Diesel fuel mileage towing vs not towing?

[Guntr]

I am considering a diesel truck for my next TV and wondering what diesel trucks everyone has and and how your mileage compares between when you are towing to just regular driving.

[RoadrunnerII]

2016 Ford F250 super crew diesel 3.55 rear end
Depends on your speed and right foot weight. Do you hammer it or feather the throttle?
Best on the freeway... 18.9 mpg
Average with two lane road travel @ 55-58 mph 16.9 mpg
Best hauling our 5th wheel on freeway 60-70 mph 11 mpg
Normal average two lane hauling trailer at 58 mph 10 mpg maybe a tad better
Two lane roads have a lot more stop and starts slow zones thru towns so it is harder on mileage.
Would I buy a diesel again for hauling trailer? Yup! Truck is actually relatively quiet and just makes the trip easier. Less shifting and high revving.
That and the 80 gallon fuel on board.
Can't get that tank capacity on a gasser

YMMV
RoadrunnerII

[billcf7]

Exhaust brake #1 reason

[PaulB12]

My 2001 ford 7.3 powerstroke diesel:
Around town-12 to 14
Highway non towing-18 to22
Towing, no matter what weight, I've had from 5k to 11k tt's-10mpg, and mountains pull it down a tad.
Obviously newer diesels will do better.
Final note: don't mean to shout, but, I DIDN'T BUY FOR FUEL ECONOMY, I wanted a beast to pull stuff with.
Oh, 2001 ford Excursion, love it!!
PaulB12

[Quantum]

If you're looking at a new truck, I doubt you can go wrong with any of the big 3. You'll have to sit in each one and figure out which one you (or the Mrs.) is most comfortable in.

All 3 are extremely capable and arguably have similar fuel mileage. Of course you'll get an entire range of "I get xx MPG" because of where people live (cold vs. warm climate, hills vs. flat land) as well as how people drive. What some considering a light foot, others would not agree.

Drive each one and see which one puts the biggest smile on your face.

[barryg]

I have a 17 Ram crew cab, long bed, SRW 1 ton. I see similar but a bit better than RoadRunner. Around town mid 16 to low 17, highway empty mid 17 to low 19. Got 20 a couple times. Loaded with a light trailer(utility type) it is in the 15's, with the fifth in tow 11-12 never seen below 11 never seen above 13 towing the fifth. Amount of weight in the bed does not really seem to affect mileage ie a big load of firewood or the like.

My previous 01 ram 2500 quad cab got better mileage for sure by about 2mpg

[AKRUEBBE]

You can see my TV & rig in my signature. 9.5 - 10 while towing, uphill, downhill and all around the hill. 15 in city not towing.

[Marine71-76]

In 1999 I asked DW's uncle about fuel mileage as we were considering a diesel. He said "if you are asking me about fuel mileage, you do not need a diesel". Hmmm...

We have a 2008 F450 Super Duty with a 4:30 rear end so our fuel mileage sucks. With that said, we don't have to worry about upgrading if/when DW wants the "new" trailer.

On the highway, no towing, we get any where from 12 to 15 - a lot depends on the terrain.

On the highway with towing any where from 8 to 11 - again a lot depends on the terrain.

Regular commute any where from 11 to 14.

Now with all of this said, DW definitely has a "lead foot". And she loves driving the truck.

[CAG]

2004 Duramax -8-12 towing. Depended upon flat or hilly ground and wind. 4 Up major mountains. 20-24 without a trailer. Last of the Duramax without smog and DEF.

2014 Duramax 8-12 towing. Same reasons. 4 uphill. 19-20 no load. Smog crap cuts the mileage down.


I had a 52 gal tank to replace the 26 gal in the 04. With no trailer I could leave Phoenix and not have to fuel until the middle of Kansas (slightly over 1K miles) where the family ranch/farm is. I usually fueled in the OK panhandle because it was cheaper there than other locations.

[rkelly]

TV also in signature. 10.5-11.5 towing and 18.5-19.5 empty on the hwy. I love the diesel especially when towing in the mountains

[Old and soft]

01 f250 7.3 ps 264bh. Gets the same mileage loaded or unloaded. The difference between 65 mph and 75 mph is 5 mpg.
Gunnison, co, over monarch pass, up to limon was 17.8 mpg. Dropped to 13 at 75 mph on I-70.

[jfk69]

Truck in signature. It has a 3.31 rear end. Around town average 16-16.5, highway 15.8-16.3 (I’m an 80mph lead foot on highway) towing sig rig 10.8-12.2 depending on wind, hills and type of road.

[Guntr]

From what I'm reading your towing is using about 1/3 more diesel than non-towing for the same driving conditions?

The Diesel GMC Sierra 1500 I'm looking at is EPA rated at 30 MPG highway so would you figure I'd get about 20 MPG highway when towing?

Before we get into a debate about how realistic "EPA rated MPG" is, let me point out that I drive the speed limit and am very gentle on acceleration and usually get at least the EPA rated MPG if not better so this is why I use it as my baseline for comparison.

[Scott]

Guntr,

Keep in mind that the diesel will cost you about 300 pounds of payload and towing capacity when compared to the 5.3L gas engine on the 1500 (Crew Cab 4x4 Short Bed).

Here are the numbers from 2020 for reference.

That said, I can understand the desire for the diesel and it should handle your current 26BH fine. I've got my eye on one when we replace our tow beast.

[CAG]

Those new to towing might want to keep in mind that tires on RVs are rated for 65 mph. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen someone go blowing by at 75-80 only to pass them as they sit along side of the road with a blown tire, and usually some major damage to the rig.

[RedHorse1]

Obviously MPG varies with speed. That said, our ‘13 F350 highway driving (65 mph) we see 11.x towing (13k#) and 19.x not towing. Would I buy diesel again? Oh YEAH!
We started towing a 4500# hybrid with a 5.4 gasser Expedition that never got out of the 9’s while towing but could deliver almost 20 not towing. At first I wasn’t too impressed with the diesel’s MPG until it hit me; it was giving me 25% better mileage while towing 3X the weight!
The 6.7 is an OX and it loves to pull. And yes, I am a “Blue Oval” guy so I’m slanted in my views. The Bow Tie and Ram folks will likely love their trucks as much as I love mine.

[Midnightmoon]

All of my diesels dating back to my first 1992 Cummins Ram towed in that 9-11 mpg range and ran empty in the 18-20 range.

[robkelly]

Originally Posted by AKRUEBBE

You can see my TV & rig in my signature. 9.5 - 10 while towing, uphill, downhill and all around the hill. 15 in city not towing.

X2

[HecBec]

2019 RAM 2500HD 6.7 CTD with a 3.73 axle ratio and I range 9-12 mpg towing depending on load/conditions and 16-20 mpg empty combined highway/city. Towing a Talon 335T with a dry weight of 11,700 lbs. My first diesel and I love it. Previous truck was a GMC 2500HD with the 6.0l gas engine. With a slide in camper and towing a boat ranged from 8-10 mpg. Best highway mpg was 14 and it would not tow what we have now. Friend of mine purchased a similar weight toyhauler last fall, towed it once with a gas RAM 2500HD and got 5 mpg. This winter he bought a RAM 2500HD 6.7 CTD.

[jcrammell]

You don't buy a diesel for fuel mileage. Lol

I have a 2018 Ford F-350 DRW I get about 16 empty highway and in town. Towing is 10mpg