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Summit151 · 05-13-2018, 05:41 PM

Hey guys so I finally got to tow my new to me camper this weekend and I was very disappointed in the mpg my truck was getting while towing it. I only had to drive about 60 km one way and I averaged 34L to 100 km which is less the 7 mpg?? I figured I would be close to 9? 7 seems brutal. And the truck is a 2012 3500 6.0L I know these are bad on fuel but from what I have read online seems like everyone was getting 11-9 mpg. And the fastest I was going was about 100kmh. Trailer also weighed around 8000 lbs. Any idea how to improve this or what would be going on ? Here is a pic of the rig

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Sweetbriar · 05-13-2018, 05:51 PM

One trip isn't enough to set an average. There are other potentially one time factors that will affect mileage. Heavy stop/go traffic, high head winds, differences with how much you filled for a full tank,,,. Could even had been someone siphoned off a few liters during the night.

Skip426 · 05-13-2018, 05:52 PM

Are you getting this info on mileage from the overhead display , or actual fill up to fill up when towing ??

" To error is human , but it takes a computer to really screw things up. "

BuzzWolfAR · 05-13-2018, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetbriar

One trip isn't enough to set an average. There are other potentially one time factors that will affect mileage. Heavy stop/go traffic, high head winds, differences with how much you filled for a full tank,,,. Could even had been someone siphoned off a few liters during the night.

Totally agree. Headwinds have a huge impact, as does elevation. Here to Florida was 11+, coming back 9.

Summit151 · 05-13-2018, 05:55 PM

It was all high way crusing no stop and going but there was some hills but even amount of up and down. There was also very little wind on both days. And I was just going off the the computer in the truck. But the speedo is very close to my actual speed

Bigdogboogie · 05-13-2018, 06:03 PM

Might be worth it to check your mileage from tank fill up to fill up.

The dash board fuel mileage readouts can be inaccurate sometimes.

inlineskater · 05-13-2018, 06:05 PM

you might want to get ahold of 5Star Tune. Tell them what you want and they can custom tune your engine. It may or may not improve the MPG, I did my ford v10 and have more power for hills. I have less down shifting.

Mr_D · 05-13-2018, 06:07 PM

Takes many thousands of miles to establish a real average. Mine is 7.6 mpg over 49,500 miles.

Skip426 · 05-13-2018, 06:16 PM

There are , lies & damn lies , then there's beer drinking , my truck's better than yours ; Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge , fuel economy lies .

My last tow vehicle , 2000 Dodge V-10 , 4X4 , automatic with 4:10 gears .
Would get 11 MPAmericanG , while running on cruise control , I-5 in California where to towing speed is 55 MPH. With a 9,300 lb, 5er in tow.
Here in BC , even with the ups and downs , seldom saw better than 7 to the Canadian gallon , fill up to fill up , and the overhead

watching that; in BC ; would make your gums bleed and your hair fall out.

**Spdracr39** · 05-13-2018, 07:20 PM

I get around 7.5 towing my 12,000 lb fifth wheel at 65-70 MPH .Your picture looks like your are not running a WD hitch or it is not adjusted correctly. Too much weight on the rear will affect fuel mileage. Also improper tire pressure can make a big difference.

Whirrlly · 05-13-2018, 10:19 PM

7 is brutal

I was always ticked at the 8/9 we got on our older 2006 2500 Mega Cab truck pulling heavier rvs than 8K...we are in the 10K range on one and around 12K on another.

but we got a new 2018 2500 Mega Cab and instead of the 9 per gallon we got with the old truck, we are now getting about 11 now. I feel so much better with that cause I am

on mileage when pulling and gas costs etc on trips

I told hubby he best not tell me about what we get per gallon anymore cause if it goes down I will get mad HAHA

Summit151 · 05-14-2018, 09:28 AM

I am running a weight distribution hitch. The picture is deceiving but the truck is level while hooked up.

Mike and Cha · 05-14-2018, 09:42 AM

What do you get when not towing anything. I would bet you are getting a little better than what the onboard computer is telling you. But like said the only way to tell, is start with a full tank, drive it for at least a couple hundred miles, and then fill up again and do the math.

hone eagle · 05-14-2018, 09:55 AM

Are you sure your not lumping diesel and gas claims together? While 7 isn't wonderful for gas it is in the ball park ,while the 9-11 you want sounds like a diesel truck.