7.5 mpg, all I can expect??
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Joined: May 2010
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From: Canada
i work at a dealership as a tech and i can tell you we get more newer cars and trucks in with the owner complaining about poor gas mileage than any other single issue. we've even gone so far as to give loaners out and drive a tank of gas though theirs for a few days and we always get within 2 or 3 mpg of what the vehicle is rated for. they get pissed and take it back and nine times out of ten they call back bitching within a week that they are getting crap mileage. i have no idea what these people are doing but it aint the vehicle.
now we get some older ones in with a bunch of crap wrong that get bad mileage but never the newer ones. to get 7 mpg you'd be throwing not a code but multiple codes.
if you are honestly getting 7 mpg and not just warming that truck up forever in the morning and not throwing codes it would be the first time i've ever seen it.
now we get some older ones in with a bunch of crap wrong that get bad mileage but never the newer ones. to get 7 mpg you'd be throwing not a code but multiple codes.
if you are honestly getting 7 mpg and not just warming that truck up forever in the morning and not throwing codes it would be the first time i've ever seen it.
I just completed my third set of fuel mileage calculations (first two city driving only) this time all highway. Logged 240 miles, took 66 liters to fill. 66 liters divided by 4.55 = 14.5 canadian gallons which =16.5 miles per canadian gallon. 66 liters divided by 3.78 = 17.5 US gallons which equals to only 13.7 US miles per gallon highway! I do not "warm it up for ever", can't afford too! I think my new name should be D-man light foot cause I barely touch the damn foot pedal!! lol
It's been a while since I've read this thread, but I've got a few questions for you guys that are bitching about the fuel economy...
1. What grade of gas are you using?
2. How are you driving?
Lastly, your mood will jack with your driving habits. I guarantee you this. Not like it is a big concern, but you will be more aggressive when you're angered compared to a situation where you didn't have a care in the world..
1. What grade of gas are you using?
Normally I would say that using something a dealer or manufacturer says not to use is ok, but gas ratings is not one of them. If you read the manual, you will see that it is recommended that you use 89 octane. Not required, but recommended. I'll tell you this much: In the past week, I had to fill up with 87 as my gas station (Only one in town that doesn't use ethanol) was out of 89 and 91. The weather did not change that much and nor did my driving habits. I went from netting 16+ as a norm to 13.2. So, is it worth the extra $.20 a gallon for a grade of gas that your engine likes more? I think so.
2. How are you driving?
I see many people here saying," I've got a light foot!" Well, ok that's all fine and well, but are are driving like a digital signal (On off on off on off) or are you more of an analog person (Gradual change between throttle differences) Yes, I'm sure that I just lost most of you, but it's the easiest way I can think of to explain it. If you constantly drive while on the throttle off the throttle and then back on again, I can tell you that the habit is KILLING your fuel economy. Gradual steady changes will do much more for you in the long run. Secondly, do you coast? I don't know about your areas, but around here, it seems that everyone is on the throttle until it's time to stop and they all do a nose dive to stop in time. Hey, when you're about 300 foot or so from a stop, get out of the gas and coast there. IT HELPS.
3. Have you checked your tires?I can't believe people still have to be told this, but alas here we are... How long has it been since you checked your tire pressures? Today? Yesterday? A month ago? Since you bought the truck? That little meter in the dash doesn't count. Sorry. Not one sensor can be trusted. Sure if you cross check the EVIC's read with a known close to exact pressure gauge, then it might be ok to kinda somewhat sorta trust the EVIC. The door jams on our trucks say to use 35PSI in the tires... It's best to use that, but you know, if you bump up the pressure a bit and by bit, I mean 5 to 10 pounds it will help. Just keep an eye on the tread for increased wear in the middle as opposed to the entire pattern.
4. It's winter.Yes, it's winter. Big shock for most of you I know. Little known fact that apparently is still little known for the people here. Gas companies/stations switch their blend of gas going into the winter months. I have not researched it that much, but from what I've been seeing, the switch is to cut down on smog in the cooler months. Nice idea, but the increased use is less than wanted. Compare it to heating your home with newspaper while paying the price for wood. At any rate, winter months equal poor gas mileage. Not only are you idling more for your own reasons, but you'll also find that you'll be waiting on people to get out of your way more too since they seem to not be in a hurry to get anywhere either.
Lastly, your mood will jack with your driving habits. I guarantee you this. Not like it is a big concern, but you will be more aggressive when you're angered compared to a situation where you didn't have a care in the world..
Thread Starter
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Rookie
Joined: May 2010
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From: Canada
It's been a while since I've read this thread, but I've got a few questions for you guys that are bitching about the fuel economy...
