# Whats Your Mileage Towing? And With What?



## n2striper (Jul 21, 2007)

I have a 26' Outback 26 RLS trailer. I just bought a 2000 F350 S/D 4X4 crew cab dually , have checked the mileage and only got 12mpg. I checked the tires and one of the inside tires on the rear only had 15lbs of air. The truck only has 97000 miles. She will leave four burn out marks if I hit it hard so she seems to be running fine.(my first diesel) My question is what size trailer do you have and what kind of mileage do YOU get?
 Thanks for taking the time!!! 
Bobby Allen


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

You want diesel figures only, or do you want gas numbers so you can feel better








8.5mpg is my best with a F150 5.4L 3V 3.55 rear towing a 28RSDS.

edited: I tow 65mph with cruise and OD locked out (wouldn't matter though because it won't go there anyway







)

Ok, now the Diesel guys can weigh in and make me jealous!!


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

n2striper said:


> I have a 26' Outback 26 RLS trailer. I just bought a 2000 F350 S/D 4X4 crew cab dually , have checked the mileage and only got 12mpg. I checked the tires and one of the inside tires on the rear only had 15lbs of air. The truck only has 97000 miles. She will leave four burn out marks if I hit it hard so she seems to be running fine.(my first diesel) My question is what size trailer do you have and what kind of mileage do YOU get?
> Thanks for taking the time!!!
> Bobby Allen


Don't know yet but I'll find out this weekend when we go to Western NY & back







I certainly liked the computer generated dashboard reading of 12mpg that I got on the 5 short miles of this past weekend's test tow....but the rubber hits the road this weekend. I'll let ya' know then...

*UPDATE*: Avg out (with Midgrade gas) was an unimpressive but acceptable 8mph. The trip back - which included wind, rain, and much more traffic (and Regular gas) - gave us 10mph. That's as calculated by hand which, btw, matched the 'Lie-O-Meter'.

We don't generally watch mileage....if we want to go "there", we're going....we just have to expect to pay for the gas. But, this was the first we'd towed with the new Toy and it was interesting to see. Now we've seen. That's it. (It was very nice to see the significant savings with Regular gas, tho).


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

Sounds like you are on the mark. I have a 29FBHS 5th wheel (31' and 10,000 lbs when loaded for a trip) and I get between 11-13 when towing at 70 mph (2003 7.3L F-250) if I can cntrol my heavy foot. Don't trust the overhead readout to much on these models (lie-o-meter) they can be off quite a bit. Sounds like you might have a couple of good mods to the beast if you are turning stripes on the road!


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## RizFam (Feb 25, 2006)

We have a 26RKS towing w/ an 07 Yukon XL & we get about 12mpg as well.


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Well, this is just a guesstimate as I don't really check these things out. I figure, What difference does it make? I'm going anyway.









But, my 2500 Suburban with the 8.1L vortec v-8 gets about 9-10 MPG towing. I pull a 31RQS, empty weight of about 7500 pounds, loaded about 9000. Usually have the Burb and 4 passengers, plus gas, and snacks. I usually travel at 65 mph with the A/C on. BTW, it only gets about 10 or 11 when not towing.

But, what a treat to drive!

Mark

I just purchased my first diesel (Silverado 3500 dually but have only towed about 200 miles so far and have no clue about mileage so I'll have to get back to you on that). Also a treat to drive!


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## jdpm (Apr 12, 2007)

My '06 Dodge Ram quad cab 4x4 automatic with 19k miles on it gets 10-10.5 mpg with the a/c and cruise set @70mph, 2 bicycles on the front, towing a '07 Sydney 31frks fiver with an EMPTY weight of 8100lbs. That is here in FL where the terrain is mostly flat. You see a lot of mpg post here and on other sites as well, however, what is interesting is that so many people will make their claims to their mpg and NOT give all the facts - speed, rv weight, etc. May I suggest to those of you who post your mpg's, please indicate vehicle year, mileage, transmission, SPEED at which towing, and empty trailer weight. All these things play an important part in these claims besides the terrain and wind conditions. Thanks and happy towing. PCM


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## Fire44 (Mar 6, 2005)

I think that you are inline with what just about everyone else is getting. I have a 06 Silverado with a Duramax/Allison combo pulling a 30' 5th wheel and have gotten about 12-13 mpg on the highway. In the mountains I get drop below 10 mpg if I am pulling long climbs. I don't think that the weight plays much of a factor in the mileage but the wind resistance does. And remember that the faster you go the more wind you are pushing. I find that I get my best mileage with the tach under the 2K rpm range and driving like you should.

