holstein13 wrote:

WARNING: This post is about fuel mileage and how to talk to strangers about it. Many folks get very, very angry when you mention fuel mileage on this forum. They feel as if you should never ever talk about fuel and RVs in the same conversation and anyone who does is committing a grave offense. If you are one of those people, please stop reading now and skip this post.

OK, back to my question. I get asked on a fairly frequent basis what kind of fuel mileage I get on my rig and I've never really had a good answer for that.

Technically, over the last 21,468 miles, I've averaged 5.97 MPG; but that really doesn't tell the story and feels misleading to me. Most folks want to compare fuel economy of their current daily driver to the fuel economy of a motorhome and the comparison makes no sense at all. We don't use these vehicles in the same way.

What does the question really mean anyway? Do they want to know what it would be if we were both driving next to each other side-by-side in a similar fashion? Or do they want to know how much fuel I consume over a period of time. Here's the real answer, "It all depends."

My mileage can range from 2.2 MPG driving up a mountain to 38 MPG coasting down a long slope. But it gets even more complicated than that. I use diesel fuel to power my generator, heat my water and even to pull my toad. Where does that factor in? Here's what I've estimated:

At a low altitude (denser air)
On a cool day (denser air)
On a flat highway
With no wind
Not towing a truck, running the generator or heating water
Driving at around 60 MPH
With my tires properly inflated and all maintenance performed

I'll get around 9 MPG. That's the better answer, but it takes a while to explain that, and I don't always know what the other person is looking for when they ask me the question. How do you handle it?