Tow mileage abysmal

Well that escalated quickly.

 

Wait, what was OP's original question again?

 

Pretty sure it was about tire size

 

You sure it wasn't oil related?

 

I towed a similar sized box across the country from Atlanta to Denver and averaged 7-8MPG in my Gen1 Tundra with 4.7L V8. Without towing it would get 13MPG city/hwy didn't matter. So, I would say your MPG was pretty dang good.

It seems only diesel trucks get decent towing MPG.

 

When i added my tall bed cap i dropped from 17-18 to 15-16mpg (some of that is because it sounds better, so i load the throttle a little more). Towing an 18ft lowboy & tractor (mostly under 65mph) i got 14.4mpg. Towed a 10ft popup from NM (mostly below 75mph) and got about 14mpg. I’ve gotta be off road with lots of idleing & 4low to get worse than 13.5. Stock tires & gears i was at least 2mpg better than the other tx boys to t2s.

the truth is, if you use 100hp it costs 100hp worth of fuel. Volumetric efficiency hasnt really been an issue in 30 years, and fuel only has so much energy. A turbo engine might be able to suck out a bit more VE, but youre gonna need octane to get there. Stick a block of wood behind the gas pedal & only give yourself 100hp to play with & you’ll get better mileage.

stage 2 driver mod requires attention and planning & makes tires & brakes last longer.

 

what your towing also matters, when I bought my new trailer a year or so ago, it was so much better, not only newer better wheel bearings etc, but it also carried the boat A LOT lower then my old trailer so it tucks right down under the truck breaking the air.

shorelandr boat trailers are awesome from what I have towed, really tow nice.

12-13 is good MPG towing, no matter what IMO.

 

thats a big trailer for a 1/2 ton, wow.

but short distance and white knuckles got it there, HA.

I can't remember what my 2016 platinum crewmax was rated for but I think it was around there, my 2023 platinum crew is higher, but if I was towing that all the time, I would go bigger truck for sure, need lots of reserve

 

around here they rape you on diesel fuel as well, especially in the winter, its way more pricey than gasoline

 

I forgot lol

 

Yea, that was my very first pull and very stupidly, thought, yea, rated for 11,000 lbs, this 9,000 lbs is easy peasy, fuck no.
But yea, it was a very white knuckle 30 miles and slow, 55 mph right lane on the highway....
Never again.

 

I am sorry....

 

I haven't towed yet with my Tundra, but I had an F250 6.7 Diesel, & even with that, towing about 6 to 8k lbs. I could only get about 14mpg max. Towing more put me at 12mpg.
So if OP is getting 12-13 with a Tundra I consider that really good.

 

My post was based on seeing people tow far heavier and bigger items. Guess 12-13 isnt so bad

 

Diesel has more energy per gram than gasoline, while Ethanol has less energy per gram. You’ll see those effects in your mileage to some extent.

 

Like I said, it’s better than I get empty.

My gas tow truck got just about 9mpg at all times.

 

The whole reason for Diesels "back in the day" was three things:

1. lasted for many miles 200k or 300k or whatever vs. typical gas engine lifespan of say 100k.
2. mpg when towing wasn't *as big a difference*. say went from 20mpg to 17mpg for a diesel when a gas truck would go from 20mpg to like... 9mpg towing heavy stuff.
3. torque

Nowadays:
1. kind of not a thing anymore (well ok mostly), gas engines can often break that 100k mark.
2. well... this thread
3. 479 lb/ft in my limited (because it's the cool blueprint color) is just fine. that is a number that only diesels could reach "back in the day" (I'm ignoring super charged v8's etc.)

Not meant in anyway as bashing Diesels, just things have changed so you have more choices.

Oh personal benefits for me: Diesels are usually a pretty big upcharge to the price of a truck and they are heavier so not great out in the sand dunes. Plus I can leave the truck running in a drive through.

 

(2nd gen) 6.5MPG for 35' TT @8K

Your #s sound good.

 

Truth.

I get better gas mileage pulling 7-10k lbs worth of material on a flat bed than I do pulling 2k lbs worth of empty enclosed trailer (or even my small 5x10 enclosed).

Speed ravages fuel economy with an enclosed trailer. Keep it under 55 and you get decent mileage but you are still dragging a parachute. Above 62 mph and it drops like a rock. Most of the highways around me are 65 or 70 mph speed limits, no passing lane. These trucks have plenty of power to pull at those speed, just expect to pay for it at the pump.

One of the great advantages of small displacement forced induction is an increase in available power and torque, but with lower initial losses from displacement. Putt around town without getting in to boost and you can eek out better fuel economy than the same vehicle with a larger motor. But at the end of they day, you need ‘x’ amount of energy to move ‘Z’ amount of work.

Drive down the freeway and the aerodynamics are going to factor in more to your fuel economy, but as long as you can stay out of boost but within the powerband, you’re still coming out ahead. Hitch up a trailer and drag will now dictate the rate at which you motor deletes fuel from the gas tank. No two ways around it. I get virtually the same mileage pulling an enclosed trailer with my supercharged ‘13 tundra as I do with my bone stock ‘21 tundra. Same motor, same cab, same drivetrain.

There are, however, ways to make small changes to your fuel economy that can add up to an appreciable amount. Don’t drive like a Jack rabbit. Feed the pedal before getting to a hill and slowing down. Drive slow-ish (I hate that one, but it’s true..). Manually select gears if the transmission starts hunting in and out of gears. Keep your tires properly inflated (I air up 5 psi or so when towing, more if towing heavy).

The 3.5TT drivetrain is a stout setup with plenty of power. But it can’t beat physics. 12-13 mph is pretty acceptable for any tow rig I’ve pulled with, including kinda-modern diesels (5.9 and early 6.7 Cummins, 1st and 2nd Gen Dmax, 7.3 power stroke, etc).

 

I was in tow haul the entire time and drove 70 mph

 

how heavy?

I would say you're doing pretty damn good going that fast, with that trailer.

 

Moderately heavy not sure of lbs but the truck pulled it easily

 

Yeah, the speed is doing more than the weight. Drop to 65, or 60 if you can stand it. You'll see improved economy.

 

moderately heavy isn't saying much, this truck pulls damn near anything easy, its just the speed and wind resistance is going to cause fuel burn.

with 479 @ 2,400 and 10 gears, it pulls awesome, and with that trailer I think your doing a lot better than you think you are.

 

On texas highways??? Not putting my life in danger for mpg lol

 

LOL, then why are we talking about this shit, just fill it, boost the fuck out of it and stay under the 81 the trailer tires are likely max rated for.