Average Fuel mileage

Topic: Average Fuel mileage (Read 2183 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #25 – June 07, 2020, 04:50:36 pm

Sweet spot on an ism is 1500 rpm. I noticed that I lost less than the .1 mpg per mph above 55 from 1350 to 1500. After that I lost more. Was almost better mpg to run 5th at 1500 versus 6th at 1350 or so. Subtle maybe but seemed to be true.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #26 – June 07, 2020, 06:29:56 pm

Bob, probably better to run 6th on the flat with a tailwind and 5th if into a wind and gradually climbing over 50 miles or so. Lower EGTs turning more revs.

I've had to drop 2 inches on a prop as I could not keep the cylinder head temps below 400 degrees. From a high cylinder of about 460º down to 380º at the same speed.

Pierce

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #27 – June 07, 2020, 06:41:47 pm

Boring

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #28 – June 07, 2020, 07:37:55 pm

That's a good read Wolfe. Thanks. I'll stay at 65 and 100 psi for overall in the middle performance

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #29 – June 07, 2020, 09:57:35 pm

Your sweet spot may be 70. Mine is. Cm Fore liked the go faster. Try it. Maybe the same. Maybe not.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #30 – June 08, 2020, 02:54:05 am

My sweet spot is 62. I do so much driving in California while towing, with a (soft) 55 limit, and my toad has a 65 limit four down. I'm comfortable at 62.

My coach lifetime mpg was 8.5 when I bought it in 2008. Now it's just under 8. I've seen as low as 7 and as high as 10. It is what it is.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #31 – June 08, 2020, 10:47:29 am

Quote from: Tom Lang – June 08, 2020, 02:54:05 am

It is what it is.

Exactly. I don't worry about it. If you want to, don't drive a class A. Get a Sprinter van.
In the meantime, drive slower, drive less miles, and enjoy your life.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #32 – June 08, 2020, 10:55:44 am

Yes. No hurry here or I would fly!

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #33 – June 08, 2020, 11:11:53 am

Sprinters are excellent vehicles and are great for certain applications. But Sprinter campers START at about $80K and for someone in the market for an RV in the $4K to $20K market where quite a few older Foretravels are, the Sprinter is totally out of the budget. So, an average Foretravel will get 8 mpg over it's life compared to 16 mpg for a Sprinter. If you drive 10K/yr you are going to use 1250 gallons and at $3/gal, that's $3750/yr for the Foretravel fuel compared to $1875 for Sprinter diesel. That's the big reason we have and love our U300 and not making payments on a Sprinter.

Sure, we would like to spend less on diesel (and now it's cheaper) but it's a pretty nice way to camp for what we have to spend.

Pierce

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #34 – June 08, 2020, 02:46:36 pm

My 1993 U225 with a 5.9 Cummins averages 9.2 pulling a Samurai. I cruise at about 2000 rpm.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #35 – June 08, 2020, 10:52:49 pm

No arguments from me there Pierce. But you can get a sprinter van conversion for a lot less than 80k and you can get a used sprinter van or a Dodge sprinter and do the conversion yourself for a lot less as well. Either way you're not going to have the room, the volume, the storage capacity, the towing capacity or the overall quality that you have with a foretravel.
But as I said for people that are concerned about mileage a sprinter van will get you twice the amount of mileage. Which isn't really all that good when you consider the fact that a Foretravel weighs a whole lot more and has so much more volume.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #36 – June 08, 2020, 11:28:35 pm

I mostly dry camp so I need large holding tanks and short rv's just don't have them. My 99 Bounder was wonderful but the ride was awful and it couldn't pull over 4000 and had a bad feeling going downhill with only hydraulic disc brakes. That said, it was very reliable and tons of storage. The Ford F-53 chassis was ok. The FT is pure luxury and fun to restore. Just another chapter in my life and for now, I'm really enjoying it. This first year is a total learning experience. Next year, Lord willing, will be more enjoyment and less feeling ignorant.
Sure enjoy this forum and the FT tech line. Couldn't due it without them

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #37 – June 08, 2020, 11:42:06 pm

Naturally you can't expect anything like a Foretravel in a Sprinter. It's made for a different age and lifestyle. Yes, a generalization as older folks do find their way to a Sprinter and vice versa. Don't think many will tow anything but a boat but they can park downtown, explore desert roads, where no Foretravel will dare to go. They are more for the oversized VW Vanagon crowd. The Sprinter does fill the bill for those who want to bring it home and park in the driveway and then run to the store in it with the kids.

