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Hope mpg gets better

Discussion in 'Towing & Hauling' started by balou, Oct 2, 2016.

  1. Oct 2, 2016 at 3:12 PM
    #1
    balou

    balou [OP] Texas Tundra

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    Well I did my first trailer tow this weekend. Gas mileage was not good at all. Towing a 25ft travel trailer. Average was 8 mpg. I know its still breaking in the motor hope it gets better. Definately need to add tow mirrors. Need to upgrade exhaust really annoying exhaust sound when under load. Good news my IBC seems to be working fine. Heard alot of complaints tried mine under different situations no problems. The one really good thing is the new 38gal tank. well time to start saving for upgrades. Would like to know what others have done for towing upgrades
     
  2. Oct 2, 2016 at 3:14 PM
    #2
    Tundra280AI

    Tundra280AI New Member

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    8 gallons per mile is pretty damn bad lol. Can't imagine filling up every 4 miles
     
  3. Oct 2, 2016 at 3:19 PM
    #3
    balou

    balou [OP] Texas Tundra

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    I should point out. Im running 20 in wheels with 33 in tires. So all in all i guess its to be expected
     
  4. Oct 2, 2016 at 3:54 PM
    #4
    ToyotaTundraMike

    ToyotaTundraMike Not A New Member

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    Yeah towing mpg isnt great. Check out dirtydeeds BAMuffler. If you tow a lot he will probably recommend the 8" system or a custom 10".
     
    NewImprovedRon likes this.
  5. Oct 2, 2016 at 4:05 PM
    #5
    Tundra280AI

    Tundra280AI New Member

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    It's a joke. You put gallons per mile. Not miles per gallon
     
    NewImprovedRon likes this.
  6. Oct 2, 2016 at 4:41 PM
    #6
    balou

    balou [OP] Texas Tundra

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    Didnt even catch that when i posted. Well all one can do is laugh.
     
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  7. Oct 2, 2016 at 5:47 PM
    #7
    MotoTundra

    MotoTundra The Ocho

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    -TRS Mini D2S Retrofit on TRD Pro Headlights (Apollo 2.0 Shrouds, 35w XB Ballasts, 5500k Bulbs) -Baja Designs Squadron R Sport Aux lights. -TRD Pro Grill -TRD Rear Sway Bar -BakFlip VP Tonneau w/BakBox -Dipped wheels & bumpers -Iron Cross HD steps -Undercover Swingcase -SunTek Paint Protection film -Tinted glass -Bedmat -OEM Towing Mirrors
    @balou what exhaust do you currently have on your truck or is it still stock?
     
  8. Oct 2, 2016 at 6:17 PM
    #8
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

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    Welcome to pulling with a gas V-8 (or gas anything). Yours does seem a little low though. Search the forum in the tow section or general about fuel economy. Alignment, tire pressure, and how you tow has a lot to do with the overall outcome. I average 8-10.5 mpg at best with my 28' TT or 16' flatbed trailer. I usually get better mileage towing my TT than my flatbed though.
     
  9. Oct 2, 2016 at 7:34 PM
    #9
    balou

    balou [OP] Texas Tundra

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    Yes still stock exhaust. I only have about 1300 miles on the truck. Really not much difference from what i used to get in my 08 and i had true dual exhaust. I set cruise to 70 and live with it. I am going to upgrade exhaust install cold air intake. Im going to look into programmer or performance towing chip. If anybody out there has any advice it would be greatly appreciated. But thats towing with gas i have an 06 dodge cummings. Great for towing but just not a good beach or off road vehicle. Thats why i bought the tundra for towing travel trailer when i go fishing and hunting
     
  10. Oct 2, 2016 at 8:16 PM
    #10
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

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    I wouldn't spend the money on intakes or programmers. You will never get your investment back. The full header/dual exhaust is a different story.

    The Cummins motor probably makes short work of the TT.
     
    zcarpenter92 likes this.
  11. Oct 6, 2016 at 3:00 PM
    #11
    balou

    balou [OP] Texas Tundra

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    Yes the Cummins tows like a beast. Love it when not at Big shell or at deer lease. But thats where I about 80% of my time off. Looked at Titan xD but even with the rear locker it struggled alot in soft sand and honestly to me. Its not worth 10,000 more than the Tundra even with the Cummins. For that money I can trade in my 06 and just get another 3/4 ton Dodge or the new Dura. Max
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2016
  12. Oct 6, 2016 at 3:38 PM
    #12
    MicahTX

    MicahTX New Member

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    I towed a 33' TT (Passport Ultralite) with my previous 2015 Tundra (5.7L) SR5. Got to admit, I jumped on this RV because of the Tundra's 10,000 towing capacity. However, what the dealer failed to tell me was the TT was going to max out my truck's cargo capacity. I took my truck and TT to the local truck stop and got them weighed. Sure enough, pin weight of the TT, me and wife in truck, and full tank of gas came close to maxing out truck's cargo capacity, even though trailer was way below max. Some people ignore this area, but over time it will take it's toll on your truck. And may not be safe to drive. We wish we had bought a 3/4 ton. However, Toyota doesn't make anything bigger. Mpg was no better than yours. Sorry for all the bad news, but I think you should know. Good luck! PS. Got rid of the rv, but still drive Tundras. PPS. Check on tire pressure when pulling a TT. I increased mine considerably.
     
