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Gas Mileage
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getting with the Ram 2500 5.9L magnum
pulling a 6000 - 8000Lb trailer. Also how has
this engine performed in the mountains?
Regarding the others that are posting higher figures, make sure they're not at high altitude. As several of us have noted, the new computer-controlled trucks get significantly better mileage at high altitude because it just backs off the fuel sent to the engine to compensate for the lower pressure air. As someone mentioned above, it effectively lowers the size of your engine. Power suffers, but mileage is great! My '98 GMC gets 21's with the 5.7L engine and 3.73 axles (I'm at 5600 ft.).
-powerisfun
It occurred to me that a lot of people here have new trucks, and the weather in many parts is now not so great. Therefore I just wanted to remind people that most new trucks come with the tire pressures set for heavy hauling. If you are carrying a light or no load you might want to lower the pressures in accordance with the manual to the low load setting. This usually makes quite a difference in rear air pressure especially, which will serve to give better traction in slippery conditions.
-powerisfun
gear. As a first time truck buyer, reading all of these Post's makes my decision on what truck to purchase very confusing. I currently pull a 25 ft travel trailer here in Florida with a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 5.2 L V8 and get 8 mpg. Hoping to extend my travels out West, selection of the tow vehicle is quite important.
Are you heavy on the gas pedal?
Are your tires up to at least 35 psi?
Is your air filter dirty?
Have you tried different brands of gas?
(I was surprised how much better mpg I get with
Texaco gas over Conoco and Philips 66)
Have you tried different octanes?
(your computer may be backing off the ignition
timing to compensate for low octane. That
will kill your mileage)
Are your spark plugs fouled?
(just take one out and see if it's all black
if so, take it in and have it looked at)
That's about all I can think of. If you've checked all these already, I'd have it looked at.
Good luck.
-powerisfun
-powerisfun
However, the tonneau was well worth it to protect my cargo from rain and snow.
Your city mileage may actually decrease due to the 165 added lbs when accelerating. I have a hard tonneau and I can't really tell if it helped the mileage or not. I installed it within a few weeks of getting the truck. The mileage improved at the time, but it was probably due to break in.
My overall mileage is very good though. My '98 GMC ex-cab, Z71 with 5.7L engine gets 20+ mpg on the highway. I'm very happy with that.
-powerisfun
It can be found here:
http://mars.acnet.wnec.edu/~ehaffner/did.htm
Roger
door I have until Fri. to change my order and I am
trying to decide if it is worth getting the 5.3L
motor or should I stay with the 4.8L?
I have heard that the 5.3 is getting better
mileage, has anyone found that to be true?
Oh and how are the factory tonneau covers?
-powerisfun
My interest in this topic came about because we have had a couple of weeks of really nasty weather and it renewed my interest in 4wd. I stopped at the local Dodge dealer and asked about the new Dakota Quad Cab 4x4 and was told by the salesman that is driving one he has only averaged about 10 mpg! He lives only 5 miles from the shop, and warms up the truck in the morning which probably murders his mileage, but if it won't do better than 10-12 I couldn't afford to feed it. His had the new 4.7l V8 with auto, no idea which rear end gears. I know that the 4wd will cost me some extra money both in fuel mileage and maintenance, but if you wanna play you gotta pay.
I used to want a 4x4 when I lived in Colorado 18 years ago, but living in San Diego for the last 12 I never could justify it. Now it seems like it makes some sense.
After reading the mileage posts on the new Chevy/GMC it seems reasonable that I could buy a Chevy Silverado 4x4 with either the 4.8 or 5.3 and get equal or better mileage than the smaller Dakota. I haven't driven the Dakota yet, but I did get to rent a brand new 2000 Silverado 4x4 Z71 with 5.3 in Cleveland a few weeks ago for 4 fun filled days and about 400 miles. The truck had 4.5 miles on it when I picked it up. The only things I can find fault with are that the 5.3 is only available with an automatic which I detest, and that the latch for the seat belt was under the arm rest and I had to flip up the arm rest in order to buckle it every time I got in the truck.
Oh, by the way, in the Silverado I got 15.7 mpg making trips between Cleveland, Akron and Dover and some round town in Dover. Broken in and with a 4.8 and manual transmission I would expect better.
I'm not knocking the Dakota but the Silverado seems like quite a lot more truck for about $3000 difference in price. And that's with an 8 ft box instead of the 5 ft 4 in box on the Dakota.
