Certified Mileage!

[jponder]

I had a thought the other day that the incredible amount of power our dodge diesels put on the ground can be recorded by Dynos and indirectly by 1/4 mile times. Now Phord boys cant dispute these things because we can readily reproduce them.

I love the power of my Cummins but I am equally awed by its Gas Mileage. This last week I got 26. 5 MPG and I beleive that I will exceed 28 with a couple of more mods. I can tell people these numbers and people who really know me may beleive them but some will think that they are fudged. We should have a way to Document or certify our mileage. It could be a mileage rally with locking gas caps that we dont have the keys to.
Heck I dont know there are probably lots of ways to do it. I am happy we can prove our metal on the strip but being able to show/prove/certify our mileage would make the Ford boys throw up.

Anybody got any ideas.

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2001 ETH/DEE ST 4X4 SPACE SHUTTLE

 

[CCahill]

26. 5! 26. 5! WOW!
Can you give us a Certified Document on your mileage... . ? Hard to belive, when most of us are getting 14. 5- 18... BTW, send me a check, I know what The Dow/Nasdaq is going to do next week... ... ...

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2001 Quad,4x4,4. 10LS,LB,Loaded enough,stock,... . 65 Chevelle sedan, Hella nice driver, 53 Nash Rambler Convt,1 of 653 built,[not a Metro], GM drivetrain, injection, and auto/od
Specialized FSR PRO Stumpjumper Cannondale F2000, Loaded
MTD Lawn tractor with flames
12' fishin' boat, loaded. .

 

[rstout]

Hey,

Under what conditions did you get the good mileage results (mph, cruise or not, hills or flat land, etc. )You have some impressive mileage numbers.

Also what modifications have you made that you feel directly contributed to your increased mileage.

As for certified mileage, I do not feel the need to prove anything to the Phord boys however it would be interesting to compare some of our trucks under standard conditions. I see mileage figures all over the place and it would be nice at one of the meetings for several trucks to fill up and make a 100 mile run over the same ground at the same speed.

Later



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2001 ,2500 ST Light Driftwood QC,LB,ETH,6 speed,3. 54 LS, LT265/75R16, TrTGr, Smoothie, Step Sheilds, C. Crane Truck Antenna, Line-X bedliner and rocker panels.

 

[jponder]

Originally posted by Cocahoe:
Hey,

Under what conditions did you get the good mileage results (mph, cruise or not, hills or flat land, etc. )You have some impressive mileage numbers.

Also what modifications have you made that you feel directly contributed to your increased mileage.

As for certified mileage, I do not feel the need to prove anything to the Phord boys however it would be interesting to compare some of our trucks under standard conditions. I see mileage figures all over the place and it would be nice at one of the meetings for several trucks to fill up and make a 100 mile run over the same ground at the same speed.

Later

Cocahoe> I went from Atlanta to Amite ,La actually real close to you. I went through Denham to go to New Roads for Mardi Gras. Remember I am driving only for Mileage. I have a 2001 ETH with a VA and I use a throttle cable that I set at 52 Miles per Hour so My normal 7 1/2 hour trip took me 10 hours. This is not really feasable all the time but my goal is only mileage. With a throttle cable I will hit maybe 65 going down hills and once slowed to less than 45 climbing a hill. Just like we try to see waht these vehicles can do on the strip it is fun to see just how much mileage you can eek out of em


CCahill> Exactly why I posted! how can I and we for whoever else gets great mileage and wants to document it; do it? My truck absolutely produces these numbers heck you know I was on 490 miles and still touching the 1/2 a tank needle then i rode around town for 2 days before I got diesel so I bet my trip would have made it to 27. MY post is really about documenting mileage. Where do you live if robert Patton will put put a locking gas cap on my truck and mail you the keys then when I get there you will beleive. So where are ya I love to purr down the road in my Cummins

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2001 ETH/DEE ST 4X4 SPACE SHUTTLE

 

[rstout]

Originally posted by jponder:
Cocahoe> I went from Atlanta to Amite ,La actually real close to you. I went through Denham to go to New Roads for Mardi Gras. Remember I am driving only for Mileage. I have a 2001 ETH with a VA and I use a throttle cable that I set at 52 Miles per Hour so My normal 7 1/2 hour trip took me 10 hours. This is not really feasable all the time but my goal is only mileage. With a throttle cable I will hit maybe 65 going down hills and once slowed to less than 45 climbing a hill. Just like we try to see waht these vehicles can do on the strip it is fun to see just how much mileage you can eek out of em


Hey,

My next question is how could you stand going 52 mph for that length of time? I think I would have shot myself or jumped out into on-comming traffic. On a 200 mile trip last weekend doing 65 mph I got 22. 25 mpg (100 miles with AC, 100 miles without). I had to slow down to pass through a couple of small towns but I was pretty pleased with the mileage although I would always like to do better.

