Tires & MPG

[JandC]

In another post I talked about my buddy who had a 40' SOB Toy Hauler. He finally switched to G614 tires and left Monday on his 7 month trip. He had also installed suspension air bags. His MPG went up from 8.5 to 9.5. He said he has never gotten 9.5 pulling before. he is running 105 pounds in his (6) G614's.

[DQDick]

I have no idea what air bags might do and I do have IS and don't really imagine they do anything either. The 614's on our rig definitely seem to make it pull better, but when you spend that much money your mind definitely wants to find something positive so in our case it could be mental. If he was pulling to a destination he has measured before then he has a right to get excited. I got excited when we first put them on because on a trip to Albuquerque I was only getting 9 and when we tow usually get 11. After stewing for several days it occurred to me that I'd never measured that trip and I-40 from OK City to Albuquerque is generally up hill and usually against the wind. Sure enough, on the way back I got 14.

[BB_TX]

Possibly the higher pressure and harder tires have less rolling resistance. On the other hand it could just be certain driving conditions so far that have led to the increase. I know my mileage can vary quite a bit due to terrain, wind, driving speed, highway conditions, and even temperature seems to have some effect. Will be interesting to see if it holds up over the long haul.

[steelpony5555]

I don't know if my MPG increased or not but I do know the ride got smoother with LT tires, and then when I put on the EZ Flex suspension it got smoother yet.

[JandC]

Checked with him again last night. Went through 2 more tanks of fuel and got 9.6 MPG for the day. He is now convinced more than ever that the G614 tires have made the difference.

[Hooker]

Post deleted...I got my tires mixed up and was talking about the wrong ones.

[rohrmann]

Might have an effect on mileage if these tires were on the TV, but on the 5er, higher pressure and stronger tire probably won't change shift points on the TV, except to lessen pull resistance when towing.

[H. John Kohl]

I upgraded to G114 H rated tires on 17.5 rims and put some fuel addetative in the tank. I feel I have better fuel milage than before. Not sure which the after reading this believe the beter tires helped.

[JandC]

He is convinced that it is the new trailer tires and I have to agree. Last year he pulled the SOB about 4,000 miles and stayed in that 8 - 8.5 mpg range. Nothing has changed with his truck except air bags, it is a Chevy 3500 SRW with over 80,000 miles. I don't want to sound like a Goodyear tire salesman, but based on his projected miles for his travels this season he could save $300 - $400 in fuel.

[bncinwv]

Just think of the savings if he filled the tires with helium to lighten the load!!
Bingo