MPG Towing Results of a 06 DC LB 4x4

[Dakoma]

I haven't had a chance to tow anything and I'm curious as to the MPG performance while towing.

Anyone calculating their MPG while towing? If so, what were you towing and how much weight including passengers and any weight in the box? Did you have A/C while towing or windows rolled down?? Lot of hills to climb or wind???

[msibille]

I have PreRunner DC, but fwiw, I get roughly the same mileage (made 1mph better) towing my boat on the interstate as I get in city driving. (~17mpg city or towing on interstate)
I'm towing a 1500 lb 17ft sailboat. Not a lot of weight but a lot of wind cross-section (fills the rear view mirror). Doesn't seem to make much difference how much wt is in the cab since I'm towing so much air drag.

[demoncleaner]

Well I gotta short bed w/ a 6spd manual, but towing my 1000lb semi-enclosed snowmobile trailer drops my mileage a couple mpg. The drop most likely due to wind resistance because of fairing around the sled (for the salt spray) than the weight itself. Got 17 on avg, not bad considering the cold temps and running soft compound snow tires in winter.

[tdh108]

2005 DC SB off road windows up, fan on low, AC off, towing approx 4200lb. Boat, approx. 100lbs cargo in bed and cab, driver only, Got 11 mpg on somewhat hilly terrain.

[Major Woods]

2005 v-6, 6-speed, 4x4, DC.
Towing a 2000lb boat/trailer combo on mostly flat CT highways. I'm getting 15mpg @ 65-70mph in the winter.
3 people in the truck and 100lbs of gear.

[DUKFVR]

4X4 DC AT, towing about 2500 lbs no air ,some hills . Driving 65to 70 getting 14mpg. 2 people ,400 lbs of gear in truck

I get 20 running unloaded on the Hwy.

[Dakoma]

I should also ask...what was your average MPG before towing and while towing. I understand if your running high rpm's then obviously you will experience lower mpg.

I have a 3000lb trailer with another 1000lbs of passengers and gear and I'm really anxious to see how my Tacoma's rpm's will perform. We have alot of hilly terrain but nothing too serious and I found that my mileage sometimes didn't really show much difference in my older truck.

[tdh108]

I know I usually get around 17.5-18.5 in the winter and 20.5 in the summer. When I was pulling I really worked the hills to my favor. Get as much speed going down hill (80 or so) and hold 2000 rpms on the way up. Speed would usually drop down to 70 sometimes 65 depending on the hill size. This allowed me to keep lower rpms and get a little better mileage. But I only did this for the second half of my trip. So, I think my mileage might be a little better if I do this consistently. Something I was quite suprised by was a friend of mine just got a brand new F-250 diesel and he is getting 9 mpg on flat ground running 70 pulling the same boat. Yes his truck pulled it better but the tacoma did just fine. However, if you plan on maintaining a set speed the entire time be prepared for 3000 rpms.

[j4x4ar3]

Towing 5300# travel trailer .. 26' long.. average 10mpg with DC shortbed 4x4. Have gone as low as 8 in 30mph head wind. 18-20mpg when not towing.

[stevenh563]

Originally Posted by j4x4ar3

Towing 5300# travel trailer .. 26' long.. average 10mpg with DC shortbed 4x4. Have gone as low as 8 in 30mph head wind. 18-20mpg when not towing.

How does your Tacoma do pulling that much weight? Ive never pulled over 1200lbs with mine, thats why Im asking.

[sdallas]

Hi Guys, I am towing 5000 pounds. Probably average 10 MPG.

[Dakoma]

When I do tow, I stay out of the fast lane and try to maintain rpm's at 2000 with 2500 going up hills. Sometimes I'd hit 3000 just before the top of the hill. While towing, I'd normally experience 2-3 MPG less. I'm not sure why some of the other responses have reported almost a cut in half in MPG performance. Of course, you were pulling more weight than 3000lb's.

[j4x4ar3]

Originally Posted by stevenh563

How does your Tacoma do pulling that much weight? Ive never pulled over 1200lbs with mine, thats why Im asking.

Towing 5000# isn't bad and is better than what I expected. Takeoff from start and getting on the HWY at 55 isn't really a problem (unless it's a short ramp). You definitely need a weight distribution hitch though to keep things level. I've done 5% grades at 50mph in 4th gear and have been able to pass fully loaded freight trucks in 3rd. It whinds up a bit but I've only hit 4000rpm once and rarely hit 3500rpm. Definitely need a good brake controller (Prodigy) but the truck handles the trailer pretty good. Gas mileage though with that big of a trailer sucks but it's no worse than the big boys get. Wind drag though.. hmm... V6 struggled a little with 35mph headwind but never had to drop it lower than 4th. 55mph though which is the speed limit for towing here anyway. Gas mileage in that situation hit the lowest I've had.. about 7-8mpg.

[StreetToy]

Originally Posted by Dakoma

I haven't had a chance to tow anything and I'm curious as to the MPG performance while towing.

Anyone calculating their MPG while towing? If so, what were you towing and how much weight including passengers and any weight in the box? Did you have A/C while towing or windows rolled down?? Lot of hills to climb or wind???

I just towed a 29' bumper hitch camper (4300 lbs) and got 7mph. I alos has a wife, two kids, bikes, mini bike and luggage in my DBL Cab 4x4 V6 Tacoma. The 30+ head wind did not help things either. I was pleasanly surprised with the performance and would estimate 10mpg+ in normal or low wind conditons.

I am going on a 100 mile trip this weekend with the same load. I will fill you in after the trip.

[NWTaco]

4x4 AC Sport w/ tow package... towed a 4500 lb. uhaul trailer 2300 miles from Washington state to Texas. Went through mountains and through completely flat areas. Averaged about 12 MPG

I know it's not the same truck as yours, but figured the info. might help someone else!