The first RV trip we took, we pulled a 27RSDS with a 2000 Suburban 1500 4x4 with a 5.3L and 3.73 gears. The first tank I drove....55 mph and got around 10.5-11 mpg. The second tank my DW drove....70+ mph and the mileage dropped to 8 mpg. I told her that the harder you push air the harder it pushes back.

Gary


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## Morgueman (Dec 3, 2006)

With our '07 Yukon XL (5.3L; 4.10 axle), we get 8 - 9 towing the 25RSS and 13 - 14 not towing. Keep in mind that most of our towing includes going up and down 5,000 - 7,500 ft mountains.


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## mollyp (Aug 10, 2005)

Bobby,

I think we have the exact same truck. 2000 Ford F350 4 x 4 Supercab PSD w/DRW & 7.3L V8 We just purchased it used about a month ago, w/104k miles on it. We have been getting about 12 mpg towing (we have an '05 28FRLs fifth wheel) and 18 mpg on the highway not towing.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

We average 8.5 MPG towing the 28RS-DS with our Titan. Normally I drive the speed limit when towing, which is 65 on the freeway around here, and conditions in this part of the country are very hilly and often windy. Amazingly, the best I have ever seen was 10.7 MPG on one tank this summer when I spend over 100 miles drafting a double semi through the Idaho and Utah flat lands at about 75MPH (OK, maybe a little bit faster







). I was traveling along faster than I have ever towed before, and almost had my foot completely out of the gas. Wild!

Aero drag plays a huge roll in towing. Aerodynamic drag increases by the square of your speed, so once you start getting up there, it really requires huge increases in horsepower (read: fuel consumption) to obtain even moderate increases in speed. There is a classic 'Law of diminishing returns' lesson to be learned here, if you can convince your right foot to listen! We hit a real wall right at about 60 MPH. If I was to stay below that, I would likely see averages of 10 MPG regularly. Push through that wall though, and the MPG just plummets.

The only other factor that seriously diminishes our otherwise very consistent towing MPG is rain. Mountains, altitude, wind, curvy roads or stop-and-go city driving have little to no effect on our MPG. But add rain, and I have seen my MPG drop to 6.5 MPG. Best I can figure on this one, is the increased rolling resistance due to the water on the roadway, but that's just a guess.

In everyday driving (not towing), I see 14.8-15.5 MPG with a pretty equal mix of in-town and freeway miles.

Anyway, I hope this helps.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

9ish towing, the best highway mileage so far has been 14.5, it mostly gets driven around town which is about 11-12. Will probably (hopefully) improve a bit as it gets more mileage. I've read the mpg may go up a bit after 4-5k miles.

Fortunately DW drives it and work is only 3 or 4 miles away.

Mike


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

My signature shows my set-up.

On our last 1140 mile roadie (750 miles with TT hitched), our Durango recorded a 10.6/mpg avg.


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## reeladdiction (Sep 10, 2006)

i have a 2000 ford excursion 7.3 diesel all stock tow a 2007 25rss and get an average range of 9.5-11.5 depending of terrain...truck is almost ready to turn 100,000 in 700 miles...trouble free


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## willie226 (Apr 4, 2006)

I have 2005 F150 XLT 5.4 Triton 25,000 miles on it.When towing I average around 12 mpg and tow a 23RS

willie


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## battalionchief3 (Jun 27, 2006)

29BHS and I tow with a 2500 sububan, 496 gas big block, I get 10 to 12 if I keep it about 60mph. She has 4:10 gears.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

n2striper said:


> I have a 26' Outback 26 RLS trailer. I just bought a 2000 F350 S/D 4X4 crew cab dually , have checked the mileage and only got 12mpg. I checked the tires and one of the inside tires on the rear only had 15lbs of air. The truck only has 97000 miles. She will leave four burn out marks if I hit it hard so she seems to be running fine.(my first diesel) My question is what size trailer do you have and what kind of mileage do YOU get?
> Thanks for taking the time!!!
> Bobby Allen


97,000 miles and you had a tire go soft, thats terrible









2003 GMC Duelly with D max. 11.4 average over my entire west coast trippullng trailer. The wierd thing is after my trip, my mileage has improved overall. Around town used to be 12.5, now getting 15. Highway used to average about 18-19, now getting 21-22. Can t explain it, but not complaing. (truck has 80,000 miles on it)

John


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## MikeN (May 25, 2007)

I get around 9 mpg with a Chevy 2500 w/8.1 and 4.10 rear pulling a 31kfw.


