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Old 10-11-2008, 08:19 PM   #21
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I just had my tug's tires filled with nitrogen ($30 for all 4) and I can't believe the difference . Marginal fluctuations in tire pressure after 2 months! Ride quality is great since nitrogen does not expand with heat and give a rougher ride...nor does it "bleed" thru the rubber as does air. Side benefit: nitrogen does not support water vapour so less corrosion on wheel rims. My trailer tires are next for the nitrogen treatment!
Interesting subject. Playing devil's advocate here, but Consumer Reports has done a study and some Q&A on this and reported only a 1.3 psi difference from air-filled tires over a 1-year period. It looks like there might be possible minor advantages if you're willing to go through that trouble, but it should not be used as a substitute for regular inflation checks, which is what actually helps with MPGs.
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Old 10-11-2008, 09:49 PM   #22
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Michael,
Further experimentation is in order! You need to go camping again!!
I think it was Donna D. who suggested leaving home a 1/2 hour earlier. That way you can relax, drive [at] 55MPH, enjoy the scenery and not just concentrate on getting to the destination as rapidly as possible. That concept was a huge adjustment on my part and took several trips to accomplish.

There are 2 pluses when it's achieved: 1, when you arrive at your destination you don't have to "unwind" so much from the tension of driving and 2, the travel cost in $'s will be reduced.

From our experience, wind resistance increases greatly when you drive faster. With our rig, increasing the speed from 55MPH to 65MPH makes nearly a 10 MPG difference!

Enjoy all aspects of the trip...not just the destination. The lack of tension should increase your lifespan, make the trip more enjoyable for you and your traveling companions and ultimately allow you to camp even more !!

May your appreciation for your vacation experiences increase
Kurt & Ann K.
Slower driving makes the trip more enjoyable? It depends. If the scenery is nice and we're in a place we haven't seen before, yes. If we're on the road between Tulsa and Michigan, which we have traveled dozens of times (we try to go visit relatives up north every summer), it's just tedium and we want to get it over with.

It rarely is a matter of not having time. Usually it's a feeling that I'm wasting time by going soooo much slower than everyone else. Besides, I'm competitive... it's difficult for me to go 55 while all others are going 70 or more.

I guess we never really camp for camping's sake or drive for driving's sake. But if we're going somewhere, we prefer the RV to the motel/restaurant alternative. It's also nice to have a place of our own that we can retreat to instead of being underfoot in the relative's house all the time.

A little later on this fall, though, I am going to try taking the Burro to some state parks around Oklahoma for an overnighter. Maybe I can practice "enjoying the drive" on some short jaunts. Then perhaps it will become easier to get into that mindset on a 1000+ mile drive (which until now has usually been just a chore to get through so we can enjoy being where we want to be).

In the meantime, I'm sort of like trying to figure out how some people reportedly get 16, 17, 19, even 24 miles per gallon while towing one of these units. I was looking at the table of mpg data on the scampers forum and 2 people with the same type of rig will vary widely. There's no real logic to the variations, as far as I can see.
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Old 10-11-2008, 11:09 PM   #23
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Hi: Michael... It's "EGGONOMICS" 101!!! Creative math for the best mileage reported for that particular type of trailer. Kinda like the Mfg's "Dry Weight" ratings. It really is best to have your own bed/food/space...following along behind.
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Old 10-19-2008, 11:34 AM   #24
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When I towed my "new" Burro 17 home last weekend it was a 500+ mile trip one way. So I decided to check the fuel economy. I towed with a 2008 Highlander (V6). Going 60 mph about 2/3 of the way I got 13.9 mpg. Then the other 1/3 I averaged about 66-67 (wanted to see what change I'd get) and it turned out 12.5 mpg. This was pretty much steady interstate driving, stopping rarely for a rest or food.

I was hoping for 15-16 [at] 60 mph after reading many posts from various boards. Oh well. 14 isn't too bad, I guess... it's better than the 10-11 mpg I averaged with the stick trailer I had before.

Sure, I could do better at 55... or even 50. But time is worth something, too. If it takes forever to get somewhere, that gets tedious (to me).

Floyd, if you can get 24 mpg towing with your Escape like you say.... um, is your Escape going to be for sale any time soon?
MPG update: I went camping this weekend to Red Rock Canyon SP, also drove to Gloss Mountain, both in western Oklahoma. About 400 miles round trip. Keeping it to 55 MPH most of the time netted an average of 15.4 MPG.

By the way, gas was as low as $3.29/9 out that way.

The campground was so full, I got the last hookup site available. I was glad since it got down near 40 degrees at night and I wanted to run the electric heater.

I was thinking about the "time value of money" in traveling. We often take a 3000 mile drive from Tulsa to Michigan to see relatives. Most are in the lower peninsula. But we drive across the Mackinaw Bridge and head west to see my sister, Susan. And I like to head up to the Lake Superior shoreline sometimes, too... Porcupine Mountains SP is a favorite of mine. Anyway, 3000 miles at 55mph is 54 hours of driving. 3000 miles at 65mph is 46 hours, or 8 hours less driving. That's one whole day of driving cut out by going 65. It looks like my mileage penalty will be about 2 or 2.5 mpg for the higher speed. The additional gas will cost about $100, maybe $120. So the thing I will have to think about on any given trip like that is whether I'd rather have the time or the money.
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Old 10-19-2008, 12:55 PM   #25
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Micheal, you may have to get used to the slower speeds, regardless of the logical reasons for it, if you travel in different western states. It's the law.

I know the limit for trucks and "Autos with trailers" in California is 55. Cars, vans and big motorhomes without toads can do the 70 mph limit, but not towing vehicles.

Oregon is the same (As I recall) and I don't know about Washington. AZ is a free for all, anything can go the limit.

But when I tow in AZ, I stick to 55-60. It's for safety. And thats what the slow lane is for. Folks can pass me all day, it does not effect my ego.
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Old 10-19-2008, 08:57 PM   #26
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I went camping this weekend to Red Rock Canyon SP, also drove to Gloss Mountain, both in western Oklahoma.

It looks like my mileage penalty will be about 2 or 2.5 mpg for the higher speed.
So the thing I will have to think about on any given trip like that is whether I'd rather have the time or the money.
I've been to Red Rock Canyon. My grandparents used to have a farm near there. It's a nice place.

I've monitored my fuel economy while towing for several years under varying conditions. I've gotten as high as 17.5 mpg on flat terrain with a tail wind at 55 mph, to 11 mpg in the mountains with a head wind at 70 mph. I also drive coast-to-coast, from San Diego to visit family in Syracuse. I have to factor in the time zones working against me from west to east, and being in my favor from east to west. All else being equal, it takes 6 days to drive east, but only 5 to drive west. (I start and stop at the same time each day, not drive for the same number of hours each day.)

In the Midwest, there may not be different speed limit for towing like there is on the West Coast. All speed limits are generally slower in the East. But the psychological toll of working to meet a deadline adds extra fatigue at the destination. 450 miles per day is my limit, when I really begin to feel Highway Hypnosis. I tend to be a lot more relaxed at 55 mph, and more anxious when pushing faster. But I also do a cost(fuel)/benefit(time) analysis from time to time, and have been known to risk higher speeds...
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Old 10-19-2008, 10:00 PM   #27
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We don't drive by time. We drive by distance. We rarely go more than 300 miles in one day, no matter when we start and when we end.

So its 60 MPH for us even in the states that have only 55 MPH limit for towed vehicles. The only exception is road conditions and the time we drove to Florida from Vicksburg, MS. At times we were going 90 MPH considering the 30 MPH headwind blowing from the south east. Only 13 MPG!
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