How can i get more fuel economy? I'm at my wits' end!

[RRB]

I've got an '06 Mega cab. All stock, 3. 73 gears & 4x4. Towing 36' horse trailer I average 12 on the highway @ 70-72mph. About 14 if I keep the rpms under 2k. Unloaded and on the highway, I'll average 18. 5. A little better if stay off the pedal. I did notice about a 5% drop when I started using the low sulfur fuel??? Maybe there were other contributing factors but the fact still remains the milage decreased.

 

[MAshley]

I have skimmed some of these posts... . I'd like to add a couple of comments to this thread.....



If there was a way to get say 10% better fuel economy with these trucks at a reasonable expense DC would be doing it... . They are under C. A. F. E. which is an EPA mandate... . Corporate Average Fuel Economy CAFE is the average of the fuel economy of the vehicles sold each year... if they fall into the guidelines they get a pat on the back by the EPA and if they fall out they get nice big fines... . In some cases they almost give away a car that gets 30 mpg to keep the fleet rate up so that they don't get fined...



With CAFE in mind, they would spend 1000 per truck to get that 10% if they could... . so most of the stuff that's talked about to increase fuel economy is what I call snake oil...



As an engineer I learned that to move a mass, with a certain amount of wind resistance to speed and later down the road requires a certain amount of HP. . this can be computed on a chassis dyno and I've personally spent at least 1000 hours in my life working with one of these on many vehicles...



What I've personally learned is that the best way to get better fuel economy is to let my wife drive..... she does all the right things... and frankly on the same run with the same vehicle gets better economy...



I could write pages on the things I've actually tested on the chassis dyno and found none of them worth their weight in fuel economy...



Just my 2 cents worth...

Sorry Jim

CAFE Doesn't apply to our trucks... . C A F E Overview

 

[TMConroy]

I'm at sea level and I might just send it below sea level if I don't get this mileage up.

 

[captainmike]

2006 2500 Megacab, 48RE, 22,000 mi. Unloaded everyday driving : 17

Hwy at 62 mph, no hard accellerations: 20

Towing an 11,000 lb. 5er at 62 mph: about 10. 5.

 

[231jasonS]

2006 2500 Megacab, 48RE, 22,000 mi. Unloaded everyday driving : 17

Hwy at 62 mph, no hard accellerations: 20

Towing an 11,000 lb. 5er at 62 mph: about 10. 5.

same truck, . 5-1. 5 mpg less due to heavy foot Im sure. or 4x4 and 10K less miles

 

[twmcneilly]

I guess everything is relative. I traded a '98 Dodge 1500 (4x4 360 Magnum)for my '06 3500 last year. Typical gross weight as a daily driver was around 6200 lb.



The half-ton was all stock, except a very mild tire size increase from P265 to P285 radials, and K&N airfilter, and a fiberglass canopy. Best mileage I ever recorded was 13 going downhill on the hi-way with a tailwind and cruise control on. Typical around town mileage was in the high nines to low tens per gallon.



Now my love affair with the CTD begins.



I have nearly a thousand pounds more truck, bigger tires (P315) and leveling kit (you'd be surprised how much any lift affects mileage), and performance that simply make me giddy (Smarty L3), and I get 13-15 hot-roddin' in town, 15-19 on the highway depending on conditions. It feeels like a truck and hauls like a truck.



I think your expectations are a little high; you drive a monster and get pretty darned good mileage.