What’s the right speed to tow?

[Katjo]

Great video by KYD. 
 

 

[Tom and Doreen]

Tom and I watched this video last night (we have been following KYD for a few years now) and it was excellent. Bringing Olive home, we were mostly towing 60-65 mph on the highway, but every once in a while we would see that we were close to 70 mph because the Elite II tracked so well, you couldn't feel it back there. Going through the Poconos, I captured a nice sunset in the tow mirror of our Tundra, which also confirmed that Olive was indeed behind us. 😀

[topgun2]

I too have ben watching KYD for a few years.

I was very surprised hearing the number of 67 mph as this has been my maximum speed for open relatively flat interstates for awhile now.  In wind, rain and gloom of night (I very rarely tow at night) the max speed goes lower.  Also being in a fair amount of traffic will decrease my maximum no matter how fast those other guys are going.  Having said this - it really gives me the nerves to be doing 65 in the right lane while things are passing me at 90 plus just a few feet away.

Bill

p.s.  I really liked the parts about - if it feels to fast - it is too fast.

[Mike and Carol]

Our tow speed is normally 65.  It’s always traffic and weather dependent.  I will say that on I-10 west of San Antonio I will set the cruise control at 70, speed limit is 80.  Mike

[Patriot]

65 mph is the sweet spot for my bride and I. We spent many years in the “hammer lane” during our long careers commuting. 
So now at this stage in our lives we just enjoy the journey and set the cruise and let the 8 wheels roll! 

David
 

[SeaDawg]

We tow our Elite at max trailer towing speed, on the interstate, and secondary highways.  And,  max tire speed.

We don't get carried away, but with a 5.7 hemi towing a little Elite,  we don't sit in the slow lane, all the time, either.

Best tow speed is where you are comfortable,  imo. 

[ScubaRx]

I like a towing speed of 63-65 mph on a good smooth road. We get a consistent 12.8mpg overall on each of our typical trips of 4-5K miles. I can set the cruise and relax. I can control speeding up and slowing down with my left thumb on the steering wheel and the heads up display on the windshield gives me all the info I need without ever moving my eyes. 
 

On the other hand, I’ve on occasion found myself doing 80+ mph. Like on US-50 across Nevada where you may go 40-50 miles without meeting another vehicle or coming to a curve in the road. Just because towing with a 10K pound truck makes this feel comfortable doesn’t mean you should actually do it. Slow down, enjoy the trip and don’t hit a 900 pound elk. 

[Trailblazers]

We watched the episode last night as well.  Some good information for sure.  On our old trailer, a 23ft Rockwood mini-lite, I kept it at 65 mph at all times.  That's just the speed I felt most comfortable driving.  With the Elite II, I find myself going closer to 70 mph, because it pulls so well.  

[topgun2]

11 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

I can set the cruise and relax.

Interesting as I do the same.

Usually on the first day on the road I start out a bit nervous, high strung, anxious, etc.  All the details of the trip are going through my mind - did I remember to pack everything?  Are all systems as good as I can get them on both the truck and the Ollie?  Did I remember to pack enough money, emergency supplies?  What is that exit number for cheap gas?  Etc., etc., etc.

However, after about an hour or so I'm over there in the slow lane, enjoy a bit of music and watching the world go by.  While basically not having to "worry" about running into the traffic in front of me, there is simply more time to actually see what is happening on and around the road.  I've accepted the fact that it will take me 15 minutes to a half hour longer to get where I'm going and THAT is OK.  There really is no need to hurry since I've planned my stop for the night early enough in the day that I have plenty of time no matter what happens (i.e. traffic delays, tire trouble, or even showing off the Ollie at a gas station/rest stop).  Such a joy to be on the road and not worried about virtually anything - no NEED to rush as those days are over.  Why didn't I do this sooner?

[Tom and Doreen]

I couldn't agree more - this is the time of life to slow down and enjoy the journey! Speaking of showing off an Ollie, I'm including a picture of Olive at the first Bucc'ees we have ever been to in Crossville, TN. We had been hearing about this "gas station" (not a comprehensive description, although we did get gas there) in various YouTube videos for years and it was quite the experience! The bathrooms are truly amazing (the only time on the trip home I chose to use a public bathroom instead of our personal one) and we had a darn good brisket sandwich too! 😀

[rideandfly]

Agree, we like using the cruise control, too.

Our highest mileage/Ollie tow day so far was 720 miles, without use of cruise control that day, long towing day for us. We normally shoot for 250 miles per day, but needed to beat a hurricane back to NC on the high mileage day.

