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what have you done to improve your MPG?

jplumer

Full Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2007
Messages
119
what modifications have you made to your truck to improve the MPG?

1) what was it?

2) did it work? and how well?

3) how much did it cost?

And please no dumb a$$ anwsers like sold the truck got a car duh we know that works. 

i drive alot for work several jobs sites a day and need a truck for that i have a car for when im not working.

so that being said.....your thoughts please
 
jplumer said:
And please no dumb a$$ answers like sold the truck got a car duh we know that works.?
/quote]
You opened your self for this one? >:D
I pray for a Tail wind.
Yes it works, very well if your traveling in the right direction. >:D
Prayer doesn't cost a thing. >:D











No but seriously I did the CAI, Free flowing exhaust.? It may have helped a little bit about 1.5-2 MPG more than what I was getting.
 
keeping it below 2K rpm's and under 70 mph, I was able to get 21.9 mpg.  only mods at the time was a CAI, 20" wheels, lowered and FM40 exhaust
 
drive slow...
 
Only mod is to driving style. No more jack-rabbit starts and fewer kick-downs. :(
 
As everyone has said, driving style will give you more MPG than bolt-ons.  Drive conservatively, slower starts, ease into braking.  Drafting behind semi's works great.  I usually stay 2-3 feet car lengths back.
 
Keep your engine tuned up. Incorrect fuel ratio, bad spark plugs and incorrect spark timing can have a big effect on gas mileage. 

Don't use your air conditioner (A/C) unless you really need it. The A/C compressor puts an extra strain on the engine.

Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Under inflated tires cause more resistance to travel.

Avoid stop and go traffic by taking alternative routes or less congested travel times.

Use a good engine oil, preferably a synthetic or standard oil treated with a friction reducing oil additive. These have been known to improve fuel economy by as much as 12%.

Reduce the weight in your vehicle as much as possible. (Good excuse to get the mother-in-law out of the car....)

Use your cruise control whenever possible.

Keeping your highway speed at 55 mph can improve you gas mileage by as much as 25%, compared to 75 mph. (Yeah, I know--this one's tough for us too)

Avoid trying to increase speed while climbing a hill, your engine is already working hard trying to overcome gravity.

Keep your windows closed when possible. Open windows actually reduce gas mileage compared to using the A/C.

Remove accessories, such as luggage rack, etc. that lower the aerodynamics of your vehicle.
 
Installed my supercharger (stock 6 psi)...

I went from 12.5 -13 mpg to 18-19 Hiway... when I kept my foot out of it....

That was before the real mod bug bit... now I am back down to 15-16 hiway.... 9.5 city.... uphill or downhill.... :cool:
 
Maxxveers said:
Don't use your air conditioner (A/C) unless you really need it. The A/C compressor puts an extra strain on the engine.

Keep your windows closed when possible. Open windows actually reduce gas mileage compared to using the A/C.

You saw Mythbusters too?  Yep, AC on with windows closed is better than AC off with windows down.  By like 5%!

Otherwise all good advice.
 
I tried switching to royal purple but my gas milage went down..    But it seems like i got better response.. and power...    I know probably in my head...
 
(y) I am with you there I tried Z Max in the gas & oil the AV seamed to have better response but I wonder if it was just me wanting to see that my self. 
 
Change air filters every six months. If dusty environment more often. Stay on top of maintenance.
My BFG LT 285-75/16 increased air pressure to 60 psi.
Choose different routes or timeframe for errands. Doesn't work for work driving.
I find that around 2000 rpm. The mileage is best.
The less weight one has to carry around, the better. If you have an on-road service/tow.
You can remove the spare tire. It's about 70 lbs.
 
ok the point of this thread was to get away from people telling me its my driving and what actually works maintnance wise....

i drive 100 km/h on the highway 60 mph
light on the gas and im only getting 600km (375miles) out of a tank of 115 liters (30 gals) and thats all highway driving not one minute in town on a long trip.

only mod i have is 3" bl and 33" tires........now before you guys jump all over me i expect to take a hit for the tires......but it seems something isnt right

its an 02 with 115000km (70000 miles)

just changed over to synthetic.....might do the MAF thing, tires are at 38 psi, dont use ac its canada so its cold right now 30f or so.

even tried using 3rd gear on the highway for a whole tank, someone on here said they tried it and got 22mpg.......didnt work for me


so again responces like max"s is what im looking for,
 
3" body lift does great harm as it increases frontal cross section... and causes more wind resistance which in turn requires more HP which means lower mpg...especially as speed increases as wind resistance is exponential increases with speed.

