# Suburban Towing



## TN Campers (Jan 31, 2005)

I just took delivery of my new 23RS this past weekend and am really excited about using it!

The round-trip distance to get my camper home was 1300 miles. My TV is a 98 Suburban 1/2-ton, 4x4, 3.42 axle. I got 17-18 mpg driving to pick it up but only got 7-8 mpg while towing it home. While I expected to lose 5-6 mpg, I was not expecting to lose 10! The Suburban seemed to tow better around 65 mph (~2500 rpm) than it did at 70. The interstates between MI and TN are relatively flat, so there wasn't a great deal of hills to climb, but we are planning a trip to Yellowstone this summer, and I'm a little concerned about all that climbing.

I am wondering if this sort of mileage decrease is typical and whether a different axle ratio would minimize the decrease. Would a 1/2-ton Burb with a 3.73 ratio do any better on gas? I am looking at a used 3/4-ton Yukon XL with a 4.1 axle. I assume it would tow much better, but I'm not sure the extra towing capacity for 1-2 weeks a year (for long camping trips) is worth the extra $$$ I would spend in gas for everyday driving. Any comments or recommendations?


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

TN Campers,

I moved from a 1500 1/2 ton Burb to the 2500 3/4 ton Burb. If I have estimated correctly, I went from about 10 MPG towing to about 9. One major difference, however, was that I went from the 5300 to the 8.1 vortec engine, a big gas guzzler at about 14 MPG non-towing.

I can tell you though, it was W-A-Y different towing with the bigger TV. I can't even tell the 26RS is back there. And I feel much more secure on the road.

That security and peace of mind offsets the decrease in MPG in my opinion.

I say, if you can afford the 3/4 and don't mind paying more in gas, go for it. If you're strapped for money, don't.

Either way, enjoy. And welcome to Outbackers.

Mark


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## Morrowmd (Feb 22, 2005)

TN Campers,

MPG sounds about right for your 3.42 rear end. I have a Tahoe with a 3.73 and get between 9-11 MPG. I believe you could have a 4.10 put in your Burb pretty easily and would notice a big difference.

3/4 ton would be ideal if you can live with the MPG when not towing.

Also, I drive 62-65 while towing. I put the cruise on, get in the right hand lane and let the others fly past me. Much less stress this way.


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

Yah, since the 3.42 rear end is not ideal for towing, your engine was sucking gas to pull the 23 RS. I get 10 MPG towing the slightly heavier 26 RS in the mountains with 4.10's.

Randy


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

I'm getting about 8.5mpg while towing with my 99 1/2 ton Burb and 4.10 gears. 14-15mpg without the trailer. Your mileage sounds about right.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Our yukon has a 3.42 rear. While it's not the best set of towing gears, it does the job with our trailer. We get 10mpg towing in 3rd gear at around 60 mph. I'd agree with Mark, if you can swing it, the 3/4 ton would be worth it.

Someday my sig will read like Mark's









Mike


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## TN Campers (Jan 31, 2005)

Thanks for all the info. I feel a little better knowing there's not something terribly different about my vehicle with regards to low gas mileage, but not much









Let me take a different slant. I have heard about these engine chip programmers and how they enhance performance. Not knowing much about them, I assume they are used to modify the fuel ratios, engine timing, and things of that nature. I also heard they can modify transmission parameters. Since they can't change the actual gear ratio, do they somehow change the gear shifting, and can they actually improve towing performce and and/or gas mileage?

Van


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

I have the Hypertech programmer loaded into my Burb and all I would say is....save your money. Not much of a difference at all. As a matter of fact I had to take the program out this week to help diagnose a tuning problem I had (cracked spark plug) and didn't even notice a difference.

You can calibrate your speedo for oversized tires and firm up your shift points though. But for $350 I would not do it again. The 4.10 gears were the best money I spent of all. And that includes the Hypertech, long tube headers, Magnaflow cat-back exhaust, and of course a K&N filter.

I would much rather have my vehicle back to stock and all the money back in the bank. Nothing really lived up to the hype.


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

If you read the "gas guzzler" article in the Dec04 issue of Trailer Life, it is a real eye opener. I tried to find it on the net, but it apparently isn't posted yet. As I recall, almost anything above 60 mph changes the drag coefficient so much that mpg takes a nose dive. I have a lot of power, more than enough for my Outback, even when I was towing with the F-250, but I keep the speed down to about 60 just to save on fuel.


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