Gas Milage

I did the same thing at Costco when the shut off was $100.  I was amazed at the mileage until I also realized what was going on.

I run into that cutoff thing even when filling my silverado.  When i find a station like that that doesn't want to sell me gas, i go elsewhere next time!

blw2 said:

I run into that cutoff thing even when filling my silverado.  When i find a station like that that doesn't want to sell me gas, i go elsewhere next time!

Click to expand...

The thing that fooled me was that I was used to other stations shutting off @ $75 or $100 with my car. This was the 1st time that I used Costco for the coach and I used my Costco/American Express card so when it passed $100, I just figured that it was no limit with that card.

Later I learned that when Costco shuts off @ $150, they allow you to insert the card one more time and continue filling. I did that on the way home and put in $150 then another $20.

Most pumps have a limit for credit cards but will allow a second fill on the same card.  I've often had to use a different card to get 3rd fill when necessary.

We have one card that gives  a 5% rebate if it is used at the pump. With a 150 gallon tank I really like going to Sam's Club because they allow as many restarts as you need.


IIRC City Market used to do that as well but I believe they started charging a fee for credit.

The Costco gas pump did shut off......I them started a 2nd fill up and top off tank all the way

SeilerBird said:

Not everyone. I don't care about my gas mileage so I have never computed my mileage so therefore I could never lie about it. Life is too short to worry about gas mileage. If you are going to buy an RV and worry about gas mileage you have chosen the wrong hobby.

Click to expand...

True , True ...but just in case......9.22 MPG pulling toad and running genny most of the way down and all the way back 710miles with 76+gals...not too shabby but it was downhill to the keys

I'm not trying to beat a dead horse, but in this instance I'll make an exception... I've read about gas millage until my blood is flammable, so here goes a few more questions, and thanks in advance folks!!!

2009 Fleetwood Fiesta 29V LX, just bought this spring and I'm a first timer in the RV gig. It has a Ford truck chassis, 22,000 GVWR and their V-10 with 360hp and a 5 speed trans (4 + OD) also 75 gal tank. There are only 7,500 mi on the odo and 5,400 when I bought it.  Only my wife and I, 118 lbs and 205 lbs (I think you can figure out who's who! Have been on 6 weekend trip all in Michigan and most about 300 miles each way. No water in the tank, nothing heavy, just us and the RV with generator and 24 gal LP tank filled.
Now for the MPG! Never going over 64 with cruse and even kicking it off up steep hills to limit downshifting I cannot beat 6.5 mpg!!!  Shoot, what's going to happen when I throw on a toad which is 2400 lbs?  I agree with the statement, "If you're going to worry about millage then get a different hobby", but all I herd before I bought was, "oh...should get about 9 to 9.5 with that rig!"  The seller said " 9.5 to 10.5" (of course he did), what's he going to say, it's terrible, I think not!!!
So lets get to the questions finally....

1. Could there be something wrong?  It Purrs like a kitten! Can barely tell it's running while idling. New synthetic oil/filter and 95 lbs in the rubber. Trans shifts smooth and seems perfect. Air filter clean and new also.

2. Is 64, 65 too fast. Do I really need to go 55 and have semi after semi pass me like I'm standing still. Even at 63 to 65 there are several that still pass me here in Michigan.

3. Are the folks who say they get 8.5 to 9.5 with there 36 foot gas jobs just telling lies to piss off newbies like me? (I know, almost nobody does anything on purpose. But how can those figures be correct???) Heck, I'd be over joyed with 8.5 or 9, that's what I was expecting. But 6.5 "empty" is, I must say, a shocker.

4. What's going to happen when I hook up the toad, a small Honda S2000 weighing in at 2,400 lbs? Is going to go down to 5.5 mpg?  I mean come on...I can afford and tolerate bad millage but this is much worse than I ever figured!!!  And I am figuring it correctly. I fill the tank up using several clicks after initial shut off. And always at the same CostCo (so far anyway). I just can't believe some of the GAS millage figures I've seen on the net. My friends 27' Class C with same Ford V-10 (Do they make more than one???) says he gets 9.5 to 10.5. (There's those numbers again!) Is it that much lighter?

