Hybrid or Gas for full-time camper? MPG guesses?

[Grassland]

A little late since.you went with a heavy duty truck.
And, it's a hybrid F150 and not a Tundra, but I think the two are similar enough to draw some vague conclusions.
Friend and associate has an F150 Power boost with crew cab and 6.5 bed with a contractor grade aluminum topper with roof rack. FX4 package. Without ladders or pipes on the rack, his highway fuel economy in low/no wind and flat terrain he has seen 10 l per 100km for a short highway jaunt. That's about 23 MPG. But that's not usual. Normally it's about the 15 l /100 range or so (15.5-16 MPG)
Gets worse with stuff on the roof rack.
He hasn't weighed it but I suspect at least 600# of tools. Stock size non aggressive tires.
In the city is where it uses less fuel than non hybrids.

Unfortunately Fords 3.5L ecoboost is just a spiced up Cyclone

The base cyclone is fantastic in the longitudinal arrangement. I think the huge heat from turbos is indeed one of the issues as mentioned prior.
I'm a huge cyclone fan boy however will admit I'm often envious of those with forced induction.


Also somebody mentioned that the Tundra doesn't have tow hooks and it was part of the aerodynamics. I didn't know that. At least it's a reason, although I'd rather have front tow hooks

 

[Over The Silent Planet]

There is more to weight rating than the mechanical components failing, performance is a big one, like braking off a big pass.....

Agreed. I am assuming proper upgrades were made all around where possible (suspension, brakes, maybe even boxing in the C channel rear frame, etc). But at the end of the day, the Tundra’s rear axle is still a semi-floating design. To me, that is the weak link that can’t be beefed up, and those two heavy-ass Tundra flatbed campers are still riding on factory Toyota axles with no problems.

I have a fairly heavily modified 21 Tundra double cab with a lightweight (362 pounds) poptop camper (shell) on it. I’m running 34s with 4.88 gears. The GVWR is 7100 pounds. Loaded for a trip with 10 gallons of water food, gas, two occupants totaling 285 pounds, all the build out mods, rear seat platform, and all the added build out I put into the camper my rig weighs 7680 pounds on the CAT scales.

I built this to wheel really hard, and I’ve taken it tougher places already than my well-built previous Tacoma. Please note this was supposed to be a lightweight build and it actually is, all things considered. It handles and performs far better than my Tacoma ever did loaded for tent camping. On my recent trip to San Rafael Swell and the Maze, with around 200 miles of off-road (mixed highspeed rock crawling) and plenty of mixed highway in between I got between 14 and 15 mpg, hand calculatedacross several tanks. Prior to re-gearing I was getting 13 to 14, but it drove like crap and couldn’t handle winds and hills given the weight and the larger tires. FYI I’ve had close to a year and a half experience with this rig over 5 or 6 trips, though the gears and lockers only got finished in Jan. Got about 11K miles on on. Not daily driven.

Here’s my logic on why the 2nd Gen Tundra vs F250 etc. from another thread (https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/ovrlnd-fwc-worth-it.227423/#post-2955366):



This is dead on:

My rig had 4.30s and that wasnt sufficient in any way for the weight, camper aerodynamics and larger tires. 6th was damn near unusable. Given my weight and mods, I probably could’ve gone to 5.29‘s even, but I’m glad I went with the 4.88s for highway travel. I still use the tow haul button in some cases, but I think it’s the most fuel-efficient set up with the 34 inch tires.

You do not need 35s! I know everybody thinks they need them but they kill your mileage. My Cooper XLT AT3s are actually 33.8 inches in diameter. I have no problem climbing 2 foot ledges and rock crawling through Boulder fields, and I still havent scraped. IMO a good suspension lift is it gonna do a lot more for you than the extra half an inch of clearance 35s are going to get you. If you’re gonna be traveling on the highway you’ll hate 35s, especially if you don’t regear.

I particularly did not want a 22 Tundra. Toyota has had problems with the first year or two of every new model. The 05 Tacoma‘s had problems with their rear diffs, 07 Tundra‘s had multiple problems, and the 16 Tacoma‘s had problems. In a couple of years the new Tundras will probably be great, but do you wanna wait that long?

I second the opinions that if you want a heavy camper with flatbed don’t even think about a half ton truck. I almost went that route, but realized that what I really wanted was the ability to go as far off road as I needed and wanted to go with some comfort so I chose the Tundra with a much tighter turning radius and the independent front suspension and a lighter weight camper. I also ended up with a platform that has been tested tweaked and improved over 13 years, which is really important to me as I always end up wheeling solo with just my wife and myself. I don't trust any other vehicle to get me there and back.

I hope this helps. Its a tough decision to make, good luck with it!

Excellent build, sir. I’m on 34.8” tires (285/75-18) in my Tundra. It has lost a very small amount of pep in its step, but it’s by no means sluggish with the tall skinny tires.

 

[dstefan]

Excellent build, sir. I’m on 34.8” tires (285/75-18) in my Tundra. It has lost a very small amount of pep in its step, but it’s by no means sluggish with the tall skinny tires.

Thanks … Its been awhile coming together, but we’re real happy with the outcome.

That’s the tire size I wanted to go with on the stock TRD wheels, but the Icon UCA’s required a different backspace for clearance to the tires. I’m a fan of taller and skinnier, but the shop here that's done a couple builds for me and I trust advised to drop to 17’s for more rubber and air down capability. I think now that they were right. I think absent the camper weight and especially the aero drag, I’d have been fine on the stock wheels and 285/75-18s, but the set up I have really needed the 4.88s to make it work right. So many variables! And I still have to drive like your great grandfather to manage the MPGs!

 

[Over The Silent Planet]

Thanks … Its been awhile coming together, but we’re real happy with the outcome.

That’s the tire size I wanted to go with on the stock TRD wheels, but the Icon UCA’s required a different backspace for clearance to the tires. I’m a fan of taller and skinnier, but the shop here that's done a couple builds for me and I trust advised to drop to 17’s for more rubber and air down capability. I think now that they were right. I think absent the camper weight and especially the aero drag, I’d have been fine on the stock wheels and 285/75-18s, but the set up I have really needed the 4.88s to make it work right. So many variables! And I still have to drive like your great grandfather to manage the MPGs!

That’s exactly why I chose 285/75s…they clear stock UCAs on the stock wheels and don’t rub anywhere with the Pro suspension’s 2” lift up front. I can get 16 mpg combined if I baby it. But I’m usually at 14.