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What is your fuel mileage?

Printed From: r-pod Nation
Category: Forest River r-pod
Forum Name: r-pod Adventures
Forum Description: Post your camping adventures here. Feel free to post pictures of you and your 'pod' from around the country...
URL: http://www.rpodNation.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3507
Printed Date: 28 Mar 2024 at 1:15pm
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Topic: What is your fuel mileage?
Posted By: 1shadowsabre
Subject: What is your fuel mileage?
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 6:19pm
Hi all, Just got back from picking up a brand new HRE 171 and a one night camping trip. The pod is great but I only got 10mpg in my 2002 Toyota Tundra with 4.7 V8 and full on tow package. I didn't think that was too good considering my truck is rated for 7100 lbs. Anybody have any comparable #'s to throw out?
Thanks for all you info in advance!
Steve & Suzy



Replies:
Posted By: Ratdog
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 6:25pm
What's your gas mileage without the rpod? Most people seem to get about 1/2 the gas mileage when towing. Your speed can make a big difference, too. At 70-75 we get 8 mpg. At 55-60, we get 13 mpg. Without the rpod, we get 29-30.
 
-- Steve


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Steve, Anne, and Paige the Rat Terrier
2013 Lexus RX 450h Hybrid AWD
2011 RP-177 (aka: The Circus Wagon)


Posted By: Camper Bob
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 6:45pm
We have a 2005 Tahoe with a Vortec 5300 V-8.  We have the tow package and we are rated to pull 6,900 lbs.  We have a 2013 171HRE which we recently had weighed without the tongue weight that came out to 2,800 lbs. with all our "stuff."  We get about 10 mpg towing.  I get real excited when the trip computer shows 11 mpg but then slowly drops to about 10.  We cruise between 55 and 60.  The rear end gear ratio is 3.42.  Hope that helps.  Safe Travels.

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Camper Bob and Camper Sue
Gracie the Wonder Dog (12 lb.) Mini Dachshund
2013 Rpod 171HRE (Pods-of-Luck)
2005 Chev. Tahoe


Posted By: tsunami
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 6:47pm
The average mpg towing the Pod is about 12 to 12 1/2 mpg.  The major influence is the frontal area of the Pod not the weight.  Mileage seems to be about the same from the 150 to the 180 series regardless of the tow weight.

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tsunami


Posted By: 1shadowsabre
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 8:20pm
Thanks for the quick feedback! I thought that wind resistance was playing a factor as the pod is kind of tall. We normally get about 15 to 17 in the tundra. Will probably have lots of questions in the future, look forward to corresponding with the "nation"
Steve & Suzy


Posted By: Racer|X|
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2012 at 8:39pm
Mine sucks too....10 to 11, can be worse if I speed up and use a/c.  Normal is 17-18.  Ethenol kills me...I lose at least 4-5 mpg because of ethonol.


Posted By: Butterfly_Lee
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2012 at 9:23am

Let's face it, if we are going to tow something, it's going to cost in MPG.  Even though the Pods are light weight we still have the wind factor.Cry 

I've pulled with a 4cyl Nissian Frontier open bed and got about 9-11MPG and now I tow with a Yukon XL V8 (I'm told it's the larger stock engine), and get 9-11MPG.  Although I must say it's a easier tow, and my avg speed has increased 60-65 versus 50-60.  Add to the fact it's all uphill when I leave town and it never fails that I have a head wind coming home.Ermm
 
 
To me it's still worth it, my own bed (I know wants be in it), my own toliet facilities (avaiable ANYTIME, except when moving LOL), and being able to travel enjoying the county side having Adventures with PODTERFLY.SmileSmileSmile
 
LeeStar
 
 


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Still a work in progress, lots of pictures.
http://podterfly.blogspot.com/


Posted By: Kenn
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2012 at 2:14pm
I've towed the 176 and got about 9-11 MPG and my 9000 lbs loaded TH and still get about the same MPG. Just like Lee said, it's the price you pay for convenience.

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2010 RPOD 176 (Silly-POD), 2011 Forest River Stealth 2612, and 2014 Forest River XLR 380AMP


Posted By: Marwayne
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2012 at 11:54pm
We just got back from a 1500 km trip to the mountains. I drove between 90-100 km,55-60m per hour, TV is a 2001 3/4 ton heavy duty 6 litre eng. silverado got between 13 and 14 miles a gallon (imp.).

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If you want something done right, do it yourself!

2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra Limited 5.7 Litre


Posted By: Camper Bob
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2012 at 12:10am
Sounds like you had quite a trip.  I was very jealous of your mileage until I realized they were Imperial gallons.  For this dummy, could you refigure your mileage in us gallons, please.  Otherwise I may have to set my tv on fire.  Safe Travels.

