Over the weekend I was asked by a friend if I could pull their horse trailer for them b/c their poor Dodge is in the shop. So I sure. Normally I get about 8-9 mpg no load, with 8000lbs of horse trailer I got 14-20 mpg. I was taught that when you pull anything your mpg was suppose to decrease not increase. Anybody know what this could be?

Thanks William

 

That seems almost impossible.

Did you actually look in the trailer?
Maybe it didn't have no floor and them horses was just feeling their oats and messin' with your head.

I used to do that with my kids when they were little.
Ask them to help me move a box that they knew was heavy.
I would be lifting the whole thing but, it gave them a real sense of accomplishment.

Anyway, if what you say is true, ask your friends if you can haul their horses to work everyday. You don't have to tell them why, just keep on getting that 20mpg.

 

How did you do in Math when in school?

 

Math was the strong subject for me. But it still shocked me when I found out I got better gas mileage under a load like that.

William

 

It's a load alright.

 

Say what you want. It was the weirdest things.

 

I don't doubt your honesty or your math ability.
I just believe there is reason besides just pulling a trailer.

Perhaps you had a neighbor recently move away?
Perhaps he had a nickname, something like 'Gasoline Breath'?

Just throwing some ideas out there....

 

I'd have to that is impossible assuming same road conditions. Now if you were going down a steep grade with the wind wind at your back the whole way then maybe.

Was this hand calculated or on the display? If hand calculated you either made a mistake and didn't drive as far as you think, or didn't fill up the tank all the way when figuring the amount of fuel used (so you used more than you think you did), or if on the display it is just wrong.

 

OK so b/c it is kinda hard to believe I had someone check my math. This guy was my principal in high school and I now work at his barn. He did the math and he got 13-19 mpg. So it puzzled him to but the math is right.

William

 

uh....How come he used to be a principal and now all he's got is a barn?
(nevermind)

He swears the math is right, and you believe him?
Let me ask you this.
Did his breath smell like gasoline?

 

First question: He retired
no his breath did no smell like gasoline

 

Dang!

You know, this might be like crop circles and we ain't never gonna figure it out.

If I suspected someone was stealing my gasoline I'd walk up to them and strike a match. If they ran off screamin I'd knowd they was the ones that done it.

 

First, your no-load mileage is wrong. You would have to have a big block, 4 barrel carb, and bad tuning to get that poor of mileage.

Second, how do you get 14-20 MPG?

It's one or the other.

Did you get 14 MPG pulling the trailer or 20 MPG pulling the trailer.

If you got 14 going one direction and 20 going the other, then you need to average it out........ 17 MPG.

Recheck your math.

 

OK I re-rechecked my math
no load I can get about 150miles to my 19 gallons tank that equals about 8 mpg
with load I got about 108 miles to 6 gallons of gas which is about 17 mpg

I left the barn with a full tank and got back I was down 6 .5 gallons

So I don't know what is maybe the truck is just like that.

 

Do those trucks use MAF sensors? I know when mine came disconnected, I got damn close to 6-7 mpg and when it was reconnected it went up. Even that doesn't seem like it would give anywhere near 14-20 mpg when most of these trucks don't get that with no load whatsoever.