7 Tips to Improve Your Fuel Economy When Towing an RV

Gas prices are always a concern for RVers. If the price at the pump is too high, you might make changes to your trip. Maybe you stay a little closer to home or take fewer trips.

While you can certainly make trip changes, there are a few things you can do while you’re on the road to get the most out of your fuel.

As avid RVers, Lisa and Jason McEwen have made some adjustments to stretch their gas budget and it’s making a difference.

Here’s a look at some helpful fuel economy tips:

Check tire pressure

Before you go, check the air pressure in your tires. You should fill them to the max PSI when cold. That varies by vehicle, so you’ll need to look yours up. You can usually find the recommended tire pressure listed on a sticker on the driver’s side door.

Keep up with vehicle maintenance

It’s important to keep your SUV or truck in good working order. Get it serviced regularly, and go beyond a basic oil change. Have things like the air filter and spark plugs checked and fluids flushed as needed.

Slow down on the highway

When you’re on the highway or open road, keep the speed around 65 mph, or wherever you get better gas mileage. Keep an eye on your miles per gallon and see what speeds keep your mpg at its highest.

Drive during optimum times

When possible, try to drive during the morning hours when it’s a little cooler so you don’t tax the engine during the hottest part of the day. That said, it’s not always practical to drive in the morning or at night, but if it is, do so.

Slow and steady

Adopt a “slow and steady” approach. In other words, accelerate gradually and break gradually. Try to eliminate “jackrabbit starts,” where you lurch forward quickly. Keep your movements as slow and controlled as possible.

Lighten the load

As you might suspect, the less weight you tow, the easier it is on your vehicle. As a result, you can improve your fuel economy. So, if you can, get rid of heavy items. Try to lighten your load.

Avoid idling

Idling uses a lot of unnecessary fuel, so try to minimize idling as much as possible.

Idling is probably most common when you pull into a site or when you pull out of a site, so try to be mindful of those times. If we’re not moving the truck, we turn the ignition off.

By following these steps you can increase your fuel economy, which of course means we’re saving money and stopping less to fuel up.

Here are some additional fuel-saving tips for RVs. You can get some tips for pulling into a gas station with your big rig too.