Can I improve my gas mileage?

[Paradox123]

I have a Bigfoot 2500 on a Chevy 2500HD with a big block gas engine. The truck only had about 60,000 miles and is stock. On a recent 900 mile round trip camping expedition, where we also flat towed our Jeep Wrangler, I tracked the gas mileage at about seven miles per gallon. I think we used to get 9 - 10 MPG. I would be interested in any thoughts or suggestions on improving gas mileage.

[sleepy]

In addition to my original post below I would suggest that the OP and anyone else that would like to get better fuel economy at 1% at a time to do a very simple thing... lose weight.

Go through your truck, truck camper, and anything else that you tow... for every 100 pounds of "stuff" that you don't use that you eliminate you will gain 1% fuel efficiency.... doesn't sound like much but dump 500 pounds pounds and gain 5%...dump 1000 pounds and get 10% better fuel economy.... For example... if you were getting 13.5 mpg gas or diesel a 10% increase would bump you up to 15 mpg. Not bad... do you really need to haul a chain saw?

My diesel gets 15.1 mpg at ~ 58 mph and my tank has 30 gallons that I actually can use... thats a range of about 450 miles... CAN SOMEONE TELL ME why I would want to haul more fuel... the extra fuels weight and the extra tank alone would cost me 5% mpg effiency every day, all day.

If you haven't looked at my graph below please do it ... most of you are a lot smarter than I am...if I can understand it it will be a breeze for you.

Chet

sleepy wrote:
carefully watch your speed breakpoints...

Max at about 58 mph... maybe 60... watch closely.

[sabconsulting]

jimh425 wrote:
...Read the links below for some samples about why driving slow isn't necessarily a good thing...

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2013-06-27/story/left-lane-slowpokes-face-fines-under-new-florida...

https://www.esurance.com/info/car/the-dangers-of-driving-too-slowly

http://time.com/money/3915031/slowpoke-law-left-lane-ticket/

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/beat-ticket-book/chapter7-6.html

The above seem to be stories relating to catching those who selfishly use what could be considered a passing lane for simply driving in, slowly, leading other drivers to dangerously pass on the right.

I don't see these as being designed to target drivers of slower vehicles who are considerately keeping to the right hand lane, or even temporarily moving to another lane to either turn left or pass an even slower or stranded vehicle provided they are moving back into the right hand lane as soon as possible.

Steve.

[narcodog]

jimh425 wrote:
Obviously, people are going to drive the speed they want.

narcodog wrote:
and have not even come close to being run over.

I'm not sure how you could possibly know how close it was, but in any case, you are one of a few people at any speed that haven't come close to being run over in the past year. 🙂

Read the links below for some samples about why driving slow isn't necessarily a good thing.

Impact of speed differential on wrecks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_curve

Maybe you don't believe that ... get your 3 points in FL. I'm sure you can say you never go into the left lane.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2013-06-27/story/left-lane-slowpokes-face-fines-under-new-florida...

But that's not all.

https://www.esurance.com/info/car/the-dangers-of-driving-too-slowly

http://time.com/money/3915031/slowpoke-law-left-lane-ticket/

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/beat-ticket-book/chapter7-6.html

Well old buddy, you first reference was conducted between 1955 and 1964, very few interstates had been built at that time. So what I see is that most of the info was for two lane roads.

Second, I drive in the right lane 99% of the time and being retired LEO I drive with my mirrors as much if not more than the windshield. So I am well aware of whats happening behind me.

As far as the examples of new laws involving driving slowly in the left I don't do it. I have done some mods to my 6.0 and have plenty of power to get out of the way of anyone that comes from behind if need to.

My rig will run all day long at 90, I suppose if I want to.

See ya down the road..

[805gregg]

THose things are evil.

THe reason they flow so much more air is because there's holes in the filter media. I've taken a number of them out of the package and held them up to the light in the store.



Educated Jeep guys never run K&N air filters because they allow dust to pass through

All educated drivers avoid K&N and most other so called "cold air intakes" A&E etc. pure BS, I had an A&E on my Dodge and couldn't even pull a grade towing my boat, went back to stock got more power and improved mileage.

[sleepy]

I believe that the original question was "how do I get better gas milage" or something like that.

That was my answer.

Sleepy

BTW..Just what is the minimum speed on Interstate highays?

