Gas mileage dropping

No pics, just the logic behind the question reminds me so very much of her.....and that now she is the problem of some other idiot. Rule #1 in life. Never fall in love with a good piece of ass.

 

that's why they have auto stop start on some cars, saves gas

 

My mileage also dropped ever since I joined TW.

 

is this shit for real? How the hell do you not expect an AVERAGE of your mpgs to drop when you're sitting idling and getting ZERO miles per gallon.

 

I have full Mobtown steel plates, KO2’s, steel sliders, an ARE MX shell and a cabrack mounted RTT and got this mileage going 75mph the other day while driving north with my fully packed rig during a week-long camping trip:

 

How long were you idling?

 

He he! It got much better the other day as I just posted above, but seriously- its a fluke as I was on a really long grade and just filled up at the top.

But seriously, my truck has become a pig since I joined this site and gas mileage is no longer an issue because I’ve just learned to ignore it.

 

ROASTED

 

This place is dangerous to the wallet for sure.

I really like the looks and capability of a lift to go with the extra ground clearence of some taller tires, but I am resisting. My saving grace is that like the current on road handling (sans sway bar) and don't want to decrease it. I regularly get the tires howling and haven't found a serious limitation off road other than the need for some AT traction. Maybe tank and hitch skids, but still . . .


In the end, the easy numbers say that based on 12k/yr and about $3/gal gas, 1.0mpg loss costs about $100/yr. So, not horrible in the scheme of things, esp compared to the cost of quality mods.

 

Wait till he finds out about Smitty...

 

Well, not to infringe on the original question, the 3.5 liter Tacome engine has 11:1 compression, making premium fuel necessary unless you retard the timing severely.

 

I did get the tank skid and hitch skid too (was it your post that recommended it?) the other benefit to it is I think people are not parking as close to my rear as before.

 

DI makes that not quite true.

 

Not my reccy, but I did get some scrapes on my tank and plowed some earth with my hitch getting over a hump or two. So, these are now on my wish list.

 

OP: I run regular as well, and have not had any issues with it, even when towing a 20’ travel trailer up hill (V6 AT).

 

Plowed rocks did it for me with my hitch. My stock steel tank skid on my 1st gen saved my tank a few times too, so it was an important add-on for this truck as well.

 

Hook a timing light to your #1 spark plug, and mark your crank pully with chalk. Start and rev the engine. The timing advances until it hits about 3k, then begins to retard. Timing advances until it hits the max, usually 31 to 34 degrees total advance (more for hemi-chambered engines, less for flatter chambers) and stops UNTIL the vacuum advance calls for a retard of timing because of severe engine load.

Direct injection mixes fuel with air better than port injection, but you are still limited to the ideal air/fuel ration (13.8-14.2, approx values)

 

I was impressed that I was hung up on the stock diff skid, frame, and scraping the tank. That diff skid came out looking great:



Note to self: Don't get too excited and be the first truck over an obstacle.

 

Torque and OBD Fusion will report that also, but I do have a timing light with advance. Still, not a big deal as long as the ECU handles it, which is seems to do well.

 

The ECU handles the ping that would happen with regular gas by retarding timing, AND killing low end performance. An engine with 11:1 compression uses premium fuel. A hemi chamber like the 3.5 liter uses needs MORE advance of timing to completely burn the fuel. A huge tradeoff in performance for polution control.