3rd Gen Gas Mileage

Loaded down like this, I average 16 to 19 mpg. Rtt, usually 10 gallons onboard water, fridge, etc etc.

I'm leaving my mamba rtt on full time now because it's a bitch to remove. But we camp once a month anyway.

 

where do you guys live that have 80mph speed limits? Highest we have is 55; and they’re strict. Got a ticket for going 62 on our “highway” last week.

 

Toll roads ~ TX

 

Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming

 

Same.

I'll add my data points: 11.5 mile commute. 3 miles of stoplights, followed by 6 miles of interstate, followed by 2.5 miles of stoplights. I was bored one month so I set up a mini-stat study where I did 5 morning commutes at 80 mph, and 5 morning commutes at 60 mph. randomized order, but making sure that each dataset includes one run on each monday, tuesday, etc...

The 80 mph run wound up an average 30 seconds faster than the 60mph. After factoring distribution, it was just barely considered to be significant enough above the background noise. Turns out, it was the stoplights both before and after that equalized the time. MPGs differences however, were very significant. 21.1 vs 17.5.

Currently, I'm running 65-70 mph, and getting 19-20 mpg on the commutes. My tank average remains at mid 17's to low 18's. As it also turns out, idling in the drive-through is what's really killing my gas.

 

It the same in some parts of major highways here...55 mph...go more than 10 over and it'll cost you. For the most part its 65, but everyone is doing 10, or more over. I use to do a a couple hare scrambles races a season in fish house ny...seemed 787 near albany was a stickler for 55 mph. I got a ticket a few times on that road, one ticket was for 57 mph....I told the sheriff that pulled me over to button his shirt his heart was falling out.

 

In Texas we have a lot of Toll Roads. The speed limit for many of them are 70 or 75MPH. One Toll Road, down near Austin the speed limit is 80MPH. Also, the average MPH for highways in Texas is 65.

 

I think you're really on to something with idling. My experience with winter MPG loss can be directly tied to cold startups, idling to get warm. Around a 2mpg loss.

 

I've never understood why folks do that; the best thing you can do for your engine is to start it, click on your seatbelt, and then drive away at conservative speeds.

 

That temperature reading is the Toque Converter temps reading, which I have been told is always 10-15° higher than the transmission temps reading.

I want/need to add an aftermarket trans cooler, just started looking. In an early post, #52 I was talking about a trip and how it affected my torque converter temps, they got very hot. I am normally around 180-195, but live in the mountains so seeing 220 is common, when I am in 3rd gear pulling a hill, but then it drops right back down.

 

It can get down to several degrees of -0 temps here when you start your truck. I let it idled a minute, or less till the high rpm idled down some before taking off. I've notice a bit more than 2 mpg loss. Its more like 3-4 during the winter. I guess it depends if you do more short trips to.

 

I live in New Hampshire so below zero temperatures are just an occasional fact of life. The fact is, letting your engine idle, even at sub-zero temperatures, is not a good thing to do.

 

Thanks. This would be my next project . Tnx

 

Lol, my stock 2020 TRD OR LB sometimes gets 14mpg……….. when I’m pulling my 4,700lb travel trailer on the hwy.
Aloha!

 

It’s all about how you drive and knowing when the TC is locked or not. I just did a 3,400 ft climb up and over a 7,600ft peak and my tc temp didn’t get over 210’. This is with my 4,700lb travel trailer going from Alomogorda to Roswell and I averaged over 14mpg with a slight tailwind.

 

Getting the best MPG is an art form….

 

Or a 50mph tail wind lol

 

Or longest downhill in USA (probably)… Mauna Kea summit (13,500ft ish) to sea level.

 

Ahhhhh yes that will do it too

 

agree

when I hit those really high tc temps I was running 70mph into a 20mph head wind and in 3rd gear to keep 70mph. When I go over a mountain, one pass is 9400ft and the other 11,000ft.