Fuel Consumption When Towing

[cobrav8]

When I bought my Cobra from the bottom of the South Island of NZ, we were towing it back with a friends Skyline Turbo.

It was late at night - so filled up before the big drive in the wilderness (no town to speak of for quite some distance) and had 40 litres of AVgas spare for the Cobra as well.

Anyway - drove and drove, petrol getting really low, but petrol station in the middle of nowhere was shut, so filled the skyline with Avgas - and kept going. Anyway, most of the trip was up a gradual incline (along some mountain ranges basically), and the car was on boost most of the time lugging the Cobra behind it.

Anyway - 1am - The Sklyline was out of juice half an hour from the nearest town, no traffic went past for 20 minutes, and we couldnt get the fittings off the cobra to drain fuel - as we had no big enough spanners.

So... Back the Cobra off the trailer - and that was my first decent drive of the car - 700hp on a frosty night, with cock eyed headlights, and a sticky throttle (aluminium butterflys) - just about spun the car in some gravel in front of an oncoming truck.

Anyway - the truck stopped at the skyline where my mates were waiting and asked what the mad bugger was doing sliding all up the road and makinga hell of a racket. We were staying at some friends that night who lived out in the country -dead peaceful area - until .... He heard me coming in the distance for about 2 or 3 minutes (I had quite a bit of speed on by that stage) coming roaring up the valley.

So - the moral of the story - fill up, and take spare fuel if towing with a Turbo - cause that Skyline sucked a hell a lot of juice.

[bangm001]

I get around 11L/100km without towing anything at 110km/hr and some city driving, and the same route is around 18-21L/100 towing my boat, which weighs in at approx 1500kg, but the car is usually fully loaded with 4 people, plus at least 150+kg of luggage (Fishing gear, fuel tanks, eskys etc.)

[bloosted]

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?

we usually head to morgan or purnong we try to get out every 2-3 weeks,we,ll have to catch up one day do you go on any cruises?

[DAVO61]

I have done a few checks and with std tune boat loaded 4.6m and family to coast and back 14.77l/p 100k and with my no1 tune same run 15.69 l/p 100k and I sit on about 110km all the time..will be doing n0 3 tune on the canberra day weekend

but I think it will be a bit more..

[God666]

The weight of what you are towing is not the major issue, it is mainly the shape you are towing and it wind resistance or drag. At Xmas I towed a near empty box trailer 1000 km (Syd to past Melb) and it averaged 11.5 lt/100. On the return trip, I had an additional 700 kg in it so all up it probably weighed 900 kg. That returned about 12.5 lt/100. The was no change in the shape of the trailer, ie. the load was below the trailer sides. Now, if you are towing a boat or a fuggin house behind you with lot of drag, that is a whole other story.

[XR06T]

I towed my bros wrx on a trailer for 200km and used just over half a tank..

all hwy driving in 4th at around 85kph.

I was pretty stoked with that!

[teeg]

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?

we usually head to morgan or purnong we try to get out every 2-3 weeks,we,ll have to catch up one day do you go on any cruises?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm keen for a cruise, I was looking at the one going on Monday, but have a few things on this weekend so I am pushing siht up hill to make it. I do keep on eye out on when they are running and will get to one before long.

[cro142]

I have towed my 18 foot fibreglass boat (about 1600kg) from Sydney to Brisbane with my auto T. Fuel consumption was 19L/100 average by the trip computer.

That's cruising at 110kmh, and pulling easily up the Moonbi Ranges at part throttle in third gear at about 90kmh. By contrast my old ED XR6 barely made it over the same hill flat out in first gear with this same boat.