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We just completed a 15 day vacation trip from Austin, TX to Hill City, SD to Estes Park, CO and back home towing our 40 foot 5th wheel that weighs about 13K.
Trip Summary:
Total Miles: 3,611
Gallons of Diesel: 340
Average MPG: 10.6
I suspect we would have averaged close to 12 MPG if not for a very strong head wind from Colorado Springs all the way back to Austin. :-)
I don't know how much DEF I burned but I left with a full DEF tank and in Hill City SD, I added 2.5 gallons. When I checked last night as I pulled into the house, the indicator said "DEF Level OK". So I suspect I burned about gallons of DEF.
My 6 year old 2011 Super Duty performed admirably. Some of the climbs in the Black Hills were very long and fairly steep but the truck did it's job well. Coming home going over Raton Pass (south bound in I25) is always a challenge - again the truck did well.
We just finished our 4000 mile adventure with the new '16 350 and our 14.5K fifth. I averaged a bit lower mpg, around 10.1 overall but only because it handled so well that the speeds crept up a bit out west where the speed limits are higher. I have about 1000 miles all under 67 where I averaged 11.2 so it was a combo of speed and mountains. I didn't pull at 80 but I did let it venture over 70 which is something I didn't think I'd go for in the past.
The combo was rock solid even in the winds of the west and up and down the mountain passes. I would have never guessed it would handle that well. I hadn't wanted to live with the smaller fuel tank so I upgraded to 50 gallons, added airbags (totally unnecessary), installed a pop 'n lock, and mounted side steps (I'm short) as my luxury mods.
The airbags are a mixed blessing. Since I installed the wireless remote system, I was able to reduce the pressure for a slightly lower ride in the winds and when the winds were calm add air pressure for a better ride. They are too soft in most cases compared to the stock suspension. If I had to do it over again, I'd consider leaving off the airbags. I just didn't want to have my headlights pointed toward the sky when pulling at dark.
Great reports guys. When I got home from the G2G in Wisconsin, I averaged right at 9 mpg for my rig weighing around 29k pounds. The hills of Kentucky took the good fuel mileage out of the trip. But these things are amazing. I did however get the death wobble on the way home in those hills. Yesterday I put on a set of Bilstein shocks and steering stabilizer and tomorrow I head out to Lake Hartwell for the weekend.
I've heard it said many times that the shocks that come on these trucks are garbage, especially the Ranchos. And after taking them off yesterday, I can see why. Not much of a shock at all. Could easily compress and extend them all with just my hands. I could in no way do that with the Bilsteins I put on though.
07-17-2016, 09:18 AM
