Yet Another Trip Report

[dorkweed]

Sunday/yesterday, I drove down to Effingham, IL to meet the owner of the _____/female dog I bred my Lab to. I left my house Sat. afternoon and drove to the P's to visit and spend the night. Their house is along the route I was taking. I left Sunday AM about 4:30AM to meet Doug at about 8:00AM in Effingham. I left the P's with just over 200 miles on the tank of fuel. It was just over 200 miles to Effingham one way, so it was about 400+ or so round trip back to the P's. And then after a quick 2 hour layover there, another 65 miles or so to the fuel station where I fueled up near my house.This tank got me 684.5 miles. I filled up/stuffed it with 32.24 gallons of fuel. That works out to 21.2+mpg. Not too bad running 65mph and on the way back, running the AC the whole way, as it way so effing humid out!!! That tank also included about 40-50 miles of towing my work trailer prior to driving to the P's!!Happy camper here!!!

[mr.mindless]

if I ever see 20, I'll defecate a masonry unit.

[dorkweed]

Hey Mindless, just to keep you from soiling your britches, have you ever tried to "drive for mileage" at all????? If you don't know what that means, contact the guy that runs the "site"!!!!!! He's more able to guide you than I am!!!:smart:

[mr.mindless]

Bricking my britches! :-D55mph might get me over 20 now. Did 2 tanks at 19.1/19.4 highway 55mph when I still had the 12v/4500. I've towed at 19mpg once too (24v/9513) - coastal flatland in MD at 45-50, coasting a lot to time stop lights. I did about pass a brick on that tank. Interstate flatland empty I got low 17s when last I trekked empty (65-70, 12v/9513 to MN and back). I'm sure economy will go up (and more importantly EGTs down) with my planned cam swap. My terrain (PA mountains), weights (19-26k for 70% of my miles) and impatience (I didn't buy a Cummins to pull grades at 45mph) combined with 4.10s and LOTs of rotating mass (rtoo9513 is a 660# twin countershaft trans plus 19.5 duallie rubber) team up to clobber me at the fuel pump. Through 2 engines (same p7100...) and 3 transmissions my routes haven't changed much and my mileage has been pretty consistent. Shifting earlier buys me 14 from 12 around town empty... More patience and throwing in some 40-60 mile round trip lake/ mountain bike/ friend trips gets me 15ish. I know the tricks. I bet even the best hypermilers here would have had trouble getting 20 out of my truck in traffic with the 4500/4.10 combo though. I live essentially downtown in a mid sized city, if I don't leave town, it really is pure 'city' numbers for me with idling at lights, frequent stops, occsional NEEDs to GO...All right, enough rambling and justifying from me now!

[Mopar1973Man]

Something I'm starting to see after hauling heavy. Like I just spent the weekened hauling firewood off the mountain did about 14 MPG for the weekend. But after it was all said and done the truck is empty and headed for McCall, ID for some groceries and couldn't hit even close to 20 MPG?!?! WTH! What I think happens is the ECM/PCM tend to anticipate the drivers requirements / load requirements. I'm assuming mine will return to normal here shortly after a few empty miles. I know there is no documentation on this but I've heard stories of this for GM products... I think it could be possible for Dodge/Cummins too.

[dripley]

i have heard of that before. i think the wifes dakota will do that. i know i have read it somewhere. i never put much stock in it though.

[AH64ID]

Something I'm starting to see after hauling heavy. Like I just spent the weekened hauling firewood off the mountain did about 14 MPG for the weekend. But after it was all said and done the truck is empty and headed for McCall, ID for some groceries and couldn't hit even close to 20 MPG?!?! WTH! What I think happens is the ECM/PCM tend to anticipate the drivers requirements / load requirements. I'm assuming mine will return to normal here shortly after a few empty miles. I know there is no documentation on this but I've heard stories of this for GM products... I think it could be possible for Dodge/Cummins too.

Interesting, normally I hear the opposite where guys will get better after a hard tow since they clean the carbon off everything.

[tunklo]

I would love to see 20 on my truck, i drive daily around 50 miles, it's 15 on city and 10 on highway (one way), i've never seen that kind of mileage on my truck:cry:, i'm getting 13 sometimes 14 miles per galon:broke:, running at 65 or 70 miles on highway empty, but i think that my driving manners it's why i'm not getting good mileage (even using 2 cycle oil i got only .5 miles per galon more) i'm gonna have to go and get me some diesel truck driving lessons:lol:

[Mopar1973Man]