MPG discussion

Topic: MPG discussion (Read 2375 times) previous topic - next topic

MPG discussion

July 24, 2013, 11:40:12 am

Quote from: RRadio – July 24, 2013, 12:06:13 am

Everyone thinks newer is better when nothing could be further from the truth in my experience. The next year newer would have cost me almost twice as much at the time. Even when I tried to sell it the Foretravel dealer told me nobody wanted this narrow body model and that I might as well junk it if it doesn't run. People always told me that about my 1965 Impala until just a few years ago. Now everybody wants to buy it from me and they chase me around town yelling at me across lanes of traffic while I'm trying to drive!

I could not have said it better!! We're getting 11 to 12 mpg from our narrow (by only six inches!) motorhome with almost the same living space inside as newer coaches. We also love state parks, national forest campgrounds, COE parks and National Parks (where we also get terrific prices due to our lifetime passes). I see new motor homes at the RV shows and come away thinking that our little old U225 is nicer and fits our lifestyle better. And is paid for.

I just wish I had *MY* 1965 Chevrolet Impala 4-speed with the 327 engine back!!! (Not to mention the 1956 Porsche 356A I had just before I got the Chevy.) I guess I should just be content with those memories, huh?

Michelle might want to move this.

Craig

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #1 – July 24, 2013, 03:21:43 pm

Yup! Bet she will! Us older guys loose much........ Even If..we don't get it, we are told that in short order. sigh.
Oh yes! I meant tools and stuff!!!

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #2 – July 24, 2013, 05:54:42 pm

Craig,
What am i doing wrong since I average between 8.2 and 9.1 miles per gallon. Your milage is awsome!
300hp cat3208T

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #3 – July 24, 2013, 06:15:30 pm

Craig has a lighter coach with smaller engine.

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #4 – July 24, 2013, 07:02:29 pm

Quote from: fouroureye – July 24, 2013, 05:54:42 pm

Craig,
What am i doing wrong since I average between 8.2 and 9.1 miles per gallon. Your milage is awsome!
300hp cat3208T

Well, first of all I am a little lighter than you are and since we do not full-time the coach is not packed with food, clothes, etc.

2. I always drive with the cruise-control ON when we're on the highway and traffic permits.

3. We have a Banks Stinger on a 5.9 Cummins. The engine itself is pretty well known as an efficient engine (my Dodge pickup with the same engine gets over 20mpg. The worst it got was 12mpg with the 29' Alpenlite 5er. People say that the Banks will not improve fuel mileage but I have not found that to be the case. The Banks system improves torque and HP and if you use it all for speed then they're right. But if you don't drive fast then your fuel mileage is bound to improve. I try to drive smoothly and with fuel economy in mind. The Banks outfit claims up to 75 more hp and 171 lb-ft torque gain with the Stinger on the 5.9L mechanical Cummins.

4. I don't drive faster than 61mph on the highway. The truck speed limit in this state (WA) is 60 so I figure that's good enough for me. I don't barrel up to an exit and then slam on the brakes when we get close to the stop sign. I let the coach decelerate before the exit, hit the PacBrake and then, finally, the air brakes but by that time we're going pretty slow.

5. We have a PacBrake but I only use that in the hills, off ramps, and heavy traffic. Usually only as needed.

6. We only have 3,000 miles on the coach so the long-term average is still not in.

7. About half of the mileage is without a toad. We've taken bicycles along but they don't weigh much.

We only have a 4-speed transmission so I like to use the 5th speed someone here on the forum mentioned a few years back: coasting. The Allison MT643 tranny really does coast very well.

Maybe the mileage numbers will go down after a while but so far we've never had a tankful that got less than 10mpg (first trip through the Cascades on I-90 was 300 miles with a Kia Optima on a tow dolly). I was just learning how to drive the rig and every trip has been better.

Craig

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #5 – July 24, 2013, 07:46:36 pm

Craig,
I don't think you will notice any difference towing, at least I don't. But I must admit that I have not hit 12 mph yet. Come close but haven't fully gotten there.
Pat

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #6 – July 24, 2013, 10:43:40 pm

11.7 avg here but only over 450 miles so am still suspicious. Doing a toad trip in october, and doing Yellowstone next spring, we'll know more then. But going easy on the throttle and keeping it under 65 will help, as will running through the engine several bottles of lubro moly diesel purge. It seems to do a dandy job of cleaning injectors.

