MPG?

Dude, half tank on the dash is not really half tank....
if you have a 18.5 gallon tank, and your at a half tank, you probably only have 7 gallons left......

 

Ok I lose guys. I'm wrong. My bad. Don't listen to me. I'm insane. I guess my brain thought it was cooler than it actually was.

 

Not ragging on you, just saying that you should really try it the other way..... you get an exact measurement every time....

 

I'm just under a half a tank. When I get on empty, I'll be sure to try it your way.

 

ive gotten a smidge over 26 mpg on a tank of all highway 60-65 and driveing hills (i.e. easy up, steady down)...01 3.4 DC 4wd. so i think 25 is certainly within bounds.

 

dont forget to account for your larger tires if you have them..

for me.. when I calculate MPG's:

take miles shown on Trip and add 1.064% (the increase over stock tire size for me)
divide by gallons shown at pump when pump shuts off when full
reset trip and repeat next time

for instance..

278 miles shown on trip..
278 x 1.064 (yours may vary depending on new tire vs stock tire size)= 296 miles
296 / 18 gallons (18 is just an example. I try to fill up as soon as the light comes on, so it may be more or less than 18 gallons when I fill up)

= 16MPG (about my average.. usually between 16-18)

 

just did some figures, and wanna brag that I only spend about 50 bucks a month in gas with my truck



but the again, I live 2.5 miles away from work and take taxis/shuttle when going out.

and tell me what you guy think about this. I can take this route, and make it back home all on 1 topped off tank. it's a mountainous off road route that can have some pretty hefty boulders to crawl over if you take the harder paths.

 

I always love hearing this. Where do you think the pump pickup pulls from? Just a little of my past experience, I own a 1996 crewcab longbed F350 with factory dual tanks. Not long after I bought it one of my pumps failed, I dropped the tank and replaced it. I didn't find a spec of dirt in that tank. I've also owned a '93 Lightning and a '95 shortbed F150, both with dual tanks. With all three of these trucks it's my common practice to run the rear tank bone dry before switching. You can run them dry, just don't let it struggle too long, you may shorten the life of your pump.

Oh and to the OP, I'd love to get 25 out of my '96 3.4, I'm stoked when I see 20.

 

no method is 100% accurate for measuring mpg, save one: a controlled environment with an exact measured amount of fuel, running a consistent speed, no deltas.

Every slow-down and take-off throw the numbers off. when you start up after it's been off and sit at long lights/in traffic.

you can get a good "idea" as to what you are getting by using the trip and fill-up amount. the avg works out close the more you keep track.

this does kind of sound like a rant but you get my point: no one is right, but no one is wrong

p.s. I wouldn't run it dry but I've been know to fill up 16.5+ gallons...

 

I agree that with most modern vehicles debris on the bottom of the tank isn't really an issue. But the gas surrounding the pump is also used as a heat sink for the pump, so why would you run the risk of putting extra strain on the pump just to go a few more miles before filling up?

 

This exactly.... the pump uses gas to stay cool, running dry all the time could put extra un-needed stress on the pump.
P.s. i do run close to dry sometimes, everyone does it

 

I average 23-25 mpgs daily driving in my '97 ext. Cab 2.7l 5spd 4x4 with 31" mudders and 300k on the clock. Up hunting last weekend bouncing around in the hills for 170 miles I got about 23.5mpg. Plenty happy with the economy of this little rig