MPG better going east?

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AmeDeBoheme

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On our travels - we have met a few folks who have made mention that coming west across the country you drive into the headwinds making your MPG a bit more than coming back east across the states - doing our projected budget heading back from cali to Maine the next few months and was wondering how much of a difference it actually is. Would love the input of some of you who have done this a few times. Is there that much of a difference? If so, how much?
 
On my old Class C (MinnieWinnie) with a V-10 Ford engine, the MPG would go as low as 6mpg, and the highest I saw was 10.  Yes, the wind makes a HUGE difference.  Towing my 5th wheel I see less difference, the worst being about 10mpg and the best 12mpg.

Of course, all the variation is not entirely due to wind.  Terrain, travel speed, stop/starts all make a difference.  Surprisingly, I actually AVERAGE a slightly better MPG with the diesel truck when going through mountains (Kentucky and Tennessee), I assume this is because the increase in fuel economy going down the hills is greater than the decrease going up the hills - go figure!
 
I find wind direction and wind velocity to be a bigger factor that direction of travel, next to speed of course.
 
Doesn't everyone know it is down hill to the east and uphill to the north?
 
maverickbbd said:
Doesn't everyone know it is down hill to the east and uphill to the north?
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We're actually higher in elevation here in TX than we are in the summer in Milwaukee, WI.  Going West from here is a slow uphill climb to AZ.
 
In my own cross-country experience, we have always achieved better mpg going west to east. Net difference on the order of 0.3 mpg.

It is a gradual climb heading west from the East Coast, so downhill coming back. For example, Denver is at 5000 ft, while the east coast is (obviously) at sea level. But so is the California coast, more or less, so you have to climb the Rockies either way.

There is a difference in prevailing winds too. For most of the year, the winds in the US bow from west to east, or southwest to northeast.
 
From 1998 to 2003, we traveled from AZ to NYST and back, generally the same roads and the same refueling stops. We consistently averaged about 1 mpg better eastbound that the return westbound trip. I chalked it up to prevailing winds since most of the other factors remained constant. We had a diesel pusher pulling a 7,500# open car trailer.
 
Bill

I think you are correct.  It also takes longer to travel west to east because you loose a hour every time you cross a time zone. 
 
If you can figure out a cheap way to keep the RV airborne as you head east, the earth will turn underneath it and the westerly winds will propel it, so you should need zero engine fuel for the trip.  ;)
 
Maybe getting back to the original posters question, perhaps they could budget 1/2 mpg better going east. But be prepared to find no difference or even find the opposite as wind on the days of the trip will be a bigger factor than direction.
 
Pepper3 said:
It won't make a significant difference. Slowing down a little will make a huge difference.
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  Agree!  One can't control the wind or the hills but one can control their speed. 
 
driftless shifter said:
And here I was thinking it was going to be the rotation of the Earth. West to east, right?

Bill
Click to expand...

In a sense, it is.  In the northern hemisphere the prevailing winds are westerlies.  That is why the westside of cities are more upscale and the factories, stockyards, and poor folks tend to be on the east side of town
 
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