Yet Another 04.5 Mileage Question

[Papa Delta]

My truck has 7900 miles on it. I have driven it hard although I haven't towed anything. I'd like to think it is starting to break in, at least enough to prevent blow by. My current experiment is to drive with one full tank with the TST power set to 1 and the torque set to 2. I have driven a half of a tank so far, 350 miles. Why is it that my overhead DTE shows only 220 miles left? The smart A** in me wants to ask if there is more volume in the first half a tank than there is in the second. Seriously is there as much left after the needle is on "E" as there seems to be over when the needle is on "F"?

 

[swaite]

No. If your truck is like mine you'll get 85-100 miles before the needle begins to drop. It then appears you got ~260 from the full peg to 1/2 tank and will get about 220 from the 1/2 tank mark to DTE=0. At that point I believe you've still got about 3 gallons left to find a filling station.

 

[CAgnoli]

I tend to agree with Swaite. I routinely drive my truck 34 to 40 miles past the DTE 0. Seems to work very well. I seem to remember someone mentioning that they drove almost 100 miles past the DTE 0, must have been going pretty slow though. (I drive that 40 miles at 70MPH)



My gauge stays on the F until the first 50 or 60 miles is out, then starts to go down. The last 1/3 tank, the needle REALLY plunges down fast.

 

[roperteacher]

W/O towing my needle will stay pegged at FULL until I have driven around 100-110 miles, then down fast. When I have used exactly 1/4 of a tank I have used exactly 9 gallons (I have tested many times). When I get to the half I have used 15 Gallons. When I have 1/4 of a tank remaining it usually takes around 22 gallons so I still have about 10 gallons left. Never pushed her lower than 1/4!!

 

[JVolpe]

I agree, I get about 250 miles average from pegged full to 1/2 on gauge. Then I get about 200 until time to fill up. I usually see close to 80-100 miles before it hits the FULL mark. I always think "finally I am going to get better mileage on this tank". Then, well you know... .



This has been the case on almost all trucks that I have owned over the years. Fuel gauge calibration is just not that exact.