ValhallaPrime
New Member
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Hey all,
I recently towed a large (the largest they rent here) 6' x 12" covered 2-axle trailer from Philadelphia to Miami and back last month. Before I left, I dug around a bit on the forums here about towing a large-ish trailer with the JLU and 2.0 E-Torque, but didn't really find much. So, I figured I'd write a couple notes and observations for the "me's" that might be doing this in the future.
First off, my Jeep. Stock JLUS 2.0 E-Torque with auto, of course. Trailer/tow package from factory, as well as stock Sport wheels and tires. Limited slip factory rear. Hardtop of course (u-Haul won't rent here to soft tops). Changed the oil about 800 miles before the trip, the usual Pennzoil Plat Syn Chrysler spec juice. 52k on the Odo.
We loaded up the dual axle trailer completely and left for Miami to support a large camp and art installation at LoveBurn on the Virginia Key for a week, with a plan to make the 1200+ mile trek over 3 days. Trailer weight was definitely around 3500 loaded up, and we took time to balance properly for the 2-axle distribution (60/40ish front to rear). I drove solo in the jeep, with another 300-400 lbs of gear in the cab.
First observations:
- I had left with 1/3rd of a tank of 87 sloshing around. It's been 40F or below around here, so 87 and the turbo have been happy and chipper. As soon as we were on the highway and up to speed, I knew that 87 wasn't going to fly. The engine and transmission kept hunting around rpms and gears, and I could immediately feel intermittent hesitation. Like a hot summer day when I accidentally put 87 instead of 93 in, but amplified. Once over the DE / MD border, we dropped 93 in and after 10 miles back on I-95, the whole cruising dynamic changed. Very little gear hunting or engine loping. The towing with 93 is "No BS".
- The trailer's wheels stuck out about 9-10" wider than the jeeps on either side. Bridges and tunnels were white knuckle affairs. No joke.
- Rear tires went up about 2-3 PSI at cruising speed, fronts the normal 1 ish. I kept balancing the air as we traveled south and it got warmer to about 39-40 psi highway cruising.
- I could defniitely feel I was towing something heavy, but was very surprised how much pickup I still had. It just stayed in the higher RPMS while accelerating or crossing hills. The trailer had mechanical brake assist, so stopping wasn't bad, but still very noticeable.
Mileage
- I regularly drive on the highway, and have that 2.0 E tranny and engine cruising dailed way in. On long trips with 1-3 adults in there, maintaining a grandparently 67-68mph, I squeeze 26-28 MPG. No joke. 70? 243mpg. 75? 19-20mpg. We once went from DE to SC and got 545 miles before the low fuel light popped.
- With the Jeep and trailer fully laden, 35F outside temp, I did a few 25mile runs on cruise control and flat highway runs and watched the MPG, temps and gear hunts. The trailer was a big metal box, and stuck out about 4-6" on all sides behind the jeep. 60 mph - 17 mpg, and quite a bit of 6th-7th gear hunting. 62-63mph was the sweet spot - 17.5 mpg with the transmission mostly holding 7th with occasional 8th shifts. 65 mph - 16.5 mpg with a bit more 8th gear shifts, but oil temp averaged 10-15 degrees higher. 67-68 mph - 15 mpg with the tranny splitting 7th and 8th back and forth constantly. At this speed, the oil temp averaged 20-25 over normal (215-220 vs 195).
- 62-63mph was the sweet spot, with 2 x 600 miles stretches averaging 17.6 and 17.8 using Fuelly. Temps stayed 195-200 coolant, 190-195 trans 200-210 oil. On hills, the trans temp would climb a few degrees, but quickly dropped. Very solid.
I'll add more as I think of it. I was very very surprised how well my JLUS 2.0 handled the trailer, and left expecting sub-15mpg stops and fill-ups. Oh yeah! Almost forgot, towing something the size of the jeep tall and lengthwise, crossbreezes were definitely amplified. Tunnels and crosswinds make instant grey hairs.
