bassmaster8100 Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 I may not be posting this in the right section but I'm currently looking for a tow vehicle. Currently I have a small truck and boat but wanting to buy a bigger boat so gotta buy a bigger truck. What do you guys tow your boat with and what kind of mpg are you getting out of it everyday driving and more importantly when towing your boats. Thanks. Quote
Super User Long Mike Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 I drive a gas hog Escalade. 13mpg without my 18' boat, just over 10 when towing it. Quote
mjseverson24 Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 2006 chevy silverado 5.3L V8 towing a 18 ft full windshield walleye boat I get about 14 MPG... it gets about 20 without the boat... Mitch Quote
BassnChris Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 2013 Nissan Titan....pulled my 18' procraft easily......pulls my 21' procraft easily.......but sucks down the ol petrol. Without boat on highway about 19/mpg Without boat in city about 14/mpg With boat highway about 14/mpg With boat city.....dunno.....I don't pull the boat around town with me. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 2010 Sierra 1500, 6.2L, 18-22 daily, 14-17 towing. I am using an Edge Systems CTS ECM/TCM program. Quote
Fisher-O-men Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 Old 1990 Suburban, 12 mpg no matter what I do, but it's paid for! 1 Quote
TorqueConverter Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 I stopped driving the truck as a daily driver and picked up a $3000 4 banger wagon. @ $3.50 a gallon it payed for itself in just under two years. If you've got the space for multiple vehicles then it's the smart way to go IMO. Keeps the miles and abuse off the truck and considering the resale value of trucks compared to crummy little 4 banger wagons, it's smarter to put the miles on the thing that's not worth much to begin with. 1 Quote
Super User slonezp Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 Tundra 5.7 I get roughly 13mpg with the boat in tow 2 Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted January 29, 2015 Global Moderator Posted January 29, 2015 Tundra 5.7 I get roughly 13mpg with the boat in tow Also drive a Tundra, 14 without the boat, 12-13 with it. 1 Quote
Super User Hi Salenity Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 08 2500 6.0 Chevy with a Bully Dog, 13 empty 10 with the boat. I starting towing with my 06 v6 Envoy to save some gas but I checked the mileage the other day and it got 9.8 Quote
Super User Jig Man Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 Chevy 2500 hd truck Champion 206 with 225 Merc boat 13-15 around town 17 hwy 12 towing in the Ozark mountains Quote
Super User Sam Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 When I use my 2009 Subaru I get 17 MPH when towing the boat. Quote
Super User BrianinMD Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 F150 EcoBoost, 14 when towing, 18 around city and 24 on the highway not towing. All while having 420 ft-lbs of torque at 2400rpm, this is while stock. Quote
Super User WIGuide Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 When I use my 2009 Subaru I get 17 MPH when towing the boat. It must take you a while to get to the lake at that rate! haha sorry man, had to do it. 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7 V8 Country driving mileage 14-18 Highway 17-20 Pulling a 17' Ranger 13-14 Doesn't seem to matter if it's freeway or otherwise Pulling a 20' Ranger 10-12 1 Quote
Super User DogBone_384 Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 I drive an '06 4-door Tundra. I don't track gas mileage. When it's empty, I fill it. Quote
Super User Fishing Rhino Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 2014 Silverado half ton, 5.3. Average on trips better than 20 mpg. Towing my Z-8, 13 - 14 depending on the terrain. Interesting, the new truck averages three to four mpg better than my 07 without the boat in tow. With the boat, that drops to only one mpg better with the new truck. That's driving long hauls at or slightly above the posted speed limits on the 1200 mile trip from Massachusetts to Tennessee, Kentucky, or Alabama for the Road Trips. Those runs included all types of roadways from fairly flat to hilly and mountain terrain. How you drive, and a close second in importance is keeping all the tires inflated to recommended pressures, play a large role in mileage. Quote
Super User rippin-lips Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 2000 Sonoma zr-2 V6 4.3l vortec 14-15 daily driving 9-10 towing a 19' boat I need a smaller boat or bigger truck. Quote
Super User gardnerjigman Posted January 29, 2015 Super User Posted January 29, 2015 I used to tow with a 2006 chevy avalanche that was chipped. Got 19-20 without boat. 15-16 with boat. Quote
Lip 'em! Posted January 29, 2015 Posted January 29, 2015 Buy a diesel if you can afford it. Large, heavy duty trucks are just setup so much better to pull (though other trucks have the power) than smaller trucks. I have a 6.7 powerstroke and can get 15-17 mpg when pulling my boat, 19-20 or so without it, but ive had it up to as much as 22 on a long road trip. Ton of power and the engine braking system in tow haul mode is great. My old truck was an 8.1L chevy 496 gas burner with the allison tranny. Towed great, plenty of power, best tranny out IMO, but towing a boat was lucky to get 9mpg...not as big of a deal right now with gas prices but it was expensive a couple years ago! Quote
Super User BrianinMD Posted January 30, 2015 Super User Posted January 30, 2015 There is no need for a diesel for a simple bass boat. 1500 sized trucks have towing capacities 3 to 4 times the weight of a boat. My 2013 F150 Ecoboost is a little over 11000lbs towing, the new 2015 is over 12k. The other manufactors are not much less than that. The only manufactor to have a diesel in a 1500 is Dodge and its a smaller unit for gas mileage. To get to the larger diesels requires a 2500 and 3500 which are extreme overkill. Save the money instead of paying the extra unless you need the larger truck for other reasons. More money for the boat, electronics, power poles, etc.... Quote
atcoha Posted January 30, 2015 Posted January 30, 2015 chevy 2500hd maybe 12 on highway. about 7 when I pull the camper 10 with the jon boat... Quote
Super User J Francho Posted January 30, 2015 Super User Posted January 30, 2015 So, I have to buy a $60k truck to get another 1-2 mpg? 2 Quote
EvanT123 Posted January 30, 2015 Posted January 30, 2015 03 path finder 1k in tow about 17-20 without a boat I would guess 15-16 with. I can't even feel it behind the suv. Plus the boat launch is 3 miles away. I'm a lucky guy. Quote
Super User BrianinMD Posted January 30, 2015 Super User Posted January 30, 2015 JFranco, which truck you referring to for 60k? 1 Quote
Super User Montanaro Posted January 30, 2015 Super User Posted January 30, 2015 I want a diesel colorado for towing. My frontier won't make it. Colorado is supposed to get 35+mpg. How that translates to towing I dunno. Has a ton of torque though 350 plus I think. Quote
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