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2001 ,2500 ST Light Driftwood QC,LB,ETH,6 speed,3. 54 LS, LT265/75R16, TrTGr, Smoothie, Step Sheilds, C. Crane Truck Antenna, Line-X bedliner and rocker panels.

 

[jponder]

Cocahoe> LOL I dont know I just go into a trance or something. I will go for hours just listening to the engine and watching the gas needle and watching my speed change. I can really tell the big hills now. On the way home I was going 70 and I hit some traffic and slowed to 50 and I felt like I wasnt moving. One thing I do also is start calling people and hollering about how many miles I have been and where my needle is. Man I just get the biggest kick out of it. I am really going to make one maybe 2 more stabs at it and throw in the towel because it really makes people mad to come up on me climbing a hill at 45. LOL I would like to take off the radiator fan and put some DDIII in and then I feel i wont slow down so much on the hills. I really beleive I can break 28 and I sure as heck want a couple of people involved to say yup he did it.

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2001 ETH/DEE ST 4X4 SPACE SHUTTLE

 

[illflem]

jp,I'm with you. I much rather work towards better mpgs than mph. If you want to go fast a diesel isn't the way to go just because of the weight factor. Many of the power mods will increase your mpgs also,especially the ones that allow the engine to breath better. I don't know a whole lot about the 24 valves,but the fact that you can adjust timing electronically seems like something to play with to increase mpgs. Another thing that would be cool to do is to install a gallons per hour gauge,there are some available that are accurate down to . 01 gal/hr,but we're talking around $600. If I had the extra bucks I wouldn't hesitate to install one you would have an instant certified measure of mpgs.

 

[rstout]

JP

On your next trip, buy one of those magnetic gizmos for about $15. 00 and try it out. Hell I bet with that thing you would hit 35 to 40mpg. #ad


My next short trip (200 miles or so) I will try a run at 55 mph if I can stand it.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

And I thought I was doing good with 18. 2 mpg. Only ever got that once. I have to much fun getting my 16 mpg and driving like a fool! #ad


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John McEachern
Fort St John B. C. Canada
1998 12v, 4X4, QC, auto w/tc switch, air, tilt, cruise, 3. 55 gears, TST #6, Isspro boost/pyro/transmission gauges, BD VB&TC, CC industries headache rack and rails, JVC KD-SX949 Cd player, forest green, Brigestone Dueler M/T's 285/75/16, Eagle 16x8 rims, K&N airfilter.

 

[illflem]

jponder,you don't need to certified for me to believe you. I think if you head out on the flat lands you can probably break 30 mpg. Add an overdrive maybe much more. Loose a bunch of weight off the truck and I'll bet you can hit 35. I don't know about 52 mph though,I see little difference between 55 and 65 with my truck,after 65 it really takes a dump though.

 

[jponder]

Originally posted by illflem:
jponder,you don't need to certified for me to believe you. I think if you head out on the flat lands you can probably break 30 mpg. Add an overdrive maybe much more. Loose a bunch of weight off the truck and I'll bet you can hit 35. I don't know about 52 mph though,I see little difference between 55 and 65 with my truck,after 65 it really takes a dump though.

I hear you. I just think it is interesting. On the TDI volkswagen site they have a forum just for mileage. It would be cool to see just how good we can get. In HP you can talk SOP all the time but I bet its nice to get that DYNO sheet or that 1/4 mile time. I wish there was some equivalent for mileage. I mean how much better is a 12valve than a 24valve. Is there 30 MPG trucks? 31? 32? what is the limit? who has it? Mods are always geared for HP but what about mileage? I would love to hear more about MPG no bull; just real numbers.