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

10 MPG towing in the mountains, I have not towed long enough on flat land to see what I will get. I tow a 23RS with a Tahoe.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

On the straits I get 9mpg. In the mountains I get 8mpg. Around town not pulling anything but myself I'm all the way up to 11.1mpg. I think on the back of a flatbed truck with the engine idling I might be lucky to get 12mpg.


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

12MPG is tops but low is 11.5MPG. DMAX Diesel pulling a 9000lb 5th wheel.

Folks are right about the wind resistance and that weight doesn't matter but that only really applies to the highway.

Get off the highway and that weight will start to kick in big time. Don't believe that a gas motor will get 11.5MPG pulling a 5th wheel off the highway due to the huge difference in RPM's between a gas a diesel.


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## 4ME (Sep 11, 2006)

I get about 12/13mpg with the TITAN and a 21rs. 15mpg without the trailer


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## gerrym (Oct 23, 2006)

10 or 11 US gallons towing 60 mph, O/D off.

Best run with a quad only in the bed in heavy (speedlimit) traffic was 18 mpg US.


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## GarethsDad (Apr 4, 2007)

1995 tahoe 6.5ltd 4x4 3:73 13mpg towing a 2003 25rs-s at 65mph. 20 mpg not towing. James


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

We got 8.7 mpg on our trip to Disney World this summer. But lots of hills and mountain grades through KY, TN, and GA.

On another trip to Wisconsin Dells, we got 9.6 mpg - but mostly flat towing with few hills (central IL to central WS).

We tow our 29BHS with a 2007 Chevy 2500HD Crew Cab pickup with 6.0L engine and 4:10 rear end.

Mike


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

2006 Dodge 1/2 crew cab, hemi, auto, 3.92 20 inch wheels.. 23krs roo. Loaded is 7000 lbs. combined is 13000lbs.

Pulling mountains I get 6.2mpg.. If I run 75-80mph I get about the same..

I get 10.5 at 60 mph, and this gradually goes down to 6.2 the closer I get to 80mph..

Just towed 1000 miles over the weekend, mostly kept her around 70, got 8.6 avg.. Did do one tank between 78 and 82 mph, got 6.4mpg..

Around town empty I get 15.5-16. Highway 18.. This is the hemi with mds.

Carey


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## Rich in CO (May 30, 2005)

My lie O meter on my truck state I'm getting 16.7 while towing, but I pull 11-13 depending how my right foot feels.


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## wtscl (May 22, 2007)

I've got a 2004 Toyota Tundra Double Cab towing a 2007 28RSDS. On the last trip, I figured out that I get about 10.5mpg or so when staying below 60mph. If I go over, I am only about 8.5-9mpg.


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## Scott and Jamie (Aug 27, 2006)

With our 99 F350 V-10 27 RSDS we average 10.5 mpg towing best I've got was 12 and the worst was 8.5 bucking a heavy head wind.


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## dgross3910 (Sep 10, 2004)

We have a Titan and just returned from our trek out west. From New Jersey to Montana went over 6000 miles and clocked about 11mpg average for trip. Usually get 16-18 on road if I keep my foot from mashing the gas pedal. Can't really complain except the gas prices out there are much worse then what we have here in Jersey.


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## sleecjr (Mar 24, 2006)

2006 Dodge 2500 4x4 ctd pulling a 2007 31rqs. I get around 11.5 towing around 70 and around 12.5 at around 68. That is in florida with the a/c on and the trailer at close to max weight.


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## ChopperCop (Oct 2, 2005)

10 to 12.5 depending on where I go. 18 - 21 running empty.

Bob


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## jlukens (Oct 3, 2006)

About 8.5 with an 04 Yukon Xl Denali (6.0L/3.53) pulling a 23RS, which seems low after reading all the posts...

I see 07 Yukon XLs (5.3L/3.53) getting 10-12? Perhaps the new highway cylinder shutdown technology?


