2005 1500 5.7 Hemi Big Horn

Yes, I know this beast is thirsty - 17hwy, 13 around town.

But towing a 5,500lbs camper, I get about 8-9mpg. The camper really doesn't seem like much of a load, but that gas mileage is really bad. Anybody get similar mileage towing? Any changes that I can make to help improve the towing MPG?

Thanks!

 

that sounds about right, lol...get some power adders and your milage will go up when towing

 

i tow every weekend... depending on which trailer i gotta use its normally the quads which is a combined total of like 3K if its the small trailer... i might lose a half a mile to the gallon... the larger the trailer the larger the drop... i use my superchip on performance towing mode when i tow so maybe thats whats helping me...

 

mines an '07 with the 4.7 and 3.92s and pulling my 14x7 enclosed trailer at about 3500lbs i get about 9-9.5mpg on the highway.

 

your numbers are similar to what Consumer's Reports found
where they towed a 7400 lb trailer
and got 8.2 MPG with the 5.7 Hemi

https://dodgeforum.com/m_1182670/tm.htm

 

I think it's more of a shape issue than a weight issue. A camper is a big box, with absolutely no aerodynamics at all. I had a 20' bass boat that was in the 3200 lb. range with trailer, motor, gear, etc., that I only lost about 2 mpg when towing it. Two quads on a 16' traileris hardly a noticeable loss at all.

 

Thanks all. Would anybody have more information on the superchip? How much might it help, easy to install, any warranty issues?

Unblieveable that today at 3.40 per gallon it will cost me almost $10.00 to go less than 30 miles..... I was going to the Grand Canyon this year, but I can fly, rent a car and get a cabin for not too much more than towing (3000 round trip = about $1,000 for gas if towing not including driving around once there)!

 

Towing mileage? Somewhere between 'crap' and 'poop'

 

I towed a 6'x 11' open trailer 2 ATV's back of truck loaded bed and quad cab. at 72 mph for 250 miles I averaged 12.5mpg. the way back I went 65mph the whole way but I havent filled up again to check the mpg. Truck is 2005 ,1500,Hemi,4x4,QC,3.55 gears. I usually get 17mpg with truck loaded and no trailer

 

I just drove my buddy's 2003 3500 Duelly Diesel 4X4 manual and it seems fairly powerful... I asked him milage and he said (his is over 160K miles)

"I get 15-16 driving around and 11 towing whateverI tow and it's been that way since I got it"

That made me feel a whole lot better NOT