Traveling in your recreational vehicle is a great way to see the country and make memories with your family. But after a while, all of those miles add up. RVs don’t have the greatest fuel efficiency ever because of their size, so you’ve probably found yourself flabbergasted at the pump when you see the total for filling up your tank. And you fill it up pretty often, too.
So how can you stop losing money on gasoline? There are some tricks to it, but you can do a few things to stretch your fuel and save yourself from visiting the gas station quite as often.
Keep Your Rig Well-Maintained
If you want your RV to function at its best, you should do everything you can to keep up on its maintenance. Dirty filters, bad oil, worn tires and an untuned engine can all contribute to poorer gas mileage. So making sure that everything is taken care of in terms of regular oil changes, clean filters and engine tune-ups will ensure that your rig isn’t operating at a lower capacity.
Whatever maintenance you can’t do should be performed by a professional mechanic. Keep to whatever service schedules are recommended by your owner’s manual and don’t delay vital services.
Change How You Drive
The way you drive may be what’s behind your reduced fuel economy. Driving an RV is certainly something you’ll need to get used to if you aren’t already, and there may be some practices that you use while driving your car or truck that aren’t as effective in a camper.
Stick to lower speeds as much as possible. Going over 60 miles an hour is bad for your camper’s tires and higher speeds consume more gas. Lowering your speed to 55 or less will be to your benefit in terms of fuel savings and improved safety.
Try not to vary speeds too much as you drive, either. Don’t slam on the gas pedal after coming to a full stop, and don’t rev the engine a lot on the road to speed up.
If you have to stop due to traffic or some other obstacle, turn off your engine. Idling for more than 30 seconds isn’t good for your RV or the environment and you’re just wasting fuel at hat point. Try to plan your route to avoid areas of construction and congestion and don’t travel during rush hour traffic to avoid having to idle at all.
Check Tire Pressure
Your RV relies on its tires to move, so they’re one of the most important things you’ll need to check on a regular basis. Use a tire pressure gauge to get readings on each tire and air them up according to the manufacturer’s recommended psi levels as stated in your owner’s manual. Adequately pressured tires ensure better traction and contact with the road, which means your RV doesn’t need to work as hard, so you’ll see a boost in fuel economy.
While you check your tire pressure, look for worn tread or embedded objects that could be causing low air pressure. You don’t want to suffer a blowout because you drove on bad tires.
Additional Tips
Try opening windows for fresh air instead of using the air conditioning.Pack lightly to avoid filling your rig with excess weight & balance weight evenly.Fill up your tank during the week, since gas is more expensive at the weekend.
This information is for educational purposes. VIARV shall not be responsible nor retain liability for RVer’s use of the provided information. Prior to making any RV service decision, you are advised to consult with an RV professional.