Looking for ways to reduce RV weight

[ontheroadagain]

I have a small toyota rv with a 4cyl motor and automatic. It struggles on hills and my mpg suffer. (about 12mpg)<br>I am trying to lighten the load in an attempt to help increase mpg and power climbing hills.<br><br>Does anyone know how much an rv 2-way frig ways? It is small about 30" tall by 24 " wide.<br>I have a ARB dc compressor frig I will be using so thought it would be good to remove the 2-way frig and save the weight. <br><br>I am trying to think outside the box and find some other items to remove to save weight.<br>I never travel with water in the storage tank. I'm thinking of removing some upper cabinets that seem to be made of 3/4 mdf and should be heavy. I could replace any lost storage with some web style netting for towels, clothing and other light objects. I've even thought that maybe I should remove the old paneling and replace with reflectix and maybe a faux leather covering.<br><br>Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.<br><br>thanks<br>rick<br><br><br><br>

 

[sparky1]

stripping it out (Will probably NOT) change a thing in gas mileage, It's the Gearing.<BR>your lucky mine gets 6.5 mpg. I'm on my 4th MH and I have NEVER gotten over 7 MPG.my vans get 10.<BR>good luck on your ventures.<BR>sparky1 in s.va.

 

[ZOFCHAK]

&nbsp;&nbsp; Probably best to tackle the heaviest items first whenever possible, as they offer the most opportunity for weight savings. Also air resistance can be even more of a drag on MPG than weight.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Do you have a roof rack or roof AC unit that could be removed or streamlined?&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Do you have a battery bank?&nbsp;&nbsp; If so, you could consider downsizing it or using alternative batteries such as LiFePo4.&nbsp;&nbsp; They are expensive, but weigh much less and can be drained down further without damage.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How about passenger seating? If you're a solo rv'r you could swap out the passenger's seat for storage or even a bean bag.&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I would not recommend replacing the paneling. It may not seem like much, but RV's are built to be light, and you may actually lose some strength in the structure by replacing the paneling with something flexible. <br><br><br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Another thing to consider is if the RV had regular maintenance done. Things like failing O2 sensors, fouled/improperly gaped/worn spark plugs, dirty or restrictive air filter, clogged catalytic converter/muffler can all lead to less than ideal mileage. <br><br><br><br><br>

 

[rokguy]

<EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">If you could afford it?.... I would be thinking turbo charging, 5 speed manual transmission and diff gearing.</SPAN></STRONG></EM>

 

[RAILROADGREEN]

hey otr, if i were you, i would listen to spark1. i think he dead on with this. what wrong with 12 mpg for an rv!! i would say you are doing good&nbsp;there with gas. gary&nbsp;&nbsp;

 

[Zil]

Very important for mileage is to keep the tires proper inflation. that needs to be repeated.<br>The fastest cheapest way to lower gearing is smaller diameter tires. = lower millage less struggle on hills. vise versa <br><br>3/4 MDF is heavy. If you mean propane fridge, I would get sell it off.<br><br>Driving habits are also important for millage. Stay in slow lane.<br>&nbsp;Over 10 MPG is good gas millage.

 

[ontheroadagain]

I know compared to some class c rv's 12mpg is good. The is at least one guy here on the forum who has the same toyota 4cyl rv and is getting 18+<br><br>Does anyone know what a 2-way elec/propane frig weighs?<br><br>I do have a roof AC. I wonder if it would make much of a difference if I remove it. I could get a realy small house AC and mount it inside.<br><br>I don't use the propane hot water (6gal I think). I could remove that also.<br><br>What about one of those wind deflectors on the front of the hood????<br><br>I've done plugs, wires, air and gas filters. not sure what else for tuning that could be tried

 

[Cubey]

stripping it out (Will probably NOT) change a thing in gas mileage, It's the Gearing.<br>your lucky mine gets 6.5 mpg. I'm on my 4th MH and I have NEVER gotten over 7 MPG.my vans get 10.<br>good luck on your ventures.<br>sparky1 in s.va.

'<br><br>Ouch! What kind/size? Mine (see sig) seems to be getting about 10 average mpg in my experience (about 60% hwy, 40% city). But that's not towing and without a full tank of gas (1/4 tank or so) and with an empty water tank. Thats at 55mph tops (some fairly steep hills) but taking it very easy on the throttle, coasting as much as possible in town and down steep hills on the hwy. <br><br>The vacuum gauge I installed really helps me go easy on the gas pedal.

 

[Willy]

The is at least one guy here on the forum who has the same toyota 4cyl rv and is getting 18+<br><br>

<br><br>&nbsp;Downhill with a tailwind, maybe. What really kills fuel economy is wind resistance rather than weight. Weight DOES affect mpg, especially uphill, but not as much as the frontal/rear area and whatever projections are interfering with the airflow. I remember reading an article wherein they found that the suction eddy behind a vehicle was about as important as the front aerodynamics when it came to drag. .. Willy.

 

[Cubey]

<p>

The is at least one guy here on the forum who has the same toyota 4cyl rv and is getting 18+<br><br>

<br><br>&nbsp;Downhill with a tailwind, maybe. What really kills fuel economy is wind resistance rather than weight. Weight DOES affect mpg, especially uphill, but not as much as the frontal/rear area and whatever projections are interfering with the airflow. I remember reading an article wherein they found that the suction eddy behind a vehicle was about as important as the front aerodynamics when it came to drag. .. Willy.