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #7 – July 24, 2013, 11:18:46 pm

With my electronic engine and a VMSpc, I get to see my actual mileage...even from the beginning. When I bought my coach, I added the VMSpc and saw that the first nearly 40,000 miles had only netted the previous owners 6.9 MPG overall average from the ISL400. 40,000 miles later, my latest 3800 mile trip (towing 4400 lbs) netted me 9.0 MPG, and my overall mileage has now worked its way up to 7.5. I have had 10.0 mpg trips when not towing and lightly loaded, but an 9.0 trip seems to be the norm. It must have been terrible as the engine was first broken in (Foretravel put the first 24,000 miles on it).

Nice not having to try to compensate/consider what the generator takes, as that fuel doesn't go through the Cummins ECU to be counted and reported by the VMPpc.

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #8 – July 25, 2013, 07:08:10 am

Towing costs me a half a mpg. When I am tow less i will get 8.6 to the grandkids house when I pull the wrangler 8.1. Now I am pulling a Grand Cherokee, so I will have to see what it does to the mileage

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #9 – July 25, 2013, 09:17:32 am

Quote from: twobus – July 24, 2013, 10:43:40 pm

11.7 avg here but only over 450 miles so am still suspicious. Doing a toad trip in october, and doing Yellowstone next spring, we'll know more then. But going easy on the throttle and keeping it under 65 will help, as will running through the engine several bottles of lubro moly diesel purge. It seems to do a dandy job of cleaning injectors.

It took me about 1100 miles to start to understand how to drive our motor home without being heavy-footed on both pedals. We keep a logbook just like we did on the boat when we were cruising that details the trip, fuel, oil, etc. One big difference is that I used to take sights on prominent points, lights, buildings, etc. when we anchored so a quick check with the hang compass would tell me if we were dragging.

And the awning is a LOT easier to stow on the motor home.

Craig

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #10 – July 25, 2013, 04:10:42 pm

Quote

Nice not having to try to compensate/consider what the generator takes, as that fuel doesn't go through the Cummins ECU to be counted and reported by the VMPpc.

Hey, Brad, I never thought of that! Makes sense.

Speaking of mileage, our 320 weighed 1,030 pounds more than our 300 (both loaded the same). They have close to the same engines (ISM 450hp vs. M11 400hp) and tow similar weight toads. I drive them about the same, 60 to 65 using a lot of cruise and usually in "mode" in rolling hills. The 300, however, according to the VMS is getting close to 10 while the 320 would usually get 8 to 8 and a half. Kind of an unexpected bonus.
jor

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #11 – July 25, 2013, 04:20:43 pm

I am very envious concerning the 11-12 mpg with the 5.9BT Cummins as my Freightliner FL60 with the 5.9 BT w/CAC and Allison 545 crane truck that is 14,000 lb normal travel weight can only muster about 9.5-10 if driven mildly. It is a 195 HP version and runs 65 mph at about 2600 rpm.
Just envious and curious.

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #12 – July 25, 2013, 07:30:42 pm

"How many miles per gallon?" I get this question all the time. I am happy with low 8's. range is mid 7's to mid 9's. It all depends on the roads, the wind, driving speed, towing or not and of course the driver. My answer is that our coach uses everything we put in it, sometimes faster than others. I like to include the miles and fuel used by our Jeep Wrangler and come up with a fleet average MPG rating. It is not uncommon for the Jeep to be driven 1/3 to 1/2 of the miles the coach is driven on any given trip.

Roger and Susan

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #13 – July 25, 2013, 07:38:15 pm

Quote from: Dave M – July 25, 2013, 04:20:43 pm

I am very envious concerning the 11-12 mpg with the 5.9BT Cummins as my Freightliner FL60 with the 5.9 BT w/CAC and Allison 545 crane truck that is 14,000 lb normal travel weight can only muster about 9.5-10 if driven mildly. It is a 195 HP version and runs 65 mph at about 2600 rpm.
Just envious and curious.

Dave... I suspect that windage has a lot to do with it. And gearing. And tires. As well as how they tuned the engine. It would not surprise me to learn that a truck carrying a crane moves a lot more air out of the way than a U225 when going down the road. (Plus the U225 is enclosed for about 2/3 of its body length.)