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Camper Bob and Camper Sue
Gracie the Wonder Dog (12 lb.) Mini Dachshund
2013 Rpod 171HRE (Pods-of-Luck)
2005 Chev. Tahoe


Posted By: Marwayne
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2012 at 12:21am
Camper Bob, you do the math. The imp. gallon is 20% more then a us gallon.

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If you want something done right, do it yourself!

2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra Limited 5.7 Litre


Posted By: Seanl
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2012 at 6:21am
11-12 us mpg still not bad.

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Sean, 2011 Rpod RP-173,2009 Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition



Posted By: wallawallaron
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2012 at 7:25am
Just returned from the Western Round up in Seaside OR.  700 miles round trip. Speeds of 35-70m.p.h.  Some use of the AC. The Eye Pod was loaded . Solid 10mpg overall.
WWRBeer


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WWRon,2012 RP177 HRE "Eye Pod",2010 Ford F-150 4x4
9/11 Never Forget.
NRA Life Member, Amsoil dealer www.lubedealer.com/wallawallaron


Posted By: tsunami
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2012 at 10:05am
Non-oxygenated non-enthanol gasoline has about 15-20% higher energy content. I get an approximate similar increase in mpg using non-ethanol (91octane).  However, the 91 gas is usually more expense.  If the price is less than 120% of ethanol, it may be more economical to buy the 91 gas.  

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tsunami


Posted By: Ratdog
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2012 at 10:30am
I can get 93 Octane non-ethanol fuel here at home but rarely see non-ethanol on the road. I use the non-ethanol gas in my wife's car and in my 45 year old car but haven't tried it in my tow vehicle.
 
So I've only used ethanol in my tow vehicle. However my tow vehicle "recommends" 93 octane but the factory says it can run on 87 with "some loss of performance". My experience is that I can squeeze out another 2 or 3 MPG with 93 Octane ethanol than with 87 Octane ethanol. Since the vehicle only has a 17.2 gallon gas tank, I only use the 93 Octane because every little bit of extra mileage from a tank is precious when towing the rpod.
 
-- Steve


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Steve, Anne, and Paige the Rat Terrier
2013 Lexus RX 450h Hybrid AWD
2011 RP-177 (aka: The Circus Wagon)


Posted By: Seanl
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2012 at 10:59am
my last time out I got an average of 12 mpg. I traveled at an average speed of 60mph and I used super or better fuel. Tried to get 93 Octane when I could get it as I get a little better gas mileage with it. Not sure that the gain in mileage is not offset by the higher price but I get a little better hp with the higher octane as well.

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Sean, 2011 Rpod RP-173,2009 Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition



Posted By: BSAJim
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2012 at 5:05pm
Took the trailer out to the Scout camp this past weekend.
 
The trailer and highlander were packed with about 1,000 of equipment and food.
 
There is a ~3,000 pass to go over between here and there.
 
Averaged 13MPG according to the highlander's display.
 
Jim


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Jim & Carmen - San Jose, CA
r-pod 177 and V-6 Highlander


Posted By: ron_whitt
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2012 at 7:51pm
Just got back from a 4hr one way camping trip. We always run with a canoe on top of the Toyota FJ. I think that helps with breaking the wind before it hits the front wall of the 177 pod. We always go the speed limit 80k = 50mpg. Never more than the speed limit and on 400 highways only 95k instead of posted 100k (55 instead of 60mph.) All that being said I've checked our mpg converted from kpl(on 3 different occatiions) and we get just over 16 mpg. I'm assuming that is in US gal as I used computer to do conversion. Like others have said the faster you go the lower the gas milage. Using reg. gas grade fuel.

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Ron & Shirley W
2007 FJ Cruiser
2012 177.. "EHHH" R Pod" its a canadian thing..


Posted By: Tomcamper
Date Posted: 08 Oct 2012 at 8:04pm
13.5 mpg thru mountains imperial below speed limit always. Regular gas.

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Tomcamper
2016 4runner
Dreampod 177

06 GMC Envoy


Posted By: 1shadowsabre
Date Posted: 08 Oct 2012 at 8:27pm
Thanks everyone for your answers, things are well after three trips and I am getting used to towing. 


