Wannafbody

I find it hard to believe that load range D or E tires hurt gas mileage so bad, especially considering that you can run higher pressures in them for less rolling resistance.

Scarlet

I have an '11 Lariat with the 6.2. Bare with me, I'll get to the towing part soon....I just took a trip out to my place in West Virginia. Was going out to pick up my Polaris Ranger that's been there since shotgun season in November, and to check things out. From where I live here in Delaware it's about a 265 mile trip. On this trip I stopped at my sisters in Maryland, spent the night, then we took the trip together. She's along the way so the trip ended up being about 271 miles one way. On the first leg to her house (88 miles) I averaged 18.3 mpg, with a high of 20.3 on level ground. mostly 60 mph with short bursts of 65-70 for traffic. Mostly flat and with crosswinds. The next leg which was out to West Virginia (183 miles) It was flat, then hilly, then thru the mountains on rt.70w and then rt.68w between Frederick, MD. to Cumberland, MD., then rt. 220 to Burlington, WV.. On that leg it was an average of 16.4 mpg., with a high of 18.6 mpg. We hit rush hour in some spots, some bad crosswinds, and rain in spots. The overall trip out was 17 mpg.. Now the trip home. I was towing a 7x14 enclosed V-nose tandem axle trailer with my Polaris Ranger HD and some equipment. Loaded weight was in the 3,400-3,600 lb. range. Then my sister, myself and about 250 lbs. of stuff in the bed of the truck. So, the first leg to her house (183 miles) was back out of the mountains, nice weather, some crosswinds but not bad, and traffic was moving fine. We averaged 60 mph with a few bursts of 65 mph to get around some trucks. Average when we got to her home was 10.76 mpg, with a high of 12 mpg on level ground. Then, from her home to mine (88 miles) was on mostly level ground with some hilly areas, nice weather, but dead against the wind, and some slow traffic. By the time I got home I had averaged 10 mpg, with a high of 10.7 mpg. The Overall Trip was about 543 miles, used 41.8 gallons of fuel and with an average of 13 mpg. That doesn't include the few local trips we did out there and around our properties.

sportster07

My V10 F-250 gets 10 mpg daily driving and 9 towing. Neither are impressive but it's always consistant.

brulaz

Really does depend upon the overall weight and type of tire. When I switched to LTX MS/2 LT-Es from the pirelli, I sold my heavy 20" rims and went down to 17". Figure the overall weight change was a wash. My towing mileage before was 12.3mpgUS and 12.4mpgUS after with the old, 4000#, 55sqft frontal area, trailer.

brulaz

Pretty sure the Ecoboost max torque is around 380 ft-#, and the RAM Eco diesel max torque is 406 ft-#. Not a huge difference anyway. Both max are at relatively low rpms compared to normal, un-turboed gassers.

murf

420 ft/lbs torque for the Eco

acadianbob

Yes. The weight of the tire definitely affects fuel mileage. The heavier the tire, the worse the gas mileage.

Different vehicle but same principle, I put a wider, heavier tire on my VW Jetta and my highway mileage went from 33 to 30. I drove a lot of highway miles for business so know that for a fact.

brulaz

Right you guys are. Thanks for that.

ecobeest

Keep your eye on the go go pedal also! Especially when hauling. That extra few MPH will kill you in the long run. You're hauling a house on wheels, sit back, enjoy and don't rush it. Just remember when you get to your destination your only 'work' will be unhitch and crack open a beer.

I putter along in the right hand lane, only passing when I absolutely have to when pulling my 5'r. That's not to say I endanger anyone by driving too slow, but I usually drive right around the speed limit or a few MPH less when towing. If anyone wants to pass me, let em.

murf

^ exactly. A 5mph drop hauling 8,000lbs can equate to a MPG or 2 even. I drive the speed limit or a couple mph under. No rush.