I recently towed a large (the largest they rent here) 6' x 12" covered 2-axle trailer from Philadelphia to Miami and back last month. Before I left, I dug around a bit on the forums here about towing a large-ish trailer with the JLU and 2.0 E-Torque, but didn't really find much. So, I figured I'd write a couple notes and observations for the "me's" that might be doing this in the future.
First off, my Jeep. Stock JLUS 2.0 E-Torque with auto, of course. Trailer/tow package from factory, as well as stock Sport wheels and tires. Limited slip factory rear. Hardtop of course (u-Haul won't rent here to soft tops). Changed the oil about 800 miles before the trip, the usual Pennzoil Plat Syn Chrysler spec juice. 52k on the Odo.
We loaded up the dual axle trailer completely and left for Miami to support a large camp and art installation at LoveBurn on the Virginia Key for a week, with a plan to make the 1200+ mile trek over 3 days. Trailer weight was definitely around 3500 loaded up, and we took time to balance properly for the 2-axle distribution (60/40ish front to rear). I drove solo in the jeep, with another 300-400 lbs of gear in the cab.
First observations:
- I had left with 1/3rd of a tank of 87 sloshing around. It's been 40F or below around here, so 87 and the turbo have been happy and chipper. As soon as we were on the highway and up to speed, I knew that 87 wasn't going to fly. The engine and transmission kept hunting around rpms and gears, and I could immediately feel intermittent hesitation. Like a hot summer day when I accidentally put 87 instead of 93 in, but amplified. Once over the DE / MD border, we dropped 93 in and after 10 miles back on I-95, the whole cruising dynamic changed. Very little gear hunting or engine loping. The towing with 93 is "No BS".
- The trailer's wheels stuck out about 9-10" wider than the jeeps on either side. Bridges and tunnels were white knuckle affairs. No joke.
- Rear tires went up about 2-3 PSI at cruising speed, fronts the normal 1 ish. I kept balancing the air as we traveled south and it got warmer to about 39-40 psi highway cruising.
- I could defniitely feel I was towing something heavy, but was very surprised how much pickup I still had. It just stayed in the higher RPMS while accelerating or crossing hills. The trailer had mechanical brake assist, so stopping wasn't bad, but still very noticeable.
Mileage
- I regularly drive on the highway, and have that 2.0 E tranny and engine cruising dailed way in. On long trips with 1-3 adults in there, maintaining a grandparently 67-68mph, I squeeze 26-28 MPG. No joke. 70? 243mpg. 75? 19-20mpg. We once went from DE to SC and got 545 miles before the low fuel light popped.
- With the Jeep and trailer fully laden, 35F outside temp, I did a few 25mile runs on cruise control and flat highway runs and watched the MPG, temps and gear hunts. The trailer was a big metal box, and stuck out about 4-6" on all sides behind the jeep. 60 mph - 17 mpg, and quite a bit of 6th-7th gear hunting. 62-63mph was the sweet spot - 17.5 mpg with the transmission mostly holding 7th with occasional 8th shifts. 65 mph - 16.5 mpg with a bit more 8th gear shifts, but oil temp averaged 10-15 degrees higher. 67-68 mph - 15 mpg with the tranny splitting 7th and 8th back and forth constantly. At this speed, the oil temp averaged 20-25 over normal (215-220 vs 195).
- 62-63mph was the sweet spot, with 2 x 600 miles stretches averaging 17.6 and 17.8 using Fuelly. Temps stayed 195-200 coolant, 190-195 trans 200-210 oil. On hills, the trans temp would climb a few degrees, but quickly dropped. Very solid.
I'll add more as I think of it. I was very very surprised how well my JLUS 2.0 handled the trailer, and left expecting sub-15mpg stops and fill-ups. Oh yeah! Almost forgot, towing something the size of the jeep tall and lengthwise, crossbreezes were definitely amplified. Tunnels and crosswinds make instant grey hairs.
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