Trying To Get The Best MPG Towing? I Learned This Technique That Will Get You 2-3 MPG Better! 

Nice video. Being smooth with the throttle and brake is the best way to get good mileage for sure. Speed is also important. Once you get around 70 mph the gas mileage will drop. The only issue I see with towing in an OD gear could build unnecessary heat in the transmission. That would be something to watch for.

I really dislike people that don’t set there Cruise. They are going fast then slow and I go to pass WITH MY CRUISE SET and I about get passed them then they take off again . It’s very frustrating.

Yes sir! Great tips. Keep the speed lower, stay out of the boost, no cruise control and use hills to your advantage. But you forgot the golden rule of MPG, never ever under any circumstances let the wife drive! She floors that ish all the time she’s drivin’😆 🇺🇸💪

Your videos are great because it’s all real world test/review. Love this type of content. Nice work.

Great video man!!!

Excellent video! I’ve used this exact approach for many years and it works really well! I use my instant/average mpg gauge and make a game out of it to help pass the time while my bride is napping, or monkeying around with her phone……which is most of the time. 😂😂😂😂

Thanks JB, great video!

Thanks, JB. Saving fuel is saving money.

Love the reviews my man!!! Keep charging forward!!!

Good review and very informative 👍 🤙

Really enjoy your video’s. Lots to learn when it comes to RV’s Cheers Rob

You're right by me in Mount Airy !! Same stretches I tow on. Totally agree on the cruise when towing. I still use it on the long flats, but bring it up a few miles before hitting the start of the climb. Then let it drop same as you on the way up. Never paid that close attention to mileage when doing it before. Will now. Thanks !

As a truck driver, I can confirm this, works with big trucks as well, I own my own truck and trailer, and with this high cost fuel we got now, every little bit help!

I enjoyed the Video!

Sweet!

Between the Georgia and Florida line heading south on I-95. I passed the same car 17 times. I was on cruise control.

Great example of the difference in milage between constant speed VS constant throttle position.

good content, some people just have no patience at all. I have seen a bunch of people drive super fast on road trip but they don't realize they need to refuel frequently which slows them down quite a lot.

Just bought a 26 ft travel trailer (5176 lbs empty). Used cruise control at first, but my Tahoe going up a hill would downshift when I was already halfway up the hill… sometimes it would downshift twice and in one instance had the RPM’s up to 5500. I realized then that cruise control was no advantage, so I shut it off. The hills of Tennessee are brutal on MPG as opposed to the flatlands of Illinois. The cruise control doesn’t know it’s approaching a hill so it can only react once on a hill, so now as I approach a hill (without cruise ctrl) I accelerate slightly before I am actually on the hill and that limits the transmission downshifting and improves MPG. I also found 60 mph be an optimal speed. Great video as it confirms that cruise ctrl, specially when the road is cluttered with hills, renders poor MPG.

This reminds me of calculating for best cruise speed flying aircraft. When flying, pilots look at manifold pressure to see how much work the engine making for a desired result. There is a point where induce drag has gotten to a point where more fuel is required to hold a higher speed. Aerodynamics makes a huge impact on fuel economy.

Loved the content, very well explained. I must admit though I'm in the "no cruise control" camp as well. "WE" as humans have the information you've provided here, but most of us don't know it. Perhaps someday most people will, with your help of course get a better understanding of reality. I mean, in my opinion those cruise controls are programmed to waist fuel, sure they're lovely, convenient, but are they really looking out for our best interests? Hope to meet up someday camping, and hook a "CHAIN" to that Dodge! Happy Fathers Day!

Great video, never thought of taking Tow mode off on a decent cruise. Yet I knew how to work with the hills. And cruise is not your friend in the hills. I was avg 11.8 MPG's at 64 mph in Tennessee & NW Georgia. But here in South Florida no advantage and at 62 mph i'm only avg 10.1 mpg's Towing with GMC Elevation 2.7L T. Bottom-Line i got better MPG's in the hills then I do here in Flat Land South Florida. But perhaps taking it out of Tow Mode here in Flat Land just maybe i could boost the mpg's???

I love your conversation, I’m always watching the mileage. I have an older 1 ton, but I’m getting 25 mpg without the trailer. I’ve noticed a difference since I got the triple disk torque converter. I don’t have the DEF so my fuel is a little cheaper per gallon. I’ve also tried a few tricks. One time I added 2 stroke oil to the fuel and picked up some mileage, about 2 to 3 mpg, I’ve also tried fbomb. That worked well but I’m not sure if it payed for itself. I also have an airdog filter/lift pump installed. It gets me better fuel mileage till I get under a 1/2 a tank of fuel. My not pulling a trailer mileage is 25 mpg. I haven’t pulled the 5th wheel since the upgrades , but I was getting 13 pulling a big horn 38’. I’ve got a turbo system with the exhaust brake for towing, which will also give me more boost, but it’s not installed yet. Have you tested your mileage by RPMs? I like to use the cruise control myself but drivers on cellphones mess with consistency. Which can mess with fuel mileage sometimes. Keep up the great work!!