Posted By: tsunami
Date Posted: 08 Oct 2012 at 11:07pm
A common mistake people make is to equate octane with energy content.  Octane signifies how readily the gasoline ignites and a higher number reduces engine 'knock'.  The energy content depends on the concentration of ethanol in the gas.
Non-ethanol gas with an octane rating of 87 has more energy in each gallon than 87 octane (5-15%) ethanol gasoline.  So if you can...buy 87 octane non-ethanol for a better buy.  But most (but not all) 87 octane gas sold in the US now has ethanol in it.  Gasohol (85% ethanol) will give you about 20-30% lower mpg because it has about that much lower energy content.  If you have a 'flex-fuel' vehicle that can burn gasohol...the price has to be at least 20-30% lower than ethanol gas to justify the lower mpg you will get.
91 octane gasoline typically is non-ethanol...so it reduces potential engine knock but also improves mpg by generating more energy. However, if the price is more than 5-15% higher than ethanol, you will not get better mileage for the money.  Then, the only reason to buy it is because you have an older vehicle whose engine cannot automatically adjust itself to use lower octane gas.

Diesel fuel actually has a slightly lower energy content than gasoline.  However, the high compression in the diesel engine gives it a higher efficiency...and thus more mpg.


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tsunami


Posted By: Ratdog
Date Posted: 09 Oct 2012 at 12:28pm

Here's a site with a list, by state, of stations that sell non-ethanol gasoline:

http://pure-gas.org/ - http://pure-gas.org/

Tsunami - You say that 91 gas is typically non-ethanol. I've never seen it in any of my travels at typical general service gas stations, only at specialty places that are off the beaten track. Where have you found it? What brands?

When we lived in MN, it was a violation of state law to sell non-oxygenated gasoline (in any octane, I believe) for any vehicle use other than vintage vehicles and small gas engines (ATV's, boats, etc).

-- Steve



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Steve, Anne, and Paige the Rat Terrier
2013 Lexus RX 450h Hybrid AWD
2011 RP-177 (aka: The Circus Wagon)


Posted By: tsunami
Date Posted: 10 Oct 2012 at 10:42am
In the upper mid-west, 91 octane non-ethanol is quite common at the larger (volume sales) gas stations.  Especially if the station is located near any lakes.  Most boat motors and ATVs do not run well using ethanol.  I have the repair receipts to prove it.
In MN, the 91 octane pumps state that the gas is for boats, ATVs and older vehicles that require 91 octane.  I always assumed that the pump sticker would display a warning if it were illegal to put in a regular vehicle.  The much higher price is almost always more than 15% higher than ethanol,
so you would not gain any extra mileage/price advantage by buying the more expensive gas.
A gas station near my home has a pump dedicated to 'farm' use...that is, the price does not include
any 'highway' taxes...it has  a large warning sticker warning about fines that would be levied if you put the 'lower cost' gas in your car.  Yet, next to that pump is a 91 octane pump and its sticker does not warn you that it is illegal to put it in your regular car.  I would assume that you could put it in a 87-octane car if your car's computer was having a problem controlling knock.
Farm States tend to force drivers to use ethanol gas to subsidize mega-farms that feed corn to ethanol plants. MN is talking about raising the 10% ethanol level to 15-20%...even tho' car manufacturers have stated that using that high a level of ethanol in their non-flex-fuel vehicles would void their warranties.
That level of ethanol would almost assure destruction of older lawn mowers, chain saws, cars, etc.
No repairs...but forced replacement.


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tsunami


Posted By: Ratdog
Date Posted: 10 Oct 2012 at 2:15pm

We moved from Florida to Minnesota in 2005 and just moved back to Florida this year. My wife has a  car that ran fine in FL (where Ethanol wasn't added to gas until 2010). When we moved to MN, she put the car in storage for 6 months every winter. At the end of the first 2 winters when we got the car out of storage, the injectors were gummed up so bad the car wouldn't run. Big expense. MN was already adding Ethanol to the gas when we got up there so that's what she bought. Her mechanic told her where to find non-ethanol gas in nearby town. That's where she started buying gas and she never had another problem over the next 5 winters. It didn't matter how much more expensive the non-ethanol gas was because it was cheaper than rebuilding fuel injectors every year.

 
You're right, small motors don't like ethanol either. And it's not good to let ethanol sit in your tank, fuel lines, injectors, or carburetors. My experience is that ethanol gas doesn't have a very long shelf life. That's why my wife's car had problems . . . the gas sat in there all winter.
 
I have a an old mid-60's muscle car with its original engine. This car was built before ethanol gas came on the market so it was designed to run on non-ethanol. I don't know what gas was used in it between the time ethanol came on the market and when I bought it but I suspect ethanol because the fuel line was gummed up and had to be replaced and the carburetor was also gummed up and had to be rebuilt. I've only used non-ethanol in the car since that work was done and haven't had any more problems.
 
