Ok folks, I'm about to undertake the dreaded "family road trip" LOL. I have to drive from somewhere in eastern TX up to Tacoma, WA with my wife, 3 kids, road luggage, and approximately 2500lbs behind it in a uhaul trailer. I made this trip a year ago and averaged 13.8 mpg for the whole trip, but 75 to 85 MPH the whole way with the same setup will do that to you, but I was in a hurry. The following are the rules for this year:
1. Planning to take an extra day and a half to drive the same distance.
2. Oscilate the A/C whenever possible (this is the deep south of the US and damn it's muggy and hot there)
3. Wife will berade me if I get within three car lengths of anything, especially semi's so no partial drafting (I'll still try semi-hopping/slingshotting though).
4. Still pulling 5x10 single axle Uhaul trailer.
All sidewall pressures will be maxed, the non eco-footed wife will not be driving at all, and we won't be using drive thru's (which you have to leave the car running in just to keep the heat from stiffling you).
However, the biggest change to this years trip is that I will be using the scangauge to make on the fly adjustments to the "nut" (me) and finding the most oportune speed range/gear to pull the trailer with previously stated load. My goal is to come out of the trip with the extra day on the road costs in food and hotel stay being smaller than the net savings from improved FE by driving differently. Any additional ideas are welcome! I'm really trying to figure out a way to nonperminantly mod the back of the trailer box to get better FE. Magnetically attached boattail anyone?