375 on a tank is about normal for me and my 2002 doing 75-80 mph

Reduce tire width too..

 
jplumer said:
ok the point of this thread was to get away from people telling me its my driving and what actually works maintnance wise....

i drive 100 km/h on the highway 60 mph
light on the gas and im only getting 600km (375miles) out of a tank of 115 liters (30 gals) and thats all highway driving not one minute in town on a long trip.

only mod i have is 3" bl and 33" tires........now before you guys jump all over me i expect to take a hit for the tires......but it seems something isnt right

its an 02 with 115000km (70000 miles)

just changed over to synthetic.....might do the MAF thing, tires are at 38 psi, dont use ac its canada so its cold right now 30f or so.

even tried using 3rd gear on the highway for a whole tank, someone on here said they tried it and got 22mpg.......didnt work for me


so again responces like max"s is what im looking for,

So I guess you just blew off my supercharger suggestion......  :beating:
 
Buy a motorcycle. Works for me. Ride my bike half the year @ 40mpg. Drive the Avy half the year @ 16mpg. Getting 28mpg all year long.  (y)
 
jplumer said:
i drive 100 km/h on the highway 60 mph
light on the gas and im only getting 600km (375miles) out of a tank of 115 liters (30 gals) and thats all highway driving not one minute in town on a long trip.

only mod i have is 3" bl and 33" tires

its an 02 with 115000km (70000 miles)

tires are at 38 psi
Highway? You should get about 17. If all hwy driving. That's on level roads.
3" BL, increased frontal drag.
What brand, size tires? I sure you can go higher on psi. Less resistance.
 
jimbo53188 said:
and here i thought you'd suggest only running on seven cylinders! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

actually that decreased my mpg.... but greatly improved my weekly outflow of cash since it is parked....  :laugh:
 
I never keep track of my MPG.  To this day i still dont know the average.  I drive 2 miles to work M-F and fill up once a month.

My AV is blown,so when i get nasty,thats a diff story and still dont know the MPG average :p
 
So according to Blue Devil and FlaBouy the story I should tell my wife is if I go to a Supercharger/Turbo the brick will get better gas mileage. >:D  I'm going to try it on my birthday >:D
 
Big L said:
So according to Blue Devil and FlaBouy the story I should tell my wife is if I go to a Supercharger/Turbo the brick will get better gas mileage. >:D? I'm going to try it on my birthday >:D

Only if you wanna be honest with her.... >:D Or you could do like I did and tell her your off to get a tune up.... (y)

All kidding aside, I know it is counter intuite, but a blower is one of the most efficient things you will ever do to help mileage in regards to airflow on these bricks... there are other things that enhance that like a custom tune, but beyond adding a DC assist motor to the drivetrain, it is one of the few ways to drastically improve mileage and efficiencies. All the other crap that been suggested in this thread other than easing up on the right foot is just minimal gains. I can take everything thats been suggested in this thread and put on one truck, and have a tuner do a custom tune on another truck, and compare the gains... the custom tune will win out every single time.? It will give twice the gains in fuel efficiency (usually 3-5 mpg) and add an additional 25-30 HP. Thats been proven time and time again with hard data.? (y)
 
FlaBouy said:
Only if you wanna be honest with her.... >:D Or you could do like I did and tell her your off to get a tune up.... (y)

All kidding aside, I know it is counter intuite, but a blower is one of the most efficient things you will ever do to help mileage in regards to airflow on these bricks... there are other things that enhance that like a custom tune, but beyond adding a DC assist motor to the drivetrain, it is one of the few ways to drastically improve mileage and efficiencies. All the other crap that been suggested in this thread other than easing up on the right foot is just minimal gains. I can take everything thats been suggested in this thread and put on one truck, and have a tuner do a custom tune on another truck, and compare the gains... the custom tune will win out every single time.? It will give twice the gains in fuel efficiency (usually 3-5 mpg) and add an additional 25-30 HP. Thats been proven time and time again with hard data.? (y)
And if the government had their way those mods improvements would be illegal. Go figure. :cautious:
 
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