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Old 06-08-2014, 04:20 PM   #1
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Default 189 FDS/FBS owners what do you tow with and what mileage

I have now towed my 189 FDS about 1100 miles. 800 were emtpy driving home from the dealer. I have an 09 Honda Ridgeline which I love, but I have been distressed about the mileage. I was used to 14-15 towing my 2300 lb popup, so I was hoping for 10-11 towing this trailer. I get the part about towing a sail behind me. The Ridgeline has plenty of power and it handles the trailer nice, but it generates its power with RPM which drags down the mileage. It is pretty normal for me to be consistently at 3000 rpm going down the road at 60-62. The bottom line is my range of mileage is 7.9 - 9.5. I have been driving between 60-62. I purchased the smaller trailer to stay far away from the towing limit of 5000 lbs and thought I would be rewarded with slightly better mileage. I may have purchased a 210 if I knew the mileage would be this low as I am convinced it has less to do with weight and almost everything to do with the wall we are pulling. We will be leaving on a a 3 week trip to MT, ID, WA, BC, ALberta, and back home to ND. I am bracing myself for 8 mpg's. If you are willing here is what I would love to know:
1) What vehicle?
2) What engine?
3) How fast do you drive when towing.
4) What mileage are you getting? Range of mpg would be good.

I want to make sure my frustration over mileage is not based on faulty assumptions. If that's just the way it is, then so be it. It's all about the experience!! Thanks for your input.
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Old 06-09-2014, 08:12 AM   #2
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I don't tow that particular trailer... However, you are correct that is less about weight than about frontal area.

You'll hear a lot of tales about how some get miraculous mileage; take with a grain of salt, and if you are one of them, hat is off to you and count your blessings.

I've towed a lot of different trailers with a lot of different vehicles and, using only the one with frontal areas that are equivalent, your mileage is right in running and par for the course. My most recent, a 210WBS at about 6,000 lbs towed with a Hemi Jeep Commander; a low of 8.7 mpg and a high of 11, the average was around 10 mpg and that is what I planned my trips around. I'm now towing an 11,000+ lb 5th wheel with a RAM 2500 with the high output (800 ft lbs) torque Cummins Turbo Diesel. Want to hazard a guess as to mileage? Yep, right around 10. I've had as high as 12, but, the average is 10-10.5 mpg (my averages are from cross country trips...both mountain ranges going and coming back).

Frontal area...you can't get around it. As for weight, if you have a tow vehicle is rated to carry that much weight, the engine is going to be working in that same "sweet spot" to get that wall down the highway. End result, most folks are going to average 9.5-11 mpg (given headwinds/tailwinds, uphill and down) no matter what the tow vehicle / trailer combination is if the frontal area is 8' x 10' or taller. Oh, BTW, I also towed the 210WBS with that same RAM 2500...mileage for a trailer half the weight? The same, not one iota's difference over a long trip. Your popup or a utility trailer is going to get much better mileage based on the frontal area it has (actually; doesn't have). I can tow a utility trailer with 7,000 lbs of flagstone on it with the truck and get about the same mileage as towing empty, virtually no frontal area and 7,000 lbs for that Cummins is insignificant.

I always tow at 58-62 mph...the ST tire is only rated to 65 mph and most of the vehicles I've owned had their "sweet spot" at those speeds.



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Old 06-09-2014, 09:48 AM   #3
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Default Towing 189FBS

I have a 2013 189FBS trailer that I am pulling behind a 2008 Ford Ranger. The truck has a V6 engine and a topper on the back of the pickup part. I haul around 65 MPH most of the time if I am on the interstate. I live in the mountains of Colorado so I am hauling at altitude between 5,000 and 8,000 feet. I usually get 18 - 20 MPG on the Ranger alone for mileage, with the camper I am getting around 13 MPG so far which is not bad for hauling up and down hills at altitude. I had a pop up previously and it has been interesting getting used to hauling something so tall and the winds that it catches.
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Old 06-09-2014, 10:28 AM   #4
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Default You're doing pretty well

I have a 2010 FDS. I have towed it with a 2005 Sienna (2 summers) and with a 2009 F150 (1 summer and just this last weekend). I have averaged the same consumption with both vehicles. This is travel through the rockies in western Canada.

