MPG while towing

bow wow rider · May 27, 2011

I just got a 2011 Jeep Liberty (5,000 lb tow capacity) and have been using it to pull my 17 foot bowrider (3,200 lbs).

My MPG while towing at 68MPH (interstate, relatively flat land) is about 12.5. When not towing, the Liberty normally gets about 25MPG at this speed.

My towing MPG seems exceptionally low... does this seem low to anyone else? What MPG do you get while towing?

I use the liberty's "tow/haul mode" which mean i'm running at about 3000 RPM at the above mentioned conditions. Anyone else have/use this or a similar feature? TIA.

Silvertip · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

You have a 3.7L engine and it is being asked to work fairly hard. How tow/haul works varies by manufacturer. Learn how that works as on some vehicles it raises shift points and on others it locks out overdrive as well. A small engine needs to rev high to tow a heavy load. High rpm burns fuel. It's all about where the gas pedal is. If the weight you indicate is boat only, you can add another 1000# easy for trailer, fuel and gear. At anything above 55 MPH wind resistance begins to affect fuel economy rather significantly. Slow down to between 60 and 65 and see what happens.

ezmobee · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

bow wow rider said:
I use the liberty's "tow/haul mode" which mean i'm running at about 3000 RPM at the above mentioned conditions.

Yeah that'll do it.

If it makes you feel any better I have a '05 Jeep GC 4.7L and it gets 14 all the time everywhere. AWD is a killer.

bekosh · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

That doesn't seem to bad to me. You're towing a big percentage of your tow rating and still getting 1/2 of your unloaded mpg's.
I go from 12mpg unloaded down to 4.5mpg with my current boat.
With my previous 21ft Wellcraft cuddy (4800lb) my F250 got 6mpg towing and our old 2005 Trailblazer (5000lb rating/6cyl/24mpg unloaded) got around 12mpg.

bruceb58 · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

Sounds reasonable to me.

RogersJetboat454 · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

bow wow rider said:
I just got a 2011 Jeep Liberty (5,000 lb tow capacity) and have been using it to pull my 17 foot bowrider (3,200 lbs).

My MPG while towing at 68MPH (interstate, relatively flat land) is about 12.5. When not towing, the Liberty normally gets about 25MPG at this speed.

My towing MPG seems exceptionally low... does this seem low to anyone else? What MPG do you get while towing?

I use the liberty's "tow/haul mode" which mean i'm running at about 3000 RPM at the above mentioned conditions. Anyone else have/use this or a similar feature? TIA.

Not really. 3200lbs, is that including the trailer, gas, and gear? If it doesn't your probably fairly close to your tow capacity.
An engine spinning at 3K with that kind of load is going to use some gas. Sounds like the tow/haul feature on your jeep locks out overdrive so you don't burn the transmission up while towing.

At 68 MPH most cars start loosing their EPA estimated MPG. Now figure in going 68 MPH with the drag and weight of a boat behind you.

bow wow rider · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

RogersJetboat454 said:
3200lbs, is that including the trailer, gas, and gear?

Yeah 3,200 is loaded up. Trailer, boat, gear and a full tank of gas.

Thanks for all of the input. Sounds like I've got it pretty good, compared with bekosh's 4.5mpg!

eric hall · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

I tow a Crestliner 2160 sst.Total weight 1.8 tons(includes trailer etc) with my Landrover Discovery Diesel turbo and get over 20 mpg travelling at about 60 mph. The makers limit for towing is 3.5 tons (about 7,700 lbs I think) but obviously if I go faster the more I use.The speed limit for towing over here is 60 mph. Without towing I get about 28/29 mpg.

dmoriarty51 · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

ezmobee said:
Yeah that'll do it.

If it makes you feel any better I have a '05 Jeep GC 4.7L and it gets 14 all the time everywhere. AWD is a killer.

yep that 4.7l even tho small by v8 standards is pretty thirsty, i looked at a dakota with the 5.9 first and im glad i passed on it

bekosh · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

bow wow rider said:
Yeah 3,200 is loaded up. Trailer, boat, gear and a full tank of gas.

Thanks for all of the input. Sounds like I've got it pretty good, compared with bekosh's 4.5mpg!

Yeah, I really could use a 1-ton diesel instead of the 3/4-ton big block gas. 12000lbs makes for quite the load.
:facepalm:

bigdee · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

It is all about physics and the kw capacity(36.6) in a gallon of gasoline.....in short it takes a determined amount of Kw to move a certain amount of weight. I get the same mpg as you when I tow with my 4 cylinder S-10, Ford F-150 or my Blazer v6. The only thing that lets you get closer to this constant is efficiency.... but it is impossible to exceed this formula.

Home Cookin' · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

Towing a 17' Key West, single axle trailer, loaded with food beer and toys for a week: no real effect on mileage for a 1980 Landcruiser FJ60, or for a 1995 Chevy Tahoe 4WD (driving in 2WD). Flat land. But these vehicles don't get great mileage to begin with.

TBarCYa · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

Speaking of not getting good mileage to begin with... 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 quad cab, short bed...

Average: 16mpg
Towing 3500lbs (boat): 13mpg
Towing 7500lbs (Jeep): 9mpg

Starts off bad and only gets worse...

oldjeep · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

2009 Ram crewcab Hemi (3.21)
20 mpg highway unloaded
15 Mpg highway towing 4500lbs at 65mph
9 Mpg highway towing 4500 at 75mph

H20Rat · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

bow wow rider said:
I just got a 2011 Jeep Liberty (5,000 lb tow capacity) and have been using it to pull my 17 foot bowrider (3,200 lbs).

My MPG while towing at 68MPH (interstate, relatively flat land) is about 12.5. When not towing, the Liberty normally gets about 25MPG at this speed.

My towing MPG seems exceptionally low... does this seem low to anyone else? What MPG do you get while towing?

I use the liberty's "tow/haul mode" which mean i'm running at about 3000 RPM at the above mentioned conditions. Anyone else have/use this or a similar feature? TIA.

If it makes you feel any better, when I tow 2000# with my car I get about 12 mpg... (unloaded I get about 23) Small displacement but high horsepower makes for a really bad towing combination when it comes to the gas pump.

Snowfish · May 27, 2011

Re: MPG while towing

You're doing fine. Towing sucks gas.

My 96 Grand Cherokee 4.0 straight 6 get 12-13mpg towing.

22mpg not towing if I really try.:facepalm:

Just drive. It's much better mileage than the boat gets.

MPG while towing

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