Towing with a Colorado...Again

Did the search thing, but looking for some updates from 5 cylinder Colorado owners.  Just bought a 3200# travel trailer and did the first pull.  Flat roads, going out I got about 22 mpg at 65-70 with my 2011 5 cylinder 2wd.  Coming back with the trailer  at 55-60 and the trans in 3 got 12.  Trans temp was about 30 degrees higher, engine temp never changed.

So, I can stiffen the suspension, add a trans cooler but the drop in mpg concerns me.  If the engine is working so hard it is using twice the fuel is this a bad idea?  We love the truck, but when traveling there will be about 800 more pounds of gear and while the towing limit is 5500 and we are below that I am thinking an early 2000s V8 would be a better choice.  Probably about the same mileage, maybe a little less but the trailer did push the truck a little and I am not sure how well the drivetrain will take this on the long run.

Any comments?  People looking for a nice 2011 Colo?

TIA

Are you sure it was flat? Did you have a serious headwind?? I have a 2011 Colorado as well, same 5 cyl. I have been debating using it to tow my car and trailer to the track, its quite flat (zero elevation change) and only 60 miles. My race car and trailer combo weighs 5000lbs. I think its to close to the 5500lb limit so I don't, I'm kinda curious why yours was such a drastic change. 

I'm in the middle of the prairies and when I drive west, its flat but its actually a 2000ft rise in elevation - don't notice it over a 12hr drive, but I always get better mileage on the way back home.

So you got 22MPG without trailer and 12 with. That seems pretty reasonable to me.

When doing 65 or 70 down the highway you'd be in 4th or 5th (Not sure what trans you have), so only so only doing 55 or 60 with a trailer you're in 3rd. You may get better mileage with a higher speed as it would allow you to run in a higher gear.

Also, I'm assuming that your trailer may be both taller AND wider than your truck? That extra aero drag is killer, probably more so than the 3500lbs. That's increasing that generally if pulling a boat, you are allowed an extra 1k lbs or weight cuz the aero is superior.

I have a 2011 3.7L non-turbo V6 F150 and have towed cars several times across several states. I get about 20-25MPG highway empty depending on speed but towing 3k lb car get about 14-17, and the cars are both more aerodynamic than a trailer and smaller than my truck.

Also when in tow haul mode I stay in 4th and 5th a lot and can't always keep it in 6th, which is part of the mileage drop. If I could legally drive 80MPH each way it'd probably help my MPG #s.

Seems normal. Even with a V8 Explorer I used to tow a similar weight pop up and got about 11-12 towing in 3. In 4th with no load it got about 18.

It's possible the wind resistance us more of a problem than the weight. A camper shell might help some.

Dead flat.  Harrisburg to Phila on turnpike.  Winds were teens, but a crosswind to tailwind.  Frontal area of the trailer is the issue, and I was in third instead of drive, recommended to keep the trans from overheating.  I guess 12 mpg is what I should expect, once I put a few kayaks on the roof of the truck and bikes in the truck may drop more.  The truck weighs about 4, trailer 3200.  Just thinking it may be better to get a bigger truck.  I would hate to burn the drivetrain up on this one.  Then I have to fix it and still get another truck.

If worried about overloading the drivetrain on the Colorado and if towing the camper on long-ish trips of more than 20-30 miles each way on a regular basis, a bigger truck may be a good option. Of course I'm also good at coming up with justifications to add another vehicle to my fleet, such as "this car is just like my other one except the A.C. works" (true story).

Check your owners manual to see if it lists frontal surface area limits for towing. The Explorer manual did, the Grand Cherokee does not.

The aero drag is the whole issue, not the weight. You are going a steady speed without hills. Well, that and the fact that you are in third. 

If you're planning on towing a lot, I would upgrade the vehicle. I have towed with marginal setups in the past, and have no interest in doing it anymore. 

Harrisburg to philly on the Pa Turnpike is totally not flat at all, not even close.  Lots of small hills up and down the whole way.   Flat is like Iowa.  

So... I was just cruising Craigslist for Colorado’s... what are the details of yours?

You were in 3rd gear and are worried that your MPG dropped?  I lose about 6 mpg on my V8 truck with the trailers I tow and that's putting it in trailer towing mode which holds gears longer

Aero drag is real! i have a 20ft flat deck trailer for my camaro. I tow with a 09 chev 1500 2wd 4.8l. The truck is in very good shape and the mileage is pretty good - i never did the math, but i use less than half a tank for the round trip. its sits at 1800-1900 in 4th for the 60 mile (each way) trip at 63-65mph. i used my buddies brand new 20ft enclosed trailer for a race and i just about crapped my pants. it kept down shifting, wouldn't stay in 4th, did not like 65mph, settled at 58-60mph. It wasn't stable either and went through almost double the fuel i'd normally use. Winds were normal, nothing crazy. if i have money i'd buy an Aerovault, but im not getting an enclosed trailer anytime soon.

