Just took a trip from New Orleans to Memphis and back, and I wanted to run these gas mileage numbers by everyone to see what y'all thought...

Filled up the tank at Amoco (93 Octane) just before I got on the road. First time I have put gas in since I put in the chip and exhaust a couple of weeks ago.

104.9 Miles, 7.149 Gallons = 14.67 MPG

Incidentally, this is the BEST mileage I have ever gotten around town, especially in the summer, running the A/C and I have been pretty much beating the s**t out of it since I put the chip and exhaust in to see how much better it performs.

Drove up to Memphis with a full tank, and refilled up there before I came back home:

377 Miles, 19.424 Gallons = 19.41 MPG

That is right in line with some of the best MPG figures I have seen from this truck, but not much better. This time, I filled the tank with Texaco Super. When I got home, I went right back to the same Amoco station I filled up at before I left, same pump even, and filled up again.

383.6 Miles, 14.822 Gallons = 25.88 MPG!!!!!

I checked, double checked and triple checked the math, but I couldn't find any mistakes. Is Texaco gas really that much better? I drove pretty much the same speed each way (cruise set around 70-75), almost identical weather each way, same route, etc. What could cause this kind of difference? I would really like to get everyone's thoughts on this. By the return trip, the Superchip/Exhaust/Filterbox Mod combo had close to 500 miles on it - would this make a difference? I plan on keeping good records in the future to see if I keep getting these kinds of numbers, and I will also compare different gasolines to see which works best. Sorry for the novel, but I am kind of stumped on this one...

Thanks

 

Hi Jacap1,

Very interesting indeed!

My first comment is to change your name, address, & life, as if you're getting 25+ mpg in that vehicle under *any* conditions, everyone is going to demand that you reveal your "secret" and will hound you until you do. (I'm obviously kidding with you here)

As many people know, my 3 favorite brands of gas are Texaco & Amoco, in that order, followed by Citgo; at least, here in the East Citgo is my 3rd fav. There is generally very little difference between the 2 in most places, though in most places Amoco is a bit more expensive. They are both excellent fuels in most areas of the country.

Just changing over to Amoco from Texaco, doing the same basic type of driving, over the same basic type of terrain, at the same basic elevation, all else being equal, resulting in a gain of 6 mpg just doesn't seem right, I agree.

It is certainly possible to find some Texaco with a higher energy content than Amoco, but we're usually talking well under 1.0 mpg difference between the 2, all else being equal.

It is true that in the newer vehicles, generally the 1999 & newer models, that it can take 500 to as much as 2000 miles to see the absolute peak improvements in fuel mileage from the Superchip itself, so that could well be a part of what's going on here.

The exhaust system could perhaps add a little bit of mileage, but usually not more than .5 mpg, just to give you an idea of what our customers report back to us.

A 6 mpg difference is a lot, to be sure...............

I think more time is needed here, and a few more trips perhaps, to see if this 25+mpg figure is sustainable on the highway. If so, that's absolutely excellent, but I feel like you do, I'll have to see that to accept it, as time goes by, so please do continue to track your results and let us know them, as well as what you think, etc.

If you happen to think of something that could have skewed this, please let us know that as well, if you had higher elevations, at soem point, etc.

 

While we are on the subject, I thought I'd add some figures I came up with. On a recent trip to Norfolk VA (F150 Online Rally) I got an average of 19.93 mpg. That was 1,521 miles and 76.086 gallons of gas. I broke it down to each fill up:
MA to Md 307 mi. 15.712 gal. =19.53 mpg.
MD to VA 362 mi. 17.303 gal. =20.92 mpg.
Around VA 204 mi. 10.721 gal. =19.02 mpg.
VA to PA 265 mi. 12.2 gal. =21.72 mpg.
PA to MA 383 mi. 20.15 gal. =19 mpg.
I didn't fill up right away when I got home so there are some around town miles.
If anyone can see an error in my math let me know.
Provided I calculated every thing correctly I think I did pretty good.
On the ride down I was doing aroun 70 mph most of the way.
When I got to VA I was lost for a lot of the time on the road. I think that is reflected in the mileage. I also had one run at the strip.
On the return trip I was doing aroun 80 mph for a good part of the time. It seems as thought the truck gets better gas mileage at slightly higher speeds. Does this make sence?
I was in a traffic jam in NJ. I sat ideling for an hour and a half. It was from the end of the NJ turnpike to the Geo. Wash. Bridge on I95. That sucked and consumed gas.
Yes I am happy with the numbers. I will look for ways to improve then. I've got a Air Force One comming in soon. I think that might help.
Tom

 

Hi Tom!

It was great meeting you at the Rally, we had a lot of fun, & thanks for hanging out with us!

Your mpg numbers are impressive I think, but then, you do have a manual transmission, and that certainly helps, as they consume about half the power that automatics take to turn them, so the manuals usually get about 1.0 to perhaps as much as 1.5 better mpg than a comparable automatic truck in the same overall configuration, all else being equal.

It looks like your mpg from the gasoline purchased here in Virginia gave you some of your best mileage, and that doesn't surprise me, as in most areas of Virginia we have good fuel quality with a high energy content. I think that is mostly what had that effect on getting those higher mpg numbers, and not cruising at higher speeds.

All else being equal, the higher speed you cruise at, the worse mileage you'll get, so I think we're just seeing the results of a little bit higher energy content on the gas you purchased in our state, I'm thinking, and we see this too by the way in our results.

You'll have the Air Force One kit that you won very soon, it's already shipped out, so have fun & enjoy your new go-fast part, my friend!