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Old 11-20-2017, 03:48 PM   #1
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Gas Milage info

We have a 2013 Itasca Sunstar, 27 feet long with the Ford V10 engine and 5 speed tranny (which we love). We loaded for 1 week of fun, clothing, and food. Of course, we over packed. The motor home weighted 14,500 on this trip per Pilot scale.

Briefly explained:
61 miles an hour equals 9.79 miles per gallon
71 miles an hour equals 6.68 miles per gallon

Last week we filled up at Costco in Prescott and drove 225.3 to south Tucson at the Pilot (I-10 exit 268). I set the cruise control at 61 miles per hour.
Our gas mileage was 9.79. (We did stop over night in the Home Depot parking lot to visit with friends. Only used the generator for coffee in the morning)
From the Pilot we drove to Kartchner Caverns, to Benson, back to Kertchner and then finally back to Costco in Prescott. Total of 328 miles. This time I set the cruise at 71 miles. (I did kick it off on any really big hills). Our gas mileage was 6.68 miles per gallon.

My point is: I can save money by driving slower but I got passed by everything on the road. (a little scary at times)
I can do the near the speed limit, but I pay dearly.
(Of course, your mileage my vary)
No complaint, just information!
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Old 11-20-2017, 05:05 PM   #2
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Try 65 that's the maximum speed I can tow at and it seems to work well on the interstates. It also puts the engine transmission in a better position approaching Hills so I have less downshifting.
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Old 11-20-2017, 10:04 PM   #3
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We were think the same"happy medium" thought.
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Old 11-21-2017, 06:54 AM   #4
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We have been on the road since June 2017. We try to watch our speed and keep around 65 but aren't really concerned so sometimes faster sometimes slower. I will do cruise control if we are on the flat. My wife tends to drive faster than me (surprisingly since she's more afraid of driving). We have done a bit over 10K miles in that time and have gone form Florida-Ohio-Washington-SoCal-Colorado-Kentucky and back to Florida so all sorts of terrain. We are averaging 6.8 mpg on the trip. We're 33' towing a Mini Cooper Roadster with the V-10 / 5-speed combination and have loaded the 5-star tune.
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Old 11-21-2017, 08:53 AM   #5
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[QUOTE=rhodesaz;3810746]We have a 2013 Itasca Sunstar, 27 feet long with the Ford V10 engine and 5 speed tranny (which we love). We loaded for 1 week of fun, clothing, and food. Of course, we over packed. The motor home weighted 14,500 on this trip per Pilot scale...[QUOTE]
according to the Winnebago brochure the gross axle weights for your Sunstar are 7K in front and 12K on the rear. did you get individual axle weights at Pilot or just a single combined weight? if you believe you're overweight please keep your speed down as your braking distance will be seriously affected as will maneuverability, suspension, etc.
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Old 11-21-2017, 09:02 AM   #6
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Sounds about right for a gas coach - inline with what we've been getting for the past dozen years, and a chevy V8.

If we get a tail wind going through Palm Springs towards Indio/Desert Hot Springs we can see about 14.

Towing heavy in the mountains we'll see about 6.

We never drive over 65, but will set it there when not towing. Otherwise 60-62 with the boat or truck in tow. Usually about 7.5-7.8. Loaded coach is about 17,500lbs.
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Old 11-21-2017, 04:48 PM   #7
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I can see instantaneous or average MPG. Speed definitely makes a difference when you're pushing something with the aerodynamics of brick down the road. Weight of the coach is secondary to the brick design, except when starting and stopping. Sometimes MPG is important to me, sometimes time is but I know what happens when time wins out.

[QUOTE=rk911;3810756][QUOTE=rhodesaz;3810746]We have a 2013 Itasca Sunstar, 27 feet long with the Ford V10 engine and 5 speed tranny (which we love). We loaded for 1 week of fun, clothing, and food. Of course, we over packed. The motor home weighted 14,500 on this trip per Pilot scale...
Quote:
according to the Winnebago brochure the gross axle weights for your Sunstar are 7K in front and 12K on the rear. did you get individual axle weights at Pilot or just a single combined weight? if you believe you're overweight please keep your speed down as your braking distance will be seriously affected as will maneuverability, suspension, etc.
? He said he had it weighed, 14,500 lbs. Why would he think he's overweight?
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Old 11-22-2017, 06:43 AM   #8
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Quote:
We try to watch our speed and keep around 65 but aren't really concerned so sometimes faster sometimes slower. I will do cruise control if we are on the flat. My wife tends to drive faster than me
We have a governor in our rig that generally limits the speed to 60. She sits in the DW seat, and can somehow sense when the speedometer goes over 60 MPH.