I have driven that stretch of road your on several times. The hills are not very steep for the most part but gradual acceleration is your friend when on a flat. Headed south after you go through Fredrick on 15 / 270 there is a bear of a hill that will test your patience lol.

Cool.....

That is similar to how I drive on ice. Little extra speed downhill. and light on the pedal uphill so it reduces chance of a slide.

Best way to save fuel is by slowing down!!!

I'm saving this video because I'm going to have to stretch my dollar and it sounds like the best way to do that will be to slow my rig down.

Good video good information. Now come out west with 6 to 9 percent grades. I still get 12 pulling my 35 ft toyhauler - 2014 Ram 6.7 I do about the same as well as keep track of turbo temp.

Of course

On our last 4k mile trip I did half the trip using cruise control & tow haul mode on the 'flats' and kick it out as I hit hills up or down. I drove large semi's in my young years for a few years; and thought why not the same style with this rig? Worth a try. The trip back I used "M" mode and used the transmission. Keeping my RPM's about as constant as i could shifting up & down. On the long or steep hills I kept it in the torque range of about 3k -3.5k RPM's using the gears. On long flat stretches I would test the cruise but would pop it in "M" and drop a gear to see if the cruise was using more gas to keep it in the higher gear watching my RPM's all the time. The highest gear isn't necessarily the best. It's a combination of throttle pressure, RPM's and speed. I was actually better off in 9 most of the time than 10 while towing. Cruise control would let me lose too many RPM's and then floor it to gain it back after dropping 2 gears. Especially going up a long hill. I also limit my speed to 60-62 mph. big difference than 67-70 mph. I did the same theory as you did by speeding up ~5+mph down hill and lower up hill as well.

It’s called Hypermiling. When Prius first came out I learned about it.

This is all pretty basic stuff, but I'm sure there are some who learned from it. The only thing I would add is, using your brakes it like scraping uneaten food into the trash. You paid money to get your truck moving; using your brakes is wasting the energy you paid for. Accelerating to the next red light is a waste, just like accelerating down a winding grade. Obviously, we must use our brakes often, when driving, but the less we do, the more we get what we paid for. I enjoy your content. Thank you.

I always remember this as trying to maintain constant throttle amount instead of maintaining constant speed.

Semis go slower uphill because they're heavy.. they go faster downhill for the same reason. Also most of them are governed. So they have a maximum speed, but they're able to go over that downhill

I recommend you going about 80 miles per gallon

Taking of tow haul throws your truck into overdrive and locks up torque converter. I have been told you will tear up your transmission and overdrive gear. That is why tow haul keeps you out of overdrive. Be careful not to tear up the transmission to save a couple of bucks on fuel.

You hit all the notes JB. That's everything I do. My wife is always playing shotgun driver - "do you have the cruise set??", then I have to educate - again. But you have way better experience with economy with that RAM against my F350. I'm also pulling average of 14k lbs. Overall I'm getting 9-10 at best, traveling mostly on relatively flat grade highway. In the mountains, forget about it. I get killed going up regardless the tricks. Generally horrible economy with my F350 no matter what I do.

End of the day, just know the torque curve on your vehicle & really that's about it

Let’s get about 20% in PG

Let’s go on a 10% grade

They are drafting to get better fuel mileage. They are using the vacuum created by the truck ahead

Maintain rpm up hill and speed down hill for best mpg.

Big rigs lose speed up hills because they are too heavy and can't maintain speed. On flip side, all that weight pushes the truck down hill and guys use this because many trucks have a speed limiter. They are not doing it for fuel savings. Only real savings is better driving practices and shifting techniques for rigs.

I drive a 2.7 ecoboost with 3.73. Ratio and 10spd, pulling 21’ TT; not a diesel…I make a game of it as well to get best fuel economy. I agree with the cruise control but not necessarily with the gear selection. With my turbo gasser I keep dropping gears until the fuel economy gets worse and then go back one. An example: pushing a head wind in 7th (1:1) and got much better economy in 6th which is about 3200RPM (peak rear wheel torque btw). So my point is, and maybe not with a diesel, lower rpm in my experience is usually not the answer. The engine is working too hard in those OD gears and I’m pretty sure the same fire a diesel. Also, I always downshift before the hill to get the rpm up, transmission is too “dumb or slow” to downshift. Just my two cents.

