RTT MPG Difference

[dlo13]

My vehicle is a 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro (Double Cab Short Bed), with Snugtop Rebel (Cab Height).
I will be using a Prinsu Rack above my shell to support the tent.


My question is this:

How much of an MPG difference are you guys seeing? This vehicle is a daily driver, and the tent will be on the vehicle full time.
If I am losing 1 or 2 MPG by having the tent, It may be worth investing in a more aerodynamic hard shell tent.

I know that adding a fairing can/will help with aerodynamics and wind noise, but the cost difference is quite substantial between the two.


Any thoughts would be helpful.

I am looking for a 1-2 person tent.

 

[quadforce4]

I have an Autohome on top of my F150, no noticeable difference in fuel usage according to the built-in computer. I was a little surprised and impressed!

 

[dlo13]

I have an Autohome on top of my F150, no noticeable difference in fuel usage according to the built-in computer. I was a little surprised and impressed!

Which autohome are you running?
How do you like it?

 

[OleMissCruiser]

I lost around 1 mpg on my 2006 LX470 when driving with my hardshell tent. It is one of the larger models and is pretty heavy.

 

[quadforce4]

Which autohome are you running?
How do you like it?

I've been using a Maggiolina Grand Tour while waiting for my Airtop to come across the pond. The Maggi has been great, but I'm looking forward to getting the additional head/footroom that the Airtop has due to the design difference. I'm about 6'4", so even a couple inches makes a big difference in comfort for me.

The Maggi has held up really well in cold weather, rain, wind. Excited to see how the Airtop compares.

 

[Ryanmb21]

I bet you'll lose 3-4 mpg

 

[ghostshaper]

We have a first gen tundra w shell. W our first soft rtt, we used to get about 13 mpg freeway on trips. Put it on a little trailer and built a telescoping rack for the tent. Averaged 18 mpg on the way home from Yellowstone.

Now, we're on our second rtt and it's back on the shell. Looking to use recovery boards as a fairing on the roof rack. We also have a Yakima fairing that fits our Yakima cross bars, but it's tiny compared to how much the tent sticks up. Also, if you don't have the fairing in front of the tent, it won't do much good, which means you need a crossbar just for the fairing. What were you thinking of using for your fairing?

 

[loudboy]

My Tepui was mounted on a bed rack that let the tent lay flush with the cab roof. I saw a slight INCREASE in mileage over an empty bed, which I can only attribute to reducing turbulence (?)

 

[dlo13]

Thank you for all the info. It is very helpful.
This just tells me that I really need to see what I can do to make my shell work for sleeping. I'm exactly 6 feet tall, so the short but is gonna be tight, but I typically sleep on my side.

I guess we will find out.
The hardshell may be the way to go, with a fairing of some sort. The recovery boards is a great idea. Hardshell would be much easier to store as well.

I'm getting 16MPG currently, which is slightly lower than reality (33" tires). I don't really want to lose another 2MPG.

I may end up being that guy who drives 65MPH...

 

[Corey]

I lost around 2 MPG with my FJ Cruiser with an Autohome Maggiolina Airlander.

 

[Lone Walnut]

I have a 2016 Tacoma 4 door Offroad shortbed with a leer 100R cap that sits flush with the cab. I also have a Prinsu rack above the cab of the truck. On top of the Leer I have Yakima bars with a Freespirit Adventure 55 attached. I have not lost any mpg's whatsoever. I believe the fairing on the Prinsu rack pushes the wind above the rtt.

 

[80t0ylc]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is clearance for parking garages, drive thrus and even your own garage if you have one. Seriously, it sounds like not much of a concern, but depending on where you drive and the places you visit. It's extremely easy to forget you have that extra height and have a disaster. Just something to keep in mind, if you're not used to having the addional height of a RTT.

 

[brentbba]

My first thought when I saw this thread title was that if you can afford an aerodynamic RTT, like a Maggiolina or James Baroud, you probably don't really need to be concerned with a minor drop in MPG.

I'm actually looking for IMPROVEMENT when I put my JB up on the rack I have on my Landcruiser. The INTI rack has this MPG sucking huge metal mesh screen protector in front of and to protect off road lights you can mount. I know I saw a significant drop when I put the rack on. The tent, while adding weight, is at least aerodynamically designed where the current INTI configuration isn't!

 

[Kevin108]

2 MPG highway drop on my FJ. Went from 20 to 18.

 

[Theoretician]

My F150 started at about 20mpg stock at 70mph. After the frame and tent (not a shell), it dropped to about 16mpg at 70mph. After I put roofing panels on the side of the frame, that came back up to about 19mpg at 70mph.