Craig

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #14 – July 25, 2013, 07:57:45 pm

My 93 U225 averaged about 8.5 mpg. Sometimes we would get over 11 mpg but you can't really judge on single trips or a couple of tanks of fuel. I always suspected that the Banks System would improve mileage so I am not challenging Craig's numbers but a standard BT5.9 at 62 mph will probably be 8.5 to 9 mpg over tens of thousands of miles.

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #15 – July 25, 2013, 08:03:15 pm

I have read and reread Craigs wonderful claims and wish it was true on Kent's U225 that we bought and drove another 7000 miles. I remember getting from 6.78 to 9.4 per tank. The info went with the coach when we sold it in the logbook. I so wish that Kent had installed the Banks before selling me the coach.

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #16 – July 25, 2013, 08:09:56 pm

Dave, if you hadn't been towing an Army Tank, Chevy Avalanche, you wouldn't have gotten the 6.78.

Lead Foot!!!

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #17 – July 25, 2013, 08:12:22 pm

Or towing the 18' Work & Play toy hauler!

But got to say the new coach tows the tank Avalanche very well. And the Banks system for the C8.3 is less money than for the 5.9, so we might just see that in the future.

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #18 – July 26, 2013, 11:28:09 am

Our first coach, SOB 37' DP, got about 9 mpg. It had the Cummins B5.9 with Allison 6 speed. My recollection is that it weighed about 23,000#. We did not tow. We drove it the same way we drive the U295 and drove many of the same roads. We get a bit over 7 mpg with the U295.

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #19 – July 26, 2013, 02:04:16 pm

Tne U295 we have with the Banks stinger and resonator gets min 9mpg on a trip unless it is all mtns and slow driving. I drive around 60 and on the trips to Mexico etc and across Canada and States 2 yrs ago it totalled 9 and as good as 10 mpg even with the tracker behind and lots of canned friut and wine with us.
Keeping an eye on the VMS pc helps too
John H

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #20 – July 26, 2013, 02:30:34 pm

I gotta fess up, the last venture Thru Wy, Mt, Co, Ka, Ok, Tx and back home over 4700 miles, the average per the VMSpc was 7.5 mpg. Considering towing the Ford pickup woth the ATV ( heavy), temps in the upper 90"s, miles of strong head winds, miles of quartering winds ant as high as 6500' elevation, and most driving in the 70+ish, am not unhappy, yes 35 mpg would be nice, but I still am in the real world.

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #21 – July 26, 2013, 02:39:52 pm

I am tempted to install the 3" resonator/muffler (3050 I think) on the U225 even though people I respect for knowing lots more than I do about that sort of thing tell me it's a waste of time with my puny engine. Only about $200 worth of parts and a few hours of cutting and fitting. Bet it would sound better.

Not to mention getting rid of about 200 pounds of ugly muffler!

Craig

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #22 – July 26, 2013, 02:44:08 pm

Don't laugh, the resonator will make you happier despite what your experts are preaching.

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #23 – July 26, 2013, 03:03:18 pm

Quote from: Dave M – July 26, 2013, 02:30:34 pm

I gotta fess up, the last venture Thru Wy, Mt, Co, Ka, Ok, Tx and back home over 4700 miles, the average per the VMSpc was 7.5 mpg. Considering towing the Ford pickup woth the ATV ( heavy), temps in the upper 90"s, miles of strong head winds, miles of quartering winds ant as high as 6500' elevation, and most driving in the 70+ish, am not unhappy, yes 35 mpg would be nice, but I still am in the real world.

7.11 on my 97. All the weather mentioned. Somewhat faster at times. Sometimes slower on the interstate where the truckers can blow by me. Ran a certain extra amount of gen times as the batteries were weak and aqua hot. Rarely plugged in

Re: MPG discussion

Reply #24 – July 26, 2013, 04:17:31 pm

We spend 6 months a year in the coach and travel light. We don't dry camp more then 2 or 3 days at a time so I don't have more then 1/2 a tank of fresh water, gray and black ET, and fuel most of the time under 3/4 full. With a range of all but 1500 miles why fill the tank? Our toad weights about 3100 LBS. About 10,000 miles for the season on the coach and 12,000 on the toad .For us that's about 1060 gallons of diesel and 430 gallons of gas.That's an avg of 14.76 mpg, better then pulling a 5th wheel with a pickup? Gam

Affiliate Notice