improving mpg
Rookie
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 76
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From: York, PA
so babying the hell out of the truck im up to 15mpg but its to the point of being crazy but i only have 50miles on the tank so far and its only the computer figure and i dont thing that most people drive these trucks that crazy to get the mpg they are claiming. also i did change where i was getting my gas to see if that has anything to do with it. also it seems to me that im starting to decrease my average as it dipped down to 14.5 when i was on the hwy. doing 55-60 it seems that the only time the eco light/mds is kicking in is on the down hills or coasting. the real time mpg gauge never seems to want to get above 14-15mpg and regular dips down to 10mpg. is this normal. and in not gassing on it if i dont keep that much pressure on the gas i start to lose speed. any ideas? where does everyones else mpg gauge real when the mds kick out. and please no heavy right foot replies as im well aware of this and am paying very important attention to it.
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Amateur
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 45
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From: Dalton, PA
i have been using 89 in it but i did change stations from Exxon to gulf but i dont think it really change anything. i am getting a little better but not really that much today im down to 14.1 mpg on the computer. it seems that my mpg goes down when i go on the hwy worse that rural and city driving i dont get it. im not romping on the gas when getting up to speed of giving it more gas than its needed on the hwy just enough to keep me at 55-60 mph. i dont understand it when in on the hwy it alway in the 10 to 14 range unless the mds kicks in then it jumps up to 18-22 put thats only when it coasting or on really flat grades. also to answer the ? i drive about 30min to work for my average daily drive.
Professional
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 235
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From: Oklahoma
I feel your pain. I put in the 18 mufflex and use the predator tuner and the full K&N CAI. To me it did help because now in the city I'm at 15-15.5, Highway also went up to 18 MPG. I have it programmed for 91 octane gas but always run 89. But if I drive it really slow the mileage drops, get on it it goes up. My friend said the same about his Ram too.
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Amateur
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 45
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From: Dalton, PA
trx4 lover
how do you like the 18" mufflex, is it real loud when cruising or only when you get on it. also is it a si/so replacement or do you have duals. also did you see any improvements with the exhaust and chip. i know they wont pay for themselves is gas mpg savings but if they at lest improve it from where im at know it would be a help since i was planing on doing it anyway, and if so how much did your mpg go up.
how do you like the 18" mufflex, is it real loud when cruising or only when you get on it. also is it a si/so replacement or do you have duals. also did you see any improvements with the exhaust and chip. i know they wont pay for themselves is gas mpg savings but if they at lest improve it from where im at know it would be a help since i was planing on doing it anyway, and if so how much did your mpg go up.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
From: California, Colorado
I thought 1RamRunner was going to hit on this, but since he didn't, I will.
Take a look at whether you're using gas with ethanol in it, or oxygenated gas (usually referred to as a "winter blend"). If you routinely fill up at a station selling an ethanol blend, try a station with no ethanol. PA requires labeling of the pump if there is any ethanol in it, so it should be pretty easy to see what's going in your tank. There's usually no labeling for the oxygenated fuel, but you should be able to search the net and figure out if PA requires oxygenated fuel and when their switch date is.
Using gas with 10% ethanol in it can easily cause a drop in mpg. The good sides of ethanol are that it can increase the octane of the gas it's mixed with and it burns cleaner. But ethanol has less energy per gallon. Less energy per gallon means fewer mpgs. Similar for the oxygenated or winter blends.
Take a look at whether you're using gas with ethanol in it, or oxygenated gas (usually referred to as a "winter blend"). If you routinely fill up at a station selling an ethanol blend, try a station with no ethanol. PA requires labeling of the pump if there is any ethanol in it, so it should be pretty easy to see what's going in your tank. There's usually no labeling for the oxygenated fuel, but you should be able to search the net and figure out if PA requires oxygenated fuel and when their switch date is.
Using gas with 10% ethanol in it can easily cause a drop in mpg. The good sides of ethanol are that it can increase the octane of the gas it's mixed with and it burns cleaner. But ethanol has less energy per gallon. Less energy per gallon means fewer mpgs. Similar for the oxygenated or winter blends.
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Amateur
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Dalton, PA
as far as the 10% ethonal gas i belive that is was made into effect this year that all PA gas has to have the 10% in it. and yes i belive that i have only ever run the blend of gas in my truck. but i have used 6 or so diffent stations wioth no real change in mpg performance. the only time that my mpg improved was when i went on a trip my mpg went up to 18 -19 mpg according to the truck computer i didnt get check it by had but also it did get reset once on the trip byb accident so im not sure haw accurate i was but my truck never seems to be of more than 0.5 mpg.
Administrator
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,686
Likes: 21
From: South Georgia/East Florida
I feel your pain. I put in the 18 mufflex and use the predator tuner and the full K&N CAI. To me it did help because now in the city I'm at 15-15.5, Highway also went up to 18 MPG. I have it programmed for 91 octane gas but always run 89. But if I drive it really slow the mileage drops, get on it it goes up. My friend said the same about his Ram too.
You may not hear it, but I'm betting you are getting a good bit of pre-detonation. Mention not running at least 91 on a Perf Tune to an SC engineer and he'll gasp. They really push the envelope on these tunes and when they recommend a certain grade, they mean it.
I'd at least consult with a Diablo tech on their site or call them before running 89 octane on their 91 tune. You may be doing a good bit of harm that over time will bite you in the a$$...
Professional
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
From: Oklahoma
trx4 lover
how do you like the 18" mufflex, is it real loud when cruising or only when you get on it. also is it a si/so replacement or do you have duals. also did you see any improvements with the exhaust and chip. i know they wont pay for themselves is gas mpg savings but if they at lest improve it from where im at know it would be a help since i was planing on doing it anyway, and if so how much did your mpg go up.
how do you like the 18" mufflex, is it real loud when cruising or only when you get on it. also is it a si/so replacement or do you have duals. also did you see any improvements with the exhaust and chip. i know they wont pay for themselves is gas mpg savings but if they at lest improve it from where im at know it would be a help since i was planing on doing it anyway, and if so how much did your mpg go up.
Professional
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 156
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From: Va Beach
I here in VA had been getting 16.8 to 18.6 mpg in the hotter days, but its getting colder now so I am around 16.1 to 16.7. The only thing I have is the K&N drop in. It will only get worse the colder it gets. I had tried 89 and 91 Octane with little difference from 87. She is a Beast and and it costs to feed her. It is still better than my POS 05 Jeep Liberty I traded in.
Amateur
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 39
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From: Central CT
OK, im on my third tank of gas. I use 89 octane and I am getting a God honest 11.2 MPG. I cant imangine the size of my carbon footprint! I am going to run a tank of 93 to see what my milage does. I also have a 14" Mufflex muffler coming, if I can get it up to 12 MPG I will be dancing in the street.