Sorry so long winded...Your thoughts please, and thanks in advance for reading and/or replying!
Rickford

6 - 6.5 sounds about right to me. Ours weighs 14K# fully loaded and we avg in the low 7's (gotten as low as 5). We drive @ 60MPH.

I doubt the toad will make a noticeable difference. There is very little additional weight and almost zero wind resistance.

BTW....... I don't recall anyone here ever saying that they average 8.5 to 9.5 with their 36 foot gasser..... I've seen comments like that with diesels. I've seen comments on a one time, highest mileage ever, basis. That's usually all down-hill. I don't remember anyone claiming those figures as an average on a gasser though.

42' 2006 Mandalay on the Freightliner XCR chassis with the 400 hp Cummins ISL.

7.5 mpg towing a Durango...about 4,300 pounds.  8.1 mpg not towing.

This is accumulated over 20,000 miles, all east of the Mississippi.

I'm OK with those numbers.

Hi Rickford. First, welcome to the forum. Gas (fuel) mileage is a regular topic here but the truth is, there is no silver-bullet device that's going to significantly improve a motorhome's mileage. You may realize a slight overall improvement by installing aftermarket intake and exhaust systems, or by adding/modifying gear ratios, but many who have done so have said they were disappointed with the results. (Some of those mods are pricey too.)

New RV owners tend to drive their RVs like their cars/pickups and they often have unrealistic expectations about an RV's ability to accelerate, climb hills etc. They'll often put the pedal to the floor, which has little affect on speed, but significant affect on mileage.  In my opinion, the thing that will have the most significant impact on mileage is driver-technique. Every motorhome will have its own "sweet spot" - the speed at which it gets its best mileage. Our 28 foot Class A with a Chevy 454 got 7 MPG at 60 MPH, our 1999 32 foot Class A with a Ford V-10 got slightly less than 9 MPG at 63 MPH and our current MH, a 43 foot diesel-pusher, gets a little more than 7 MPG at 60 MPH. Tow a 5000 lb vehicle and you can expect to lose about half a mile per gallon (roughly).

6.5 MPG seems a bit on the low side but you may be able to improve upon it, somewhat. If knowing your actual MPG and getting the best mileage are high priorities to you, it's important that you take readings over time, not just on individual trips. Keep accurate odometer readings and fill-up records over several thousand miles, and then determine how much fuel you actually consumed in relation to the miles you drove. The fuel computers in RVs are not always real accurate.

Modify driving habits: When approaching intersections and exiting freeways, let up on the accelerator before you normally would in your car - coast more. Accept the fact that your RV is going to accelerate and climb hills slower than what you're used to, so ease up on the accelerator. Use the cruise-control. Experienced drivers can often get better mileage than when using the CC but not most of us. Try 60-65 MPH (tops) on the freeway. Lastly, try to not to worry too much about mileage. Be practical and do what you can, but take time to smell the roses. Life is short.

Kev

8.5 at what speed?

A Traveler said:

42' 2006 Mandalay on the Freightliner XCR chassis with the 400 hp Cummins ISL.

7.5 mpg towing a Durango...about 4,300 pounds.  8.1 mpg not towing.

This is accumulated over 20,000 miles, all east of the Mississippi.

I'm OK with those numbers.

Click to expand...

at what speed?

Deano2002 said:

at what speed?

Click to expand...

Deano2002........ I agree with Kevin Means. What MPG that one coach gets @ an avg speed has little to do with what another coach can achieve at the same or different speeds. It has to do with the body design, length, weight, gear ratio, geographic area etc. Each coach, location and each driver are unique. Barometric pressure and humidity even figure into the equation. Headwinds make a significant difference (up to 50% reduction in strong headwinds). Every trip in the same coach over the same trip will bring different results.

As Kevin Means stated, the most influence that one can have on MPG is driving technique.

BTW Deano2002...... if your engine is not a fuel injected engine (I don't know if it is), your MPG will be less than later model engines with FI.