Last experiment towing our LE2 with our 2022 Tundra on interstates & 4 lane roads. Set cruise at 63MPH yielding 61MPH GPS speed for following test. Tow haul mode used with 7th gear and engine speed at 2150 RPM. One way test from Crossville TN (TN plateau area) to Denver NC yielded 15.8 MPG. Round trip from Crossville TN to Howenwald TN and back to Crossville yielded 15.5 MPG. During the last tests while climbing a 5% grade reduced speed to 55MPH and dropped down to 6th gear.

Met some very nice folks this day. Took this photo at a TN rest area on a trip home from Colorado when we had a 2016 Tundra.  This was taken during our trip with the longest towing day:

[Tom and Doreen]

Wow - I think 720 miles in one day (towing or not) is a long day for virtually anyone! Great information and that's good mpg in quite a hilly area! 

[Chukarhunter]

43 minutes ago, topgun2 said:

Such a joy to be on the road and not worried about virtually anything - no NEED to rush as those days are over.  Why didn't I do this sooner?

Ditto for me.   On rural interstates though, I usually adjust my speed to match the predominant speed of most truckers.  Out in Oregon that seems to typically be around 67-68 MPH.  If I catch up to a  trucker going at least 65 MPH I will follow it.  If I start getting passed by trucks (which I hate, especially in the rain), I will speed up a little bit and drive with them.  And I will admit that under ideal conditions in remote stretches of Interstate, I will cruise at 70 MPH.  On two lane roads I drive 50-60 MPH depending on conditions and I  don't try to keep up with the trucks.  I will typically slow down in heavy crosswinds/headwinds but only to save on fuel.  I find the LE II to be almost impervious to crosswinds.

[Katjo]

I’m that wife in the passenger seat that says slow down if my husband slips over 65!😬

I’m most comfortable at around 30..lol..but that’s frowned upon on the interstate!
Seriously, 65 max! 

I’m a horrible passenger, I admit it. I’m very nervous when we are towing. It’s not my husband that worry’s me, it’s all the crazy drivers around us.🙈

[topgun2]

2 minutes ago, Katjo said:

it’s all the crazy drivers around us.

One of the reasons I stopped cross country motorcycle trips.😵

[Steve Morris]

4 hours ago, topgun2 said:

One of the reasons I stopped cross country motorcycle trips.😵

At nearly 70, and with osteoporosis, one of the reasons I'll be selling three motor scooters in the spring. All I need is someone on a cell phone knock me over and break a hip, or worse!

[Ollie-Haus]

4 hours ago, Steve Morris said:

At nearly 70, and with osteoporosis, one of the reasons I'll be selling three motor scooters in the spring. All I need is someone on a cell phone knock me over and break a hip, or worse!

I've also got three to sell when I can get the time to advertise them and have them ready to sell. Downsizing and consolidating, it's what we do at this stage of life. 😁

[Boonter Jeff]

When we go 60 mph, I can relax and don’t have to worry about getting around trucks, etc. very much.  They go around me.  The difference between a hazard coming at me at 60 vs. 70 is pretty dramatic.  Sometimes I’ll be in a hurry and go 65 mph but If I want an enjoyable and safe trip, 60 is a good number for us.  Also, in California, the speed limit when your towing, is actually 55 mph.

[Tom and Doreen]

This was such an informative discussion thread as Olive is the first (and probably "only" as we love her) travel trailer. Since several people have also mentioned being motorcycle riders, I wanted to let you know that we found a really great motorcycle trailer company which we went to visit last summer when we did the Oliver factory tour. It's Ironhorse Motorcycle Trailers in McMinnville, TN. Like our Oliver trailers, they are made of fiberglass and have a flip top design. We haven't ordered one yet - trying to concentrate on camping with Olive for now, but if we can do motorcycle trips in the future, it's really ideal as you can get your motorcycle to the location where you want to be without dealing with all the road craziness between home and there. Tom and I  were able to have a tour of their factory and their product is very impressive.  Unfortunately, we can relate to the medical challenges and their impact on motorcycle travel so that has also put this decision on hold for a while.

[MnM]

Just got back to AZ from picking up Hull# 1337 and drove it almost 2000 miles exploring TN a bit then across Arkansas (I-40 & I-30), Texas (I-30, I-20, I-10), New Mexico, then Arizona (I-10).  Did 70 mph early on staying with trucks then pushed a bit faster thru west TX, but decided to slow down on last 2 days to 65-67 in NM and AZ.  Gas mileage significantly improves at slower speeds and entire drive experience just much better around 65 for us and our 3/4 ton Hemi RAM.  I think 65-67 will work best for us.  

[Katjo]

Congrats on picking up your Ollie! Looks great with your white Ram! We have he same truck!😜