The Sienna obviously spun at a higher average rpm than the truck, but mileage is the same at 12 mpg (19-20l /100kms) with both setups, but can keep a higher average speed with the truck at about 65mph (105km/hr) whereas the van had to be kept around 55 to get that consumption. The aerodynamics of dragging the front end sail is the problem as you suspect. your pop-up had very little drag by comparison, but a hard-wall trailer has its up side as well.
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Old 06-09-2014, 10:53 AM   #5
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Thanks for your responses. If I could get 11 or 12 that would seem like nirvana land for me, but it doesn't seem in the cards at the moment. Wow 13 in the mountains rocks. The difference in 8 -12 over 4000 miles starts to add up. Again, I love the Ridgeline, plenty of power to tow this thing as I can easily accelerate uphill if I wanted to just wish it would do a bit better. I need a good tailwind, it always seems like I am against the wind. When I towed home from Michigan dealer over 800 miles it was the worst of conditions, 20 to 25 mph headwinds all the way home. Averaged 8 over the entire 800 miles.
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Old 06-09-2014, 06:23 PM   #6
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Haven't towed our trailer a lot but in the 1000 kms. we have it seems to be averaging 12 to 13 MPG or 18 to 19 liters per 100 kms. When not towing its around 20 mpg or 11 to 12 liters per 100 kms.
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Old 06-09-2014, 08:13 PM   #7
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I have a 2003 189 fb and was towing with a jeep cherokee (not grand cherokee), it had a 4.0l motor, 5000lb towing capacity, and had to keep it out of over drive so fastest I could go was 60mph. Best I got was 10mpg but was more around 8 or 9mpg. It pull it great on small hills and flat ground but any big hills on the highway I was down to 25mph. Now I got a 2011 chevy silverado with a 5.3l. Haven't tried towing with that yet but I'm sure towing will be better with that.
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Old 06-09-2014, 10:31 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by looking4fun
I have a 2003 189 fb and was towing with a jeep cherokee (not grand cherokee), it had a 4.0l motor, 5000lb towing capacity, and had to keep it out of over drive so fastest I could go was 60mph. Best I got was 10mpg but was more around 8 or 9mpg. It pull it great on small hills and flat ground but any big hills on the highway I was down to 25mph. Now I got a 2011 chevy silverado with a 5.3l. Haven't tried towing with that yet but I'm sure towing will be better with that.
Please update after you have towed with the Silverado. I doubt you will know its behind you with your new truck. The Ridgeline has a 3.5 liter engine and has no issue with power going up hills. I could accelerate if I had to, but I may be at 5500 rpm.
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Old 06-09-2014, 10:35 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crlagger
Haven't towed our trailer a lot but in the 1000 kms. we have it seems to be averaging 12 to 13 MPG or 18 to 19 liters per 100 kms. When not towing its around 20 mpg or 11 to 12 liters per 100 kms.
12 or 13 sounds awesome considering you are towing more weight than I am. Dodge seems to have a great towing truck.
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Old 06-10-2014, 06:00 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce3211
Please update after you have towed with the Silverado. I doubt you will know its behind you with your new truck. The Ridgeline has a 3.5 liter engine and has no issue with power going up hills. I could accelerate if I had to, but I may be at 5500 rpm.
Will do! I'm looking forward to trying it out. The camper was probably too much for the jeep but it was the only thing I had at the time and I knew I wanted to get a bigger truck. It was within the weight spec so I decided to get it.
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Old 06-10-2014, 06:53 PM   #11
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Default gas mileage

We tow a 210WBS with a 2012 Silverado with a 5.3. We did tow with a 1999 K-1500 with a 5.7. We do check overall mileage on each camping trip. Mileage seems about the same for the 2 trucks. We drive between 55 and 65 and have had a range of about 8 to 11.5 when towing. Overall towing mileage is likely a little less than 10.
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Old 08-18-2014, 09:11 PM   #12
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Default towing 189 FBS

