Towing MPG ?

[tinik]

I just went on a trip on my sequoia, with 20' toy hauler, and i was very surprised because of gas mileage. I've got 10mpg on flat roads (like FL and GA) when i've got to IOWA and NEBRASKA with heavy side wind i've got 4mpg (ouch) and by the time i've got trough SOUTH DAKOTA and MONTANA i've got on average 5-8mpg. Man for some reason i think my tundra gets way better gas mileage (and both my sequoia and tundra are 4x4)

any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[czechm8]

That does seem really low mileage.
I towed a 12x6 u-haul this summer loaded with lumber and cast iron woodworking tools that probably weighed close to 5K and I got about 11.5 mpg towing from Eastern Nebraska to Denver

[tinik]

do you think is there any way to improve mpg?
i am planning to go to SC in 2 weeks

czechm8 may you have almost identical sequoia to mine, only mine is pearl/white colour. (2006 sequoia 4x4 lxr package, with 7008 navi/ dvd entartaiment, 20" x-sp pacage enkei with kuhmo 20" tires)

[czechm8]

Probably no big fixes. Make sure you are running clean oil and the air filter is not dirty. Try a little higher octane fuel as well. Bump your tire pressure a couple pounds, especially in the rear. Keep your foot out of the throttle as much as you can.

I run Amsoil synthetics in the engine, front, center and rear diffs. TRD air filter, but I also have a Magnaflow cat-back too, which hurts low-end torque slightly. All of these things combined might improve mileage, might not.

[rjleba1]

check your plugs they need to be regaped.

[tinik]

i've changed oil, air filter rith before a trip, also added air into rear tires to 40lbs (instead of 35), and about 5k miles before trip dealer replaced all of the coils, and spark plugs under warranty.

Do you guys think that wheels make a big difference?
I had original 17" wheels, and right before this trip, i've installed 20" wheels

[Cliffy1]

That doesn't sound too far out of line. With my 2003 Tundra, I got about 9 MPG when towing a 20' boat what weighed about 4200 pounds on the trailer. Obviously, a boat tows a lot better than a trailer due to aerodynamics. My driving conditions were small hills of Eastern VA and keeping speeds around 75 MPH. I suspect I would have made that a lot better if I had slowed down by 10-15 MPH. That MPG was pretty consistent whenever I towed.

[czechm8]

Originally Posted by tinik

i've changed oil, air filter rith before a trip, also added air into rear tires to 40lbs (instead of 35), and about 5k miles before trip dealer replaced all of the coils, and spark plugs under warranty.

Do you guys think that wheels make a big difference?
I had original 17" wheels, and right before this trip, i've installed 20" wheels

It depends.
If the 20's you changed to are larger in overall diameter than your stock wheels, then your odometer will record less miles than before. So if you are not correcting the odometer readings with larger tires, then your mileage will be less. The opposite is true if your 20's are smaller than the stock wheels - your mileage will be overstated.

[celica]

I tow a 30 foot travel trailer that weighs in at 5500 pounds. I rund 40-45 pounds in the rear wheels. I got 11 mpg on flat stuff and around 9 in the hills of oregon, california & back through spokane before going north to BC & to alberta. This is with the trailer needing a wheel alignment. The only thin g different with my truck is I am running a K&N air filter & was using mobile 1 oil. The m,ilage didn't seem to change with the synthetic. I was always doing the speed limit or 5 mph more.

[tinik]

thanks for a fast repply.
well, i've got equvalent wheels (similar wheels come on 2005 tundra x-sp) - so size wise i think they are very close to original sequoia wheels (295/45/20).

as far as driving, i've noticed my sequoia takes more gas in overdrive (towing). So when i tow that trailer, i have to turn overdrive off - and i get about 2 mpg better then in overdrive. Another thing i've noticed when i drive on a flat surface road (small hills are about same), i can drive any speed, and get great gas mileage. As soon as i hit bigger hills or go into mountains (like in WY, MT, SD) its better to keep my engine running in 3000-3500 rpms (about 70-75mph), before i'll loose power, and transmition has to shift into lower gear and hit about 4000-4500 rpms (ouch). Well side winds kill me the most (even sequoia feels like its no problem, when i check instant gas consumption, its any where from 4-10 mpgs) I've also try to go slower, and it doesn't change a factor, as far as gas mileage. So the best trick i've learned is to follow a semi very close - (about 10-14mpg, below 75 mph), but this doen't work in heavy side winds.

sorry about a confusing repply

[vzczc]

My experience has been more posative, but the trailer smaller. I towed a 3000lb pop-up tent trailer and found mileage was 15 or 16 MPG at 65 MPH. Thats about what I get in normal driving, but then without the trailer, I'd drive 75 or more.
The trailer does not extend above the roof of the sequoia, nor is it wider than the truck- the same width. Both factors keep wind resistance to a minimum, I suppose.

[celica]

If you are looking at the instant display you will get all sorts oif readings. You need to be resetting the display for the trip or working it out manually as the display isn't that accurate. There is a big difference with the slower speeds. Another big difference is the gas. when I tow the trailer I use premium because the truck is a pig with regular with that weight. Yes a side wind does make a huge difference, but less if you are on premium gas. your downshifting sounds normal.

How heavy is your trailer?

ps - I would never draft a semi - too dangerous for my liking and some semi drivers hate it & will do stuff to scare you (brakes, quick lane changes). You don't have time to react with how close you need to be to a semi for drafting.

[tinik]

well, when i purchased this trailer, its says that it gross weigh (i guess fully loaded with water, grey water and 4 wheelers or motorcycle - not a dry weight) 7,000 pounds
i don't know dry weight, i would guess around 4000-5000 pounds

see with my tundra ac i tow a skeedstir rc-50 wit no problems (about 7,000 pounds i would guess) and still get about 12 mpg. so i guess wind is a big factor here.

so i am trying to figure out, may be there is something i can put on my roof, to make a better wind reflector? or that wind reflector is going to put more pressure on my rear end, and that presure is going to cause abnormal wear on my rear suspension parts?

thanks for all of the repplys
gene

[Jeepskidew]

Did you ever figure out why you were getting 4+ MPG? Was there a problem with anything? Have you noticed the same MPG since? Just trying to cover all my bases before my long max'd weight tow trip.

[williamZ]

When I tow a Supra with a steel trailer I averaged 13mpg.