensive that's all.
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Larry158 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 7:52am
ALL,
Has anyone had experience with a roof wind defletor on their tv. If so what were the results & what brand did you use?
Larry158
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 8:27am
The r-pod has an aerodynamic-looking shape, but the reality is that it is far from aerodynamic.

Five years ago, when I bought my r-pod, I did some aerodynamic modelling of the r-pod in motion.  The front of the r-pod is fine - air flows relatively smoothly over the vehicle and up, across the top of the r-pod.  The problem is the rear half of the trailer.

Instead of smoothly flowing down the back of the r-pod, the air continues out essentially horizontally toward the rear of the trailer.  Then, it takes a sharp downward turn and hits the ground 3-5 feet behind the trailer, turning back in toward the trailer and creating a great big swirling low-pressure vortex.  In a nutshell, the r-pod creates a low-pressure area right behind itself, sucking the trailer backward.

I tried air deflectors in various positions to smooth out the airflow, but it was without significant improvement.  Honestly, it is what it is.  The best solution I've found: slower (55 mph) speeds are best for MPGs.



Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150
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hogone View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 8:30am
haven't used a wind defelector, however some of us (myself included) have noted a slight increase in mpg when we have a canoe/kayaks on top of the tv.  i have a hard pod carrier that i plan on attaching to my tv someday to see if there is a difference.  hogone
Jon & Pam
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2017 HD Streetglide
2009 HD Lowrider
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hogone View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 8:32am
very interesting outbound.  hogone
Jon & Pam
2013 RP177
2010 F150
2017 HD Streetglide
2009 HD Lowrider
CHEESEHEAD
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