DODGE RAM FORUM banner

Fuel Economy When Towing

17K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  TheRileyFactor 
#1 ·
Hi!

I have a 2011 Ram Laramie with tow package and 3.92 rear end... I am presently towing a 3000lb travel trailer and the fuel economy is REALLY BAD. Driving at 55 - 60 MPH I am only getting 6 - 8 MPG.... I see where others in the forum are getting 12 - 14 MPG. RAM owners that I have talked with at campgrounds have told me they are getting somewhere around the same... 12 - 14 MPG driving at reasonable speeds (55 - 60MPH).

I was driving in TOW/HAUL mode... fuel economy was bad so i tried not using it... no real difference.

Any suggestions from anyone? Not sure if something is wrong with my truck... but that kind of fuel economy is flippin' awful

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Well when I tow my 32' travel trailer (about 5000#) with my dodge van I got around 12 MPG and I was towing 65 MPH passing around 80-85MPH which wasn't bad at all for the 5.2L in my opinion. So seeing how you have a much newer more powerful engine and drivetrain I couldn't see why you would be suffering. I can tell you to tow outside of overdrive so use the tow mode you have. Ah maybe you have something dragging like brakes. Or there is some sensor someplace that is giving false readings to the ecm causing it to run too rich.
 
#3 ·
I would agree that's pretty bad mileage for a relatively light travel trailer. I just finished a 1000+ mile trip with my 5000+ pound travel trailer this past week. On the first leg I was pushing a 20-30 mph headwind. Despite this I had no trouble running 70 mph. Now, mileage wasn't so great at about 9 mpg. However, on the other legs of this trip I got between 10-12 running 70 mph. Hills, headwind, or whatever, this thing had no trouble running as fast as I wanted to go. Mine truck is a 2WD with 3:55 gears. I ran in tow/haul most of the time but tried it in normal mode for one leg...didn't seem to make any difference in fuel economy...but it pulled better in tow/haul.

This may sound funny, but is it possible that you're pulling at too slow a speed? Most vehicles have a sweet spot where rpm, speed, towed weight, and gearing all come together for the best mileage. When you're towing at 55-60, what rpm are you running at?
 
#4 ·
Its really scaring me... I am selling the current trailer and a new one is on its way and it weighs 6000 lb.... so the fuel economy is likely to get even worse!

I thought of the brake drag issue as well... I tried turning the electric brake off completely and no change there either. I checked the tire pressure on the trailer tires... all good there too. I am perplexed!

RPM's were around 2000 at 55 - 60MPH.... so that looked fine to me as well.
 
#5 ·
Running between 60-65 mph I was able to get 18.5 mpg pulling a 2500lb popup tent trailer with 2 mountain bikes and about 500 lbs of gear in the bed with my 5.7L Ram 1500 burning 89 octane fuel. Not sure what rear end mine came with, but your mileage while towing does sound really low.

Darin
 
#6 ·
That mileage is terrible! :wow:
Are you sure the trailer wheels are turning! That is what I would I expect if they weren't. What kind of mileage are you getting without the trailer?

I pull a 7000Lb trailer a lot, and I the only time I see that kind of mileage is going up hill, against the wind with the gas tank leaking. Something is just not right. How do the trailer tires look? I wonder if there is an axle alignment issue. When did you last have the trailer axle bearings serviced? Is it possible they are setup too tight and causing excessive load at highway speeds. :4-dontknow:
 
#7 ·
That is low, between 10 and 13 pulling our 26ft TT weighing 5600 pounds, averaging about 60 mph.
 
#8 ·
I'm getting around 9mpg when pulling my 30' TT with a gvwr of 7000lbs. I have a CC 1500 4x2 with 3.55 gears.

When I pull my boat 3500lbs I can get mid teens.



I think something is really wrong with your whole setup somewhere to be getting mpg's that bad with that little bit of weight.
 
#9 ·
I just made about a 1000 mile drive pulling about a 5500lb trailer and averaged 12 for the whole trip... While I was in flat-country I was getting around 16... it's when I started hitting the hills that it started to drop, but 12mpg wasn't bad at all... When I would pull about a 2000lb trailer in my old F150 I would get around 8 or 9mpg at best... How many axles does your trailer have? I would have your trailer looked at b/c maybe the wheels aren't spinning as free as they should... and you should use tow/haul mode when you're towing... my mileage suffered badly when I would fill up on gas and forget to put tow/haul back on....
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top