Hey Everyone!!
I have been searching this site all day trying to find some simple solutions on improving my gas mileage!

Right now i am averaging about 9.9 MPG!!!! Im not upset about it at all i just hate looking at the when gas is 4 dollars a gal!! i drive ALL in town max speed i ever go is 55mph. I live in a smaller town here in Minnesota and this town has EVERYTHING i need and my drive to work is 1 mile.

Anyways back to the point. I recently upgraded my rims and tires from the factory 18'' Lariat Wheels with Bridgestone 275 Tires to 24'' Rims with Lexani 305 Tires. I used to get 11.5-13.5 In town. now i have had these rims and tires on for less than a week and my MPG dropped to 9.9!! I have not changed my driving habits at all, I know these rims are much heaver but i didnt expect that big of a drop in MPG!

I was just wondering if you guys have any solutions to improve gas mileage?

Thanks for the input everyone!!

 

Tires are what killed it obviously. Plus, you aren't going to get all that great of mileage in town anyways. I get around 8 mpg in town with 275's and the smaller V8. You're best bet is to just be easy on the gas when you leave from a dead stop. Gearing could always help or hurt, but for the price of gears I don't know that it's worth it for a couple more mpg. I'm guessing you have a programmer already?

 

You also need to take into consideration that your new tires don't make as many revolutions as the old ones, meaning you are actually going more miles per tank than your odo is showing. There are sites that will tell you how to calculate your mileage based on old/new tire dimensions.

For example...I went from 255/65/17 to 265/65/18 and I have to multiply my mileage by 1.067 to get an accurate reading of miles driven. Not a huge difference, but it usually adds about 20 miles per tank, which is around .5 mpg. Yours may be more...

 

Minnesota is also on the ethanol bandwagon - find gas with the lowest ethanol content you can. I wouldn't be surprised if you are getting E15 now.

You do need a programmer to correct the speedo and odo for the non-stock tire size. This also affects the way it runs, especially the transmission shifting, because the PCM is getting an inaccurate input.

 

this is part of it, you get worse gas mileage with short trips because the engine doesnt get up to temp and you are constantly shifting.

just think of all the gas you save because you DO live close to everything!

 

driver mod

 

Wow, glad mine does better than 9.9. That is so .... "not good".

 

Why don't you just walk to work...?

 

i was gonna say probably too cold but you live in Alaska so I'm sure you definition of cold is different than in MN and definitely different from mine here in NC! hahahaha.

 

I might get run off the forum for this but here it goes anyway. Everyone wants to blame the driver, and that is a HUGE part of mpg, but there are simple things that can help but will not give you a huge difference. First, I would get a programmer, as said already, to make up for tire size. Thats going to be the most beneficial. If your going to keep the truck a long time, look into gears. For city type driving 4.10 or if 2wd 4.30 would be good for you. But, they're expensive. You're looking at at least 1500 for 4wd installed, so its going to take awhile to see the benefits. For simple things, check your fuel filter. I gained about .5 mpg when I replaced mine. Check your air filter, clean your maf and throttle body, look into e fans and the gotts mod. Have your plugs and coils been changed? I know when mine were going out my mpg SUCKED! Check your injectors, if its an 05 they're prone to going out. Like I said, your not going to see 20mpg after this, but these things can help.

 

Shoot. Even up here I'd walk to work if it was only a mile... You burn more gas warming the truck up than you do driving to work...

 

The problem is the combination of likely high ethanol content and 1 mile drives. The truck is not going to get good mileage on 1 mile trips, and the likely heavier wheels and tires aren't helping matters of gear ratio and correct speedometer/odometer readout. The problem isn't likely the driver, it's that no non-hybrid car will get it's claimed city mileage on 1 mile trips.

 

Walk places...

I used to bike to work when it was 3 miles away, and bike to my girlfriends house which was 5 miles away... Now I'm down at school and I walk to campus which is .5 miles one way.

Walking saves your gas more than anything. I don't think I'd ever drive if everything is within a mile.

 

Hey everyone! I really appreciate the responses!!
Ill start off by saying i do not have a programmer. I have always thought about getting one but from what you all are saying confirms that i should get one! I have not changed my fuel filter in a while so ill most likely do that for one of my weekend projects here coming up. I know my air filter is brand new and i am not sure about my injectors. I have owned this truck since 8,000 miles.

O trust me the thought of walking/biking to work has come to mind, i usually drive my motorcycle to work in the summer. Walking to work just is not a good option for me i do tend to use my truck throughout the day here at work.

04LARIAT, sounds like a good plan to me but i just don't think i want to spend that kind of coin at this time.

I really appreciate the info everyone! I will be ordering a programmer today!

 

Unless it has been recalibrated for the taller tires, the mileage calculation is incorrect.