For more information on the Dakota Quad cab mileage, check out the Quad cab topics like 746 and 772. I believe they contain mileage figures from new owners of the Quad cab.
I thought about getting a Quad cab, but decided I wanted the larger bed. I bought a bed extender, so with the tailgate down I can put landscape timbers, plywood, etc totally in the bed. I live in the country and will be building a deck, a chicken coop, and a small barn in the next few years. I got the 4x4 so I could drive in the woods on the back of my lot - it was very handy for collecting firewood this year.
If you're not going to haul much then the Quad cab might make sense. I believe it does have more room than the extended cab Silverado. I have taken a weekend trip (about 6 hours round trip) with two people in the back seat and they said it was pretty comfortable. The truck was also fantastic to drive in the 14+" of snow we got last week. As long as I was smart (4x4 won't help if you drive like an idiot!) there wasn't anywhere I couldn't go. The power, weight, and ground clearance were awesome! However, I've never driven a 4x4 Dakota in the snow so it might handle just as well.
One other thing to consider between the Dakota and the Silverado 4x4 - both offer a full-time four wheel drive, but the Dakota with the full-time 4x4 (NV242 transmission) doesn't offer a two-wheel drive position. It has Neutral, 4-Lo, 4-Hi, and 4-Full (~50% power each axle). The Silverado with the Autotrac has the same options plus a 2-Hi position. The two-wheel drive will give you better gas mileage and save some wear-and-tear on the hubs and tires. Plus, the Silverado's 4-Full runs in two-wheel drive unless it detects slippage. This not only saves some gas, but it improves handling. Your cornering will suffer in four wheel drive; I've seen the difference in my Silverado btw 4-Hi and 4-Full.
Make your own choice and be happy with it - you're not likely to get everything you want but as long as you research well and make the best choice with your knowledge you should be happy.
Good luck!
He said the V10 is more economical than his previous 460s in the F350, and he runs a 3.7 rear end averaging 12 to 14 miles to the gallon. He said diesals to expensive to maintain, and no real fuel cost advantage, he trades for a new pick up every year. Just thought id pass along the info
-powerisfun
The towing mpg was not good. With a 6,300+ pound trailer in tow, they only go 6.9mpg. Despite the towing mpg negative, they really liked the truck. If you want to get pumped up about the Tundra, you should peruse the article next time you are near a book store. They liked everything about it and said that it will give the Big Three a run for their money.
Roger
Stephen
Personally, the way to resolve the mpg blues in my truck is to click the trip computer over to kilometers per liter. It's a much more pleasant number.
I have heard that the Ford F150 Crew Cab and the Explorer Sport-trak will be available this spring. The F150 is supposed to have a production run of at least 100,000, so there should be a bunch of them available.
By the way, one advantage that the Avalanche has over the F150 - the wall between the bed and cab will fold down enabling you to carry an 8' load behind the front seats. However, I believe you have to remove the rear glass to do this, so it's not something you'd want to do when the weather is cold!
1)The drivers posting here may not all be using the same method to calculate gas mileage, so we really don't have a scientific comparison here. I'm not saying that anyone is lying, just that we are probably not all using the exact same method to calculate gas mileage.
2)Highway mileage at constant speed will yield better gas mileage than stop and go city driving.
When a poster states mileage in this forum as a percentage or uses words like "mostly city", we know that we have a big unknown variable there.
3)A 6 cylinder should get better mileage than an 8 cylinder, but if the driver of the 8 cylinder is driving more "economically" than the 6 cylinder driver, then the 6 cylinder will have worse gas mileage.
4)I suspect that truck salesmen have a tendency to overstate the anecdotal reports of good gas mileage on V8s - they get more money for the V8s, the factories allocate mostly V8s, they need to push V8s.
5)V8s are better for heavy load carrying and heavy towing, but aren't necessary for a commuter vehicle.
6)Full size pickups and SUVs should not be bought for good gas mileage because we are talking about a range of 12-17 mpg. for most of these vehicles. As a previous poster calculated, the dollar cost is still not that much different even with current gas prices. (Getting 5 more mpg(17-12) If you drive 10,000 miles per year is a savings of 245 gallons of gas per year. 245 X $1.30 per gallon for gas is a savings of about $319 per year.)
