Hauling gas mileage

I have a 21 tacoma that normally gets 18/19 mpg. I own a 16 travel trailer and a sidebyside and my mileage goes to crap! Both weight about 3000 lbs. Is anyone else do this with theirs?

 

Typically your mileage will drop by 1 to 2% for each 100 pounds of weight you are carrying/towing.

 

Anytime you pull something with weight it kills your mileage, no matter what it is.

I have a 2003 Duramax and get 18-19 with it, until I pull my tractor and it gets 12.

 

Seems like physics is working

 

normal!
Add to weight,, there is rolling resistance and copious amounts of drag above your small truck.
These are not great for towing, and show it in MPG's especially.

 

You can mitigate it by being easier on the throttle during acceleration and slowing your top speed.

 

Your engine is accelerating 3000 extra pounds and at least one extra axle from a dead stop to highway speeds. That tends to burn a lot of gas. Not to mention the extra wind resistance.

Imagine running laps on a field, and then doing it again the next day with a wheelbarrow full of bricks. I would wager you dont get as many laps in on the second attempt.


That said, my trailer isn't all that shabby on a calm day. On a windy day it sucks. But on a calm day..

 

I would like to add to your metaphor.

Imagine running laps on a field but then you have to piggy back your mother in law and run with the same strength.

 

Then try again with a wind sail on that wheelbarrow!

 

Traded my Tundra for my new Tacoma. When I tow my 4000 lb camper, my Tundra got 10 mpg. My Tacoma gets the same 10 mpg towing. When not towing. I get 17-18 mpg. So I am happy.

 

All of these are obvious answers and well known. I went from 18 to 8. My cousin has the same rig with a trailer a foot shorter and he only drops 5mpg!

 

Aye, fully operational.

 

"only 3000lbs", youre pulling an additional 50% of the vehicles weight. you will experience mpg loss. Similarly if you drove with only 100% acceleration used all the time.

Driving in eco or "fuel saving" modes while towing also doesnt help

 

Two weekends ago I loaded up the cab, bed, and a 6x12 U-Haul tandem axle trailer to max with books, CDs, wood and metal shelving units (with boxes of stuff interspersed so no unused space), and other boxes of small but heavy stuff. I was expecting about 13 mpg for the 500+ mile trip, and for the first tank (lots of local running around for the first half tank), my expectations were met, 13.1 for the tank. For my next two tanks 15.3 and 15.5 mpg; I was quite pleased with the fuel economy.

 

are sales down? lol jk

 

Maybe he doesn't do math well.

Maybe his foot is lighter.

Maybe his foot shorter trailer is a lot lighter.

IE, we have no evidence of apples to apples here.

 

I’ve been one of a team of drivers going cross country pulling too much. The difference in drivers is real, especially if one of them uses cruise control

 

OP’s cousin drafts 3 feet off his rear bumper all the way to the campground, then brags about MPGs

 

Slow down. It’s physics. My trailer is about 3500 and aerodynamic. I can get as high as 15 mpg. 65+ and 10 for sure.

 

Summer time, kids are out, people be spending time using the mods they bought near the holidays ! Were here for help, advice, parts and more, not JUST here to sell.

But if he wants some performance mods and stiffer leafs to carry the load, we got that stuff in stock