There are many different types of RVers. You may love the open road and travel from coast to coast. You may choose to stick close to home and embark on weekend adventures. There are those who prefer the lap of luxury and those who enjoy roughing it. No matter your preferred style, whether it’s a luxury resort or off the beaten path, one thing is the same: the cost to get there can significantly impact your vacation budget. Maximizing your RV fuel economy is something that can make every type of camper happy.
Easy on the RPMs
When traveling in your RV, getting better fuel economy doesn’t have to be difficult. One of the easiest ways to improve your RV fuel economy is to drive at a steady speed and reduce the instances of hard acceleration and deceleration when driving or towing your RV. Rapid acceleration can really gouge your gas mileage. AAA.com advises to, “Avoid ‘jackrabbit’ starts, rapid acceleration and hard braking, which can lower fuel economy by 15 to 30 percent at highway speeds and 10 to 40 percent in stop-and-go traffic.”
You may already know this with your personal vehicle, but the same applies when traveling you’re your RV. When you push a motorhome or a tow vehicle into high RPMs, it uses more fuel than steady travel. Because you are carrying more weight with an RV, it takes longer to accelerate, so it can be tempting to hurry the process along, especially if there is a string of cars lined up behind you.
When possible, keep your speed consistent with cruise control. This handy feature isn’t just about convenience. Cruise control helps keep you traveling at a steady speed which reduces the amount of fuel your vehicle consumes.
Remember, this is your RV. Your tow vehicle may have a hemi, but it’s not a GTO or 409, so there’s no need to peel out at every green light on your trip! Enjoy the sights, relax and take it easy on the road – and your RV fuel economy.
Keep Your Tires in Good Health
Now that you aren’t laying rubber down each time the light turns green, your tires will thank you. Tires are critical for safety in any vehicle, fifth wheels, travel trailers, tow vehicles, and toads included. They also affect comfort and, of course, fuel economy. When tires are inflated to their optimum pressure, the amount of fuel needed by your vehicle is reduced.
Each time you conduct your pre-trip inspection, make it a point to check your tires for any damage, to see if any tires need replacing, and to see they are properly inflated. This will not only help you get better RV fuel economy, but it will also help you to avoid blowouts.
Maintenance Is Key
Just like healthy campers can pack more adventures into their trip, healthy RVs can operate at higher efficiency levels. It doesn’t take much to keep your vehicle healthy. Simple, regular maintenance like oil and filter changes won’t break the bank and have the added benefit of increasing your RV fuel economy. Other costs can be reduced with regular maintenance.
When your RV is regularly maintained, you proactively help to prevent major failures in your tow vehicle or motorhome. Just saving on the towing costs alone is a great reason to keep up with regular maintenance issues. It’s always better to catch problems early than to put them off and hope you don’t end up with a catastrophe.
Pack Light
It is tempting to load up your RV with all the comforts of home and then some. However, overloading an RV isn’t safe. In fact, you can’t ignore the specific load limits associated with your RV. In addition to safety, RV fuel economy is impacted by what and how much you take with you.
Planning what to bring based on the length of your trip can be extremely helpful. There’s no need to bring your entire wardrobe or enough food for an army if you’re just going for a short weekend trip! You’ll also spend less time packing up when it’s time to leave, which is a winning formula.
It’s also important to remember how much water weighs and how much of an impact your water tanks can have on your RV fuel economy. If you’ll be staying at a campsite with water hook up, wait until you arrive to fill them. When you are ready to leave, remember that heavy water will significantly impact your consumption of fuel, so be sure to empty your tanks prior to departure. The lighter your load, the heavier your wallet!
Use Gas Tracking Apps
Finally, there’s the price of gas. Obviously, fuel prices are a piece of the RV fuel economy puzzle that can’t go without mention. There are gas tracking apps such as Gas Buddy to help you find the cheapest gas near you. When gas prices fluctuate at the drop of a hat, tracking the prices along your route is a great way to get the best gas mileage possible.
No matter what time it is or what day it is, fuel apps can alert you best deal around. If you’re familiar with gas prices where you’re traveling, make sure to plan to fill up where you’ll pay the least. Your app may even tell you the best day to fill your tank, which could impact your travel plans since historically gas prices tend to go up during the weekend! There are also online RV forums where you might gain insight into fuel prices or even more RV fuel economy insight.
Contact RV Wholesale Superstore
The professionals at RV Wholesale Superstore are ready to help you find the perfect RV for you and your family. Visit us in-person at 5080 W. Alexis Road, in Sylvania, OH or call us at (419) 786-1126
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