Looking to Mod my new Longhorn for MPG

[SnowBlaZR2]

You say you baby your truck to easily get 20 mpg, why do you need the Hemi, sounds like you really hate the Diesels, would it not be more of an advantage to get the Pentastar V6.
I’m also curious what was the mpg while towing the trailer for 3,000 miles, and what kind of trailer?

No, no. That's not what I said. 20 mpg is easy. When I baby it, I'm getting close to what you're seeing, and I still get the Hemi.

I'm around 12 mpg towing a camper that's probably about the least aerodynamic thing you can put behind a truck.

 

[ferraiolo1]

Still love to see that eco screen after 400 miles of your babying it.


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[SnowBlaZR2]

Still love to see that eco screen after 400 miles of your babying it.


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Patience. April will be here soon enough.

 

[Louhound88]

Bed covers over zero benefit for dual mileage anymore

Zero benefit for mpg seems a bit inaccurate. It may be negligible in some cases but a light weight bed cover has given me slight 1 to 2 mpg improvements on past trucks when highway driving. Just as easily could bump the cruise setpoint from 65 to 62 mph and get the same result.

Truck mpg is just a tool I use to buy more things for my trucks lol. The illusion of costs savings allows me to buy things I want, even if it can never truly be achieved.

 

[Bt10]

Zero benefit for mpg seems a bit inaccurate. It may be negligible in some cases but a light weight bed cover has given me slight 1 to 2 mpg improvements on past trucks when highway driving. Just as easily could bump the cruise setpoint from 65 to 62 mph and get the same result.

Truck mpg is just a tool I use to buy more things for my trucks lol. The illusion of costs savings allows me to buy things I want, even if it can never truly be achieved.

It's also a good wife excuse.

 

[Louhound88]

It's also a good wife excuse.

Yeah that's what I meant. lol. Usually i'll pitch the idea that this new thing will help my mpg or not impact it too much. Then granny drive it for a few weeks to show the results, then it's back wide open and all that was gained was lost. Gone are the days where she believes me during my pitch, but it helps me justify things in my own mind mostly.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Zero benefit for mpg seems a bit inaccurate. It may be negligible in some cases but a light weight bed cover has given me slight 1 to 2 mpg improvements on past trucks when highway driving. Just as easily could bump the cruise setpoint from 65 to 62 mph and get the same result.

Truck mpg is just a tool I use to buy more things for my trucks lol. The illusion of costs savings allows me to buy things I want, even if it can never truly be achieved.

There have been documented instances of bed covers reducing MPG. You are disrupting the "natural" airflow over the truck it was designed to have.

 

[Rebelguy2020]

No, no. That's not what I said. 20 mpg is easy. When I baby it, I'm getting close to what you're seeing, and I still get the Hemi.

I'm around 12 mpg towing a camper that's probably about the least aerodynamic thing you can put behind a truck.

It looks like you get the best gas mileage in America, it helps that Florida is so flat, close to sea level and warm compared to the northern states.
You’re right a camper is a real damper for gas/fuel mileage, I’ve towed my 8x16 enclosed trailer (not V nose) for many miles, 2300 lbs empty, the mpg was very close loaded or empty, the bigger difference was the head wind, 17 mpg with a head wind, the front of the trailer was buckling with the wind gusts, up to 21 mpg with little to no wind. Note that it’s mpg for the Canadian gallon.
I bought a small 14 1/2 foot travel trailer, single axle, with full propane and fresh water it’s under 2500 lbs, it’s 7 feet wide. Last summer we did a 1500 mile trip, I could not believe the wind drag that little camper has, I really though it would pull so much easier than the enclosed trailer, thinking it’s the same weight and being a foot narrower, the big difference is the enclosed trailer sit a lot lower. I did achieve the same fuel mileage for both trailers, still disappointing because I was expecting mid 20’s. We will be traveling across North America in the summer months.
I also have a 1999 29 foot travel trailer, back then the trailer had drop axles, they sat a lot lower, the problem was the sewage connection were really close to the ground and could get ripped off, it happened to me on my 1979 trailer.
On my 1999 trailer I moved the drop axles from the top of the leaf spring to the bottom of the leaf spring, it raised the trailer more than 6” I needed the ground clearance to go on rough bush roads.

