Gas Mileage When Towing

Hi all. I've got a '21 CrewMax SR5 4x4 and tow a 4k lb travel trailer quite a bit. I'm getting 8-9 mpg when towing a max of 70mph on the highway. 55-60mph gets me 9-10. Does that sound right? I upgraded the tires to 34s and did a 2-1 level/lift so I lost some mpgs there. I know mileage sucks on these and I'm not looking for upper teens, but I keep seeing Tundra towing videos saying they are getting 12-13 towing heavier than I do.

 

I dont tow but from the many threads I have seen on this forum, getting 9-10 is normal to slightly higher than average I think. Keep in mind terrain is going to play a big role. Someone towing across Oklahoma is going to get better mileage than someone towing through the mountain west.

 

Its the tires.

my trailer is 4300 lbs, stock tires i get 12-14 towing at 60-65

 

I figured they played a big role.

 

Yeah, I'd think the tires too. I've seen 12ish on my '18 towing about 5500lbs. It's a HiLo so there's a bit of wind reduction there, but still heavier than what you're hauling.

 

I get about 10-11 pulling the 7k airstream. Pacific NW with hills and such, you can do pretty well watching your speed, right around 65 seems to be the sweet spot (on stock gears, Lift, 295/70/18 ~ 34.5") tires. Puts the 5.7 right where it wants to be with torque converter locked in 5th. The hills and stop and go will get ya, I try to watch my acceleration as reasonable and that helps a bit and making it up on the downhills helps as well.

Edit: I also run premium while towing, as much as it hurts to do so at the pump. Keeps the ECU from pulling timing under load, but thats a separate thread / debate.

 

Sounds about right... I see those posts too, and I have trouble believing that it's consistently 13 mpg. Yeah, sometimes I get 12-13, sometimes I get 8. Coming back from the mountains I get 20! ('Cuz it's all downhill)

When I'm budgeting a trip I just figure on 10, and when the gas gauge get low I fill it up.

It might be a little more or less than 10 but I'm on vacation, I don't care.

FWIW, my trailer is heavier (5,500 lbs. wet and loaded) and wider (More frontal area) than yours, but for 34's and the level/lift, you not doing too badly.

Good looking combo! Some camping friends of ours have the Winnie Minnie that they've been real happy with.

 

I feel like wind resistance is the big MPG killer, probably more than weight.

Once you hit about 40+ mph I can totally feel the parachute start to open.

 

To clarify yes my trailer is also only 7.5ft wide which definitely helps mpg. Unless i have a strong headwind i see good mpg for towing.

i used to have 35s, those took 4mpg off my highway just empty truck. are yoy towing in s4?

 

9.8 mpg pulling a Jay Flight SLX8 212QB with my 2021 Double Cab.

 

Another thing to consider, mileage will be a little understated with the larger tires if using the truck computer to calculate. Example for easy math, Stock 100 miles, 10 gallons = 10 MPG. On 34.5" tires 100 miles indicated * 1.078 = 107.8 miles / 10 gallons of fuel = 10.78 MPG. Tires being roughly 7.8% larger than stock.

 

I only get 12 when I’m not towing. I’m on 34s with the extra weight of a bumper, winch, sliders and skids.

8-9mpg freeway speeds and 9-10mpg at 55-60mph seems to be what people get when they’ve increased tire size and pull a travel trailer.

 

This^ I was going to chime in about the same thing as being a factor.

 

Yeah, good point. With things fairly flat and level especially, the drag kills you.

 

I get 7.6 towing 3500lbs at 65mph. Also on 34’s with front and rear bumpers. Can’t wait to get the 5.29’s installed and tuned next week.

 

When I jumped to 33's I lost 1mpg just driving unloaded. We just sold our 1700BH Minnie Winnie that was about 4,200 loaded. I'd get 10.x if I kept it at 60mph and 9.x if I was going 65mph. I didn't look going over mountain passes...This past summer I've been towing when running premium and it seems to add a few 10ths to the MPGs and feels better. Doesn't pay for itself, but I like it. I got over 11mpg for the first time this summer with a long 60mph run and 10.x mpg keeping it at/under 65mph. These numbers are "mental" averages for 100-200 mile tows the past 3 years; not short runs or downhill coasts. I've also verified that my tires have made my speedo and mileage more accurate than it was with the factory rubber.

We just upgraded to a trailer that's a foot wider, two feet taller and probably 2,500lbs heavier. My mileage dropped into the 8s!

So I guess I'm saying your numbers are pretty close to mine. Gotta pay (fuel) to play (go)!

 

It's all so environment dependent.

I range anywhere between 6.3 and 8.7mpg towing 8000lbs with 275/70 Wildpeaks with 2.75" lift and 5.29s. Wind direction cost me nearly 1.5mpg on a 6 hour tow today.

For reference, towing a 4000lb pop up, stock, I was getting 14mpg on the same trip. Less weight, lighter tires, totally different trailer profile

 

Thanks everyone. Got right at 10 coming back from Florida to NC yesterday. Figured it wasn’t off what actual real numbers were for others but wanted to check. This Winnebago Hike is not aerodynamic at all.

 

Yep, call it the price of admission.

A luxury tax for pulling a little house behind us.

It's painful at the pump, but when I'm laying in my queen bed with the AC cranking, watching a movie on the flat screen while eating ice cream in the desert, it's not so bad.

 

Very true.

 

So, just got back from our first real trip towing with the Tundra. A mix of flat highway and ups and downs in the mountains here in BC, and got about 9.5 mpg. That’s towing this - 24’ long, about 6500lbs.


All in all, while the pump stops are painful, it’s still worth it.

 

My set up is around 5k on the trailer axles and my truck is right at gross. 65 is my preferred speed but I'll slow going up hills and make up the difference down the other side. Tire pressure is 40 ft, 43 rear. Never use cruise on hills. Wind resistance is the enemy more than weight.
I flight plan for 11 MPG.

 

Digging the retro vibe on that.

 

Well, you are traveling in style!!

You have impeccable taste in trailers.

Are you on LOA? *Edit* Just saw you in a thread on there, too funny!

 

As do you!

Too funny - it’s a small world sometimes. Looks like you went with the model we almost bought.

 

The 1685 has served us well. Yours is a 2185?

 

Yes, it is. We’ve been really happy with it - just wish we could spend more time away with it. The Tundra’s turned out to be a good tow vehicle, so…more trips planned!

 

Pulling my Coachmen Freedom Express at 6,350 pounds loaded on a 2,200 mile trip from Texas to Arizona I averaged 8.2 mpg for the entire trip.
Kept it in S4 and my sweet spot was 62-65 mph.

 

I tow a Forest River Flagstaff MicroLite 25BRDS. The trailer is about 6500 lbs loaded, 26' long, and 8' wide. She's lovely, but the front end is anything but aerodynamic.

My biggest variables are of course wind and hills. With no side/head wind, and maybe a bit of a tail wind, I can get over 11 mpg on flat terrain. On my last trip over the mountain pass, despite the elevation, I hit 10 mpg and suspect I had a bit of a tail wind helping me out, or perhaps no wind at all. Was a nice drive. On the return trip, I was pulling 5 mpg heading up hill on the pass with a severe side wind. Was like riding a bucking bronco. Ugh. I think I averaged about 7.5 on that whole drive, helped out by getting to the other side of the pass and not having any wind.

 

Natural Habitat for a Tundra.

Around 9 US MPG between home and the mountains. About 5700 dry, likely 6500 lbs here, 29 feet long.