You don't have to drive like grandma...

...just drive like you're driving Miss Daisy.

 

yea, i just came from kentucky i thought all unleaded was 87- nope, got up the big sky state and omg- 85 unleaded $2.24
88 premium $2.34
94 super $2.44

well the 88 experiment will begin 35 gallons from now in about 450 miles when this tank is gone

 

ill make sure to remember that my driving style is a "modification"

"Better MPG's mod free"

 

The higher the altitude the lower the octane requirement. At very high altitude low altitude premium runs like crap. Burns too slow.

Here it's 87-91 octane spread. In the mountains it's 85-88 and at sea level you can usually find the spread at 89-93.
Just the way gas works.

When I lived in the mountains I would always get ping whenever I drove down to the city, 4500 feet below. Newer cars have knock detectors, etc. so you don’t notice it as much.
Chris

 

I've got about 7700 miles on a 7 week old 05 FX4 RC truck (quick trip to NY in first 12 days), and have averaged around 15.5 while doing city driving, as much as 18.4 when made early trip across country. I don't do the NASCAR thing (much), but am definitely not the last one to the next stop light. Normal driving keeps me above 16, with AC on most of the time. 100 degree whether in Tucson kind of forces that. I am quite happy with MPG for a 4x4, and continue to run the 87 octane. Waiting until winter for the mods (AF1, XCAL and wheels/tires w/ autospring). Hoping not to lose much MPG with those mods.

 

ALRIGHT, HERE IS SOMEONE THAT KNOWS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. TAT2278, YOU'VE GOT IT DOWN RIGHT. I DRIVE THE EXACT SAME WAY AS YOU DESCRIBED AND GET THE SAME KIND OF MILEAGE AS WHAT YOU ARE GETTING, EXCEPT MAYBE JUST A BIT HIGHER BECAUSE LATELY I'VE BEEN USING ABOUT HALF OF EVERY TANK ON THE INTERSTATE. FOR EVERYONE ELSE: DRIVE LIKE THIS AND YOU'LL PROBABLY SEE A LITTLE BIT BETTER MPG THAN YOU'RE GETTING NOW. SEE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE LIKE GRANNY, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE LIKE DALE JR., AT LEAST NOT EVERYWHERE. I GET GOOD MILEAGE FOR A 4X4 TOO, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT AT TIMES I WILL HAVE FUN IN MY TRUCK, THAT'S WHY I BOUGHT IT.

 

you guys suck. i drive about 60% in town, and i cant get any better than 12 mpg!! i am like most of you, i dont drive like im in a race, but i go try to keep the rpms under 2500. is something wrong with my truck? its an 04 with just over 5k on it. stock except for an exhaust. and you guys are getting off easy, i stil pay $2.29 for 87 octane..

 

For a 5500 pound 4X4 truck, ya can't expect good gas mileage. If I get 15, on 91 or 92 octane by the way as I have the Superchips program installed,
I'm doing good. My old Jeep with the 360 in 4X4 mode got about 10. I just shake my head when I think of my 69 Olds 442 from years ago that, with all the mods, I was lucky to get 5 or 6 MPG around town. Trucks and mileage just don't go hand in hand.

 

(Getting out my whip, to flog a dead horse);
Whack, you use more fuel accelerating than anywhere else.

Whack, with this truck, due to it's freewheeling trans/converter, if you don't have some kind of feedback device, (vacuum gauge, Scangauge, info panel with instant mileage) you can use far more gas than you need. Going up a slight hill, you can get 7-10-14 mpg, at almost the same speed. If you have a feed back you can look at, you will see the truck uses a lot more gas for a little more pedal on any grade.

Whack, you need to take your foot off the gas much earlier on this truck than on anything since the old manual overdrive transmissions. That stops the brake dust thing, and saves a lot of gas. These trucks coast like you had kicked in a clutch.

Whack, they get much worse mileage when cold. Much worse.

Whack, shut it off in drive-through lines, anywhere you will be sitting more than a minute or two. It works. takes less gas to start it than idle it for 60 seconds.

Whack, avoid stoplights, or stop signs where you can, this truck is heavy and hard to get moving.

Whack, a tonneau, assuming it weighs less than 300 lbs, will get you better mileage on the freeway. I pull up to 24 on the freeway, 22 usually. And that's in California, where if you drive 55 you can be ticketed for holding up traffic. If you don't get shot first...

Whack, don't 'flutter' your foot on the gas pedal. You would not believe how many people have the nervous twitch in their foot, or even keep time to their music as they drive. Most who do it, deny it. I showed one guy he was doing it by putting a test vacuum gauge on his dash. We went for a drive and his vacuum would swing from 8-22 lbs as he fidgeted. That would equate to 10-16 mpg.

Whack, don't carry any extra junk in the truck. Weight costs gas. A football player that carpools with four adults is gonna get two miles to a gallon less than the jockey driving by himself.

Oh well, that horse is really dead now.
Chris

 

You are not wrong, by any means, but there are some interesting anomalies in gas mileage. I have a 12,000 lb motorhome that pull 11-12 at 55-60 unless I am towing, then it pulls 9-10. Worse ever was 8.6, and that was climbing in the Rockies, fully loaded, and with a toad on the back. 454 (7.4) Rat motor, 80le transmission, no mods except K&N filter.
She will pull ten at 75 with a toad on the back, if it's flat.
And the aerodynamics of a flat faced class A make these trucks look like a bullet.

Of course the secret is I almost never drive the MH around town, 95% highway with it.
It’s getting the mass moving that costs the money.
Chris

A

 

I can't believe guys with 4 wheel drive are getting 16-18 mpg! you guys suck! I'm getting 12-13 in an '02 Lariat 2wd with 3.31 gears! 265 miles till my gas light comes on. The worst part is that it doesn't get any better on highway trips. No codes and the truck seems to run perfect, just really crappy mileage.

 

I thought most saw the same mileage I am getting? I did find running my tires at 45 lbs of air was worth 1 mpg in the city, not sure on the highway. For those with 33" tires, how much decrease have you seen, that is my next purchase, once these OEM tires die!

I have noticed my shift points around 2200, so when I adjust throttle control to get 2500, mileage does come up a bit....less lugging on the engine I presume.

 

Umm, "Mod free" means without performing any modificatioms to the truck. It doesn't mean a "free mod". There is a difference. Asinatra, .

 

These trucks might coast great with the stock tires but they sure don't with some wide 33s!

 

Who cares about gas mileage? If you do buy a honda civic.