Nope not I'm from Michigan, but I would love to visit Halifax.

 

I bought a used 05 Caravan SXT with 71,000 miles this past April and I'm currently at 79,000 miles. Per the trip computer, we have 22 MPG but have dropped down to 19.5 MPG. I carpool (total of 4 adults). I don't drive it like my SRT-4 or '98 DOHC Neon, but the throttle/shift programming is significantly different than the '93 Grand Caravan I had with the 3.3 V-6 which also averaged around 22 MPG.

My accelratation permits the tranny to shift around 3K to 3.5K RPM. I don't do much WOT driving in the van - thats for the manual shift cars and hitting thier rev limiters!

I drive/commute in the Washington DC area.

 

On my 06 with the 3.8, it get between 25-a little over 26 onthe highway. Depending if AC is on. Usually average 19-21 with city/hiway. If you try to keep the RPMs under 2000 when accelerating it does make a difference. Also if i happen to get gas that contail 10%ethanol, it gets like 4 mpg less.

 

I wonder if anyone else has noticed how tires play into fuel economy. My 02 GC would always get 24 to 27 mpg on the highway with the goodyear integrity tires that were on it when i bought it. I would swap on 4 snows in the winter and the best i could do was 22-23. the goodyears wore out and i replaced them with a set of definity 75k mile tires from pep boys. instantly the fuel economy dropped to a consistent 22 mpg highway. I think they have a harder rubber compound or tread which creates more rolling resistance? I have put 15k on the tires and the mileage is consistent. When these wear out i will probably go with michelins or goodyears. Anybody else see this happen?

 

Tires play a big part in fuel economy. Usually, the car manufacturers get together with the tire manufacturers and find (or create) a tire for a specific vehicle. Rubber compounds, tread design & air pressures all contribute to good, or bad mileage.

 

I have a 2007 Grand Caravan 3.3l - I'm getting about 14 litres/100 km (that's about 20.3 mpg) combined city and highway. The temperature here is averaging about 5 degrees C (41 F) in the daytime. I'm running 10W30 oil based on advice from a website that argued somewhat convincingly that 5W20 gives better mileage but accelerates engine wear. I have my tires about 5 psi over recommended pressure.

What I don't understand is the rating for this van published on the NRC website.

The link is here: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportatio...e=TVN&Mfg=DODG


This rating figured heavily in our decision to purchase. According to NRC, the van should get 12.9 l/100 km city and 8.5 l/100 km highway. Those translate to 22 mpg and 33.4 mpg respectively. I can understand getting somewhat worse mileage than the NRC test shows, but this seems excessive.

Did Dodge somehow cheat on the tests? Does cold weather affect the mileage on this van that badly?

We did get one case of 10l/100 km on the highway this summer, but haven't seen anything like it since.

 

I use a full synthetic 5W-20 oil.

Engine wear can be from start-up or from oil shearing under load when fully warmed up. Since the factory recommends 5w-20, I'd consider switching to the fatory weihgt of 5W-20 and also consider a full synethic oil.

The replacement tire are a brand of Bridgestone and I run 35 PSI on the front and 32 PSI on the rear.

Different tire brands and types will have an effect on rolling resistance.

In BC, I'd definitely switch to a better oil than the 10W-30 you are using.

 

You will not get good milage untill the engine is in closed loop.To get in closed loop in winter months takes forever.I leave mine run for about 20 minutes everyday before I drive it and by doing this it is at operating temps and I get okay milage but I use a lot of fuel waiting for it to warm up.I would sooner do this as it puts less stress on the internal moving parts.As a retired Master Auto Tech I have delt with this complaint since day one and relize that the engine can only deliver economy when it is in closed loop.How long it takes to get there is all about the ambeint temps outside.With short trips in town it may never get there.

 

I'm an aerospace engineer and I live in Maryland and I just get in, start up and drive. Since I don't live near highspeed roads, I can drive easy (up to 45 MPH) while things warm up to full temp before I use WOT. Our normal lows during winter are in the 20F range. One occasion, when I was running 10-40W in my '84 GLH during winter and parked outside, it did get down to zero F. I did wait about one minute before driving off. The car had cold soaked over night and was 12 years old and over 100K miles. Felt like it had solid motor mounts but the oil light (and the gauge rose) in less than 3 seconds. The only engine problem was the headgasket which leaked after I went significantly over 6500 RPM. Most engine wear occurs during starting before all parts achieve their proper oil lubrication. Driving easy, instead of only sitting and idling, also lets everything (wheel bearings, axles, etc.) else work up to their "normal" temperatures while being under a "light duty" plus you should be able to enter closed loop mode much quicker than just idling.

 

I'm thinking of using 5W-30 which I use in my Toyota Echo. Is there any reason why this wouldn't be as good a choice as the factory-recommended 5W-20?

Thanks to all for the replies, BTW.