Hey Bill, ive got a 5.2L and i know i can whoop your butt any day off the line....


Hahahaha....JUST KIDDING, i had to throw my "ricer" comment in there cuz you asked for it, sorry. I happen to aggree with. the 5.2 is definatly underpowered in the TQ arena. But putting some money into can get you into the playing field of the 5.9.

anyways, just wanted to give you a hard time!

[sm=icon_cheers.gif]

 

There are tons of things you can do to get more power. A general guideline is that the more power your engine has, the better milage your going to get. This is because the more power you have, the less your engine is going to have to work to get to speed and maintain that speed. This is not always the case though, just cause you bolt something on to give you more power doesn't mean your gonna get better millage.

All the stuff mentioned above is good but can get expensive. What I would do first is just get a less restrictive intake and a better flowing exhaust.

A big factor in MPG is the weight of the vehicle. Since you have a 2wd that cuts down the weight for you alot since 4x4 QC's weigh almost 6000lbs. A small thing you can do is just clear all the uneeded crap out of your truck. I even droped my spare tire since its not the wrong size. Probably a bad idea, but I'll risk it.

As for the tires, if you don't want to hurt your MPG more, don't go above a 31" tire with those gears...I had 31's with 3.92's so those 3.55's are only hurting you. Don't expect any one thing to give you a really noticable gain, nothing along will give you a +1 gain thats for sure

 

Dood ... I beat my buddy on his CBR600 off the line (speaking of ricers). Was whoopin' his *** for all of maybe 100', too.

Remember ... I'm talking about a three way combo ... 5.2 + 4x4 + thrashing it. I don't want to start a war here. Most people don't do that. But I was wondering how a smaller motor could get so much WORSE mileage. It seemed to track that it was mostly all 4x4's. I've always believed that smaller motor = better MPG. I guess there IS such a thing as being under engined.

Most of my acceleration is on 1/3 pedal (and it'll sit you back in the seat). At 75 mph I'll occasionaly lift to see where the pedal's at ... usually 1/4" or so ... throttle's barely cracked ... and it did that BEFORE I put the new PCM in it.

 

I know I was thinking of re-gearing my truck. I don't think the 5.2L and 3.55's were a good combo for the quad cab 4x4. I spend a lot time with my foot way to close to the floor during acceleration. The power's not bad it just doesn't get to the ground until you pass 2500 rpm. The only problem is two sets of gears can pay for a lot of gas.

 

What size tires you running?

 

265/70 16

 

31's ... what does the micro-programmer do for you?

Speaking of gears (two posts ago) ... last night I saw a complete set of Dana 60's (front & rear) go for $455!!! Not just the gears ... the AXLES!! The only thing was they were for pick-up only (meaning you had to go get them) ... in Conneticut(sp). I wanted to snipe those things SO BAD! The wife would have KILLED me DEAD.

 

The programmer probably gave me in the 15 to 18 hp range on the 87 octane setting, allows changing tire size, raising rpm limit, raising top speed and works as a code reader. The biggest thing I noticed is the engine revs like a V-8 now and the power kicks in just below 2500 rpm when it used to be up toward 2700-2800 range before you noticed the power kicking in. I didn't really keep track of mileage before, but haven't noticed any real difference.

 

Sorry for not keeping up. Working these 24 hour shifts hurt me in that department. The general theme is that a 318 and a 3.55 don't mix or at least in a four wheel drive. I know the four wheel drives carry more hardware (no doubt) but is it that much more. If you have a heavy 2wd (which I probably do since I carry a bunch of tools, firesuit, airpack, and a whole bunch of over stuff), would it be beneficial to go up to a 3.92. Ive been thinking about changing the axle to a dana 60 either way. If I did that, what all would I have to as far as reprogramming computers and stuff. Also just for a thought, I have been thinking about doing a complete motor swap for say like a hemi, or if there was a lightweight diesel maybe that. Just food for thought (more like dreaming for thought).

 

the link below is to a very long post
with more than a dozen practical low cost ideas to improve the mpg of Ram pickups
and another dozen of more expensive ideas

https://dodgeforum.com/m_447500/tm.htm

ex Chrysler Vice President Bob Lutz now works for GM and was in charge of the redesign of their pickups to get better mpg.

In a nutshell, Lutz improved the aerodynamics (primarily underneath where it is not seen)
and dropped the 3.73 differential GM had used for years in favor of a standard 3.23 differential.

Over at theautochannel.com there is a 40 minute video on the new GMT900 pickups.
They brag about everything they did to improve mpg: six speed automatic trans, 57 degree windshield slope, tighter cracks between sheetmetal, rear tailgate spoiler, lowered suspension height, etc

Notice!
Not once do they mention 'new low restriction air inlet system' as improving mpg