Slide in camper owners: what's your mpg?

Cubey

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Cubey, awesome find congratulations! My best advice regarding camping, teach yourself to camp without a generator. Nothing screams greenhorn like a generator!

I have a 1980s, tiny, quiet 500w Yamaha generator that I really like and will also take along. It's super crazy efficient too. It's great for just running a few load wattage items. I have a 100w solar panel I will be moving to it from my rotten old truck camper too.

I wanted an RV with it's own generator so I'm not miserable in summer if 90+ degrees rolls in like last summer. A box fan only helps so much. Plus I can use it real quick for a microwave, for vacuuming, etc. It has a 4000w one, so yeah.

As long as you respect quiet hours, it shouldn't matter.
 

Slicknik

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12 mpg at 65
14 mpg at 60

socal to Phoenix and back 800 miles

Lance camper loaded (8ft) with
16ft motorcycle trailer (3 dirt bikes and a 500 lb street bike)

I'm running a banks first gen turbo kit on 5lbs~

91 crew cab long bed 2wd
E40d trans , 3.55 rear and 265/70/17 tires all around .

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Cubey

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12 mpg at 65
14 mpg at 60

socal to Phoenix and back 800 miles

Lance camper loaded (8ft) with
16ft motorcycle trailer (3 dirt bikes and a 500 lb street bike)

I'm running a banks first gen turbo kit on 5lbs~

91 crew cab long bed 2wd
E40d trans , 3.55 rear and 265/70/17 tires all around .

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I could almost swear my 87 F250HD NA 6.9 C6 3.55 gets better at 60-65 than 55 with stock size LT235/85R16s and the taller shell, 14-15 hwy. It was a slug pulling a 27ft travel trailer, getting all of 10 hwy and barely doing 50 in strong headwinds.

The motorhome was getting 8-9 hwy when I got it, but it had mismatched rotten leaky tires, and a nasty clogged K&N. Plus it had probably questionable diesel it was having to work out of the tank. Oh, and nasty looking oil, even for an IDI.

It's getting about 7.4 city right now after giving it fresh oil, a PSD oil filter, a new paper element air filter, fresh diesel, and a full set of new matching highway tires. The last 2 tanks were exactly that, 7.4. I have yet to really take it out on the highway beyond a few miles at a time, but I'm hoping to see 11-12 hwy. That might be wishful thinking though. It has a pesky 4.10 rear end which doesn't help.
 

Cubey

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Hm, I'm wondering if something is out of wack. Single digit highway seems low, even for this thing. Timing maybe? Or IP/injectors? (Or both). The 4.10 rear end isn't helping matters any either. But maybe that's all it will do.

I had a pretty streamlined 78 Dodge 5.9L 360 class B van (srw) with a 3 speed AT also, and the best it got was about 10mpg hwy with a 3.55. And it was tiny compared to this thing. Of course the timing or carb could have been out of wack.
 

The_Josh_Bear

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Not a direct comparison, but I have a 4500lb trailer and a 2000lb slide in camper that when pulled together have a solid weight and wind resistance. I take a trip each spring to a job and the route is rather hilly and I drive it about as fast as I can manage. Being hilly that's a lot of WOT to keep up with traffic.

I've done this N/A and turbo and 9-10mpg is my normal. The difference is turbo makes it there faster. until this year I also had 4.10's for 8 of these trips. I've never had great MPGs no matter what I do. Besides my right foot, I think the Facet pump and a lack of IP tuning are to blame.

With my camper I'm less streamlined than you, not sure about the weight comparison. So I'd say you're at the low end of the "normal" range with that setup, depending on your right foot.
 

Cubey

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Not a direct comparison, but I have a 4500lb trailer and a 2000lb slide in camper that when pulled together have a solid weight and wind resistance. I take a trip each spring to a job and the route is rather hilly and I drive it about as fast as I can manage. Being hilly that's a lot of WOT to keep up with traffic.

I've done this N/A and turbo and 9-10mpg is my normal. The difference is turbo makes it there faster. until this year I also had 4.10's for 8 of these trips. I've never had great MPGs no matter what I do. Besides my right foot, I think the Facet pump and a lack of IP tuning are to blame.

With my camper I'm less streamlined than you, not sure about the weight comparison. So I'd say you're at the low end of the "normal" range with that setup, depending on your right foot.

I have a 60lb LP tank (it was totally empty and took exactly 14 gallons) plus a lot more water weight (i think about 30 gallons fresh) plus I carry an extra 12 gallons in jugs in case my main fresh water gets used.

The already damaged not very big air dam broke off on one side, a couple days after I had put it back on, and I didn't get around to trying to put it back. I stuck it in the back of the truck and left it stored.

I am going to put in the NOS k&n filter I got off Ebay, after I pick up the "recharge" kit at Walmart and re-oil it. Its new in the box, so its not dirty, but its 30 years old, so its pretty dry. I ordered the recharger kit online, saving 30% vs the shelf price, a $4.50 savings.

It uses the old Porsche filter that is hard to get. I stuck in a cheap paper filter from ebay a couple months ago but it could be too restrictive. Its a cheap, weird brand one. ATS equipped these with k&n so I figure it might be better.

