How many are trying to drive for economy now????

[hammersley]

Just this past tankful I'm really trying to drive for economy. Using the latest TDR mag article about trying to keep EGR under 600 and boost below 10 AND using the old egshell approach. It was hard to do BUT what an improvement! And having had sig HP for some time - how many more fords do I have to beat????? I for one have had it with fuel $$ so I'm doing my best to NOT make those SOB's any richer at my expense.



Will report the results more acurrately BUT I can tell you where my fuel gauge is at the tank miles - and it ain't close to where it usually is. I'll be surprised if I don't average over 40 -- ONLY Kidding - I mean 20.....

 

[SBall]

I'll be anxious to hear more about your fuel economy results. I too have adopted a fuel-conscious approach to driving my CTD truck and can acknowledge that it works. But boy it's hard to nurse that skinny little pedal on the right. One interesting observation I've made is that the stroke of the accelerator pedal from idle to WOT is fairly short as compared to any of my other vehicles. Figuring acceleration=torque=energy=fuel, trying to slowly accelerate and save fuel is difficult to do when you have 0 - 505 lb-ft of torque with such a short tip of the toe. Adopting an easy driving style does however really annoy some of the folks behind me who want to tailgate and test their 0-60 performance at each light, and it's nice to have a long-bed duallie back there to isolate me from the irate drivers out there.

 

[klenger]

One thing to keep in mind that any time you are using your brakes, you are wasting fuel. I try to anticipate traffic light changes so that I can hit them green. Also, traffic permitting, I will take my foot of the go pedal much before the light and coast as much as possiible.



Having a six speed, I will also take the truck out of gear and coast as much as possible well in advance of stopping. Freeway driving (again traffic permitting), I usually try to keep my speed between 60 - 65 as much as possible.



I've never driven a CTD automatic, but I think it's much easier to get bad milage with the auto because all you have to do to accelerate is mash down on the pedal. With the 6 speed, if you try to accelerate quickly, you have to speed shift, which is a PITA, so I tend to accelerate slowly.



Whenever possible, I use the wife's Honda Accord as much as possible for trips around town as it's a lot better on fuel and nicer to drive and park IMHO.



Contrary to tribal knowledge on the TDR, I think my vented tailgate may have helped my milage also; I know it didn't hurt it.



I am currenly getting 19 - 21 MPG empty.

 

[WyattEarp]

45mph is a hard one to swallow myself, did it yesterday and it was strange getting passed by other vehicles usually its me doing the passing, do i have a lead foot by not means but i did run around 60 consistently not anymore.

Right now im searching for a 4cyl volkswagen preferably diesel but will take a gasser if the price is right, nothing new at all.

I will let the ctd sit or my dad will be using it for construction work when he needs it, i really think if pple use there heads on this fuel situation we can make it through it and adapt to not going all the time and with those good practices I hope it shows up in the fuel prices eventually but when they drop i doubt i will change my habits as im not much for running anyways, personally im tired of getting it stuck to me by my own kind!!!!

 

[DieselTweaker]

I turn 13mpg no matter how i drive, when spring hits and it warms up ill be back to 15-17mpg, and running 80 miles round trip for work a day is hitting the coin pretty hard.

 

[Coolslice]

I turn 13mpg no matter how i drive, when spring hits and it warms up ill be back to 15-17mpg, and running 80 miles round trip for work a day is hitting the coin pretty hard.

I hear that. I try to save as much fuel as possible but if I'm doing in town driving, there is very little I can do to get it above 13 mpg.

 

[PKleine]

The sad part is that while we are all suffering and paying the record high prices at the pump; the oil companies, oil companies headquartered in this country, are making record profits...



Just two more of my $0. 02 take on this unfortunate situation...

 

[Greenleaf]

I have a Ford Ranger and when I drive for economy I drive that. When I'm in the diesel powered truck I drive it like there is no tomarrow.



GL

 

[bmoeller]

Having a six speed, I will also take the truck out of gear and coast as much as possible

That would a tad counter-productive. With the truck in gear and moving, it is helping to turn the engine some. With it out of gear, you HAVE to use a little fuel to keep it running.



Just a thought.



If you have a tight T/C on the auto, it gets up to speed quicker, with less throttle travel. On the stocker, I HAD to run it up to over 2k to get up to speed. Now, I rarely have to go over 1800, while accellerating (both under no load conditions). Unless I want to blow some smoke, or am in a bit of a hurry, then I hammer down. :-laf

 

[klenger]

bmeller: I am aware of the fuel requirement when coasting, but I can coast further out of gear, so I think it's a toss up. In any case, it uses less fuel than foot on the go pedal and then slam on the brakes.

 

[bmoeller]

Yep. I did that when was still driving a Hynadai to school (in gear). I got so I could time lights pretty good. Depending on traffic, I usually got a green light. If the brakes were original to the car when we got it, I got 100k out of the set.

 

[patcarman]

i have a hard time cause i do real well then i always get some a. . hole that trys to pass me on the right or ride my but then slow down,then i wind up running like the banks truck on the salt flats, then all the fuel i saved is stuck to the side of the butt trying to pass me on the right. i have found that if u back your truck up in the driveway ,then plug it in,wait for the misses to come home,then i use her durango,she just thinkd i dont want to unplug it and wrap up the cord,when in all reality im burning up her gas... good thing she does not read this... .

 

[amillstream]

I don't care if it gets to $5 a gallon, I'm still gonna buy it and still gonna hold it to the floor! In the mean time the s-10 gets 19-20 so I'll leave the dodge parked a little more often if it gets that high.

 

[rashwor]

Contrary to tribal knowledge on the TDR, I think my vented tailgate may have helped my milage also; I know it didn't hurt it.

I ran a tank through the '05 the other day. Drove as I normally do; empty truck with the tailgate down. Only difference was the tailgate was down and the mpg was up by 1. I tend to ignore crowds. :-laf