MPG Question

I'm moving from Northern VA to Tampa and Im trying to plan my stops for gas. I'm towing a 4400 lbs uhaul 6x12 trailer and another 1000 lbs of payload. My truck is a 2016 4dr longbed TRD off road with tow package. I currently average about 16-19 mpg per tank. Does anyone have any estimate of what my MPG would be? Or maybe suggest how many miles I should drive before each stop. I was thinking stopping every 200-250 miles for a fill up. Ive never done this so I don't know what to expect.

 

I haven’t a clue so the only input I can give is stop worrying about it. This is 2018 not 1938. There are plenty of gas stations everywhere. You have about 3 gallons of gas in the tank when the low fuel light kicks on. So even when it shows 0 miles to empty and say please refuel, you’ll still have some in reserve. There are really too many factory to determine what kind of gas mileage you will get. Weight, wind, altitude, maybe even the gravitational pull of the moon that day might play a factor. Just simply watch the distance between exits and go off what your truck is stating you’re getting. It’s pretty accurate. If you want to play on the cautious side, simply refill around 1/4 a tank or when you hit that start looking for a station.

 

It all depends on your driving habit, traffic, stop and goes, red lights etc... Theres no real mathematical calculation that could really answer this for you. Just drive until you feel the need to refuel without getting stranded.

 

You should count on it halving. I would just plan on 8mpg for the trip.
If it is better than that then you are having a good run.

 

When I travel for work I am usially in a rental car and have no idea of its MPG, so I just find somewhere to stop for gas around a half a tank. As stated earlier, plenty of gas stations now days, just enjoy the trip. The last time I saw a stretch of road with no gas was through Arizona and it gave fair warning, No gas for 300 miles, and this was back in 2002, so I'm sure that has changed by now.

 

exactly, towing a 4400 lbs trailer that weighs a little more than your truck does, if you average about 16-19 mpg now then you should expect around half that. just fill up around the 1/4 tank mark. the tank holds about 21 gallons, so maybe around 150ish miles per fill up?

 

Just put a K&N Filter in, you probably won't have to stop for gas and will gain so much HP that you probably won't even notice you have a trailer behind. JK, I would guess your MPGs will pretty much be cut in half and plan accordingly.

 

8-10 mpg

 

I would also change your oil to a heavier grade for the trip (this will create higher temperatures in the bearing hydrodynamic film and could push you into the boundary lubrication regimen if you don’t increase HTHS viscosity for the service. Your engine will be running much higher rpms for a long time towing that load. I would look into oils that meet
ACEA A3 for that type of service.this is allowed and won’t void warranty. I recommend Mobil 1 0w40 or Castrol 0w40.

 

Thanks! Just did the factory 30k maintenance 2 days ago. Replaced all fluids, filters, and rotated tires. I have a tow package so that should help with higher temps. Also the trailer has brakes.

 

Just hook up and drive it. Probably 10-12 MPG. Don't overthink it.

G.

 

Yeah the tow package will help with transmission and power steering fluid temperatures. Engine will be turning higher rpms under higher loads.
Page 628 of my owners manual states that “An oil with a higher viscosity,ay be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds or under extreme load conditions.”
Probably not a big deal, my ocd is not you problem, you will be fine.

 

It's extremely dependent on how fast you drive, period. Keep it in S4 and run 60mph, I bet you can squeeze high 13s out of it. Any faster you're screwed.

I drove from Kansas to Baltimore and back with a 6x12 trailer and slightly smaller payload and got as high as 15 in my 2nd gen running 60 in 4th.

 

Total guesstimate, but I'd expect you'll get ~10mpg with that load.

I got ~15MPG towing a 2400lb travel trailer with about 200lb worth of payload in the truck bed.

 

I towed a full 6x12 uhaul along with my truck packed with as much as it could carry in the bed and the cab, from Oregon to Montana and averaged 7-8mpg.

 

Uhaul's policy is that I not supposed to go over 55mph. I'll definitely consider the lower gears especially going downhill. Thanks for the tips!

 

No problem, but make sure you don't just "consider" low gear, absolutely do it. Towing in OD is not a good idea, as the truck will constantly have to downshift to get more power, and this builds a lot of heat under a load. Honestly I seriously doubt if you tow that heavy your truck will even be able to come out of 4th on it's own but it will certainly try.

In 4th you should be turning about 2500RPM at 60. You'll notice an abundance of power and your truck (and wallet) will thank you)

 

Thanks everyone for the inputs. Of course driving habits play a major factor in mpg. I just needed to hear from the guys who experienced first hand because I have no idea what to expect. I guess 10mpg +/-2 seems to be the consensus. Stops maybe every 175 miles.

 

Got it! That ECT PWR button will be on too.

 

I tow this, it comes in at 2 tons and the truck gets 10/11 MPG while towing it.