I still have the filthy original k&n filter also, which I'll clean, oil and put in a plastic bag for an extra. The paper one can be an emergency backup. They are impossible to find out in stores, except retail priced k&n ($120), so it's something I have to keep on hand at all times.
 
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Jason1377

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I have a 60lb LP tank (it was totally empty and took exactly 14 gallons) plus a lot more water weight (i think about 30 gallons fresh) plus I carry an extra 12 gallons in jugs in case my main fresh water gets used.

The already damaged not very big air dam broke off on one side, a couple days after I had put it back on, and I didn't get around to trying to put it back. I stuck it in the back of the truck and left it stored.

I am going to put in the NOS k&n filter I got off Ebay, after I pick up the "recharge" kit at Walmart and re-oil it. Its new in the box, so its not dirty, but its 30 years old, so its pretty dry. I ordered the recharger kit online, saving 30% vs the shelf price, a $4.50 savings.

It uses the old Porsche filter that is hard to get. I stuck in a cheap paper filter from ebay a couple months ago but it could be too restrictive. Its a cheap, weird brand one. ATS equipped these with k&n so I figure it might be better.

I still have the filthy original k&n filter also, which I'll clean, oil and put in a plastic bag for an extra. The paper one can be an emergency backup. They are impossible to find out in stores, except retail priced k&n ($120), so it's something I have to keep on hand at all times.


Mind my ignorance if you have a old porche filter can you search on porches website and find a new one maybe a little pricey and I'm a little lost in a paper filter verse a regular filter never seen a paper filter on vehicles I've drove or helped work on is there a big difference between them as in does the paper let more air through as apposed to newer styles, once again I feel ignorant for asking these questions.
 

Macrobb

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I personally do not like the K&N style filters as far as I can throw them. They rely on a thin layer of oil to actually keep dirt out of the engine, and fill up rapidly.
If you let them go too long, they will let dirt through(because the oil isn't trapping it anymore).
Realistically, a paper filter works fine. I do have to change it every 3-4 months, especially in the summer, but it's a small price to pay for keeping dust out of the engine.

Get a filter minder vacuum restriction gauge and install that in the intake. That will let you know what sort of restriction you are getting.


On the original topic of mileage with a slide in, I was driving my '93(avatar) with an old 8' camper in it. Drove around 1000 miles round trip from north Idaho to Bend oregon and back.
I averaged like 12mpg... but I never go less than the speed limit(mostly 70).

Next trip I used a "bump up" canopy instead, and slept on a small bed in that, and averaged 16 ish. Again, at 70.

It's that frontal area that makes a huge difference.
(This is with a 5-speed, turbo'd IDI(no studs)).
 

Cubey

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Since I have 2 k&ns, its not hard to always keep a clean k&n filter in it.

Here is the cheap paper one after just 700 miles vs the NOS, freshly oiled k&n filter.

Biggest annoyance is having to open the dog house cover to get it out but it only has to be pulled away, not totally removed.

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Cubey

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I have bumped up my rear tire pressure to 80. The motorhome conversion plate calls for 65, but I figure it can't hurt with the extra weight on the rear from the carbo box. I think it might be helping with the MPG, but it's too early to tell. It certainly can't hurt, unlike under inflated tires. Every fraction of an MPG matters when we're talking about single digits currently.

My rear shocks are pretty much gone, as mentioned in another thread, so that perhaps is a problem with the MPG. I've read in forums on the web that people (with other, smaller vehicles) seemed to get better MPG after replacing rear shocks. Maybe if the front is sticking upwards more, it could potentially cause more drag, especially on this thing. I have new Monroe 555034 RV Gas Magnum shocks on the way to a Walmart for pickup along my route.

I will see about replacing them on Friday, before it storms this weekend. They are super easy to reach thankfully, specially with the pesky stud top like fronts typically have.

Here are what the old ones look like. Probably originals...

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nelstomlinson

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My '89 crewcab has a five speed transmission and a 4.5:1 rear end. Driving about 55 to 60 I get around 15 to 16 MPG on the highway. Stock tires, naturally aspirated and so on. This summer I hope to put a pop top camper in the back and find out what that does to mileage.
 

catbird7

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I have not collected information to substantiate this however, it seems fuel efficiency is far worse when RPM's exceed 2000 to 2200. Beyond this, mines seems to drink fuel. Some of these highways with 70mph speed limit and traffic flowing at 80mph, if I run with the crowd, you can almost watch the tank empty.
 

Cubey

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I have not collected information to substantiate this however, it seems fuel efficiency is far worse when RPM's exceed 2000 to 2200. Beyond this, mines seems to drink fuel. Some of these highways with 70mph speed limit and traffic flowing at 80mph, if I run with the crowd, you can almost watch the tank empty.

I can about watch it empty at 60. From 3/4 to 1/2 drops like a lead balloon. The F250 does the same. Vans didn't get tachs at all except maybe on manuals.
 

Cubey

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Phew. The rear shocks were definitely bad. ... and probably the originals from 1985.

When did Motorcraft stop making shocks in the US? That might give a clue.

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They got tossed in a trash can at the Murphy USA gas station at the Walmart where I picked up the new ones and installed them out in the parking lot.

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