Fuel Consumption When Towing

[sahilson]

Does anyone have approximate consumption figures for a stock Auto XR6T towing the limit of 1600kg (I.e. km per tank).

I recently went on a trip up North (NW WA) and used the wifes Ford Escape (V6 Auto) to tow the boat (5.5m F/G weighing around 1500 kg all up).

We were lucky if we got 230km from the tank (tank is 61L). This was driving relatively easy trying to keep around 100km/h and around 3000 revs. It sucked the fuel hard.

I am considering adding a towpack to the XR6T but need to know how thirsty it is when towing.

I have tried the search engine and although there are plenty of threads on towing and the towing rating of the vehicles I couldn't find anything on fuel consumption.

Please let me know how your T performs.

[tab]

In free-flowing traffic it's not too bad. Never taken exact consumption figures but it's nowhere near as shocking as your example with the escape.

Throw a few geriatrics towing caravans and a couple of eratic drivers onto the same road though and watch the fuel needle take a dive

[chipa_12]

both the Escape and the XR6 T weigh about the same (well the T about 100km more)... but the T has an engine with much more power. So even though it is a bigger engine ,the T doesnt have to work as hard to move the same amount of weight, so in theory it shouldnt burn as much fuel..

Isnt that right? or am I just smoking cr@ck?

[teeg]

I don't tow with my T, but do so with my EB XR6. I find the fuel enconomy between the T and the EB about the same, both around town and on the highway. So the comparison shouldn't be far off, and probabally more in favour of the T due to the extra power. But I have a 6 metre ski boat with a 350 chev riding on a full checkerplate tandem trailer. I don't know the exact weight, but add in fuel, few cartons on ice, but she would be pushing in the 1600 kg region easily. The round trip we usually do to go skiing is about 280 km or thereabouts and I will still come home with about 15 litres out of 68. The trip itself, has a fair bit of hills driving, so a few steep hills and a fair share of slowing for bends and accelarating again plus the odd wnaker or 2 to get in your way.

[BA-PHOON]

Please let me know how your T performs.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I regularly tow my kart trailer around Tassie (south to north and return) with the Phoon.

Under normal driving conditions I get around 14l/100k's, (hway and city) while towing I usually get around 17-19 l/100k's. (hway mostly)

The loaded trailer is around 1200 kg's

It makes a big difference how hard you drive... of course. I usually try and stay above 2,200 rpm while towing, which in 6th is around 110km/hr when towing. The Phoon has plenty of torgue down there and wil gladly wind boost on when the hills get steeper. If a steeper climb is ahead I will drop it back to 5th, then it doesn't feel quite so laboured near the top.

You mention you tow at 3000rpm - any reason for not grabbing the next gear? ...just noticed your Escape is an Auto-guess that's why!

... or maybe I tow in too high a gear/too low with the revs??

- comments??

Edited 08/03/06 04:27 AM by BA-PHOON

[tab]

With the auto BA T's they recommend driving them in performance mode which effectively locks out fourth gear until you hit 150km/h. Not sure about others but I rarely do those sort of speeds with an extra 1.5 tonnes hanging off the back!

I assume it is to prevent overheating the transmission as the torque converter will almost always be locked when doing anything above 50km/h in third gear.

[bloosted]

I don't tow with my T, but do so with my EB XR6.  I find the fuel enconomy between the T and the EB about the same, both around town and on the highway.  So the comparison shouldn't be far off, and probabally more in favour of the T due to the extra power.  But I have a 6 metre ski boat with a 350 chev riding on a full checkerplate tandem trailer.  I don't know the exact weight, but add in fuel, few cartons on ice, but she would be pushing in the 1600 kg region easily.  The round trip we usually do to go skiing is about 280 km or thereabouts and I will still come home with about 15 litres out of 68.  The trip itself, has a fair bit of hills driving, so a few steep hills and a fair share of slowing for bends and accelarating again plus the odd wnaker or 2 to get in your way.

I get about the same as teeg in my t with my skiboat and 5 people(adults) in the car and it tows the best I have ever driven,theres prob room to improve those results as I drive it very hard btw my car ha 300rwkw

ps teeg where abouts on the river do you go?

Edited 08/03/06 05:15 AM by bloosted

[Paradoxx]

Dunno about comparison wise, but we towed a boat in my mates Calais Turbo and it sucked the juice something fierce!! Being a 3sp auto with overdrive (I think) it rarely got into overdrive and the rpm stayed high. Being at that RPM for extended periods means its gonna be running quite rich as the turbo is spinning and manifold pressures are fluctuating a fair bit. I can't imagine it ever being economical towing with an auto T. Manual on the other hand would be more predictable.

[teeg]

I don't tow with my T, but do so with my EB XR6.  I find the fuel enconomy between the T and the EB about the same, both around town and on the highway.  So the comparison shouldn't be far off, and probabally more in favour of the T due to the extra power.  But I have a 6 metre ski boat with a 350 chev riding on a full checkerplate tandem trailer.  I don't know the exact weight, but add in fuel, few cartons on ice, but she would be pushing in the 1600 kg region easily.  The round trip we usually do to go skiing is about 280 km or thereabouts and I will still come home with about 15 litres out of 68.  The trip itself, has a fair bit of hills driving, so a few steep hills and a fair share of slowing for bends and accelarating again plus the odd wnaker or 2 to get in your way.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I get about the same as teeg in my t with my skiboat and 5 people(adults) in the car and it tows the best I have ever driven,theres prob room to improve those results as I drive it very hard btw my car ha 300rwkw

We either head to my brother's shack at big bend, downstream from swan reach or the odd occassion to young husband at a mates aunties block. Half the problem is getting the boat out, only been up once this season so far, and last year wasn't much better as I chipped the bone in my ankle playing basketball and that put me out of action for a while. What about yourself?

ps teeg where abouts on the river do you go?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[harvyk]

When I've been towing around our boat I barely notice the extra fuel, probably somewhere between .5 to 1L / 100KM difference (I do usually take it very easy when I tow things)

And I'd certainlly be doing better than 230KM from 61L (I'd guestimate I'd be doing around 400KM from 61L...)