P500 Gas milage towing

[sam3006]

I have towed my 500 a lot of miles, round trips to Colorado are 2000 miles, biweekly trips to our hunting lease is 150 miles. It's always amazed me that my F-150 will get 20 to 22 mpg empty. I got 15.6 mpg pulling a 22 foot Stratos bass boat, with a 200 Evinrude, on a tandem trailer at freeway speeds going to northern Minnesota and back this Spring, but when I hook up to my 14 foot single axle trailer and put the 500 on it I get 12 to 13 mpg. A friend of mine, I go to Colorado with, pulled it with his Chevy 2500 diesel and it killed the mileage on his rig about the same percentage, too. The boat outweighs the 500 by a lot, specially full of all our gear like is on the trips to Minnesota. I've tried it with the windshield and rear glass out and it made no difference in the mileage. I've loaded it backwards and still no improvement in the mileage. I've had an idea to try some kind of reflector on the front, for a while now, but never got around to trying it. Yesterday I wanted to bring a lightweight hollow core door home from the lease, so I strapped it on the front of the 500.



Went from 12.5 mph, on the crooked hilly two lane road I've driven a 100 times, to 15.2 mpg. When I got on the freeway for a few miles the mpg increased to 15.5. I've never got over 13 mpg before. I going to get a sheet of 1/4 or 3/8 plywood and rip some 2x2s out of some light weight spruce and build one that reaches all the way to the top of the cab of the 500 and see how it goes.

 

[Admin]

 

[Wallace]

I have towed my 500 a lot of miles, round trips to Colorado are 2000 miles, biweekly trips to our hunting lease is 150 miles. It's always amazed me that my F-150 will get 20 to 22 mpg empty. I got 15.6 mpg pulling a 22 foot Stratos bass boat, with a 200 Evinrude, on a tandem trailer at freeway speeds going to northern Minnesota and back this Spring, but when I hook up to my 14 foot single axle trailer and put the 500 on it I get 12 to 13 mpg. A friend of mine, I go to Colorado with, pulled it with his Chevy 2500 diesel and it killed the mileage on his rig about the same percentage, too. The boat outweighs the 500 by a lot, specially full of all our gear like is on the trips to Minnesota. I've tried it with the windshield and rear glass out and it made no difference in the mileage. I've loaded it backwards and still no improvement in the mileage. I've had an idea to try some kind of reflector on the front, for a while now, but never got around to trying it. Yesterday I wanted to bring a lightweight hollow core door home from the lease, so I strapped it on the front of the 500.

View attachment 54218

Went from 12.5 mph, on the crooked hilly two lane road I've driven a 100 times, to 15.2 mpg. When I got on the freeway for a few miles the mpg increased to 15.5. I've never got over 13 mpg before. I going to get a sheet of 1/4 or 3/8 plywood and rip some 2x2s out of some light weight spruce and build one that reaches all the way to the top of the cab of the 500 and see how it goes.

Yea I get the same thing. do you have a ramp on the back of trailer? you may want to try putting the ramp in the back of the truck if you have room. That thing is like a wall back there. It looks like you have diverted some of the air flow over the ramp.

 

[oldfortyfive]

Pretty much the same thing I see with my F150. I go 3300 miles round trip to Montana. We usually drive about 72MPH. I tarp mine to keep the road debris off and have rigged plywood panels to close off the cab. I can't say that makes any difference with mileage. Slowing down to 55-60MPH gets the mileage up to 15.
Whatever you do make sure nothing can touch the windshield. My tarp did and it really scratched it up. I now put some of that plastic contractor's sticky film used to protect floors on it to keep the tarp from rubbing on it.