 

[CCahill]

Swamp Donkey... I agree, I do have SOME kind of life... I watch the guage all the time, and check my mileage with every tank... . anything above 18-19 with regular, repeat, regular driving is just to hard for me to belive, maybe on a 2WD truck... My last 2 tanks, I tried an experiment with my truck, drove like a lil ol'lady all the way to the end... Got 15. 6, not 'putor MPG, real world... next tank, I drove normal, spurts here and there, a few 80 MPH down the hiway, Powerbraked a couple'a Hondas @ the signals, you know... had some fun... Got 15. 2 Go figure... ... ... Sorry to be so lenghty, love this truck... ...

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2001 Quad,4x4,4. 10LS,LB,Loaded enough,stock,... . 65 Chevelle sedan, Hella nice driver, 53 Nash Rambler Convt,1 of 653 built,[not a Metro], GM drivetrain, injection, and auto/od
Specialized FSR PRO Stumpjumper Cannondale F2000, Loaded
MTD Lawn tractor with flames
12' fishin' boat, loaded. .

 

[KatDiesel]

Originally posted by illflem:
If you want to go fast a diesel isn't the way to go just because of the weight factor.

<font color=blue>It isn't????? #ad
**** no one told me... .

But thats part of the fun, everyone (besides the TDR) "thinks" your a big slow diesel..... then when they can't beat ya then they think something is wrong with their vehicle... ... . #ad
If my Cummins can't do it, then sooon my Challenger will! #ad

 

[illflem]

Kat,you know what I mean. Sure with a enough mods and some momentum a diesel can pass the best them,but a diesels forte is it's pulling power not it's high speed . Best way to race one is up hill pulling a load.

 

[KatDiesel]

Originally posted by illflem:
Kat,you know what I mean. Sure with a enough mods and some momentum a diesel can pass the best them,but a diesels forte is it's pulling power not it's high speed . Best way to race one is up hill pulling a load.

Ya I knew whatcha meant but couldn't resist... ... ..... #ad


I don't haul or pull anything at all nor do I desire to, just race stoplight to stoplight with all the gassers..... weeeeeeee. Doug and Dan can verify my driving habits.

 

[JyRO]

I filled my tank to the rim at the top of a 5 mile hill. Then I coasted all the way into a fuel station at the bottom. Man! You just can't believe the fuel mileage I got! #ad
(Sarcasm, if you didn't get that from it. )

Your fuel mileage at 52 +/- 15 mph is believable, but its not much of an everyday reference. Who all really wants to be a road hazard? Who all want to pi$$ off everyone who has to pass you? Who all wants to hook up some cable?

My suggestion is this, among other ideas previously mentioned, to certify your fuel mileage:

1) Two people who live about 200 to 400 miles apart should have a locking fuel cap, each of those 2 guys should have a key.

2) The area between those 2 guys should be relatively flat, and have pure interstate between, so maximum fuel mileage would be measured.

3) There should be a fuel stop at each end, just off the interstate, and should be manned by those 2 guys (it could be worked out logistically for those two guys to where they don't have to stay at the fuel station for very long, i. e. they know when the traveler will arrive).

4) Anybody who wants their fuel mileage certified, makes an appointment with these two guys to meet these 2 guys at those 2 fuel stations.

5) The vehicle's fuel tank is topped off at the 1st fuel station and the guy at the first fuel stop records the time when the traveler leaves, and then calls the 2nd guy and tells him when to expect the fuel mileage tester (traveler).

6) The traveler should have to make it to the 2nd stop in a time window that would put the traveler's speed at an average of 65 miles per hour. 65 mph average is a realistic speed that anyone can do. Or the average could be 70, but the speed (65 or 70) would have to be the same for everyone's test, so apples would be compared to apples. And also so the traveler is not a road menace.

In doing that test, the traveler's fuel mileage would be, "certified. "

Otherwise get as good fuel mileage as you can, but unless the test was something like this, it doesn't mean too much to others.

I'd be willing to man one end of the, "certification test. " I'm at the southern side of Michigan, near I-23. I know from I-23 from Ann Arbor to Toledo, then I-75 south to Cincinatti is relatively flat and the speed limit is 65 mph (in OH). It's also about a 230 mile run, and I know good diesel fuel stop locations in Michigan and Cincinnati.

If we can find someone in Cincinnati to record the fuel used/or time departed, and we can get a locking fuel cap, then the certifications can begin for those who are willing to make that run. I also know a place near me to measure vehicle weight. So we can also do certified fuel mileages pulling travel trailers, or anything for that matter.

Anybody in Cincinnati want to participate?

