RV’s are brick walls on wheels. You’ll never get Prius mileage, but improving from 7 MPG to 9 MPG is a massive 28% savings. On a 2,000 mile trip, that puts $200 back in your pocket.

1. The 62 MPH Sweet Spot

Aerodynamic drag increases exponentially. Driving at 75 MPH destroys your fuel economy. However, driving too slow (55 MPH) can sometimes force your transmission to downshift out of Overdrive.

• The Hack: Find the speed where your transmission “locks” into its top gear and stays there. For most diesels and heavy gas trucks, this is 62-64 MPH.

2. TPMS is an Economy Tool

Under-inflated tires add massive rolling resistance.

• Physics: A tire 20% under-inflated increases drag by 10%.
• The Tool: Use a TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) to ensure your tires are at their cold spec every morning. It saves gas and prevents blowouts.

3. Cruise Control: Friend and Foe

• Flat Ground: Friend. It maintains momentum better than your foot.
• Hills: Foe. Cruise control will floor the accelerator to maintain 65 MPH up a 6% grade. This dumps fuel.
• The Fix: Turn Cruise OFF before the hill. Let your speed bleed off naturally. Crest the hill at 45-50 MPH if safe/legal. Use gravity to regain speed on the way down.

4. Weight Management

Every 100 lbs you haul requires horsepower.

• Water: 8.3 lbs/gallon. A 100-gallon tank is 830 lbs. Empty it before you hit the highway unless you are headed to a boondock site.
• Waste: Empty your gray/black tanks. That’s another 500+ lbs of useless slime you are dragging up a mountain.

5. Maintenance Basics

• Air Filter: A dirty filter chokes your engine. In a diesel pusher, the filter is huge but vital.
• Alignment: If your rig “pulls” to the right, you are fighting physics (and scrubbing tires) every mile. Get it aligned.

Safe travels and cheap gas!