Haven't tried non-ethanol in my tow vehicle yet but I'm thinking of giving it a try to see if I can squeeze out a few more mpg.

I realize all of this is anecdotal, but it's all the convincing I need that non-ethanol is a better choice than ethanol. I recently signed a petition to change the law here in Florida to allow non-ethanol gasoline to be sold at all stations.

 
-- Steve
 


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Steve, Anne, and Paige the Rat Terrier
2013 Lexus RX 450h Hybrid AWD
2011 RP-177 (aka: The Circus Wagon)


Posted By: tsunami
Date Posted: 10 Oct 2012 at 7:01pm
Re: my ATVs.  I used to buy the cheapest 87 octane gas for them, even if the gas was ethanol.
They would sit most of time during the winter...even tho' I put some 'Stabil" tm stabilizer in them.
During the last summer, I had to have all three have their carbs/injectors cleaned for a considerable amount of money.
The repair shop told me that as stations keep raising the ethanol level in their gas...the shop has had increasing repairs to clean out gummed machines.  I was told only to put 91 octane non-ethanol in them.  An annual $300 repair job more than justifies using more expensive non-ethanol.
Most cars use up any 'old' ethanol gas in their tanks quite quickly.  My Toyota dealer told me that
I really needed to use up all of the gas in my cars at least monthly.  That is, if your tank holds 15 gallons...make sure that you drive enough to have to add another 15 gallons.  To freshen up the older gas that could potentially start to develop gummy deposits.


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tsunami


Posted By: drhalvey
Date Posted: 31 Aug 2015 at 7:27am
I am towing a 2010 175 POD with a 2014 Grand Caravan.  At 60-65 MPH she makes 11-14 MPG (depending on the head wind). The lower gas prices helps take the bite out of the pump.  Eh?  POD ON!


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Respectfully,
Southwest Kansas R-Pod 2010


Posted By: 1shadowsabre
Date Posted: 05 Sep 2015 at 6:17pm
With my 2002 tundra I was lucky to get 12 mpg. We will be leaving on a trip in a week or so and I will be towing my r pod 171 with my brand new Ram 1500 ecodiesel. I will post an update when we get back.


Posted By: 1shadowsabre
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2015 at 11:49am
We made it back from a 650 mile trip with our r pod 171 towing behind our brand new Ram 1500 ecodiesel. Averaged 19 mpg on the whole trip with about  15 mpg while towing. I was able to set the cruise control and the Ram never felt like it was working.


Posted By: J&J fl
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2016 at 4:47pm
Pulling with f-150 5.4 V8 171 .heading home from Everglades to Orlando and got 16 MPG. That was best ever. Tail wind and doing 65 MPH. I checked calculations 3 time . have been getting 12 mpg doing 70 mph.


Posted By: dickaye
Date Posted: 20 Jun 2016 at 10:49pm
I have a 1999 Chevy Silverado 1/2 ton gas two door white pickup truck pulling a 2014 
R-POD 177 that I purchased used from a R-Pod dealer about two months ago.  With a full two week camping trip load, I averaged 15.9 MPG from Utah to Oregon and back.  Now I am a little rusty on the memory thing.  Being so, I might have averaged 14.9 MPG or even 13.9 or 12.9, but I am certain it was something point nine.  Point nine anything is not bad, but while I am here, I want to say this little trailer has really made an impression on my little wife of 42 years(or was it 43 years?).  She was not too happy about the boat or the gun collection or the ham radio, but she really loves the R-Pod camping trailer.  So, since I am now in her good graces, I have decided to join this here forum and share some of my experiences.  This is my very first post so I hope I haven't stepped over any lines or something.


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"You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead" Stan Laurel 1932


Posted By: Tomcamper
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2016 at 2:30pm
Welcome dickaye! You have been married 42.9 years if that helps. We also have 2010 177. Wife also happy. For mileage expect to get about 1/2 of what is normal. Thom

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Tomcamper
2016 4runner
Dreampod 177

06 GMC Envoy


Posted By: clenaghen
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2016 at 12:05pm
Pulling a 171 with a 4-cylinder Range Rover Evoque I get 12-14 MPG if I stay on highways (55-60). On the freeway at 75 I get much less (~8 mpg). 





Posted By: jeremyrperry
Date Posted: 24 Jan 2018 at 9:45pm
I pull my RP-171 with an X3 diesel.  I get 17-18 overall when towing.  When not towing, I get 31 overall, and 34+ on the highway.  The 17-18 rate is based on going around 60-65 MPH.  Not too shabby considering all of the other numbers I've seen.



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