Gas Mileage 1994 33' Patriot

[Todd Brunner]

I purchased a 1994 Beaver Patriot Savanna 1.5yrs ago. I had to do major interior work due to water damage so I have not been able to properly use it until recently. It has the 250hp Cummins 8.3ltr and is 33' long. I have topped it off twice, once from 1/2 tank and the other ~3/4. Both averaged 6-6.5mpg. The P.O. insisted that it got 10-10.5mpg and obviously I'm way off from that. I'm curious if I'm doing something wrong or if this is the mileage that I can expect. My family and I will be traveling from TX to Santa Fe, NM in a week so the highway mileage should give me a better idea of what to expect but I will be trailering a 5k lb vehicle so it will most likely be worse. Also what speed do most people normally drive on the interstates?
Any help would be greatly appreciated...

[Gerald Farris]

Todd,
My first Beaver was a 1993 36 ft. Patriot with a 300HP 8.3 Cummins. I towed either a Saturn or a Jeep Grand Cherokee and I usually got from 9 to 10 MPG at 60 MPH on the Interstate.

Gerald     

[David T. Richelderfer]

I have a 2004 Marquis Sapphire with the C-12, 505 hp engine.  I believe I get the best mileage at about 1500 rpms which would be traveling about 65 mph in 6th gear.  The mileage ranges from under 4 to over 6 mpg, averaging probably slightly less than 5.5 mpg.  The coach weighs 42k lbs and change loaded, full of water and fuel.  With the Avalanche in tow the combined vehicle weight is 48k lbs and change.

While in the Foothills of Yuma this Winter I spoke to a fellow who has a 2004(?) Monterey with a Cummings 400.  He claimed to get 13 mpg.  Towing his enclosed car hauler with a big pickup and his desert 4x4 loaded in he claimed to still get 10 mpg or so.  And this while going down the road at 75 to 80 mph.  He also claimed his Monterey is 43 feet long and it does not have a tag axle.  I thought at greater than 40 feet a tag axle is required.  I guess I learned something... not sure yet.

My brother has a 2000 Tourmaline with the C-12, 425 hp engine.  He gets from 8 to 10 mpg towing his Chevy pickup.

[Steven Hoffman]

Todd

The faster you go the lower the mileage will be.  I have a 97 Patriot 40 ft 330 hp Cat.  If I run hard (70 mph) mileage will drop to about 6.5 mpg.  If I run about 60 mph (which I do most of the time) I get 7.5 to 9 mpg.  I don't try to subtract what the generator is using etc. If it's hot I run the generator and coach AC.  The total fuel used is what it costs me to get to where I am going.

My mileage is  calculated on long trips of over 1000 miles.  I found calculations on short trips or a single tankful to be all over the place.  One tankful was over 12 mpg you can bet the next one was a LOT lower.

If you ask me my mileage at happy hour I will tell you I average close to 15 mpg.  The coach gets 7.5 and car gets about 22.5 so 7.5 + 22.5 divided by 2 is 15 mpg.  It takes some a few minutes to catch on.

Steve

[Larry Fritz]

Todd, I have a 98 Patriot 37', Cat 330, 3126B that I have had for 16 years. I have tracked and calculated my mileage annually for each of those years by using the total miles driven that year and the total gallons of diesel fuel purchased that year.  My annual number is around 7.1 mpg with normal driving of about 60 mph and towing a 2004 Suzuki Grand Vitara.

I do subtract out (conservately) my estimated diesel usage for the  generator and for the hurricane heater system in the calculation.

Larry

[Dave Blystone]

hello  I have a concord 33 2001 patriot with a cat 330 and I get 8.5 at 60 to 62 mph I hope this helps
I love my coach and yours will do well by you
enjoy it
dave and edie blystone
2001 patriot 33
cat 330
2014 ford flex

[Todd Brunner]

Thank you for the fast responses. I'm gathering that if I keep the speed ~60 my mileage will greatly improve averaged out over a long distance. My upcoming trip is going to require a couple of fill ups and should give me a better idea of what to expect long term.

[LaMonte Monnell]

I have a 2001 Beaver Contessa naples 40' with the 3126B Cat motor. I consistently get 7.5 mpg and I tow a 2012 Cadillac SRX. I usually drive the Interstae at about 60-62.

[Bill Sprague]

Most seem to think that the slowest speed that keeps it in the highest gear will provide the best economy.   For me on a day with no headwind and on the level, I can do that if I set the cruise control at 61.   I've never calculated the milage by hand but the Aladdin says my average for 120,000 miles is 8.1.   My usual habit is to set the cruise control at 63.  When traffic allows, the scenery is worth it and I'm feeling extra cheap, I seem to be able to get as high as 9.0 in fifth gear at 55 mph.   I have an 8.3 ISC 350 Cummins and our coach weighs about 33,000 pounds.

In 2006 Cat wrote an 18 page booklet called "Understanding Coach/RV Performance".  I no longer have the book but do have it as a .pdf file.  It is full of charts, graphs and facts relating to fuel economy.  You may be able to google for a copy.  If not, I can email mine to anyone that wants one using the email address in the BAC Directory. 

[Greg Kamper]

I would think your mileage is low. I have a c12 Cat 425 and my mileage according to my Silverleaf is now at 8.5 mpg from the last 2400 miles. It was 8.2 from my trips from my home in the central valley(Ca) to Tahoe, but my last trip to Phoenix brought it up to 8.5. I usually drive 65mph but the mileage seems to go up quite a bit slowing to 60.

[Lee Welbanks]

The only way to compute your mileage is miles driven by the amount of fuel at the next fill up. Have never seen a on board compute that is close to accurate. Have friends with over the road trucks and their on board computers are not accurate either.  My Aladdin is off a bunch on the low side, for one my speedo is 4% slow and the Aladdin speedo is slow about the same. The GPS is right on the money on speed (checked by mile posts) so when I fuel up I have to add a percentage to the mileage to get it accurate. I get 6-6.5 all told flat ground, hills, mountains, wind, no wind and I run 60-65 most of the time.

[Dick Simonis]

Lee, for what's it worth I found the Silverleaf on my PT to be dead on and much closer to reality then hand calculating where the "full" level varied by which side I was filling from, my tolerance for overflowing, and the slope of the pad.  On those occasions when I filled it consistently it was always extremely close to the Silverleaf "gallon used" display.

I haven't had the Marquis long enough to figure out if it's as good.

[Lee Welbanks]

Dick,

Sounds like you have one of the good ones. After you run 3 or 4 thousand gals of fuel through it you'll know what your mileage is. I don't pay much attention to fuel economy it is what it is and I didn't buy this big a coach for fuel economy.

[Todd Brunner]

I wanted to give a quick update on my mileage. I was able to fill up after ~600 miles and calculated 9.5mpg pulling a 6K load half the way and a 1K load (long story)the other half. When I climb steep grades the 250hp Cummins struggles and some climbs are as low as 25mph. Once it gets moving on the open road I was able to run 65mph fairly steady. It's a relatively small rig compared to most on the forum. Thanks again for all of the input.

[Keith Moffett]

Todd, another view is the condition of the coach.  Proper air pressure in the tires can affect fuel mileage.  My current issue is the exhaust.  I have a hunch my 7 MPG would improve with a better muffler.
Some of the CAT engines can be re chipped to produce more power.  I would guess Cummins is similar. 
At 230hp I wouldnt want to have a dragging brake or poor wheel bearings.
On our 98 Patriot the U-joints were  very dry so a good lube made a difference there too.

Best
Keith