Sure you can buy a Sprinter shell fairly cheap and convert it but then, we are not talking about buying a older Foretravel shell and rebuilding it either. Plus, at the average age of forum members, how many are going to do that? Members have purchased older Foretravels for less than $5K, Find me a Sprinter camper for that, plus keeping in mind that like Foretravels and SOBs, Sprinter RVs vary hugely from one company to another in quality.

Pierce

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #38 – June 09, 2020, 12:53:13 am

I'm with the 10 mpg club that goes with the Foretravel, for what I've got in mine it paid for it's self 5 yrs ago. Yes you can get a bare bones sprinter relatively cheap however you'll need the 3500 if you plan on carrying much more than a mattress and a mountain bike. As to doing it yourself, when you figure the cost of all the RV equipment the tools to do the job and the labour you'll have in it I don't think you'll save anything. Unless you do conversions for a living the list of " oh darn that don't work" will be enormous. If I could get Jimmy Jr's lowrider into my drive I would be all over it for $50k !
Just my opinion

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #39 – June 09, 2020, 01:22:46 am

First Minot North Dakota FMCA rally we drove around the parking lot just to see what was going on.

Vividly remember a spry OLD lady dressed up with her rally badges hanging down her chest so far they had to be rubber banded together to shorten her string with a fancy cane standing in front of her bubble top van conversion. 1995.

Her fmca plaque was on the front. #16.

She had a grin from ear to ear. Made my day.

Just her. No hubby. Cool. Our turn is coming. Trust me

Sold the first country coach 40' slide out coach made to dr Mull there.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #40 – June 09, 2020, 08:33:44 am

August/Sept., 2017, 2700 mile round trip from Eugene, Oregon to LA airport back up to Coos Bay, Or, over to Eugene, up to Portland airport, back to Eugene, pulling on all fiour, a 4,740 lb Lexus AWD SUV 7 passanger GX470 with 7 family members on board the FT, ran A/C a lot, averaged 8 MPG. Corrected for air conditioner use, 8.25 MPG. A sprinter would have been nice, but all would have to sleep sitting, or standing up. Traveled in style, two on captain's chairs up front, one on recliner, two on jack knife sofa, two on booth dinette. My wife's family from Brasil, wonderful adventure, all still talk about how much fun it was.

Saw a Sprinter, gas powered as toad for a Prevost at an Albany, Oregon FMCA Rally. They made a model with a standard transmission, at an FMCA around 2005, being towed by Prevost. Could not find owner, neighbor said they had gone to town with another neighbor. Never saw another. That was also how I started towing several 1998-2008 Toyota Land Cruisers, a Lexus LX470, and my current Lexus GX470.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #41 – June 09, 2020, 09:01:00 am

I think the Ram Promaster with diesel can be flat towed. So you can have the best of both worlds.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #42 – June 09, 2020, 03:25:25 pm

There is a company that makes Sprinter driveline disconnects. They were at the 2018 FMCA rally in Gillette WY.
Thought of a simple, short version as a weekender toad, for when I would not take the U295. Then I see I'd have more in the Sprinter maybe than my coach. At that point, I open a beer and look off into the distance, till the idea fades away.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #43 – June 09, 2020, 07:17:42 pm

Or becomes necessary

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #44 – June 09, 2020, 07:32:43 pm

Quote from: Dave Cobb – June 09, 2020, 03:25:25 pm

At that point, I open a beer and look off into the distance, till the idea fades away.

Lot simpler to just strap a GSA onto the back of the coach Dave.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #45 – June 09, 2020, 09:06:15 pm

Quote from: Chuck Pearson – June 09, 2020, 07:32:43 pm

Lot simpler to just strap a GSA onto the back of the coach Dave.

GSA?
I don't think a Government Services Administrator will appreciate that.

Re: Average Fuel mileage

Reply #46 – June 11, 2020, 12:17:35 am

Chuck was suggesting I get another BMW, GSA, dual sport motorcycle again.

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