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slowmover · 08-22-2012, 01:43 AM

Not going to add an hour onto a 4 hour trip just to save between 1 and 2 gallons of fuel.
Or turn what should be a 1 day drive into a 2 day drive just to save maybe 10 gallons of fuel.
I can get more fuel, but can't get more time.

I understand the sentiment. But there is more than one way to look at this. Most folks who make this particular argument are only hurrying to pick up the TV remote control. If lowest cost of ownership is as important as cost of operation, then vehicle longevity (and components such as tires) also have weight to consider. An hour or two is more a matter of proper trip planning than higher travel speed. There is a distinct trade-off to travel speeds higher than 55-mph for more than fuel burn.

Also, let's not think that fuel will always be as cheap or as easily available as it is today. At the very least one would want to know the available range of the combined rig under varying circumstances. This can take a fair amount of testing to verify.

And 10/gls of fuel can pay for a night at an RV park with full hookups in many instances. Etc. Repeated often enough over several hundred thousand miles it is more than significant in direct and indirect dollar savings. Thus the above question about being specific in what is being towed over how many miles, and over a given amount of time is crucial to beginning an answer to Towing with Efficiency.

I have a given rig. The TV [tow vehicle] and TT [travel trailer] won't change. The weight and the aero [stock] are already set. Making it more efficient is mainly a matter of a few dozen mechanical details to iron out. After that comes the most efficient use of fuel (much of which is covered in pickup truck threads here at EM even when the TV is of another type). Then there is experimentation with aero changes. Gearing changes. Time/Effort plus $$ with a payback that may not be "realistic" except for those covering, say, 20k annually with the rig. And over more than 5-years.

This would be quite different than a local salvage hauler. IOW, the details of use matter more than the specifics of the rig (as there is more than one way to skin a cat).

.

08-22-2012, 01:43 AM	#13 (permalink)
slowmover Banned Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Fort Worth, Texas Posts: 2,442 2004 CTD - '04 DODGE RAM 2500 SLT Team Cummins 90 day: 19.36 mpg (US) Thanks: 1,422 Thanked 737 Times in 557 Posts	Not going to add an hour onto a 4 hour trip just to save between 1 and 2 gallons of fuel. Or turn what should be a 1 day drive into a 2 day drive just to save maybe 10 gallons of fuel. I can get more fuel, but can't get more time. I understand the sentiment. But there is more than one way to look at this. Most folks who make this particular argument are only hurrying to pick up the TV remote control. If lowest cost of ownership is as important as cost of operation, then vehicle longevity (and components such as tires) also have weight to consider. An hour or two is more a matter of proper trip planning than higher travel speed. There is a distinct trade-off to travel speeds higher than 55-mph for more than fuel burn. Also, let's not think that fuel will always be as cheap or as easily available as it is today. At the very least one would want to know the available range of the combined rig under varying circumstances. This can take a fair amount of testing to verify. And 10/gls of fuel can pay for a night at an RV park with full hookups in many instances. Etc. Repeated often enough over several hundred thousand miles it is more than significant in direct and indirect dollar savings. Thus the above question about being specific in what is being towed over how many miles, and over a given amount of time is crucial to beginning an answer to Towing with Efficiency. I have a given rig. The TV [tow vehicle] and TT [travel trailer] won't change. The weight and the aero [stock] are already set. Making it more efficient is mainly a matter of a few dozen mechanical details to iron out. After that comes the most efficient use of fuel (much of which is covered in pickup truck threads here at EM even when the TV is of another type). Then there is experimentation with aero changes. Gearing changes. Time/Effort plus $$ with a payback that may not be "realistic" except for those covering, say, 20k annually with the rig. And over more than 5-years. This would be quite different than a local salvage hauler. IOW, the details of use matter more than the specifics of the rig (as there is more than one way to skin a cat). .