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

SconnieJonny said:


> About 8.5 with an 04 Yukon Xl Denali (6.0L/3.53) pulling a 23RS, which seems low after reading all the posts...
> 
> I see 07 Yukon XLs (5.3L/3.53) getting 10-12? Perhaps the new highway cylinder shutdown technology?


I'd be suprised to see cylinders shutdown with the OB in tow








Perhaps everyone should also mention if that was the lie-O-meter I mean trip computer







or hand calculated over a number of tanks...









I personally only hand calculate. The trip computers tend to just give you that happy feeling before you notice the gauge is already on 'E'. I didn't bother paying for one on my current truck...

Edited... Another example of positive advertising, My Dad's 06 Dodge CTD reported 13.5 to 14 mpg over 7000 miles. Actual trip averages were more like 11.5 mpg (still not bad, but...)


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

Rich in CO said:


> My lie O meter on my truck state I'm getting 16.7 while towing, but I pull 11-13 depending how my right foot feels.


Hey Rich,

My Lie-O-Meter says the same thing! 16.5 - 16.7. That's probably why some people post some amazing fuel milage.....


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## ronmhagen (Jul 9, 2007)

Unfortunately my lie-o-meter has been perfect everytime I checked it. I did not trust it, but gm nailed it with my truck so far. I've double checked it half a dozen times so far. I did the calculations and checked how many gallons it stated I used compared to what I filled it with. It surprises me how accurate it has been. I wish it would lie just to make me feel better. lol

I'm hoping it will get a little better. I'll be switching to synthetic oil next change and the other day I tore the Equalizer Hitch down and adjusted it correctly. The RV dealer did a horrible job setting the hitch up, it was way off. It towed fine, but pulls much smoother since I made the proper adjustments. GM also installed a transmission program update when I had it in for an oil change at 2700 miles so I'll see if that makes any difference.

8.5-9.0 mpg consistently while towing the 26kbrs at 65-70 mph with some wind. 2007 Chev 2500HD Silverado 6.0/3:73


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## GoVols (Oct 7, 2005)

My truck actually _makes_ fuel while I'm towing.









Seriously, I have a new diesel and have yet to tow with it.







Will know in a couple of weeks. Not towing, I am averaging 17-18 mpg in mixed city/highway driving.


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## sleecjr (Mar 24, 2006)

forumcoach said:


> Unfortunately my lie-o-meter has been perfect everytime I checked it. I did not trust it, but gm nailed it with my truck so far. I've double checked it half a dozen times so far. I did the calculations and checked how many gallons it stated I used compared to what I filled it with. It surprises me how accurate it has been. I wish it would lie just to make me feel better. lol


OK this is what i was told by the dealer. The 2006 and newer Dodge ( and probably others) the lie-o-meter works differently. The old one kept a moving average on all mileage driven. The new one resets every time you start the truck and uses the last known point as a starting point for the new trip. So the new one should be much closer the the real mpg.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

7-8 when pulling on flat ground, no wind. With a headwind of say, 15mph, that drops to 5-6mpg due to the throttle being buried trying to maintain 60mph.









-CC


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Lie-o-meter recorded 8 ish with the '04 F150 and 32BHDS, 60mph. Next week will be the first trip with the new truck.


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## fspieg (Jul 31, 2006)

sleecjr said:


> Unfortunately my lie-o-meter has been perfect everytime I checked it. I did not trust it, but gm nailed it with my truck so far. I've double checked it half a dozen times so far. I did the calculations and checked how many gallons it stated I used compared to what I filled it with. It surprises me how accurate it has been. I wish it would lie just to make me feel better. lol


OK this is what i was told by the dealer. The 2006 and newer Dodge ( and probably others) the lie-o-meter works differently. The old one kept a moving average on all mileage driven. The new one resets every time you start the truck and uses the last known point as a starting point for the new trip. So the new one should be much closer the the real mpg.
[/quote]

Our 2007 5.9 manual says it computes a running average and to clear it you must push the reset twice quickly. Just like our 05 hemi did. I wonder if auto reset is something new starting with the 6.7. This one is much closer than the 05 (1.3 high). At the end of our 5000 mile trip it was off by only 3 tenths high.


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## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

Thought we did this once already, but here goes.