 

[HUCK]

I have towed my 500 a lot of miles, round trips to Colorado are 2000 miles, biweekly trips to our hunting lease is 150 miles. It's always amazed me that my F-150 will get 20 to 22 mpg empty. I got 15.6 mpg pulling a 22 foot Stratos bass boat, with a 200 Evinrude, on a tandem trailer at freeway speeds going to northern Minnesota and back this Spring, but when I hook up to my 14 foot single axle trailer and put the 500 on it I get 12 to 13 mpg. A friend of mine, I go to Colorado with, pulled it with his Chevy 2500 diesel and it killed the mileage on his rig about the same percentage, too. The boat outweighs the 500 by a lot, specially full of all our gear like is on the trips to Minnesota. I've tried it with the windshield and rear glass out and it made no difference in the mileage. I've loaded it backwards and still no improvement in the mileage. I've had an idea to try some kind of reflector on the front, for a while now, but never got around to trying it. Yesterday I wanted to bring a lightweight hollow core door home from the lease, so I strapped it on the front of the 500.

View attachment 54218

Went from 12.5 mph, on the crooked hilly two lane road I've driven a 100 times, to 15.2 mpg. When I got on the freeway for a few miles the mpg increased to 15.5. I've never got over 13 mpg before. I going to get a sheet of 1/4 or 3/8 plywood and rip some 2x2s out of some light weight spruce and build one that reaches all the way to the top of the cab of the 500 and see how it goes.

First take a lil trip with the trailer w/o the p5 on it .

 

[Talen]

Escape 2.0 turbo

 

[NitroxDiver]

My f150 gets right at 21mpg empty and with the p5 on a 5.5x10 steel trailer it gets around 17-18 mpg. That's pulling through nc, va and wv hills. I will be towing it with my 2015 edge this weekend. It usually gets 26 mpg empty I curious to see how it does loaded.

 

[rkwerner]

I have a 2016 F-150 with the 2.7L Ecoboost. I average about 22 mpg unloaded.

I have a 16' aluminum single axle trailer and a P1K. I averaged 16 MPG until I put the windshield on, that dropped it to 12-13 and made a noticeable difference in acceleration.

 

[HUCK]

2017 Ram 2500 mega cab diesel 17mpg with or w/o the Pioneer . It doesn't know the lil fellar is back there .

 

[jawquin]

What Wallace said. Long trip I remove the tail and use a couple steel ramps to load and unload with and throw them in. Tall wide tail stays home.

 

[Buford]

View attachment 54219 Pretty much the same thing I see with my F150. I go 3300 miles round trip to Montana. We usually drive about 72MPH. I tarp mine to keep the road debris off and have rigged plywood panels to close off the cab. I can't say that makes any difference with mileage. Slowing down to 55-60MPH gets the mileage up to 15.
Whatever you do make sure nothing can touch the windshield. My tarp did and it really scratched it up. I now put some of that plastic contractor's sticky film used to protect floors on it to keep the tarp from rubbing on it.

Tarps are bad news. It's amazing how people put them on vehicles to store outside. A vehicle is much better off with nothing on it stored outside. The tarps trap moisture, let dirt in, then wind starts whipping them.............................
Honda now sells a trailerable cover for the P500. It would be a better option than a tarp anyway.

 

[oldfortyfive]

Towable Storage Cover

 

[JWB]

I have towed my 500 a lot of miles, round trips to Colorado are 2000 miles, biweekly trips to our hunting lease is 150 miles. It's always amazed me that my F-150 will get 20 to 22 mpg empty. I got 15.6 mpg pulling a 22 foot Stratos bass boat, with a 200 Evinrude, on a tandem trailer at freeway speeds going to northern Minnesota and back this Spring, but when I hook up to my 14 foot single axle trailer and put the 500 on it I get 12 to 13 mpg. A friend of mine, I go to Colorado with, pulled it with his Chevy 2500 diesel and it killed the mileage on his rig about the same percentage, too. The boat outweighs the 500 by a lot, specially full of all our gear like is on the trips to Minnesota. I've tried it with the windshield and rear glass out and it made no difference in the mileage. I've loaded it backwards and still no improvement in the mileage. I've had an idea to try some kind of reflector on the front, for a while now, but never got around to trying it. Yesterday I wanted to bring a lightweight hollow core door home from the lease, so I strapped it on the front of the 500.

