My '05 Mileage Update

[thejeepdude]

Well, I told you guys a while back I'd be keeping track of mileage and give an honest report when I got some miles on my '05. I've had her for 6 weeks now and just turned 5K miles recently. The discrepancy between the TRIP and ODO miles is due to the fuel that the dealer provided with the truck (not much). The first tank was babied, the next few had a lot of towing and since then it's been mostly empty mixed driving, with the majority of the miles being clocked in the mountains on the way to/from snowboarding.



It looks like she's settling in right around 16MPG average, which I don't really have any complaints with, although better would have been nice. I still haven't taken a 100% highway trip while empty so find 'optimum' miles per tank, but should be around 18MPG or so at 65-70mph if I had to guess. Every fillup was topped off to the top of the neck:

 

[K5IP]

Thaat's what I like to see, actual data!

Thanks

 

[joeyou]

Here's mine, 2004. 5 LWB 4X4 Auto trans:

 

[ceaman]

where are you guys getting these programs for the chart... . ive been looking for one

 

[joeyou]

where are you guys getting these programs for the chart... . ive been looking for one

Created it myself in Microsoft Excel.

 

[jsimpson]

Off the subject, but how do youlike the Navic? Did you previously use a laptop program?

 

[joeyou]

Well, I told you guys a while back I'd be keeping track of mileage and give an honest report when I got some miles on my '05. I've had her for 6 weeks now and just turned 5K miles recently. The discrepancy between the TRIP and ODO miles is due to the fuel that the dealer provided with the truck (not much). The first tank was babied, the next few had a lot of towing and since then it's been mostly empty mixed driving, with the majority of the miles being clocked in the mountains on the way to/from snowboarding.



It looks like she's settling in right around 16MPG average, which I don't really have any complaints with, although better would have been nice. I still haven't taken a 100% highway trip while empty so find 'optimum' miles per tank, but should be around 18MPG or so at 65-70mph if I had to guess. Every fillup was topped off to the top of the neck:

I was looking at your numbers again and noticed something interesting--how did you get 37+ gallons in a 35 gallon tank? The one in red appears that you had probably just combined two fill-ups, but the other one I can't tell.

 

[jsimpson]

Sixteen is what my four wheel drive Tundra bgtes and is what my 03 Cummins gets on a good day. Right now with gas nearly thirty cents a gallon cheaper than diesel in Florida, I'm getting a lot of seat time in the Tundra!

 

[thejeepdude]

I was looking at your numbers again and noticed something interesting--how did you get 37+ gallons in a 35 gallon tank? The one in red appears that you had probably just combined two fill-ups, but the other one I can't tell.

Actually, it's rated at 34 gallons. However, that doesn't include what DC set aside as expansion space. If you take your time and keep filling to the neck until it doesn't go down anymore, or do the fuel tank vent mod, you can fit ~37 gallons in the tank. Oh, and red just means that I ran it empty to the point the truck wouldn't start. It's interesting that the time I ran 100% out I put less in the tank than on a previous date... man I was lucky that day! The truck must have been angled just the right way to get every last drop.

 

[DGFoster]

I have gotten almost 37 gallons in mine before,but you have to be ready to stand there a while and keep clicking it.

I got Microst EXCEL I am going to make up something like that,good way to keep track. . Thanks

 

[thejeepdude]

Best mileage so far...

Well, just made the trip down to SoCal for a cruise. The trip down there was at 65-70, but we got stuck in traffic for about 50 of those 450 miles. Filled up on the way back and from that point to home I attained 20MPG. I had the cruise set at 68mph except when I was drafting a truck that was going 75. Just goes to show ya... even though my truck 'only' gets ~16MPG average, she'll put up some decent numbers on the open slab. Here's my updated spreadsheet just for the heck of it:

 

[thejeepdude]

Well, it's been a year and I figured it was about time for a followup to this thread. Over the past few thousand miles my truck has gotten louder, rougher idling, and MPG has gone down. I was starting to worry about the infamous injector issues that plague so many people, so I took it to the dealer. I got the new doors seals, right front wheel bearing, and a reflash that to this date no one can tell me the reason for. There's evidentally no TSB but it came out in December sometime. At any rate, the idle is smoother but still not as smooth as when new, and the engine is quieter, but still not as quiet as new. I figured the real test would be mileage, so I've tracked that over the past couple days going from CA to CO. I filled up at home, made it to Wells, NV and made 18. 50 MPG at 68-70MPH. I didn't think that was bad considering the climb. From Wells, NV I made it to Laramie, WY. I could have made it to Cheyanne, but the price was better in Laramie... did 19. 88 MPG @ 68-70MPH. I don't know if the problem is actually fixed, or if the flash was just a band-aid, but I haven't gotten over 17MPG for a while. I'll have a better idea once I go back to CA and average the route both ways, and time will tell on the in-town mileage, but so far I'm optimistic! I would suggest to anyone who has a rough running '05 truck with poor MPG to investigate with their dealer about a flash that came out around Dec '05. If anyone has more information about this update, please let me know!

 

[jsimpson]

I'd sure like a flash for my 03 that would give me that kind of mileage!!! I never see above 16. 8