Tundra Towing MPG

[TundradudeV8]

What kind of towing MPG have you seen?

My experience is this:

At 60 mph:

V6 11 mpg
V8 10 mpg

At 75 mph:

V8 8 mpg

This is towing roughly around a 5000 lb 26 travel trailer.

I just got back from a 12 hour trip (one-way) to Disneyworld.

I wish the Tundra had a bigger or second gas tank.

[beckerg]

I'm getting 14-15 mpg towing about 2600 lbs at 60-65 mph average.

[geneowens]

Towing approx 5000 pound fifth wheel, I am getting 9.5 at 70 + and 10.5 at 65. This is with V8, 4X4, regular cab.

[ericdetwiler]

Towing a 6000 pound Travel Trailer.

SR5 2 wheel.... 10 mpg at 60 mph

.... 9 mpg at 70 mph

[T'sTOY]

Just got back from a holiday trip from the Denver area to southern Colorado, and my 2000 model V8 recorded 12.34 mpg on the Southbound leg and 13.68 mpg on the Northbound leg. I was towing about 2000 lb. (trailer and cargo), and 95% of the mileage was on the interstate doing between 65 and 80 mph.

[Parshal]

I towed a 2500 lbs. trailer from Denver to northwest Colorado and got around 15 - 16 mpg. That's much better than once last winter towing a 2000 lbs. trailer back from Kansas with a 40 mph headwind. On that trip I got 7.5 mpg!

[Dogster]

I towed a 4800 lb. boat from CA to NV and AZ. I generally got 10-11 mpg at 60-70 with the AC on in a 4x4 Limited. The exception was coming back running 60 mph in a 35 mph+ headwind. Then I got 7.8 mpg (at $2.25/gallon too!)

[MCoupe]

I have a 2000 V8, which normally gets 18 mpg (mostly highway).

I towed a car down to florida and back this Spring. 10-11 hours each way, 75-85 mph. Car is almost exactly 3,000 lbs, trailer is roughly 1,300.

13-14 mpg, essentially all highway. Had one tank that pinged like crazy, so stopped and put some premium in.

Darned happy with the setup. Darned happy. Never any trouble.

I bought the Tundra specifically to pull this car, and be my daily driver. It now looks like I'm about to buy a race car that weighs only 750 pounds. Ah, well.

[MCoupe]

Just an interesting tidbit.

I have a 2WD V8 automatic Tundra, and typically get 18mpg, mostly highway - which I am very happy with.

I towed my car to a race a few months ago, on an open dual axle trailer, kind of like a flatbed truck with the car sitting open on the trailer. 3,000 pound car, 1,500 pound trailer, 4,500 pounds total. 10 hours each way. And I got 14mpg. Fine. Well, pretty good, actually.

I just hauled my new trailer, enclosed, one axle, and new (much smaller) car. Total weight 2,500 pounds. Low rise trailer, 6'9" tall. 11mpg.

Fascinating what pulling a brick does to gas mileage!

[rodchester]

Like pulling a parachute.

[Andy]

I was always curious of this fact...aerodynamics of whatever is being pulled. Looking into the Honda Pilot, the salesman told me that it could pull more weight if it was a boat vice a camper/trailer. Don't remember the exact number, but it was something like 1000 lbs more. Seems a bit extra to me, but interesting based on the aerodynamics nonetheless.

[Frozen2000]

I too get about what everyone is saying. Empty, daily driver is around 17ish. I pull two wheelers on an aluminum sled trailer, about 1500 lbs. At 60-70 mph on interstate and on back highways going through little towns (I slow down in the little towns!) I average around 13 mpg. My friend has a 02 Chevy with the smaller V-8 and says his truck gets about the same. So it looks like the Tundra gets the same mileage but oh so much better of a ride.

not so FROZEN2000 this summer!

[randyeverett]

I have a 2000 ext cab, V8, 4x2, with a Checker snugtop hard Tonneau. Towed my popup camper, which weighs about 2000lb, and had another 250lb in truck bed to Florida and back, around 1500mi. Averaged 16 mpg all the way there and back........A/C on the whole time with lots of hills in Alabama and Tenn. This was my first time towing any distance with the Tundra, so I'm very pleased. It tows the popup extremely well, you can't even tell it's back there. I expect your right, towing a full trailer (brick) would knock the mileage down severly.
I average 19mpg strait highway with just me, and 16-17mpg to work and back (mostly hiwhway).
I bought the Tundra used and am very satisfied so far.
Have fun...............
Everett

[bkoneski47]

What with all you guys getting 18 - 21 mpg. I have an '02' V8 and the only mods I've made is a K&N FIPK and TRD dual exhaust. I'm getting on average 12 -13 mpg I always drive in O/D, so what else could it be?

[randyeverett]

I don't know why some Tundra owners only get 12-13mpg. The difference may be multiple things that add up in the end.
Here's my truck:
2000 Tundra, ext cab with 2wd (less weight & drive train loss?)
I drive mostly highway
Lightweight, hard tonneau cover, flush-mount (1mpg by some reports)
87 octane with fuel injector cleaner every oil change
5W-30 oil
no nerf bars (less drag?)

August 2002, Poplar Science did a small, unoffical study to improve gas mileage on a pickup truck based on recommendations from a GM aerodynamics dude. Some of the suggestions were impractical, so you're mileage may vary on some of these mods.



1. Taped over parts of the grill, fog lights, ect. (was a diesel engine)
2. removed nerf bars
3. added hard tonneau
4. filled in space between frame rails and body on the underside
5. They set cruise at 55mpg (the faster you try to push the brick, the more mojo it takes.)

Like I said, some were impractical......
The results were the Silverado Ls 2500HD with a 6.6 turbo-diesel went from 17 mpg to 26 mpg...........interesting.

FYI, I've only had one K&N filter and that was on my T-bird. It dropped my mileage from 25 to 23 for over two years. Pulled the K&N out and mileage went back up. Go figure........it did seem to improve high rpm flow (above 4,000rpm). Granted, mine was only a study of one.

Good luck, and keep us informed if you try that frame-rail thing

Everett