<br><br>Yes! That's why I like my van so well. it is a couple feet shorter than many class B's thanks to the dropped floor when you step in. It allows someone under 6ft tall to stand up fully inside. I'm about 5'10" tall so I'm right about at the limit height wise without hitting my head on the ceiling constantly.<br><br>Some have a big goofy overhang in the front that would absolutely KILL mpg.<br><br>Take a gander at this 1978 Dodge, same year as mine: <br>

<br><br>Now mine: <br>

</p><p><br>That is a pretty substantial difference in height and wind resistance. The Cobra has a roof AC at the top rear, so it's even taller than the huge add-on roof. Mine has a roof AC as well obviously but the overall height difference from the ground to the top of the AC unit between the two vans looks to be 3-5 feet.</p>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;I found it kinda interesting, when I switched trucks, that my mpg didn't suffer much. My '90 F250 reg. cab 4x4 (302, 5spd manual) got 11-12 mpg with my 9-1/2' Vanguard camper, whilst the '92 F250 extended cab 4x4 (351W, 4 spd auto) gets almost the same mpg.. despite hauling considerably more weight (same camper, but heavier truck and more stuff). I'm wondering if some of that has to do with better aerodynamics at the front. With the regular cab, the camper overhung the front by about 1-1/2', and it sits behind the windshield with the extended cab. ..Willy.

 

[user 423]

Which Toyota RV do you have and what year is it? Some are pretty small and do OK with the 20R or 22RE engines and should get 15-18mpg. The RE version is fuel injected and is a better setup. These engines are among the best ever made,IMO.<br><br>Or is it one of those humongous Class C models? They are WAY under-powered with a 4-banger and really need a V6 that would actually give&nbsp; better mpg. <br><br>The auto trans robs power and is not as efficient. The cost to overhaul or replace one would be much more than a manual. A 5-spd change-over would give better MPG and pay for itself eventually.<br><br>BTW: Coasting down hills is illegal in many states because it increases the likelihood of losing control of your vehicle. Gains in MPG would be very little anyway. Consult your owner's manual because it may cause damage to your tranny. It will also result in more wear to your brake pads and the clutches in your tranny.

 

[ontheroadagain]

It is a Savanna conversion on a 1986 toyota 2wd dually with a 22RE Auto w/ overdrive.<br><br>I would love to find more info on switching it over to a manual trans. I checked to toyota motor home forums and there seems to be a lot of issues with finding the right bell housing and having to shorten the shaft (or some similar mess). I doubt I could find a competent mechanic to do the work and have it come out right. It would be easies to sell this one and buy another with a manual trans.<br><br>I do have the over cab bunk area that is basically just storage. Has anyone heard of anyone cuting that back. If I could cut that off at a slant and roll/fold the aluminum roof material down onto the slant it would ease the wind resistance going down the highway.&nbsp; It would probably leak like a sieve though.

 

[user 423]

Cutting into it would be pretty chancy and probably wouldn't help that much with aerodynamics anyway because you would still have the overhang to the sides. This type of rig is really meant for "blue highway" cruising at lower speeds I'm afraid.<br><br>The bellhousing difference is a puzzle as it seems it would be the same as for any similar year PU with a manual but maybe not. Changing the length of the driveshaft shouldn't be a big deal for a good shop. <br><br>Finding one of these RVs with an (original) manual trans would be hard. All the ones I've seen have been automatic. One good thing about a swap is that you could probably sell the old tranny for a pretty good price.

 

[highdesertranger]

if i remember correctly aren't the bell housing on those toy's sticks&nbsp;part of the tranny, as in one piece.&nbsp; also the older toy sticks had their own issues.&nbsp; got allot of work out of those when i worked on vehicles.&nbsp; i have never converted a toy auto to a stick but have gone the other way.&nbsp; i wonder about the clutch pedal and the hydraulic cylinder mounting.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[user 423]

HDR you're right they don't have separate bellhousings, so that makes it even more of a puzzle,lol. I've owned several PUs and Celicas with over 200k on them without any tranny problems but then a heavy MH would be pretty severe use. Having a donor truck with a bad motor or wrecked for all the parts needed for the swap would be the way to go but could be hard to find as even the older Toys and parts are sought after.

 

[sparky1]

once you start stripping it out, the reefer probably weights 80 lbs&nbsp; a empty Aluminum water heater weights 24 lbs-&nbsp;-your Running RV will be worth Nothing-but junk--shutting it down &amp; trying to change it over to standard shift is (STUPID) my 2 cents---it runs &amp; gets you around--leave it alone.<BR>Give it to me---i'll use it as it's supposed to be used,.<BR>sparky1 in s.va.

 

[wagoneer]

That in my opinion is poor gas milage I had a 1974 &nbsp;toy pop top chinook gutless 18R but very easy on gas I got 18 mpg plus from Omaha to SF going down to 5 mph getting into Yosemite from Nevada wow a big hill I had great tires pumped up to max 2 kids and a load singles in back. This E350 7.3 diesel is getting 19-20 MPG fully loaded again great tires fully inflated. I agree removing stuff just will not help that much and lower the resale value. If you do a lot of driving consider selling it and getting into something more highway friendly.

 

[Zil]

I 'm with sparky on this one.<br><br>Have a good shop do a wheel alignment and be sure your tires are in good condition and properly inflated. Then check your mileage. <br>Drive like you want to save gas.

 

[user 423]

That's a good point about the resale value by removing the original equipment, so you'd have to decide what your priorities are based on your amount of travelling as wagoneer pointed out. Lots of folks end up re-arranging old MHs though to suit there needs. <br><br> Another thing you might check is how well the tranny is working. I don't know if an '86 Toy would have a lock-up torque converter but if so and it's not working right, then that will lower your mpg.