We tow a 2014 Funfinder 189FBS with a 2wd 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with V6, 8 spd trans, factory tow pkg and E2 weight distribution hitch. Tows very nicely. We live near Pacific Ocean and have made a couple of trips to the High Sierras. Approx. 750 miles round trip (sea level to 7600 ft.) and we are getting 16 - 17 mpg towing. Believe me, we throw lots of stuff in the large pass thru storage area and more inside the trailer. I'm pretty sure the total loaded trailer weight is around 4,000 lbs. Also, the 7 ft. trailer width means no mirror extensions either. If I had it to do over again I would get 4wd with the V6. A little extra traction could come in handy when boondocking.
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Old 08-19-2014, 05:28 PM   #13
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Average is around 10-11 MPG running 65 mph with a high of 12.4 mpg and a low (with a Harley Ultra and Road Glide in the garage) of 7.9 mpg.
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Old 08-21-2014, 12:27 PM   #14
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Never seen better than 9 mpg and that was with a tail wind. 7.8-8.3 mpg is the typical average at 65-70 mph. The a Tundra is thirsty with or without a trailer behind it but plenty of power. The 26 gallon fuel tank is the biggest problem. I read the 15 model will finally get a 38 gallon tank. My 2wd 2010 averaged better mileage than my 14 4wd tundra does. To be expected. I don't really get to concerned over towing and fuel mileage as it simply cost money to move such a big object down the road.
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Old 08-21-2014, 12:31 PM   #15
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Default Two vehicles

We have towed our 2010 FDS with two vehicles:

2005 Sienna 3.3l 5 speed - The sienna towed our 2005 r-vision bantam f-18 for 4 years, then towed the FF for another two years. This included many trips through the rockies west of Calgary right through to Vancouver. The engine would spin pretty hard on the uphills, but never caused any grief. I averaged about 21l/100kms (13.4 mpg) with the FF attached.

2009 F150 5.4l 6speed- The truck has towed our trailer for the last couple of years and definitely has an easier time of it. I can maintain speed in the mountains with much greater ease and it handles headwinds without any issue. towing mpg with the truck has been 19l/100kms (14.8mpg)with a higher average speed (estimating 5-10mph faster).

Speed is the killer for fuel consumption. Keeping things at 60mph (remember, trailer tires are rated for 65mph MAXIMUM) or slower is best.
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Old 08-26-2014, 08:32 PM   #16
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Well in early July I traded trucks and now have the 2014 EcoDiesel Ram 1500. We just finished a 4000 mile trip through the mountains of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana. it was a nice ride and my mileage for the trip ended up at 15 mpg. I would set the cruise at 65 and let it rip. Going up 6-7% grades for several miles definitely slowed me down. Now that I have a better towing vehicle I am going to move up to a slightly larger trailer. My 2014 189 FDS is now listed for sale in the Fun Finder for sale section.
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Old 08-27-2014, 07:51 PM   #17
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My uncle just purchased a 19ft pioneer (pretty comparable to a 189) and he has the same 1500 silverado that I have just little nicer. He got the ltz package. He towed the camper over 200 miles home and said he didn't even know it was back there. He Also did it with out a brake controller but I kinda set him strait about not doing that anymore. Said it still stopped perfectly fine.
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Old 09-09-2014, 02:33 PM   #18
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Default 2008 Ranger

Older post, but might be useful to someone. I use a 2008 Ranger with 3.0L to tow a 2008 189-FBR. I am able to maintain 55 to 60 MPH on the interstate and don't really get any sway from big trucks. I usually average around 12-13 MPG depending on how many hills are between home and the campsite. An F-150 or equivalent would have absolutely no trouble with this trailer as my Ranger can tow it.
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Old 10-14-2014, 07:02 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce3211
Please update after you have towed with the Silverado. I doubt you will know its behind you with your new truck. The Ridgeline has a 3.5 liter engine and has no issue with power going up hills. I could accelerate if I had to, but I may be at 5500 rpm.
Hey figure I would give an update. I took my camper out for the fist time last weekend with the new truck! I have a 2011 Silverado crew cab 4x4 with towing package. I decided to see how it towed without a weight distribution hitch but I did have a friction sway controller. This trip was going to be a boon docking trip so I filled up my freshwater tank. Doing this I guess created a decent amount of tongue weight and when hitting some bumps you could feel the see saw effect. But I was very happy because now I am able to hold 65mph on highway hills. I have more then enough power to pull my 189fbd. On the way home I emptied all my tanks and it felt like I didn't even have a trailer hooked up. So I am very very happy with this combination. I also have a prodigy 2 brake controller and that worked great.
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Old 07-21-2016, 08:06 PM   #20
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Default Highlander and x189fbs

I just got a 2007 x189fbs and a 2012 awd Toyota Highlander. Only towed about 2 hours so far and got about 21 litres/100 km or 11 mpg. Not much better than the 2004 22 ft V-10 engine motorhome I just sold Will update mileage once I have more towing time.
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