Will Radial Trailer Tires Improve Gas Mileage?

sushidog · Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Abita Springs, LA

Will replacing the bias plied tires that came on my Aliner with radial tires such as Goodyear Marathons make a noticeable improvement in gas mileage? If so, what brands do you recommend?

Also, are there any low-friction trailer wheel bearings or bearing lube available designed to reduce rolling resistance? My camper is relatively light (1,700 lbs loaded) so load capacity is not as important as on a bigger unit.

Motor31 · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:10 am Post subject:

You'll get better mileage by simply inflating the tires properly and slowing down. Lighter grease or changing expensive tires won't make any difference other than costing you money for the tires. Dropping your speed 5 MPH will more than likely save you more than any tire change. Keeping the rig serviced will be a good idea but forget the lightweight grease: use grease that will keep the bearings in good shape since you won't save anything if the lighter grease doesn't keep them from seizing.
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sushidog · Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Abita Springs, LA

utmtman · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:29 pm Post subject:

Radials will give you a longer life tire and a better ride. Watching your speed will always help with fuel mileage. I get my best between 59 and 61 mph.
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Motor31 · Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:31 am Post subject:

I understand about oil bath bearings. My tow vehicle uses them and is a retired semi tractor. They are also very different from the system you have in your RV. The grease serves two functions: cool and lubrication. To lubricate it needs a certain viscosity to maintain a film between bearing surfaces. Going to a lighter grease may just stop that film cushion as the bearings were designed with a specific viscosity grease in mind. They are your bearings, however, so do what you want. I doubt your mileage will be affected in the least by any variation in grease.

RVing isn't about getting 30 MPG. If fuel mileage is your ultimate goal, I'd suggest either tent camping or simply using motels. Certainly driving at a very low speed on the highway is neither safe nor smart. One has to weigh mileage vs safety, time, traffic and distance. Mileage should be the least of the considerations there.
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1996 Jeep Cherokee (toad)

sushidog · Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Abita Springs, LA

Thanks for your input all!

Since I only tow 1,500-2,000 miles a year, fuel mileage is not that big of a concern to me now. However I am planning on a full-time mobile retirement on a very modest income (social security plus a small pension). I may resort to work camping to supplement my income, but I don't want to plan on that contingency, as one never knows how one's health will hold up. The only exit strategy I can conceive of at this point is death, so I must plan conservatively.

My DW and I are trying to find the most economical way to see North America (from Mexico to Alaska). We don't intend to just buy a big MH or TT and move it seasonally as some others do. Instead, we're planning on putting 20-30k miles/yr on our rig, never spending more than 2 wks to a month in any one place. We have family stretching from California to Florida that we plan to visit at least yearly.

Let's be conservative and say I only put 20k miles/yr towing my retirement trailer (It's a 9,200 mile round trip from La Paz, MX to Fairbanks, AK alone!). If I get 10mpg, that's 2,000 gallons of fuel/yr. At 20mpg (the target mileage of our planned rig) that's still 1,000 gal/fuel/yr. And this doesn't count the 500+ gal/yr we'll use non-towing.

Now it's anyone's guess what fuel prices will be during my retirement years. Sen Obama predicts gas may rise to as much as $12/gal over the next few years (I guess that'll push diesel to $15/gal.) I'm betting he's only half right, and it averages $6/gallon over the next 20-25 yrs. That's a $6k/yr difference between a conventional retirement rig (3/4 ton truck towing an ultralight 25-27ft TT) and a fuel efficient rig (minivan or Rav-4 towing a ChaletXL or small Hi-lo). That could be the difference between eating beans and boondocking every day, and eating steak and staying in campgrounds once in a while.

I know living in a smaller trailer will be more of a hardship, but having lived in a tent in the German Alps, I don't think it will be nearly as hard. Besides, I don't think I could convince DW to live in a tent. Wink

Since I have a few years left (hopefully) before retirement, I'm using this time and my little Aliner to learn as much as possible about my future life on the road. I have already learned a lot (thanks to my fellow campers on boards like this one), and I hope to learn much more from you all before finally taking the leap.

tantamount · Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 211 Location: roaming

boatcat · Joined: 17 Feb 2007 Posts: 18 Location: On the road

You didn't mention age of rig. As I've posted before, on older rigs be sure to check the yoke and links between springs and spring connections. Worn parts will wear tires quickly. I know from experience.
I am in 'Orleans. Send a pm if you'd like.
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sushidog · Joined: 08 Nov 2007 Posts: 8 Location: Abita Springs, LA

I have a 2006 model Aliner and TV. The Aliner uses a Dexter axle, so there's no spring linkage to wear. Plus the trailer only has between 5-6k miles on it, so it's in practically new condition. I repacked the wheel bearings just before the trip. The wheel hubs are cool to the touch towing at highway speeds, so I think there's not a lot of friction loss there.

When I recently evacuated for Hurricane Gustav, I only got around 20 mpg going as it was bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-10 for 150 miles. It took about 8 hours to go the 220 miles from Abita Springs, LA to Castleberry, AL. Coming back home, my rig got 24 mpg driving 60-65 mph with light traffic (a 3.5-hour return trip).

While on the surface this may seem like great mileage, my car normally gets around 37-39 mpg at 60-65 mpg, meaning that my low profile pop-up is eating up 14 mpg!

I think my main problem is poor aerodynamics. I have been toying with the idea of building a lightweight nose and tail cone made of coroplast or similar material (corrugated plastic sign material). I wonder if enclosing my underbelly and wheel well skirts with a similar material would make a measurable difference?

It might cost me $500 to save $50 now, but the lessons I learn could prove invaluable in a few years when the stakes are much higher in a full-time mobile retirement scenario, and the fuel savings could amount to several thousand dollars a year, year-after-year. I believe that we'll soon see US fuel prices jump to European levels over the next few years due to a weakening dollar and increasing demand for fuel globally. Let's hope I'm wrong.

What would really be neat is if a manufacturer were to build a lightweight, telescoping Airstream-style trailer like a Hi-Lo, but with smooth sides and rounded corners (with slides, of course.) Alas, it would probably cost 6 figures and few could afford them. Maybe a double shell made in sections out of lightweight injection molded plastic, vacuum sealed to a foam core for rigidity, SIP style. It would be cheaper than aluminum (if produced in volume for several manufacturers), wouldn't get dinged up like an aluminum shell, and could be replaced in bolt together sections if damaged. Thermal expansion might be a problem though.

Oh well, one can always dream.