Driving from Arkedelphia ARK to the DFW area I was bucking a head hind with rolling hills. 1993 34' chevy gasser, with toad on dolly, a bit over weight, could hardly get over 60 mph. Never got into overdrive 3000 rpm or better all day, got about 3 MPG. My cooling system renovation and upgrades worked spectacularly. It is what it is, wanna play, gotta pay. An RV gets great mileage compared to power boats!

Bill

driftless shifter said:

Driving from Arkedelphia ARK to the DFW area I was bucking a head hind with rolling hills. 1993 34' chevy gasser, with toad on dolly, a bit over weight, could hardly get over 60 mph. Never got into overdrive 3000 rpm or better all day, got about 3 MPG. My cooling system renovation and upgrades worked spectacularly. It is what it is, wanna play, gotta pay. An RV gets great mileage compared to power boats!

Bill

Click to expand...

you should have turned around and picked a different destination!  Might have peaked 15MPG!!!!

blw2 said:

you should have turned around and picked a different destination!  Might have peaked 15MPG!!!!

Click to expand...

Nah, those are both one of those days ya just throw the numbers out when computing overall MPG! It is what it is. My sweet spot for engine and tranny is faster than the sweet spot for MPG. Everything is happier at 65. Less laboring uphill, better operating temps as well. Unless of course you push it to extremes. I tend to ease off the throttle pulling long grades, foot on the floor doesn't always produce the most power, sometimes it just makes the Wookie under the dog house howl louder!

Bill

driftless shifter said:

Driving from Arkedelphia ARK to the DFW area I was bucking a head hind with rolling hills. 1993 34' chevy gasser, with toad on dolly, a bit over weight, could hardly get over 60 mph. Never got into overdrive 3000 rpm or better all day, got about 3 MPG. My cooling system renovation and upgrades worked spectacularly. It is what it is, wanna play, gotta pay. An RV gets great mileage compared to power boats!

Bill

Click to expand...

This is a good example of what can be achieved if one so desires. I'm no knocking "driftless shifter" at all....... He knew what he was doing and made a choice that suited him and that's fine.

Another driver might have chosen to slow down to 40MPH to save fuel. If a driver is bucking a 20MPH headwind and keeping the coach speed @ 60MPH, the coach is experiencing the same wind resistance as it would if the driver were driving @ 80MPH. If that same driver chose to drive @ 40MPH, the wind resistance would be the same as if he were driving his normal 60MPH. The mileage would probably still suffer because the engine is running at a lower RPM and has less torque to drive the coach but the MPG would be better by far than trying to keep the coach at normal driving speed.

It all depends on one's priorities. If one is doing a 400 mile trip that day and doesn't want to drive for 10 hours @ 40MPH, one may be willing to put up with the lower MPG and arrive at the destination in 7 hours by driving @ 60MPH. The thing to consider is that the 7 hour trip may take 133G of gas @ 3MPG instead of taking one's time @ 40MPH and using possibly 80G of gas @ 5MPG and paying $212 more for that extra 53G of gas @ $4 per gallon. That works out to about to about $70 an hour for the 3 hours saved at the higher speed.

I have been working on fuel mileage on different vehicles for a number of years and have found that most people with negative thoughts have never started with an accurate base line. That is over a group of different situations from weather, to load to direction to wind, etc.  Once you have an accurate #  MPG.  Start then to make these changes.  Flush and clean engine transmission and differential  lubricants  if they are conventional petroleum based fluids. Replace them with High end  SYNTHETIC Oils  preferably with good polymers as e.p. additives. Add a good high filtration rate  bypass filter to engine and leave spin-on on.  There are numerous other item that add to the benefit of better mileage but if you start there and average over some time  you WILL enjoy at least 10%.

Whos is checking their speedo accuracy compared to GPS speedo? , my 25ft Class C Cummins diesel is giving me 15.2 MPG at 65mph (Dash ) but the GPS is telling me it is doing 60mph so there is a correction needed. but still really happy with the MPG's