- JyRO

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Y2K 2500 Cummins ETC/DEE, SLT+, 4X4, Quad, LB, Intense Blue Sport, 3. 54 LSD, rear aux. springs (camper special), sliding rear window, all options except cab clearance lights including agate leather, totally stock engine, silencer ring removed, "stealth," mod to run fogs with high beam. Since everybody else listed their toys, I will too.
1995 Kawasaki ZX6-R (For Sale)
1990 Toyota Celica
1983 Mazda RX-7 GSL (For sale)

 

[jponder]

Originally posted by Cocahoe:
JP

On your next trip, buy one of those magnetic gizmos for about $15. 00 and try it out. Hell I bet with that thing you would hit 35 to 40mpg. #ad


My next short trip (200 miles or so) I will try a run at 55 mph if I can stand it.

What magnetic gizmo? Do you mean that bombed cruise we were talking about. If so I dont think it would help your mileage because it would act like a reg cruise and thats no good. You might want to see what that ETH will do at a slow speed because i just got diesel and my mileage dropped to 21. 9 by going 70. I go home alot and would be happy to let you try my VA to see how it helps you and also I think you need some kind of throtttle cable. I think you had posted having a problem with oversensitive cruise before.

Kat and Ifflem> Hey the cool things about our trucks is not that they can do one thing well but that they can do everything. I've got my 1/4 mile time sheets and i have a picture of me pulling a 28,000 lb dozer so now I just need my "Certified Certificate of 27 MPG" well hopefully 28 and i can frame all of them together and putem on my wall.


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2001 ETH/DEE ST 4X4 SPACE SHUTTLE

 

[jponder]

JYRO>
I understand your position and I think 52 is a little slow but I would point out that for years 55 was the maximum speed limit anywhere in this country. There are numerous vehicles going slow on the interstate and that is why there is a minimum speed. Its 40 MPH and I am happy to report that i stay above that.

I am not trying to get a average MPG for a reasonable speed. I wonder if the Horsepower people seek to get an average amount of power that a reasonable person would want?!?!!? Man they want absolute maximum tire scorching axle bending clutch slipping. Blow up their turbo POWER. They want this when it is unusable; when to use it would melt their engines.

I want to see the extreme of my vehicle; I want to see exactly how much I can change my position relative to gallons of diesel consumed period. I do not think the number represents what people can reasonably expect to duplicate unless they want to.

So I can see why people might not like to go slow but so far as who would like a throttle cable. That is without a doubt the best thing on my truck. If I have to choose between that cable and the VA then I trash the VA. It gives me high Idle in the morning. It gives me a nice slow speep cruise when in 4 wheel low off road and it gives me the most rocking mileage throttle control for when I want to see what the shuttle can do for mileage. That being said I like your idea but I think the people should choose there on mileage. Hey i actually dont like to drive that fast anymore.
Imean I loved to run my truck in the 1/4 and I will get on it to pass people some times but I have become a much slower driver as I have gotten older. 55 might not be for evryone and yes you do have people flipping out sometimes but I am in Atlanta and anytime you get on the road people are flipping out.

I figure I have a Range of 750 miles on a tank of diesel so I will check to see how far from me you are.

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2001 ETH/DEE ST 4X4 SPACE SHUTTLE

 

[jjdiesel]

jp... . don't know what all you have on your truck... but being a mileage 'freak' myself, I thought I would throw this out. Are you familiar with Fuel Preporator? I'm not affiliated in any way, but have been looking into it closely for myself because it is said to really improve mileage on our Rams about 2-3 mpg. Don't know how legitimate that claim is, but with removing all air from fuel supply it seems reasonable. Any way... just thought I would mention it. Anyone have any experience with this set-up?

 

[Okie-Go]

I got 22 pulling my 30 ft 5er to Dallas from Houston. 11 going up there and 11 going home. Isn't that 22 miles per gallon. Now seriously, I bought my truck for the power,I am satisfied with the mileage. I get 17-18 in town and 22-23 on the highway. Empty.

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2001 quadcab slt 2500 HO 6spd. LWB,2wd,dk garnett red, trailer tow package,camper special, anti spin 3. 54 axle, speed liner,oversized stainless steel chicken slide,66 gallon in bed aux. tank,K&N air filter,Reese 20k hitch, Terry 2000 EX 30ft. double slide 5er, 2000 20ft gooseneck for haulin jeep, firewood and huntin stuff. 5X12 tagalong for haulin the 4 wheeler. Okie Newton