This particular governor has a dual function as a navigator, and has never steered me wrong; she is a find of a lifetime, and I couldn’t get along without her!
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Old 11-22-2017, 07:56 AM   #9
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Lol!!😊😊
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Old 11-22-2017, 02:40 PM   #10
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RK911 actually it is 6.5K front and 11K rear
Click image for larger version

Name:	sunstar gvwr2.jpg
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So, I'm not even close to being over weight
In November 2017 I did a scale weight at Pilot
Click image for larger version

Name:	Lily scale 001.jpg
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ID:	169148

I'll do another scale ticket this weekend with the trailer attached. Hopefully I can get all three axles.

Run4Fun: The "governor" must be a standard option. I have one also!!

ThomB: We also started around June of 2017 and have 7k under our belts. But I have not done the 5 star. Will do it soon!!

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Old 03-09-2018, 05:43 PM   #11
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elevation

One thing to consider is prescot is over one mile high. tucson is @ around 2500 ft. benson is around 3000 ft. you will find @ higher elevation, such as high desert you will get better fuel economy. You were climbing on the way back to prescot. Plus the increase in speed = lower fuel economy. And then there is wind. You never know where it comes from or where it is going.
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Old 03-09-2018, 06:18 PM   #12
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[QUOTE=70ChevelleSS;3810767]I can see instantaneous or average MPG. Speed definitely makes a difference when you're pushing something with the aerodynamics of brick down the road. Weight of the coach is secondary to the brick design, except when starting and stopping. Sometimes MPG is important to me, sometimes time is but I know what happens when time wins out.

[QUOTE=rk911;3810756]
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhodesaz View Post
We have a 2013 Itasca Sunstar, 27 feet long with the Ford V10 engine and 5 speed tranny (which we love). We loaded for 1 week of fun, clothing, and food. Of course, we over packed. The motor home weighted 14,500 on this trip per Pilot scale...

? He said he had it weighed, 14,500 lbs. Why would he think he's overweight?
he can be overweight if he didn’t get individual axle weights.
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Old 03-09-2018, 06:20 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rhodesaz View Post
RK911 actually it is 6.5K front and 11K rear
Attachment 169147
So, I'm not even close to being over weight
In November 2017 I did a scale weight at Pilot
Attachment 169148

I'll do another scale ticket this weekend with the trailer attached. Hopefully I can get all three axles.

Run4Fun: The "governor" must be a standard option. I have one also!!

ThomB: We also started around June of 2017 and have 7k under our belts. But I have not done the 5 star. Will do it soon!!

excellent! now you know your rolling weight.
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Old 03-10-2018, 07:16 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Run4Fun View Post
We have a governor in our rig that generally limits the speed to 60. She sits in the DW seat, and can somehow sense when the speedometer goes over 60 MPH.

This particular governor has a dual function as a navigator, and has never steered me wrong; she is a find of a lifetime, and I couldn’t get along without her!
LOL, my passenger SUCKS at navigating. When I do give up the drivers seat I have to make HER slow down. LOL
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Old 03-10-2018, 09:57 AM   #15
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my wife no longer drives the RV but back in the day she had two speeds...warp 9 and reverse. ��
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Old 03-11-2018, 12:25 PM   #16
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Thanks for the postings... I am curious about preferred average speeds. I have yet to log my first mile with a NTM '02 Sightseer 27 but have been on the edges of the aviation business for about 40yrs. There's a truism that may apply here: "The least expensive thing you put into a plane is gas and oil."

My wife was enamored with nearly any MB Sprinter coach. I looked around for a used one as the mileage seemed good. What killed it for me; I found a year-and-half old coach with fairly low miles ...forget mileage: I calculated the simple depreciation at $9. per mile. (Besides it didn't even have a real bed for all that money)

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Old 03-11-2018, 12:54 PM   #17
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not sure what you mean by ‘preferred’. if you care about MPG a little experimentation with different speeds over the coursecof several tanks of fuel will show you ‘the sweet spot’.

an RV is not an investment. it will depreciate whether you drive 10,000-miles per year or you park it in a seasonal spot. personally, we’ve purchased our motorhomes for our use and pleasure.
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Old 03-12-2018, 03:38 PM   #18
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Rich, 'Sweet Spot' suits. It is applicable to almost anything. These, probably the 1960's VW bus of our times, it changes going East or West. Cheers.

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Old 03-13-2018, 07:23 AM   #19
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[QUOTE=rk911;3813183][QUOTE=70ChevelleSS;3810767]I can see instantaneous or average MPG. Speed definitely makes a difference when you're pushing something with the aerodynamics of brick down the road. Weight of the coach is secondary to the brick design, except when starting and stopping. Sometimes MPG is important to me, sometimes time is but I know what happens when time wins out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rk911 View Post
he can be overweight if he didn’t get individual axle weights.
He said he had a GVWR of 19,000 lbs and weighed 14,500. Could one axle be overloaded, possible but not likely. He would have to load every bit of cargo over one axle and none over the other.
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