New 2015 r-pod 178 hood river
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Topic: New 2015 r-pod 178 hood river
Posted By: knoopr55
Subject: New 2015 r-pod 178 hood river
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2014 at 1:57pm
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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 |
Replies:
Posted By: Podster
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2014 at 2:01pm
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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) |
Posted By: knoopr55
Date 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 |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2014 at 2:55pm
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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 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2014 at 3:32pm
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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 ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: knoopr55
Date 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. |
Posted By: Larry158
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 7:52am
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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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Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 8:27am
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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. [TUBE]g8rBDQFnP0s[/TUBE] ------------- Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150 |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 8:30am
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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 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 8:32am
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very interesting outbound. hogone ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 8:59am
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I would bet if you added a rectangular extension on the back of the pod (similar to marwayne's addition up front) it would smooth out that low pressure area. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 9:10am
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kind of like what you see the tractor trailers using now on the back of there trailers. hogone ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: Podster
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 10:26am
Interesting...I have a bike rack on the back with two bikes. Is there a way to check the affect the bikes would have on breaking up that stream? Can you, with your modeling, test different devices on the PODs rear to simulate the breakup of the stream and the effect it would have on breaking the vacuum? Resulting of the release of the associated drag on the POD, or any RV for that matter. Good stuff...this could lead to a new product if an MPH gain can be proven. I see a horizontal rake with suction cups 4' or 5' across that can be stuck to the rear of the POD to break the vacuum resulting in ↑ MPH. ...let this post serve as an initial copy right notice and 10% royalty claim.  We'll call it the "POD Airflow disrupter ©" or "PODAD" ------------- Cliff & Raelynn Ranger 4.0/178 (1/2 ton 5,800lb tow capacity) |
Posted By: Larry158
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2014 at 10:54am
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Outbound, Thank you for your comments & info. I have been telling my wife that we are retired and in no rush to get to our destination. The benefits (mpg wise) of going 55-60mph is like water off a duck's back where my wife is concerned. Will just keep on podding & hope she naps a lot. Larry158 |