Hey, I have an '04 SXT 3.7 Regular Cab, Auto Trans, 2WD stock Dakota. I have been averaging about 15 to 16 mpg's. I drive a mix between hwy and city, but I'd say more than half of my driving time is city. I drive the truck like a grandma just to help save gas, but I still get bad mileage. I wouldn't care as much if I thought this is what it was supposed to get, but I know someone who has a 4WD Durango with the V8 and gets better mileage!!?? My father has a 2WD 5 spd extended cab Dak with the V8 and also gets way better mileage. Was I stupid to not buy a 4WD?? I always thought they got worse mileage. Can anybody offer any insight? Does this mileage sound right? If not, any ideas on what could be hindering it? I have brand new stock size tires. They are pumped to 34psi. I also have a bed cover. Thanks for any help

 

With the mixed city/highway driving, that's not bad at all.
I get 10 - 13 MPG throughout the year mostly city driving.

 

I was getting about 13-14 with mine until I changed plugs to the stock Champions, now I am getting about 11-12. I had Bosch =2 plugs in it before going to the Champion copper plugs. Wish I could get better, doesn't seem to be in the mix.

 

I dont think thats too great its not bad but not great. Our ram 1500 4x4 5.7 hemi has 275/60/20's gets 14-16 city and about 17-19 highway.

 

I just made a trip from my school to Burlington Vt and back. It was 126 mi going 65 the whole time and I calculated mine to get 15.6 on that trip. Mind you it was 0 degrees F out, the gas in winter isn't as efficient and the highway has multiple grades of 5% and greater. In the summer it's around 17.5 highway. So really you're not far off with it being a mix or city and highway.

You bed cover is doing nothing for your milage, may even hinder it slightly. So I hope it is not on there for that reason.

4wd only kills your milage when it's actually in 4wd. Yeah, there is some added weight involved but not a big difference overall.

My ex-room mate has an 03 Mach 1 mustang and he gets around 24 on the highway in the summer. That's pretty good seeing it's a v8 and pulls 5x harder than my truck lol.

What part of the country do you live in?

 

Oh, I should have included that info. I live and drive on the south shore of Long Island, NY which is very flat so elevation and inclination are not factors. I bought the truck back in September and I clocked some good mileage back then (around 20 mpg). It seems to have gotten worse since then. The only thing I have done to the truck since is put new tires on it and put a bed cover on it. I thought the bed cover would help, but apparently not. I'm thinking maybe the cold weather is hurting my mileage maybe? Does warming it up in the morning help? Maybe I'll try that.
BTW don't get me wrong....I didnt expect 30mpg with my truck, I just want to make sure that 15 to 16 is the best I can get. I know this subject has been beat to hell, but any suggestions much appreciated

 

Under inflated tires Increase rolling resistance 1-2mpg Dirty air filter Causes excessively rich fuel/air mixture 2.0mpg Worn spark plugs Cause inefficient combustion, wasted fuel 2.0mpg Worn O2 sensor Unable to detect and adjust air/fuel mixture 3mpg Dirty or substandard engine oil Increases internal engine friction 0.4mpg Loose gas cap Allows fuel to evaporate 2.0mpg Potential loss in fuel economy if all of the above were neglected
11.4mpg

 

Cold weather will give you a bit less but I wouldnt think 5mpg less maybe like 3 at max but I dont know. Warming it up(3 min or longer) is a big decrease in mpg also.

 

I have thought about all of those factors. My tires are new and I keep them inflated to 34 psi. My air filter is clean. My truck has 56,000 mi on it and i'm guessing the plugs are the original. Should I change them? If so, what plugs are the best for fuel efficiency? The O2 sensor could be original too, but Im also unsure about that. As for motor oil, I run Castrol non-synthetic 5w30. My gas cap is the original one. Are they known to allow evaporation? Thanks.

 

sounds about average to me. the 5 speeds will do better and winter gas kills it. also the wind direction on the hw. I just got 18.3 coming home 145 miles thursday and then 16.4 the way back. there are flags on a bridge I cross and they were not moving at all the first time and then blowing hard into me the second time. so overall I think your around normal wait till the gas blend switches back from the winter blend and see if it improves except by then we might be battling finding gas thats not e15 :/