View attachment 54218

Went from 12.5 mph, on the crooked hilly two lane road I've driven a 100 times, to 15.2 mpg. When I got on the freeway for a few miles the mpg increased to 15.5. I've never got over 13 mpg before. I going to get a sheet of 1/4 or 3/8 plywood and rip some 2x2s out of some light weight spruce and build one that reaches all the way to the top of the cab of the 500 and see how it goes.

The tail gate on the trailer is a mileage killer. My trailer had a taller one, and screened like yours- I took it off and gained 4mpg with my Tundra- it barely got 11mpg with the gate installed, and felt like it was dragging an anchor. Then I took all the enclosure off the machine and gained 2 more mpg, and could barely tell there was anything hooked to the truck. Now I just carry two small ramps in the cab of the machine when I travel.

 

[Russ989]

I’m not sure what I’ll get pulling the p5, I know I get 22 to 24 empty, about 16 pulling my 60” zero turn on my 12x76 trailer. I’ll report when I get back, I’m going to bet that it’s going to suck the fuel mileage down pretty good. Next time I get a new truck I’m going to get a 3:55 rear instead of 3:21. I do have to say that my 15 Ram with the 3.6 pentastar does pretty darn good.

 

[100Acre]

I get crap mileage. 11 with truck camper and towing P5. 13.5 empty. 2017 F 350 6.2 gasser. Crapper! FOOKIN CREPES!

 

[sgerksinwi]

I have towed my 500 a lot of miles, round trips to Colorado are 2000 miles, biweekly trips to our hunting lease is 150 miles. It's always amazed me that my F-150 will get 20 to 22 mpg empty. I got 15.6 mpg pulling a 22 foot Stratos bass boat, with a 200 Evinrude, on a tandem trailer at freeway speeds going to northern Minnesota and back this Spring, but when I hook up to my 14 foot single axle trailer and put the 500 on it I get 12 to 13 mpg. A friend of mine, I go to Colorado with, pulled it with his Chevy 2500 diesel and it killed the mileage on his rig about the same percentage, too. The boat outweighs the 500 by a lot, specially full of all our gear like is on the trips to Minnesota. I've tried it with the windshield and rear glass out and it made no difference in the mileage. I've loaded it backwards and still no improvement in the mileage. I've had an idea to try some kind of reflector on the front, for a while now, but never got around to trying it. Yesterday I wanted to bring a lightweight hollow core door home from the lease, so I strapped it on the front of the 500.

View attachment 54218

Went from 12.5 mph, on the crooked hilly two lane road I've driven a 100 times, to 15.2 mpg. When I got on the freeway for a few miles the mpg increased to 15.5. I've never got over 13 mpg before. I going to get a sheet of 1/4 or 3/8 plywood and rip some 2x2s out of some light weight spruce and build one that reaches all the way to the top of the cab of the 500 and see how it goes.

 

[sgerksinwi]

What about shrink wrapping the cab!!
Packing plastic wrap that you use around pallets??

 

[Russ989]

Pulled the p5 and my sons four wheeler 100 miles today, dropped my mpg from 21 to 11.3.... I was hoping for a touch better!

 

[Mudder]

Sounds like towing a parachute! Guess I need the wallet open with the 5.7 hemi. Can’t have fun for nothing.

 

[rocmar]

I get crap mileage. 11 with truck camper and towing P5. 13.5 empty. 2017 F 350 6.2 gasser. Crapper! FOOKIN CREPES!

12.8 mpg...
2015 GMC 2500 HD
...LOADED...OR NOT
Didn't buy for....economy

 

[iceboundzeke]

I take it everyone has a front window shield.I thought about taking mine off on long hauls but then I would have to store it where it can’t get damaged.