Share your best tips for improving MPG.

[10-9jc]

~

Obviously, slow down and/or park it are a couple -

but what has been your best mods for improving mileage?

~

With diesel heading for five dollars a gallon, every little bit -WILL- help.

Thanks!

JC

 

[AMcCormick]

I know its expsensive but if you have a 4x4 going with manual hubs will help. I am in the same boat I dont drive my truck much at all but will be doing a trip from Key West to San Francisco via Grand Canyon, Rockies, and Glacier national park come June so if any one has some good ideas I'd love to hear them. Keeping below 2k rpm seems to be the biggest factor.

 

[Andy Morrison]

You can run max air pressure in your tires.
Run steady RPM around 2000 or less.

 

[MamthTorq]

I have gone to a narrower tire, which was good for about 1. 5-2 mpg more. Went from heavy 285/75 toyo mt, to used 235/85 geolanders, all run at 80 psi.

My last tank was 20. 498 MPG... of coarse the overhead said 21. 3. Well that has helped me, any other ideas would be good... next tank I am going for 22 mpg.

 

[Matt400]

I rotated the tone ring 3 degrees, replaced the retarded cam, and with an auto trans my focus and mission when driving is to achieve converter lock up & keep it there, anything less is wasting fuel IMO.

 

[Lifted Mega]

So matt after all that you did what kind of improvement did you see? And hows the performance?

 

[pservano]

I'm installing a sail on my flat bed... . Hopefully, it will save me 2-3 miles per gallon of diesel. In my neck of the woods wind is pretty strong.

 

[Radshooter]

I went with some really skinny tires..... 2" wide. Yep... ... I dusted off the bike. I only live about 1/2 mile from work at this contract, so it was a no-brainer for me.

We will still take the dually out once in a while to blow out the cobwebs, but they will be blown out very carefully. RPMs as low as possible, boost as low as possible, and in as high a gear as possible. Also, I usually air down the tires for a smoother ride after we get the fiver parked. I think I will leave them up to towing pressure for awhile for better rolling. We also have the wife's Tundra (22 mpg no matter how we drive it) for the longer hauls.

 

[Allnew2Me]

Besides driving slower or not at all there is nothing we can do. I will assume that the real goal here is to save money rather than just get better mileage. And if saving money is really the goal then buying new tires, adding manual hubs, or really spending any money towards mileage is not at all cost-effective. It's kind of like spending 25K on a Prius so you can save money. Sure, you get great mileage and it only cost you 25K. If you sit down and figure out how long it will take to see any payback you will see that it is usually not worth the cost. The exception would be if you needed tires, or a new car, or whatever you were considering buying anyway and you bought with mileage in mind.

The best alternative and one that we all can take advantage of is making our own fuel. I know a lot of guys that do that and they make bio for less than $1. 00 a gallon, including methonal and water and electricity. It is work but if you drive a lot you can save big money. The gain from inflating your tires to the maximum would be neglible and then you just wear out your tires faster, which again, costs money to replace.

 

[foolkiller]

You can run max air pressure in your tires.

Run steady RPM around 2000 or less.

what he said... . except i aim for 1900 rpm. i've seen 25mpg like this but i had a tail wind at the time... . usally 21mpg or so if i can resist increasing speed. it's an exercise in self discipline sometimes.



j

 

[10-9jc]

So matt after all that you did what kind of improvement did you see? And hows the performance?

~
C'mon back with the info Matt!
~
Allnew - Yeah, spending a -LOT- to save a -LITTLE- on fuel costs
is not a good plan . . .
however, vice-versa sure wouldn't hurt - - and every little bit helps!
JC

 

[Motorhead]

Mine having the late 6 spd, I stay at 60-65 mph which keeps me at 2K rpm or less. I run my Smarty jr on the "TOW" setting (70hp) and get 20. 5mpg highway.

Hey Matt400, Did the cam help???

 

[Jefff929]

what he said... . except i aim for 1900 rpm. i've seen 25mpg like this but i had a tail wind at the time... . usally 21mpg or so if i can resist increasing speed. it's an exercise in self discipline sometimes.



j

I aim for 1600 most of the time.

 

[Matt400]

I did the cam and timing increase at the same time so dunno which one but it was only 1. 5 to 2 mpg increase.



If I had to do it again I might not have done the cam. Power is good and all but the change wasn't a tremendous thing. I did all the work myself so I gave up a day of labor... oh and since I didn't press the cam gear on all the way and made it just flush with the cam surface I got to do it all over again as the cam sensor wouldn't work like that.



I wouldn't recommend the tone ring mod for 03's, I did my sons 03 and is rattled too much. I think they run more retard on my 05 than his 03.

 

[Tinman]

My Smarty gave me about 1. 5 maybe 2 mpg improvement on timing only. I'm right at 20mpg on the highway if I keep it under 70.



I would really like to try the narrow tires when the time comes for new rubber. But I'm afraid the 285/75s will just look ridiculous. (Pics anyone?)



Buying things to improve mileage isn't necessarily a cost liability. For instance, I've heard/read a cam can give you 2 mpg improvement. At $3/gallon that can pay for itself in 50-60K (labor included). If you drive the vehicle for several 100K, then it can be worth it. However, Matt400's results with his cam doesn't really back up what I've read else where.



The manuel hubs show only slight mileage benefit, but there are more than just mileage reasons for that mod. But if you drive the truck long enough, it can still be advantageous.



Different trucks will respond differently to changes/mods, so it's hard to know what will work best for each individual. This thread is a great way to get info though.

 

[MPerez]

To see the best mileage I keep it at 1850 RPM's or less, which is about what 60 mph is on my truck. I have a Smarty and an otherwise stock truck (Amsoil oil and EA air filter only mods). I keep the Smarty on level one, using the stock torque management program. I accelerate slowly and use cruise when appropriate and safe, try to plan trips to minimize traffic (both because I hate sitting still in traffic and to keep the truck rolling while engine is running). I have seem a absolute high of 24. 2 mpg since I started driving this way. The all time average mpg is 17. 8 mpg. The last few tanks have been 18. 8 mpg. Mixed city/highway driving - with winter blends however.

 

[Matt400]

However, Matt400's results with his cam doesn't really back up what I've read else where.

I don't think it could be cumulative but it is possible the cam gave me 1 and the timing advance gave me 1 dunno, or it may be that one or the other is capable of 2 but not together.

 

[betterthanstock]

1. Minimize idling. Keep warm-up/cooldown to less than 1 minute.

2. Avoid traffic jams. Leave one hour earlier, or later. Ask your boss for staggerred work hours. My truck will drop from 20 mpg to 10 or less in crawl-and-stop traffic.

3. Combine trips, starting with the furthest away, so you warm up the engine.

 

[JDiepstra]

I try to only drive downhill and with the wind to my back. Only works about half the time though.

 

[MKenison]

I change my muffler bearings regularly and add several can of compression with each fillup.