how to imprve mpg on an 04

[SSnider]

I have a 04 srw 48re 4x4 and get 12 city & 14 highway after 2k miles. Please tell some simple way to help my mpg.

Please don't list how many mpg you get unleess you have done something to imprve it . I have been keeping it under 2k rpm's

and driving slow.



Thanks in advance , Steve

 

[GSatler]

WAIT UNTILL U HAVE 10K BEFORE U START TALKING MPG

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

SSnider, if you have been driving slow and easy then that's part of your problem. Babying it will ultimately hurt mileage because it doesn't break in properly and allows deposits to accumulate more easily, reducing efficiency.



When you get on the highway let it rip on a regular basis and in town a few jackrabbit starts is a good idea.



I drive mine aggresively and often see very similar mileage to when I drive easy.



Also bear in mind cold weather and winter fuel hurts mileage, especially if you take time to warm up before each trip (best to take right off after 1-2 minutes after startup).



Vaughn

 

[LightmanE300]

I agree with everything said above... . vaughn is correct and Gsatler is also. I've seen my mpg jump 1-2+ on average since I hit 6500 miles. Give it a chance to break in =]

 

[SSnider]

Vaughn,

I took it up to 100mph. the other day and don't baby it all the time. The TDR helped me with that . Someone said ,drive like you stole it. So I have gotten into it a little just not all the time.

Steve

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Very good Steve, there's definitely a lot to learn here



I would still give it some time, get some more miles on it and see how it does once the weather warms in the spring. I don't know what part of the country you're in though and if it's cold there. Hope it gets better for you soon. With your configuration you should be closer to 15 in town and 19ish on the highway doing upper 60s to 70. Take a bit off of that if you have 315s.



Vaughn

 

[robobx]

hook up to 10k and pull all the big hills you can find

 

[Prairie Dog]

You wont see your best mileage until you get at least 15 to 20k on it, and it definitely will get better.



Scotty

 

[Greg Boardman-RIP]

Neither one of my trucks get great mileage. I have done it all: Towed real heavy(25,000 lbs) Drove it like I stole it, babied it, and put miles on it. One truck has DDII injectors and an EZ on it, the other is stock. The stock truck is 2wd and gets 16 mgp. The Bombed truck is 4wd and gets 12-14 mpg. I think if you can afford a $40,000 truck you can afford to put fuel in it. Would I like my mileage to go up? Sure. Will It? Probably not. My 01 never got better than 17 mpg and it had over 60,000 miles on it when it was sold. I see alot of claims of 24 mpg and the like but don't see it a very possible. You are driving a 7000+ lb truck. It takes alot of fuel to keep it moving 65 mph. The best thing you can do is keep good clean oil in it, clean oil filter, clean fuel filter and buy fuel from a station that goes through alot of fuel. Keep your tires aired up to max capacity and most of all try to run with low boost numbers. Higher boost means more fuel... ... Greg

 

[SSage]

Give it some time. We started at 13. 33 mpg, its been slowly increasing.



Our dually is doing 14. 53 mpg at speeds between 70 to 75 mph with 500 to 800 lbs in the bed and 6,000 miles. Just put 2K on a trip to Texas, the overhead was very close to my figures at 14. 3 mpg.



My first mod is going to be a high flow air filter of some sort.

 

[JMcDowell]

My 04 HO with auto started in 16mpg range. I have 4k miles now and am getting 19 consistantly. Mostly hwy though

 

[dieselpilot1969]

Originally posted by SSnider

I have a 04 srw 48re 4x4 and get 12 city & 14 highway after 2k miles. Please tell some simple way to help my mpg.

Please don't list how many mpg you get unleess you have done something to imprve it . I have been keeping it under 2k rpm's

and driving slow.



Thanks in advance , Steve

I have drove mine like I stole it from day one and it gets I've seen as high as 22 @65 with 30 k on the clock

 

[curatchko]

I doubt anyone is going to go from 13 to 21 mpg... . just ain't gonna happen. With 2000 miles on my 04 I could squeeze 20+ at 70 mph... . the truck either does it or it don't..... totally unpredictable unfortunately... .

 

[SSnider]

Curatchko, That is what I thought they do or they don,t get good MPG,s. I got one that don't . I just wish someone Knew why . I would think someone would Know what you can do to fix the problem. That's what I was looking for ,some kind of answer . I think I should have drove it like I stole it from day one!



SSteve

 

[LRoy]

I also don't think you'll see too much improvement as it breaks in.



I have over 25K on mine and have kept records of every fill up in an Excel spreadsheet.



It appears that unloaded highway economy has climbed 1 to 2 MPG since new. It also looks like a lot of that improvement came in just the first couple tanks.



I've been lucky enough to get pretty good mileage. Mine basically just won't do under 17 unless I'm towing or spending half the tank sitting in stopped traffic (downtown DC commute). As of yesterday my lifetime average is 16. 95 - and that includes over 5K miles of 10. x-13. x mpg while towing



Only suggestions I can make are the obvious ones - tire pressure, intake system leaks, air temp. sensor, etc.

 

[APersondek]

I have had my '04 for about 3 months and 4600 miles..... i have always gotten anywhere from 16. 1 to 16. 4... . dont matter if its city or highway (running empty) I drive 40 highway miles round trip to work each day.....

 

[Car_nut57]

Drive the truck like others have said at least for awhile. An after market exhaust like our new Aeroturbine 4" exhaust kit and turbo Air Guide (TAG) with air intake can also help with performance and mileage.

 

[GSatler]

I INSTALLED A TORNADO IN THE FLEX JOINT AT THE INPUT OF THE AIR HORN. JUMPED MY MPG @ 1750RPM FROM 23MPG 28MPG ON SUMMER DIESEL 2MPG LESS ON WINTER. APOUT 57MPH.

 

[GSatler]

03 HO 6SPEED RAM AIRIII TRONADO

 

[Vatsa]

Ticket reads: 85 in a 70!



Thanks Vaughn !