Good shit bro, but what if on my trip I have to take my dad to school and it’s uphill both ways, what do I do then? 😂

Maybe using the "AVG" mpg is not the way to show what works for better MPG?....

I do 55-60 but also have a manual so no downshifting. Get great mpg

Let’s make this engine really hot

This isn't super relevant but I always assumed everyone just knows this. Seems really simple but I get telling me how bad their gas mileage is and then they'll say I only went 60 the whole trip. They know because they set cruise. I try to explain but they just can't understand. One thing relevant to your video is, yes semi do this to a point but a lot are literally going as fast as they can up the even small hills. Your truck has as much tq and hp as some of those big trucks so imagine another 60k worth of weight. Some obviously have double the tq you have but you'd be surprised how under powered some of those trucks are

So in Colorado we have lots of speeds in the 75mph- go you just keep at the 65 no matter what or do you do close to posted speeds? I don’t tow anything heavy but have a 2500 ram so still hard to not go fast!

Yeah it’s called a delete for better mpg

15% rpms

I’ve driven more miles backwards than you’ve driven forward…. And I’ve never touched the brake pedal once. - Super Outlaw Trucker

I don't mean this to sound like I'm bashing anyone. But I've been a truck driver for almost 39 years. The trucks aren't backing off the throttle going up hill weight is causing them to slow down. Low rpm while climbing a Hill causes high boost pressure and high e g t. Not good for engine. Better to have a little more rpm and a lot less boost. I do use my cruise when towing my fifth wheel. But automatics wait to long to down shift. I paddle shift to be in the right gear when I start climbing. I realize your fiber is 4000 pounds heavier than mine but as a former diesel pickup owner that switched back to gas. Your economy numbers don't add for me. Just got back from vacation in the smokies. My calculated milage not the dash of the truck. We're 8.8 to 9.14.

Let’s gain 80 miles to pick up the RPM

Let’s get 4 rpm

You are leaving out the wind. Between 70mph and 50 mph you can cut fuel cost by 23 percent.

my 2cents? ...maximizing MPG with GAS or with Diesel are two different things!! In a gas motor (generally speaking) the lower RPM per MPH the better because the the stochiometric ratio of gas demands the same amount of fuel to air... Diesel is different. Diesel burns at a MUCH wider stochiometric ratio than gas. So lower RPM with a diesel is meaningless if you are in the throttle harder. Its much harder to figure out where the Diesel injectors are flowing less diesel than if it were a gas engine. A higher RPM with diesel using less throttle might be better than a lower RPM and higher throttle position.... as well as better EGT control

You have a big load behind you. You really should go about 75 miles an hour.

Nah. The “cars ahead of you” going slower are probably slowing because of the yo-yo’s who don’t use their cruise control. I’d be surprised if your long term average went up enough to matter. All y ou accomplish by turning of your cruise is to become another yo-yo. 1995 E150 w/5.8 351 Windsor. 15.5 MPG@70. The tractor trailers you’re slowing down behind are probably just not paying attention.

I speed up before a hill

Im a long haul truck driver and average 700 to 750 miles a day. When you drive as much as i do, you will really start to see how dangerous it is when you have people driving with there cell phones in their hands and sometimes it hits home and I wonder if I’m going to die on a highway away from my family. I like your channel bro but if your going to make a living off of RU-vid please find a way to make your driving videos with hands free devices.

Aerodynamics are a big deal. Pulling our EMPTY 7x16 cargo trailer the fuel economy drops to half the non towing fuel economy. At 50mph, our Cummins will get 30+ mpg. Speed limit or not. Driving above 65mpg will not yield acceptable mpg. Bought R-95 fuel for $6.96gal yesterday. Cost $102 for half a tank. The fuel price is higher in many other parts of California. When I drove OTR in the 48 and Canada. The joke was, seniors towing trailers or in motor homes. Had a national speed limit of 45mph.

I've always been told to stay out of 6th gear when working that heavy. Unless the tranny's have been upgraded recently it will burn it up (68rfe that is)

You are absolutely WRONG about cruise control, as an OTR truck driver I’ve tried it both ways in different trucks over the years, with very few exceptions, cruise control will absolutely get better mpg over a 600-700 mile day

5.5 mpg??? I think it's time to park that thing and just live in it wherever it's parked. I have been shopping for a Ram Cummins, but maybe I'll just keep my old 93 GMC 3500 SRW with the manual 5-speed transmission that gets 18 miles per gallon empty and 12 mpg pulling the RV and runs just fine on free veggie oil!!! I am beginning to think a Ram Cummins would be a serious downgrade.

Trump 2024

Excellent video! I’ve used this exact approach for many years and it works really well! I use my instant/average mpg gauge and make a game out of it to help pass the time while my bride is napping, or monkeying around with her phone……which is most of the time. 😂😂😂😂