1. What grade of gas are you using?
1. What grade of gas are you using?
Normally I would say that using something a dealer or manufacturer says not to use is ok, but gas ratings is not one of them. If you read the manual, you will see that it is recommended that you use 89 octane. Not required, but recommended. I'll tell you this much: In the past week, I had to fill up with 87 as my gas station (Only one in town that doesn't use ethanol) was out of 89 and 91. The weather did not change that much and nor did my driving habits. I went from netting 16+ as a norm to 13.2. So, is it worth the extra $.20 a gallon for a grade of gas that your engine likes more? I think so.
2. How are you driving? I see many people here saying," I've got a light foot!" Well, ok that's all fine and well, but are are driving like a digital signal (On off on off on off) or are you more of an analog person (Gradual change between throttle differences) Yes, I'm sure that I just lost most of you, but it's the easiest way I can think of to explain it. If you constantly drive while on the throttle off the throttle and then back on again, I can tell you that the habit is KILLING your fuel economy. Gradual steady changes will do much more for you in the long run. Secondly, do you coast? I don't know about your areas, but around here, it seems that everyone is on the throttle until it's time to stop and they all do a nose dive to stop in time. Hey, when you're about 300 foot or so from a stop, get out of the gas and coast there. IT HELPS.
3. Have you checked your tires?I can't believe people still have to be told this, but alas here we are... How long has it been since you checked your tire pressures? Today? Yesterday? A month ago? Since you bought the truck? That little meter in the dash doesn't count. Sorry. Not one sensor can be trusted. Sure if you cross check the EVIC's read with a known close to exact pressure gauge, then it might be ok to kinda somewhat sorta trust the EVIC. The door jams on our trucks say to use 35PSI in the tires... It's best to use that, but you know, if you bump up the pressure a bit and by bit, I mean 5 to 10 pounds it will help. Just keep an eye on the tread for increased wear in the middle as opposed to the entire pattern.
4. It's winter.Yes, it's winter. Big shock for most of you I know. Little known fact that apparently is still little known for the people here. Gas companies/stations switch their blend of gas going into the winter months. I have not researched it that much, but from what I've been seeing, the switch is to cut down on smog in the cooler months. Nice idea, but the increased use is less than wanted. Compare it to heating your home with newspaper while paying the price for wood. At any rate, winter months equal poor gas mileage. Not only are you idling more for your own reasons, but you'll also find that you'll be waiting on people to get out of your way more too since they seem to not be in a hurry to get anywhere either.
Lastly, your mood will jack with your driving habits. I guarantee you this. Not like it is a big concern, but you will be more aggressive when you're angered compared to a situation where you didn't have a care in the world..To answer the tire pressure question, my last fuel economy test I "raised the tire pressure" from 40 psi to 50 psi to see if that would work, no better!
I would like to thank everyone for all their replies to this topic just the same,
Sincerely,
D-man
Professional
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 175
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From: Texas
Octane level vs MPG
I always use 87 and still get 19+ whilst cruising at 75mph. Average of 50/50 city and highway driving is around 17.5mpg. So I dont quite accept the 89 vs 87 octane gas argument. However, perhaps I can get 21mpg when using 89 octane?? 
Record Breaker
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,400
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From: San Pedro, California
Octane Levels
The most common levels of octane grade are 87 (regular), 89 (mid-grade) and 91-93 (premium). The octane number of the gasolines offered for sale are set by gasoline refiners and marketers based on their perception of the technical and competitive needs in the market. Federal and most state regulations do not regulate minimum octane values, only that the postings on the dispensers accurately reflect the octane number of the gasolines being sold.
Gasoline with a higher heating value (energy content) provides better fuel economy. Traditionally, premium gasoline has had a slightly higher heating value than regular, and, thus, provides slightly better fuel economy, but it is difficult to detect in normal driving. There can be even larger differences in heating value between batches of gasoline from the same refinery, between summer and winter volatility classes, or between brands of gasoline from different refineries because of compositional differences. The differences are small and there is no practical way for the consumer to identify gasoline with a higher-than-average heating value.
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Joined: May 2010
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From: Canada
I am sorry Laramie 1997, guess I am just getting a little edgy these days. It just gets very frustrating knowing that I am personally not doing anything wrong to warrant such pathetically bad mileage. It's really upsetting knowing that one of the main reasons I spent a whack load of money on a new truck was because they were supposed to have far superior gas mileage compared to my 1995 Ram, unfortunately this truck is worse than my old one!
Besides the mileage, I do however like everything else about it, the styling, fit & finish, the ride, & let us not forget, HEMI POWER.....hmmmm, to which I can't enjoy because I am trying to get better mileage!!! lol
Besides the mileage, I do however like everything else about it, the styling, fit & finish, the ride, & let us not forget, HEMI POWER.....hmmmm, to which I can't enjoy because I am trying to get better mileage!!! lol