In reply to porschenut : I have a 2016 F150 4X4 with the V8 normal driving to & from work using 87 octane gas  I average 22.4 mpg. I’d get better but I have the complete tow package which includes a device like automatic parking except it helps you back up a trailer. If you need to back the trailer around a corner there is a knob on the dash you use.  

In addition it’s got deep towing gears.  

Anyway towing a 4200 pound car on a 1200 pound trailer with about 1000 pounds of parts and stuff in the bed of the truck I averaged 17.8 mpg  

That was across the Rockies and Sierra Nevada’s  at whatever the speed limit was ( a lot of the West its 75mph ) in a heavy rain against a headwind. 

It was actually a very relaxing drive considering I made the trip from Minneapolis to San Diego almost non stop except a 2 hour rest stop. 

If you don’t need 4x4 you’ll save some fuel and if you don’t get the deep towing gears  you’ll save even more fuel.  

Real fuel efficiency is in the 1/2 bread and butter trucks. Not the smaller trucks no matter what you think.  

Oh and I use Overdrive and even with that heavy a load it rarely dropped out of overdrive. Trans mission temps never went any higher than what they get to going to work

There's nothing that's going to get much better than 12mpg towing a big box like a travel trailer or enclosed car hauler. You might be able to spend a bunch of money to get something that would get 15, but what's the point? I would decide more based on comfort/stress level. If the truck isn't stressing you out to drive with that load behind it, it's probably ok. 

I wouldn't worry about driveline issues because the Colorado has the same trans as the half ton Silverado anyway and the rear axle is almost impervious to 'normal' loads. But if you think you'd be more comfortable in a larger truck towing the same load, then that's a good enough reason to do it. 

You should be able to tow in D not 3. If the transmission is hunting a lot I would just change my cruise speed to settle it down. 

I towed with a couple different vehicles.  I did two long runs in a Jeep Commander and it was best for me to stay below 61 MPH or something around there. Above that speed the aero changed and the MPG changed dramatically. So I set cruise to 55 and added 2 hours to any google maps time estimate and cruised along. 

Put it into drive and just tow safe. If you plan to tow a whole lot then yes trade in for a certified used full size crewcab truck from any brand. Not super duty dually diesel required just the base tow package.

In reply to joey48442 :

2011 work truck which means no carpeting or back seats.  5 cylinder, white with grey cloth.  140K miles, runs great.  Have an over cab ladder rack to go with it.

Newer tires, but 2wd so sucks in the snow.

No, many colo people said the trans overheats in D, keep it in 3.  I'm concerned about engine life if it is burning that much fuel.  I can put the V8 radiator in, trans cooler would be a must.  The manual has no mention about trailer frontal area, but that is a great idea to research.  

Drove a 2001 Ram 1500 and a 2002 silverado, the LS wins big time.  I do think that a bigger truck with more weight would make the tow easier.

Thanks to all for your input.  This group rocks.

OK, from the ford site 55 sq ft is in the range of rated for 5000 to  7000 on an F150.  My trailer is about 45, so I will put bigger springs and a  trans cooler on for now.  And keep below 60!

porschenut said:

No, many colo people said the trans overheats in D, keep it in 3.  I'm concerned about engine life if it is burning that much fuel.  I can put the V8 radiator in, trans cooler would be a must.  The manual has no mention about trailer frontal area, but that is a great idea to research.  

Drove a 2001 Ram 1500 and a 2002 silverado, the LS wins big time.  I do think that a bigger truck with more weight would make the tow easier.

Thanks to all for your input.  This group rocks.

The newer you go the better the mileage. They all got very competitive and focused on  every detail. That’s why Ford went to Aluminum body. The 800 pounds they saved put them ahead in the fuel mileage race.

Also both Ford and Chevy really stepped up their quaility and reliability as the market heated up.  To the point where nearly every bit of service work was on older trucks and normal oil changes etc  on new.  Warranty’s work just about stopped  That started happening after 2012 and really became notable starting in  2014  

Notice details like the thickness of the tailgate. That wide ducktail they all adapted actually improves fuel mileage by 1 mpg. 

Drove a 2001 Ram 1500 and a 2002 silverado, the LS wins big time.

Not that i'm disagreeing with the general superiority of the LS, but the 01 is the worst Magnum V8 year to drive. If you had driven an 02 with the same engine it would have been notably different. Still down 40hp from the LS, which you would finally notice after you got past 4500 rpm. 

As far as towing in 3, i've said a whole lot over the years here about that. If you don't mind towing in 3rd then that's truly simpler than proving that towing in 4th can be done safely. If you have the desire to tow in 4th you can look into it. Suffice to say a 4l60 (65, 70, they all work the same) uses the same two clutch packs whether it's in 3rd or 4th, and the only reason it would make more heat in 4th than 3rd was if you were driving in such a way that the converter was constantly unlocked in 4th but not in 3rd. Easier for the uninterested to just stick it in 3.