13)I have a 2000 base Silverado 2DR 2WD regular cab longbed pickup with V6 4.3L automatic. I got 15.3 on the first fill up, 15.6 on the second fill up - all city driving.
Just my $.02.
As an example, you're not going to find any four cylinder engines in full size trucks. It's not because they can't push the weight. It's just that they can't do it efficiently. You won't have an mpg advantage, you won't have the power, and the engine life will be less because the engine is working harder.
Are there some full size pickup combos that will get better mpg with the six cylinders? I'm sure there are, but most of the V-6 owners that post in discussion areas like this appear to be disappointed that the mpg advantage over the V-8 is not significant, if at all. They end up with less power and little savings at the gas pump. Silverado owners with the 5.3L seem to be posting some pretty good figures in the mpg range you mention.
As an FYI, I ran some figures a while back to check out the savings of 2mpg with the assumption that you would average 15,000 miles per year. The savings was about $3-$5 per week depending on the price of gas.
I've got an old V6 4x4 LWB Ranger that I'm looking to trade in this spring, either towards a new Ranger or possibly an F150 or Silverado. I'm intrigued by the V6 F150/Silverados since they certainly don't seem to get much worse mileage than the V6 small trucks. I only need modest towing/carrying capablities (a 2500lb boat/trailer). Any advice would be appreciated.
I tend to buy and hold my vehicles, and gas prices could certainly increase in the next few years. So I'm not considering a V8 in my next purchase.
Regards,
Dan
I think I will conduct a test this week with a full tank of gas, before and after a run down I-10. I'll let you know what the result is. BTW,in the city driving I refer to, I only drive a few blocks at most before stopping for a traffic light, stop sign, etc., so this is a very conservative gas mileage estimate for city. My driving is not normal, as I live near the university in Tucson, and never drive the truck more than 15-20 blocks before stopping to shop,etc.
I recommend to you and others interested in a new Silverado that you test drive a V6 and the two new V8s on the roads that you will actually drive every day before you buy any truck. I think you will find that the V8s don't have any noticeable difference in town, unless you are a very aggressive driver, and they have plenty of acceleration for the highway. You can get a nice Silverado with A/C, cruise, auto, for around $15,000 + with the discounts available now. (Take the difference betwen that price and the $30,000 typical pickup purchase and invest it in an asset that will appreciate, not depreciate.) If you want the basic model, check out the GMC Sierra twin to the Silverado. It has a fold down armrest for the center seat and the Silverado does not, so I had to buy a seat top armrest for my Silverado. Maybe Chevy will wise up and put the armrest in for the 2001 model. I think they want you to upgrade to the LS in order to get an armrest. Still, the basic cloth seat Silverado is a very comfortable, nice riding truck.
I'm no expert on towing, but the V6 I bought came with a 3.42 rear end, which is what the local Chevy dealer buys for all commercial pickups. It seems to be quite peppy with the V6, but the dealer can recommend an appropriate rear end for your towing needs. If you don't tow heavy loads or tow often and in hilly terrain, I think I would stay away from a big rear end to economize on gas. With the new "tow haul" mode on the automatic transmission, I think a V6 could handle the loads you are considering.
Just my $.02 again. Stay tuned.
I have another friend with an ex-cab silverado with the 5.3. He's getting 17 and its not broken in yet.
I use my truck in a small town that is REALLY stop-and-go, I doubt I go five blocks without hitting a stop sign. In these conditions, I get about 15MPG in my old V6 4x4 Ranger, and I get 19-20MPG in real interstate driving. New V6 4x4 Rangers are rated about 18 city/21 highway, I would certainly consider a 4x2 V6 Silverado if it got mileage in this range. The 4x4 is fun but not really necessary for my driving. The cost is about the same--carsdirect.com lists XL 4x4 Rangers for about $16K.
Thanks again,
Dan
A short trip of the duration you mention could be easily impacted by terrain, wind, etc. You mention going up to a peak. If most of the return trip is downhill, the numbers will be way off. It's not an equal trade-off when a truck running empty climbs a hill and then descends the same hill.
And Brutus: It's 26.93 mpg, not 33mpg.
Here is the point once again. It is "possible" to come up with some real gas mileage wonders, depending on how you check mileage. But it also possible that a V6 can get very good gas mileage, although I don't think that you will ever be convinced of it.
I just recounted what I actually did and the actual result to illustrate the difference between city and highway mileage.
It looks like a touched some nerve so I will stay off this topic.