This summer before our trip to Newfoundland I will move the axle from the bottom of the leaf springs to the top of the leaf springs, it will drop the trailer height by more than 6” I’m going to install a steel guard around the sewage connection for protection. I will also install a skirt at my rear bumper and at the front of the trailer to stop debris and wind from hitting the lower part of the trailer. When there is less wind going under the truck and trailer, it reduces the down draft between the truck and trailer creating less wind drag. Hopefully my predictions will prove themselves.

 

[Louhound88]

There have been documented instances of bed covers reducing MPG. You are disrupting the "natural" airflow over the truck it was designed to have.

Yeah I could see that. Though my past experience was with a 2016 silverado and a 20 gladiator. Silverado saw a few mpg increase, and the gladiator maybe a little better. Not sure any design considerations were made for either of those, especially the gladiator.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Yeah I could see that. Though my past experience was with a 2016 silverado and a 20 gladiator. Silverado saw a few mpg increase, and the gladiator maybe a little better. Not sure any design considerations were made for either of those, especially the gladiator.

I'm sure the gladiator being a square brick on wheels probably didn't have a lot of aero design built into it for fuel mileage sinces it's a "off-road" designed vehicle.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

It looks like you get the best gas mileage in America, it helps that Florida is so flat, close to sea level and warm compared to the northern states.
You’re right a camper is a real damper for gas/fuel mileage, I’ve towed my 8x16 enclosed trailer (not V nose) for many miles, 2300 lbs empty, the mpg was very close loaded or empty, the bigger difference was the head wind, 17 mpg with a head wind, the front of the trailer was buckling with the wind gusts, up to 21 mpg with little to no wind. Note that it’s mpg for the Canadian gallon.
I bought a small 14 1/2 foot travel trailer, single axle, with full propane and fresh water it’s under 2500 lbs, it’s 7 feet wide. Last summer we did a 1500 mile trip, I could not believe the wind drag that little camper has, I really though it would pull so much easier than the enclosed trailer, thinking it’s the same weight and being a foot narrower, the big difference is the enclosed trailer sit a lot lower. I did achieve the same fuel mileage for both trailers, still disappointing because I was expecting mid 20’s. We will be traveling across North America in the summer months.
I also have a 1999 29 foot travel trailer, back then the trailer had drop axles, they sat a lot lower, the problem was the sewage connection were really close to the ground and could get ripped off, it happened to me on my 1979 trailer.
On my 1999 trailer I moved the drop axles from the top of the leaf spring to the bottom of the leaf spring, it raised the trailer more than 6” I needed the ground clearance to go on rough bush roads.

This summer before our trip to Newfoundland I will move the axle from the bottom of the leaf springs to the top of the leaf springs, it will drop the trailer height by more than 6” I’m going to install a steel guard around the sewage connection for protection. I will also install a skirt at my rear bumper and at the front of the trailer View attachment 123479to stop debris and wind from hitting the lower part of the trailer. When there is less wind going under the truck and trailer, it reduces the down draft between the truck and trailer creating less wind drag. Hopefully my predictions will prove themselves.

Our camper has what the manufacturer calls a “Tilt–Forward Design” which is great for interior space, but a killer on aerodynamics.

 

[Louhound88]

I'm sure the gladiator being a square brick on wheels probably didn't have a lot of aero design built into it for fuel mileage sinces it's a "off-road" designed vehicle.

Yeah, a jeep cab with a cow trough attached to the back wasn't built with wind in mind.

 

[Rebelguy2020]

Our camper has what the manufacturer calls a “Tilt–Forward Design” which is great for interior space, but a killer on aerodynamics.

View attachment 123480

Neat looking camper, It looks slightly narrower than mine and close to the same length. I believe you that it must drag you down, the design would actually increase the airflow going downward between your truck and trailer, I don’t think a skirt on the bumper would help much. I will post my modification results in the summer.
Don’t be fooled by the picture I had posted of my wife’s Jeep towing the camper and my truck towing the enclosed trailer, it was taken last summer, there is over 3 feet of snow in my neck of the woods. The Jeep is rated to tow 4,000 lbs but it would really suck the gas by being so much lower than the camper.