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Old 08-21-2018, 07:45 AM   #1
Moneyslinger
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Anyone's gas milage increase with trailer...like big time...?

My everyday non-towing gas milage in my 2012 Toyota 4WD Tundra with 5.7 engine is around 14.5 according to the built in gauge.

And then we bought our first trailer just a few weeks ago.

Soooo...before I left home to pic up our 7400lbs trailer in WI and tow it back to IL – that's about a 2+ hour drive – I reset my gauge before the drive up to make sure my normal 14.5 to 15 mpg was "true".

Once there I got all hooked up ready to leave and resent my gauge for the trip down, fully expecting about 9 mpg from what I've been reading, but to my surprise my gauge was reading between 26 mpg and 28.5 mpg.

Yes, 26 mpg and 28.5 mpg. Something must be wrong, right?

In total the trip up and down took a bit less then a 1/2 tank...that in total is about a 4.5 hour drive, with a 7400 lb trailer for half that drive. That's not too bad at all...right?

Soooo...once home I parked the trailer and continued driving normally for the rest of the week, until it was time fill up. I took a look at the gauge before fill up, that as now reading about 22, which would seem right on average if I drove off the other half of the tank without a trailer.

I filled the tank and reset the gauge, to find I'm getting my normal 14-15 mpg again, that means the gauge is working fine.

So a few theories:

1. We were heading "south" on the way back with the trailer - and that's downhill...???

2. My trailer was so heavy, that my front wheels where barely touching the ground, and my gauge gets it's reading from front wheel tire rotation....???

3. Northern winds push me along? But this was mostly back roads driving for the most part, through small towns...with some hi speed 60-65 mph driving as we got on route 12 near the border.

That's the best I can come up with.

Anyone want to take a stab at this?
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Old 08-21-2018, 07:53 AM   #2
mazboy
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i'd just say lucky.
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Old 08-21-2018, 07:56 AM   #3
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I think the speed sensor that also measures miles is on the transmission. If your front wheels were barely touching the ground you were in an unsafe condition, and you need to fix it, with a weight distribution hitch. I would suggest that something odd happened electronically, and next time you should calculate it yourself using the miles driven divided by the gallons used.
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Old 08-21-2018, 08:21 AM   #4
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Don't know if you could get that kind of mileage even if it was a 10% downgrade and you were in Mexican overdrive (neutral).
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Old 08-21-2018, 08:29 AM   #5
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The #2 condition would have most likely caused a lack of steering and braking over normal. I doubt you would have made it home.
My example was a 1500 chev, 8,000 lb boat/trailer about 15 miles to boat ramp. We had a call out and needed to get into the river fast. That happens in police work. The 250 ford sitting nearby had a dead battery or worse it would not start. I hooked up my 1500 and noted front rear high, rear low on truck. I pulled out of the garage and found stopping distance had about increased to about 2 times as long as without the boat. The trailer had brakes, it was just too damn much for that truck. I made several 90 degree turns and the steering axle/ tires floated through the turns. Even at low speed. Classic example of to much trailer. It was not repeated ever again due to me complaining to the Sgt. We got a new 2500 chev as a tow vehicle for the big boat and a 4500 lb boat for the 1500s to pull. In record time I might add.
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Old 08-21-2018, 10:36 AM   #6
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Delete your post before Toyota or "big oil" comes and steals your miracle truck or reflashes the ECM

Sounds like you may need to bust out the pencil, paper, and calculator to verify MPG
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Old 08-21-2018, 10:51 AM   #7
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I'd say that was an anomaly, do that math by hand next trip and see what you get. If it stays at 28MPG, I'd tow the trailer every where I went!
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Old 08-21-2018, 12:01 PM   #8
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Was bigfoot or the Lock Ness monster riding with you? Just saying.
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Old 08-21-2018, 01:21 PM   #9
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Well, I knew a guy that had a Chevy 454 one ton dually that got 19 mpg too.....
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Old 08-21-2018, 01:35 PM   #10
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This sounds like typical l/100km readings to me, not MPG. Are you sure you had the readout set to MPG?
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Old 08-21-2018, 01:55 PM   #11
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Well, I knew a guy that had a Chevy 454 one ton dually that got 19 mpg too.....
Back in the mid 1970's I had an Olds 454. It was in a 22 1/2' Sleek Craft Executive jet boat. It would run about 40 min. at WOT before emptying the two 27 gallon saddle tanks of premium gas. Don't know what that m.p.g. equates to.
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Old 08-21-2018, 02:06 PM   #12
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It must be one of those new RV's with a drivetrain
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Old 08-21-2018, 02:08 PM   #13
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Old 08-21-2018, 02:29 PM   #14
Harleydodge
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flybouy View Post
Back in the mid 1970's I had an Olds 454. It was in a 22 1/2' Sleek Craft Executive jet boat. It would run about 40 min. at WOT before emptying the two 27 gallon saddle tanks of premium gas. Don't know what that m.p.g. equates to.
Based on a 60mph guess at your speed at WOT in that boat, my math gives you .74mpg...impressive!
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Old 08-21-2018, 02:44 PM   #15
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Based on a 60mph guess at your speed at WOT in that boat, my math gives you .74mpg...impressive!
That's terrible! NASCARs get 2-3 MPG. That's also WOT.
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Old 08-21-2018, 02:51 PM   #16
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I'm guessing you were following that tractor trailer in front of you a little too closely. Drafting does save gas.....
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Old 08-21-2018, 03:28 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Harleydodge View Post
This sounds like typical l/100km readings to me, not MPG. Are you sure you had the readout set to MPG?
That's what it sounds like to me. 9 mpg would be around 26l/100km.

No way did your gas mileage double!
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Old 08-21-2018, 03:32 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flybouy View Post
Back in the mid 1970's I had an Olds 454. It was in a 22 1/2' Sleek Craft Executive jet boat. It would run about 40 min. at WOT before emptying the two 27 gallon saddle tanks of premium gas. Don't know what that m.p.g. equates to.
Not much changes in 40+years. Had a new 28' Regal out last summer and had my laptop hooked up via Diacom(marine OBD basically) and it was using ~20GPH at WOT according to its ECM. Im inclined to believe it as well, as its a new GDI Volvo. Cant remember if it was a 6.0L or 6.2L (both GM based platforms marinized by Volvo) It had a 100 gallon tank though so it could go a little longer than 40 minutes.
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Old 08-22-2018, 06:13 AM   #19
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Not much changes in 40+years. Had a new 28' Regal out last summer and had my laptop hooked up via Diacom(marine OBD basically) and it was using ~20GPH at WOT according to its ECM. Im inclined to believe it as well, as its a new GDI Volvo. Cant remember if it was a 6.0L or 6.2L (both GM based platforms marinized by Volvo) It had a 100 gallon tank though so it could go a little longer than 40 minutes.
All vehichle engines today are vastly more efficiant thanks to the computer managment. Back then it was constantly replacing points, setting the dwell angle (you younger folks google that), cleaning gaping the plugs and setting the timing. Don't miss that part. Just about every time I fueld that boat, which was a lot, guys would ask me what r.p.m. the secondaries on the 4 barrel would kick in. My answer would allways be "As soon as my hand hits the throttle.
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Old 08-22-2018, 08:27 AM   #20
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Leave the trailer hooked up....
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