subject: Getting The Most Out Of Your Rv [print this page] Saving money is a must in this day and age so applying some simple strategies will help you keep some of your hard earned money in the bank, because it is possible to be out enjoying yourself without going broke. So dont be like many who buy a new RV good intentions and then leave it sitting. Go into it knowing there will be a cost involved in operating a portable home, but also know that there are tricks that will make the burden a little easier to bear.
Buy only what you need
Have properly inflated tires
Check your air filter often
Use the right kind of oil for your engine
Use the speed strategy
Pack lightly
Shopping for an RV
There are many different sizes of RVs, styles, and types. Do your homework and find out what will best suit your needs. If it is just two of you, do you really need the biggest rig on the lot? Tent trailers are pulled and offer less resistance, therefore they may cost you less in fuel. But if you want a completely self-contained vehicle, the smaller the better as far as cost goes.
Dont forget the tires
Before you head for the hills, be sure to have someone advise you on the correct amount of pressure that you should have in each one. Keep a reliable gauge on hand that wont give you different readings every time you use it. Properly inflated tires will add miles per gallon and will help to insure that you will have less tire problems on the road to take care of.
The Forgotten Air Filter
The only time you probably think about your air filter is when you go have your rig serviced and they tell you it is filthy and needs changed. Well, it will save you fuel if you take it and tap it out between uses. Keep the air flowing through it for optimum performance, dont wait until it needs replaced all together.
Oil is Important
Finding out what the right kind of oil your vehicle needs is very important. Keeping the levels where they should be will help your RV operate at peak performance and in keeping things well lubricated, the engine wont have work as hard and will optimize fuel economy. Keeping things tuned up and fluids flushed and changed at regular intervals will save you money in the long run.
What is the Speed Strategy?
Using the speed strategy could be your biggest penny pincher of all. It has been proven that once you break the 60 mph barrier, you begin to pay more in fuel to operate your RV. They say that you can a dime to every gallon you buy for every five mph that you increase over the 60. So for example, if you filled up at $2.75 a gallon and went 70 mph, it will be the equivalent of spending $2.95 a gallon. It is just that much harder on the systems and eats up your gasoline that much faster. Yes, it will take you a little longer to get where you are going, but it will cost you less. The same goes for sudden speeding up. You lose fuel when you do that. If you stay on cruise, it will regulate your speed for you and keep it much more constant, therefore using less gasoline.
Learn to Pack Light
The less you have crammed in the back of your home away from home, the lighter it will be and will require less fuel for your trip. Learn to get by without some things that accumulate, wear some clothes more than once, take the necessities to eat and drink, bring sleeping bags to keep warm with instead of piles of blankets, bring disposable plates and cups that can be burned, wash plastic utensils (these are lighter than glass dinnerware and metal utensils).
So all of these tips can be controlled by you. Maybe take a trip not paying any attention and document your costs and then on your next one, take some extra precautions and see what you can save, then multiply that over your expected amount of trips in a year to see what you would be saving over that amount of time. A hundred dollars may not feel like much to save, but if you take fifteen trips in a year, that is fifteen hundred bucks that you are saving per year! If you have any questions, be sure to contact your RV dealer, they are there to be of help to you!