Anyone nthat suggests that you exceed your safe speed according to conditions or at maximum the posted limits isn't your friend... they are your worst enemy. To put your family at risk of injury or death by following their advice is stupid... to have them cause their vehicle to hit yours or others is indefensible.

Of course 58 or 60 mph is a safe speed... we have been trouble free in 48 states and most of canada.... 1245 nights on the road just since I retired at 65 years old... and my truck still hauls and runs like a new one... with all original equipment... no need for chips, etc... . If I set the cruise control at 63 mph or higher as my chart shows my fuel economy suffers a bunch... look at the increase in hP needed to maintain the highe speed.

We don't need to hurry... we have 365 days a year on vacation... not 2 or 3 weeks.

and another BTW... My insurance requires me to obey the legal posted speed limits... a ticket gets very expensive....
And as I know and many of you know... if I drive like an idiot my insurance company can raise my rates for years to the point where even we couldn't afford it. If I violate the law, cause an accident, and kill someone I could lose every thing Janet and I have... no more months long vacations, no more good times...

[jimh406]

Obviously, people are going to drive the speed they want.

narcodog wrote:
and have not even come close to being run over.

I'm not sure how you could possibly know how close it was, but in any case, you are one of a few people at any speed that haven't come close to being run over in the past year. 🙂

Read the links below for some samples about why driving slow isn't necessarily a good thing.

Impact of speed differential on wrecks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_curve

Maybe you don't believe that ... get your 3 points in FL. I'm sure you can say you never go into the left lane.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2013-06-27/story/left-lane-slowpokes-face-fines-under-new-florida...

But that's not all.

https://www.esurance.com/info/car/the-dangers-of-driving-too-slowly

http://time.com/money/3915031/slowpoke-law-left-lane-ticket/

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/beat-ticket-book/chapter7-6.html

[narcodog]

This year as last and the last before that I traveled about 10K miles on interstates at 60-65 mph and have not even come close to being run over.

[JoeChiOhki]

jimh425 wrote:

sleepy wrote:
Max at about 58 mph... maybe 60... watch closely.

Plan ahead and make sure you don't drive on roads with speed limits of 70 and 75 so that you don't get run over. 😉

Think they'll be doing the running over, gross tonnage and all...... 😉

[jimh406]

sleepy wrote:
Max at about 58 mph... maybe 60... watch closely.

Plan ahead and make sure you don't drive on roads with speed limits of 70 and 75 so that you don't get run over. 😉

[sleepy]

carefully watch your speed breakpoints...

Max at about 58 mph... maybe 60... watch closely.

[Paradox123]

Thanks for all the replies. Generally you comments make me feel better about my current mileage results. At least gas is cheaper this year compared to the 3,600 mile trip we made to Georgia last year when gas prices were (more or less) double what they are now. There are afew things here that I'll look into further. I'll even try keeping speed down, although I'm not a heavy-footed driver. As someone said, I'm not interested in spending a lot of cash to save a few bucks in gas costs or trading for another truck when my 11 year old, low mileage, paid-for truck is fine in all other ways.

[deltabravo]

9-10 is about typical for the 8.1 gasser. Actually, it sounds pretty decent.

I had a 6.0L gasser, it never got better than 9.5 towing my Desert Fox Toy Hauler.

There's not much you can do to improve MPG on a big V-8 gasser, other than slowing down some.

[HandyRandy]

I just got back from a trip to SE Utah (I70 - Eisenhower Tunnel, Vail Pass, steep hills in SE Utah) with the equipment in my signature. I flat towed a TJ and got ~11.5 mpg for the trip. I usually run about 65 mph on the interstates and speed limit on the other roads.

[JoeChiOhki]

Paradox123 wrote:
I have a Bigfoot 2500 on a Chevy 2500HD with a big block gas engine. The truck only had about 60,000 miles and is stock. On a recent 900 mile round trip camping expedition, where we also flat towed our Jeep Wrangler, I tracked the gas mileage at about seven miles per gallon. I think we used to get 9 - 10 MPG. I would be interested in any thoughts or suggestions on improving gas mileage.

I'd say you got damned good mileage for a big block gasser with that much load. With the KIT, I was averaging 7mpg, unless I was in Wyoming, then for some odd ball reason I was getting 8-10 mpg. I won't have a good comparison with the Amerigo until its done being remodeled as its going to gain some weight.

The only thing that's going to really make a big difference is if you're towing the jeep, and how much you can keep your foot out of it.

For most, that usually hovers around driving at the double nickle up to around 60mph.