12 mpg pulling 10K 5'er doing 68-72 down to the Jersey shore with the A/C and cruise on in traffic 5 1/2 hour trip.(normal less than 3)
17 mpg around town
21 mpg driving back from schaeffer's after I left the trailer doing 75

I am still waiting for it to break in only have 18.5K


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## biga (Apr 17, 2006)

2000 Chevy 2500, Extended Cab, Long Bed, 5.7L gas burner, automatic, 3.7 gears
'06 28KRS
~14000 lbs combined weight with the bikes and a full water tank.

The best mileage we have had was roughly 9 MPG towing to maggie valley with my wife's parents, but no motorcycles. I stayed below 65, almost all interstate driving to Maggie Valley, NC, so there was some hills to climb.

I estimate my worst was about 5.5 or 6 MPG on a trip to Tunica. Towing with motorcycles and water, trying to keep up with my dad's diesel motorhome running 70 most of the way. They spent half as much on fuel as we did.


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## goneflyfishin (Jan 12, 2007)

We just got back from a trip to East Tenn. (mountians), got 6.5 miles per gallon going up the hills and 8.3 coming back home. I can only wish I could run the speed limit.


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## mrw3gr (Feb 19, 2006)

City driving...around 14-15 Towing...last time checked was 11-12

Only have 6K on the truck so I'm still getting it broke in

2500 HD long bed, crew cab, duramax / allison w/ 25RSS


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## CautiousCamper (Jun 27, 2006)

Trip last year from Ontario to Florida via NY, PA, VA, TN, etc. on way down and I-75 on way back at speed limits + 5 mph, with '05 GMC Sierra crew 5.3L pulling full loaded 26RS with 5 people with outdoor temps mid 90's F. Total distance/fuel used = 12 mpg (that's imperial gallons). I thought that was pretty good. Could use a stronger truck for some of those roads through the Appalachians though.


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## timewizard (Jun 9, 2007)

We have 7000 miles on the truck, drove to Door County mostly flat using E85 got 7.7 on the way there and 8.0 with no wind on the way back 62 was are speed on the highway. We also fill are water tank it seems to ride a lot nicer with the added weight in the back. Just like everyone else the higher the speed the less the mileage. It seems like the more miles the TV is getting better lets hope it keeps going up. Everyday driving country roads, no highway, no TT, E85 14mpg. The lie-o-meter in our truck has been on the money every time. GMC professional grade!


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

All of my mileage figures are hand calculated (using a nifty Excel spreadsheet I created) since the day I bought the truck in April 2006. Here are the major trips we took. I did not include any of our shorter trips. All of these trips did include disconnecting the trailer and sightseeing as well as off-roading, but the overwhelming majority of the mileage was towing the trailer. Beginning in 2007 I also started recording the number of hours the truck ran in order to be able to compute my average miles per hour. And in August 2007 I installed a Flashpaq Superchip, but other than that the truck is stock (as you can see this $500 expenditure didn't really affect my fuel mileage), a 2006 Ford F-250 XLT Powerstroke Diesel, crew cab, short bed, 4x4, and now has 22,817 miles on it, 50% of it towing the OB.
June-July 2006 - from San Diego to South Dakota and back - 4508 miles - 10.45 mpg
September 2006 - to Santa Barbara and back - 729 miles - 11.50 mpg
November 2006 - to Albuquerque and back - 2629 miles - 11.31 mpg
Dec. 2006 - Jan. 2007 - to Las Vegas and back - 834 miles - 11.50 mpg
May 2007 - to Moab, UT and back - 2010 miles - 9.98 mpg - avg. speed = 46.7 mph
September 2007 - to California Gold Country - 1400 miles - 11.11 mpg avg. speed = 41.1 mph


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## Paul and Amy (Jul 8, 2007)

9-11 mpg, see specifics below....


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## Mike2 (Jul 14, 2006)

8-9 mpg w/ 2007 Titan SE 4x4 in the mountains.
Add some head wind and mileage drops like a rock (6-7 mpg)
The best I have seen towing is 9.5 mpg.
No trailer, I get 15-16 town/highway mix.
Towing 7000 lbs trailer.

From the posts above, it looks like everyone is in the same ballpark +- 2mpg which probably accounts for driving style, terrain, weight etc...
Let's just hope for cheap gas because trucks no matter what kind aren't going to help.

Mike


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