+1 on both last post i agree 100% my truck floats at about 59,60 right in that area and i do pretty good on gas but i lve in the tampa area and its alot of stop and go so i get ****ty gas mileage anyway i did some research of my own and on the average to work and back i can get 14 mpgs at best if i traveled highway it would be better and thats not off my overhead for mine does not work(subwoofers kickin sound) and thats a big improvement since my new upgrades and repairs previous was about 11 so im improving with my truck..........jmo.......jay

 

I been keeping up with this entire thread and it's all very interesting stuff. If there is anyone out there trying to raise their mpg's by driving slower its me. I hear it from all my friends about how slow I drive all the time. Especially with 285's and 3.55, it takes me awhile to get up to speed while trying to conserve gas. I don't know what I'd do without overdrive, lol. I still don't fully understand the concept of the point where the truck seems to be "floating". I always assumed lower RPM = lower MPG, but as I've learned recently after doing some research and reading info about gearing, thats not the case;you can have higher RPM's and also see better MPG's, it's all a matter of how much the truck is struggling to get up to speed. Basically a few weeks after I got the truck I started focusing on improve it's mpg. I did an exhaust, K&N fipk CAI, magnaflow cat, fastman tb, hypertech, and then 14x3 round air cleaner. I can safely say I saw 0 improvement in the performance category with any and all of these mods. The only thing that really improved my mileage (or showed me a better calculation of it) was the hypertech. MPG's improved about 2-3 mpg on average I would say. Sure it may be less since my speedo was not calculated for the 285's, but still, there was an increase.

Like most people, I want the best of both worlds with looks/performance and fuel economy. I've been looking into 4.10 gears with my 285's and changing to 265's. A buddy of mine has 265's on his truck and we will be swapping soon so I can test out my truck for a bit with the 265's and see how it performs, and how it affects the mileage (remind me to re-calibrate the speedo with the hypertech).

It is pretty hard for me to find the perfect speed since basically every where I go there are stop lights and it's hard to maintain that speed for long. The only real time I have no obstacles (cars, lights, stop signs) is late at night/early in the morning coming home from friends' houses. But, since its late at night and on the east end of Long Island, I'm cautious about deer. I see them a lot so I tend to stay around the 50mph mark.

EDIT: Forgot to mention something. Going to visit a college, just about 95% highway I'd say, I got about 14 mpg while doing high 70's mph on average, in 90 degree weather with a broken AC.I can get 14 mpg normal driving to school stuff like that, so just goes to show its all about how you drive your truck. I also keep records of my mpg, I do it just about every fill up. They range from 8 (lol) to 17 (I was very surprised).

 

I guess the best definition for "floating" your vehicle is that point where the vehicle is able to handle speed changes and what not without very much effort. Essentially, that specific speed/rpm combo where just giving it a little gas gets a very quick reaction from the vehicle.

If you've ever pushed a heavy cart or something, the initial going is hard, but once you get to the point where you are rolling fairly well without much more then just a simple push behind it is basically the same thing as "floating".

 

VWandDodge: I apologize for saying punk, jacka$$ and telling you to shut your dam$ mouth. IWAS too defensive and shouldNOT have said it. Please accept my sincerest apology. I will try to linke up my fuel logs to so you can see what I am up to.

Jim

 

I tried to link to my logs, butit does not work. I will try to find another way.

 

Try a hosting site like Photobucket or something of the sort, as the only thing this forum supports for uploading is gifs and jpegs unfortunately.

If you need some assistance, let me know and I'll do what I can..

 

You can try http://www.imageshack.us/ as well.

 

If so worried about getting good mpg , just let the damn truck parked ... Thats the best mpg...

 

That's not the answer and you know it. The truth is, these vehicles have been badly designed from the get go because they could afford to be lazy. Now that gas prices are outrageous, it's finally bit them in the ***....and unfortunately for Chrysler, almost 2/3's of their vehicles are getting slammed by this....

I know what you mean though....and while a harsh truth....its still something some people are already doing...

 

It blows my mind that people get worse MPG stock then i do with mine . OT , on the local news the did a flash back when gas was 1.32 a gal . then people where saying the same as people do now .. to get every mpg out of the truck , tires , change fluids , electric fans , pullies , gears , exhaust , even if i went out and bought a better road tire still using the 35s size i mite gain 2 mpg back instead using the mud tire... keep your ride waxed will help to slip thru the air and yes you can even wax the windshield , works good in the rain to... And of course your driving habbit , Ask my wife about her driving habbit , LOL , That why im replacing brakes every 3 months and oil change every month( job requires driving) .