  13. Oct 6, 2016 at 5:59 PM
    #13
    balou

    balou [OP] Texas Tundra

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    Yeah i had an 08 tundra got same gas mileage. That one was rated for 10400 towing capacity. But it only had a 26 gal tank. Had to plan trips according to gas station distance. The new on has 38. But at least they were honest about towing 9100. Tt weighs in at 6900 fully loaded. About 800 lbs of cargo in truck including me. So i figure im about 90% capacity. But i feel its the best 1/2 ton for my uses and the capabilities of the truck. So i made my choice for a 2016 tundra crewmax. That being said i know what i bought and am happy with it. But i hope that after a few more thousand miles maybe 9 to 10.
     
  14. Oct 6, 2016 at 7:19 PM
    #14
    Bob

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    (I changed gpm to mpg in the title and OP)
     
  15. Oct 7, 2016 at 7:03 AM
    #15
    Jack Burton

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    My last camping trip in August was a mix of desert valley floor driving, plus climbing over 5 mountain passes each direction (300-mile round trip). My toyhauler is rated at 7100 lbs and I had it (and the truck) maxed out on weight. Averaged right at 8.0 MPG and I was actually quite pleased as I was anticipating something in the 6-7 range. I'm running 33's and keep the fronts at 40 and the rears at 70 psi when towing the trailer. I have the stock OR suspension and my only upgrade is the tow mirrors.

    I'm envious of your 38 gal tank OP! :jellydance:
     
  16. Oct 7, 2016 at 7:09 AM
    #16
    Black Wolf

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    My city/mountain mpg average is 11.1 and I rarely tow my trailer.
     
  17. Oct 7, 2016 at 7:20 AM
    #17
    ColoradoTJ

    ColoradoTJ Certified tow LEO Staff Member

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    Cummins=motor

    Cummings=something Porn stars do
     
  18. Oct 7, 2016 at 7:21 AM
    #18
    Relentless

    Relentless Eric @Relentless Fab Vendor

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    8mpg with a travel trailer seems normal. Towing my 4runner on a flatbed across a couple states my tanks would average 7.5-10mpg, with most being in the 8's somewhere. The outliers were the tanks with large elevation gain and losses in them or head/tail winds
     
  19. Oct 10, 2016 at 1:42 PM
    #19
    Fastfinish

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    That is all I get 7.5 to 8.3 I have the 20" tires as well.
     
  20. Oct 10, 2016 at 7:01 PM
    #20
    balou

    balou [OP] Texas Tundra

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    Well from everything i have seen and heard 8-9 mpg seems to be average when towing. I can live with it. The bigger fuel tank is a definite plus. Still plan to change exhaust trying to decide between a borla or flow master. If anyone out there has advice on which is better and has a good exhaust sound.
     
  21. Oct 11, 2016 at 4:47 AM
    #21
    Fastfinish

    Fastfinish New Member

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    I don't know about the exhaust.Or which one. I would choose the quite one.When you are Towing the Truck will be up in the RPMs all the time.Going to get loud in the cab for long periods of time.I could be wrong.I know I put Muffler shop duals on a 1500 Ram once and it was a big mistake for me.Maybe not you.
     
  22. Oct 11, 2016 at 5:10 AM
    #22
    Seadawg1

    Seadawg1 New Member

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    I have a 2007 dbl cab, 5.7 and I tow a 28 ft travel trailer. I am probably at 80% of capacity. On my 1st long trip (long for me) over 200 miles each way I avg just over 10 mpg. I got 11 going down the mountain and 9 going up the mountain and somewhere in the middle on the flat interstate. I do have standard tires, put on a low rumbling Flow Master (wanted the sound without being obnoxious) and never went above 65. Real happy with that as my old motor home got 7 miles on a good day. :) But you can't ever expect to get good mileage towing with a gas engine. Still learning to tow and such so gas stations are fun. Enjoy your time out.
     
    Fastfinish likes this.
  23. Oct 13, 2016 at 11:08 PM
    #23
    balou

    balou [OP] Texas Tundra

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    Well I spoke with keith today from BAMufflers. Emailed him and got a phone call really surprising. Well anyway,after speaking with keith he recommended a helmholtz resonatoer with the stock exhaust to get rid of drone when towing. I went ahead and ordered and will ship on monday. If anyone has done this all info will be welcome. Looked at video i do quite a bit of mechanic work looked simple enough that im going to tackle the install. The surprising part of conversation came when talk turned to mpg. He stated that going to 4:88 gears would actually improve mileage . He explained why to me but some of it i didnt quite catch. The bottom line was that the gear ratio would fool mass airflow sensor and computer to improve gas mileage. If anyone has done this i would like to know your results. I was thinking about tru trac lsd for rear. Thinking about saving a little longer and do both since i do tow the trailer everytime i go hunt and fish. Well im going to see how my build goes as i move along with it.
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2016

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