Back in the days of the old Pacific Audio GM Truck forum, someone posted a great explanation of why you should tow in 3rd with a 4L60E, and not in OD.  At some point, it ceased to matter (maybe with the 4L65E), but I know my '94 K1500 went so far as to have a sticker in the doorjam that said to only tow in 3rd.

In reply to dj06482 :

It happened by or before 1997. I had 371,XXX Miles on my original 1997 K1500  before the dreaded tin worm ate too much away to make repairs worth doing.  

That towed the race car in an enclosed trailer all over the country and even to the Bahama’s. Yep!  Up and down mountains on both coasts several times. 

It also hauled home timbers used to build my home. Big 24 foot long x 12 inch thick white oak and black walnut. Often with the bed loaded with lumber. 

Some, heck many of those loads  had the bump stops smashed down into the axle and The headlights were aimed at the tops of trees. 

Always in OD, never down in drive.  All I ever did  to that transmission was change the fluid every 60,000 miles. 

I had no idea the Colorado had a 4L60, always thought it was a 6-speed auto. Shows how much I keep up with newer GMs. Anyway, as others have said, your frontal drag from the enclosed trailer/camper will be the biggest issue. I had a 2005 Yukon Denali with the 4L65 (functionally, similar to the 60) and towed my racecar with it in Drive. Never bothered using 3rd or 2nd unless I encountered a hill and either wanted engine braking or to keep the transmission from hunting in and out of a gear.

For all the E36 M3 the Denali put me through, the transmission was never part of the problems. Bought it at 125k and sold at 150k with no issues there. By the end, it would (very) occasionally stumble a bit between 1st and 2nd.

For your Colorado, I would leave it in Drive and just let it do its thing. You should feel the torque converter lock up in 3rd and/or 4th - on these transmissions it can almost feel like another gear change. If it's flat enough and the converter is locked, leaving it in 4th shouldn't cause any overheating issues. Don't be afraid to use the shifter though, and pop it to 3rd if you get to an incline where it can't decide what's going on.

If you are getting some "tail wagging the dog" sort of feeling with the trailer, check your tongue weight and tire pressures first. After that, well, enclosed trailers affect trucks more than open trailers do. You've got a big parasail that you're trying to drag down the highway and it will catch the wind with the big sides. The Colorado should have a long enough wheelbase to help with some of that. How long is the trailer overall? I'd be more concerned with that vs weight if you are not feeling super stable.

Brake_L8 said:

I had no idea the Colorado had a 4L60, always thought it was a 6-speed auto. Shows how much I keep up with newer GMs. Anyway, as others have said, your frontal drag from the enclosed trailer/camper will be the biggest issue. I had a 2005 Yukon Denali with the 4L65 (functionally, similar to the 60) and towed my racecar with it in Drive. Never bothered using 3rd or 2nd unless I encountered a hill and either wanted engine braking or to keep the transmission from hunting in and out of a gear.

For all the E36 M3 the Denali put me through, the transmission was never part of the problems. Bought it at 125k and sold at 150k with no issues there. By the end, it would (very) occasionally stumble a bit between 1st and 2nd.

For your Colorado, I would leave it in Drive and just let it do its thing. You should feel the torque converter lock up in 3rd and/or 4th - on these transmissions it can almost feel like another gear change. If it's flat enough and the converter is locked, leaving it in 4th shouldn't cause any overheating issues. Don't be afraid to use the shifter though, and pop it to 3rd if you get to an incline where it can't decide what's going on.

If you are getting some "tail wagging the dog" sort of feeling with the trailer, check your tongue weight and tire pressures first. After that, well, enclosed trailers affect trucks more than open trailers do. You've got a big parasail that you're trying to drag down the highway and it will catch the wind with the big sides. The Colorado should have a long enough wheelbase to help with some of that. How long is the trailer overall? I'd be more concerned with that vs weight if you are not feeling super stable.

From what I understand, you don't get lockup in 4th on a 4L60, hence why people use 3rd

You want to know why everything gets bad mileage towing a big box and almost universally the same bad 10-13 mpg?  It’s all about drag and frontal area.  To keep a box with a fixed area and cD moving takes X horsepower.  X horsepower requires a nearly universal amount of fuel except small variations in rpm and bsfc.  Nothing gets goid mileage towing a big box.  

Aero is the key.  An airstream will get better mileage than a same sized box everytime.

I'm with you. That's why I think it's sort of pointless to count MPG as a ding against the Colorado when nothing else will do significantly better with all things considered. Even if you bought a bigger truck that got 14mpg towing that trailer, it'd get less MPG when empty and you'd end up spending more money on gas in the end than you would have in the Colorado. Not to say there aren't good reasons to upgrade, i just wouldn't consider towing mpg one of them.