Gas mileage when pulling with a van

[wingsfan]

We are looking at a TM 2619 or 2720 and are wondering what kind of gas mileage we would get pulling it with a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna van. I know the TM website says you will get around 18 mpg, but would like to hear from people who are actually pulling with such a vehicle what their gas mileage is. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[ThePair]

I normally get ~18 MPG with my '06 Sienna just driving around town. I've not really noticed a big hit while towing, maybe ~16 at worst, but likely closer to 17-18, but I'm not all that compulsive about tracking it, either. That being said, I almost exclusively tow on highways, so the decrease from the TM is likely offset by the improvement in normal highway driving MPG.

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by wingsfan

We are looking at a TM 2619 or 2720 and are wondering what kind of gas mileage we would get pulling it with a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna van. I know the TM website says you will get around 18 mpg, but would like to hear from people who are actually pulling with such a vehicle what their gas mileage is. Any help is greatly appreciated!

I calculate gas mileage pretty carefully from fillup to fillup. Gas mileage is generally down for everybody these days because of the ethanol they're putting in gas (ethanol gives you only 2/3 of the miles per gallon as gasoline, so 10% ethanol gas is only 94% as good as a motor fuel).

I'm getting about 22 on the highway solo, 19 around town, and 16 on recent towing trips.

A weight distributing hitch and brake controller are mandatory accessories, of course.

I have towed with a 2000 Honda Ody and it depends:
Flat and little wind-per TM ad, little impact 10% less or so
Wind - bit more of an impact but not too bad
Hills - now it starts to impact mileage especially as my older Ody only has a 4 speed and it drops down a gear. If you have a newer model with the 5 speed that would help.
Mountains- mileage down to mid to low teens
Worst case scenario mts and wind, low teens.
Steady stop and go traffic also knocks mileage down to mid to low teens.
I should add my Ody, while not overpowered pulls my 2720 well and is very stable.
Also I travel with a Honda generator, extra fridge, kids, etc in the TV, traveling lighter certainly would help.
It also helps to keep one's speed down.

Good luck.

I have a 2720sl and i pull with a 2008 caddy srx. and love the gas mileage. enjoy!! tms are great.

I tow my 2619 with a 2002 Honda Odyssey. My average on a 4000 mile trip from FL to IL going through the mountains and driving on flats was 15 mpg

Make sure you stick to the weight limits and the Odyssey will tow it just fine.

One thing to mention is that we added rear air bags to help with those bumpy roads and we went by the Odyssey manual all the way with the towing requirements.

Dog Lady

Originally Posted by Dog Lady

I tow my 2619 with a 2002 Honda Odyssey. My average on a 4000 mile trip from FL to IL going through the mountains and driving on flats was 15 mpg

Make sure you stick to the weight limits and the Odyssey will tow it just fine.

One thing to mention is that we added rear air bags to help with those bumpy roads and we went by the Odyssey manual all the way with the towing requirements.

Dog Lady

I would have expected better mileage than that. I tow 4,000 pounds in my TM, plus about 1,200 pounds in the bed of my 5 passenger crew cab truck.

I get about 12 mpg towing on flat ground and 10 mpg towing up and over 9,000 feet.

It looks like my 12 is not bad compared to your 15. Especially if I include cargo capacity and the ability to tow in mountains. My 13-16 around town is terrible.

If you can see oak trees or aspens growing, then you are in the foothills. On a mountain top, there are no trees.

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by Dog Lady

I tow my 2619 with a 2002 Honda Odyssey. My average on a 4000 mile trip from FL to IL going through the mountains and driving on flats was 15 mpg

Make sure you stick to the weight limits and the Odyssey will tow it just fine.

One thing to mention is that we added rear air bags to help with those bumpy roads and we went by the Odyssey manual all the way with the towing requirements.

Dog Lady

I am like PopBeavers would have thought it would be better then that.
For our trip last year, 7 to 8 months, from Fl up through Tn, Va, WV and Ga. Then down through AR and Tx we averaged 13 MPG towing a heaver 2720 SL. We had some elevation around 7000 feet but most was 3000 to 6000. We have a Dodge crew cab the seats 6 with fiberglass topper. Its four wheel drive and we had a 10 foot jon boat on top of the topper. Truck cargo plus two adults was close to 1000# and the TM was near 4000#.
Both the TV and TM have been put on a diet for this year.

[rvcycleguy]

I would think that the Odyessy is pulling near the max weight in relation to mpg. The crew cabs you both have are just barely towing compared to your towing capacity. My Tundra with the 4.7 V8 got 13.5mpg at elevations of up to 8000ft in northern AZ recently towing from Texas. I was carrying a motorcycle, 2 weeks of gear, camping equipment and towing the 3124KB. Total GCCW was 9000lbs.

Originally Posted by rvcycleguy

I would think that the Odyessy is pulling near the max weight in relation to mpg. The crew cabs you both have are just barely towing compared to your towing capacity. My Tundra with the 4.7 V8 got 13.5mpg at elevations of up to 8000ft in northern AZ recently towing from Texas. I was carrying a motorcycle, 2 weeks of gear, camping equipment and towing the 3124KB. Total GCCW was 9000lbs.

Yup. I weigh 6300 pounds with just the empty truck. Not even a driver.

Another variable is number of gears. I have 6. This helps. So does, IMO, having tow/haul mode.

But I am getting off topic. I'll leave this to those tht have the same or similar vehicle.