Adobe2X

Our truck is a 2012 Max Tow EcoBoost SCAB. I've got to admit that I was very disappointed with the mpg while towing our TT, as we rarely got over 8 mpg even while towing at 60 mph.

Here is the old setup that yielded that result:

4 Ply Goodyear Wranglers, inflated to 40 psi.
Denali 289 RKS, dry weight of 7,550 pounds and a tongue weight of 1,000 pounds.
TT had a pretty vertical front end, and hardly sloped back at all.
Original factory spark plugs, gapped at .040.
87 octane gas --- yes, even though I was towing.
Drove at 60 mph or less to try to get best mpg.

Here is the new setup that is getting me nearly 11 mpg:

10 Ply Michelin LTX MS2's inflated to 58 psi. If you are towing, you NEED these tires. The difference in directional stability is nothing short of transformational, and I have not activated the anti-sway even once with these new tires, but often did with the old squishy sidewall Goodyears.
Keystone Bullet 279 RLSWE, with a dry weight of 5,400 pounds and a tongue weight of 550.
New TT has a much more aerodynamic more sloped-back front end.
New 534 plugs, gapped at .030.
92 octane gas for the entire trip.
Driving at 65 mph, as the truck feels that much better with the new tires etc. If we drove at 60, I'll bet we could easily get near 12 mpg, which would be a 50% improvement. Now, THAT is significant!

Now, instead of eeking out 8 mpg, I am averaging over 10.8 mpg. We are driving faster, feeling more safe, AND saving big $$'s on our gas bill this vacation.

Wannafbody

I agree about the E load range tires and higher air pressure helping mileage.

Adobe2X

I think that for the total weight (11,300 pounds) that the Max Tow is "rated" to tow, that the LT rated tires of some type should be mandatory.
I can't imagine towing that much on the soft 4 plies that are standard. Seems practically dangerous to me to tow that kind of weight on those squirrelly sidewalls.

S197Mach1

you shaved 2000 pounds and are using a higher octane gas which gives you better fuel economy(if I'm reading your statements correctly)....

Should repeat with previous trailer and octane rating.

Bigbirt

Apples to oranges. Different trailer, half the tongue weight, more aerodynamic....

zx12-iowa

I noticed this as well. Apples to oranges.

king nothing

Results mean nothing with a different trailer

pprior

Have to agree - the trailer can make a huge difference so hard to know how much the other contributors are in effect.

xcntrk

Yeah, the difference here is the 2k lb of trailer weight plus different frontal area.

For example, I can tow my 7k lb car hauler with Bronco on it and get 12+ mpg (low frontal area resistance), but when I tow my 7k lb enclosed travel-trailer I get 9 mpg (high frontal area resistance).

Adobe2X

Folks........I never attributed the increase in my mpg to any one single item of the different things that I changed. Yes, it would have been nice to change one thing at a time and then drive a 1,000 miles to empirically diagnose what one thing may have increased my mpg the most......but I still think that this information is important to folks considering a TT:
Get the 10 ply tires
Get the lightest TT that meets your needs
Even 8,800 pounds of the rated 11,300 is going to seriously affect your mpg (yes, this surprised and disappointed me and had I known, I would have bought a lighter one sooner)
Buy the TT that has the best aero you can find
It comes down to this for folks considering towing --- do you want to get 7.8 mpg or do you want to get 12?

The effects of what I changed were merely listed for those who would want to know -- perhaps before looking for a TT. And we don't do just a couple of hundred miles a year towing, we do thousands --- so my post was very important to my bottom line, as it may be to others.