19 MPG? Is this a fluke?

[kirkagosto]

I took my LX for the first distance ride since i have owned it. I was making sure it was road worthy before i make the trip home in it next weekend which is 1000 miles round trip. I ended up going about 300 miles and was very suprised. I cuised at 70 pretty much the whole time on the highway and i refilled it with gas and then figured it up and i got 18.8 MPG. From everything i have ever read about the 80's i was hoping for 15 at best. Is this a fluke or is this a common misunderstanding among 80 series LC's? Makes me very happy though

 

[ralphy1997]

I took my LX for the first distance ride since i have owned it. I was making sure it was road worthy before i make the trip home in it next weekend which is 1000 miles round trip. I ended up going about 300 miles and was very suprised. I cuised at 70 pretty much the whole time on the highway and i refilled it with gas and then figured it up and i got 18.8 MPG. From everything i have ever read about the 80's i was hoping for 15 at best. Is this a fluke or is this a common misunderstanding among 80 series LC's? Makes me very happy though

I've gotten that MPG driving that speed in my LX. I don't always do that well but it's not out of the question. Judging by the previous pictures of your rig, and how well it was taken care of, it doesn't surprise me. Also, don't forget that if you have larger than stock tires, your spedo/odo isn't reading correctly.

 

[Shinichi]

I drive mostly highway in my '96 at about 65 -70 mph and I consistently get over 18 mpg's. My 80 is totally stock with very street friendly tires.

I was shocked with the milage too.

 

[kirkagosto]

Yea mine is stock but i put the 285/75/16 tires on it. Im happy with it and cant wait to gather up some money to mod it up. Im taking the side steps off this weekend and plan to order the CDL switch and do the grey wire mod this weekend as well.

 

[1shot1kill]

I am running 38s and get 22 mpg on the hwy!

 

[bwr9300]

yall getting 18 mpg how the h do you do it? I got excited the other day when I figured out I'm getting 14... what do yall do that makes the mpg so good???

 

[arndog123]

The best I can get out of both 80's is around 16 mpg. Maybe I need to step up to 285's.

 

[rove_mcanus]

I could see getting that mileage if the highway was mostly flat. Throw in a few hills then i'd say 16-17 is more common.

I wouldn't get used to that kind of mileage if you're going to add lift, bar work, and bigger tyres.

 

[SchniperJB]

I could see getting that mileage if the highway was mostly flat. Throw in a few hills then i'd say 16-17 is more common.

I wouldn't get used to that kind of mileage if you're going to add lift, bar work, and bigger tyres.

What he said. My personal best is 19.9, flat roads, driving @ 60~65. It was a highway only occurrence. Around town it drops to the 13~14 range.

Enjoy it when it happens, but don't always count on it.

 

[jlg32281]

Yes, it's a fluke.

 

[Shinichi]

Driving in the Roaring Fork, if you pay attention to not hit red lights, we generally get the high side of possible milage for our cars.

However, my work truck has a 454 and it gets 12 mpg loaded, unloaded, hauling ass, or driving wisely.

 

[option13]

I've owned my '94 for 15 years and I've always gotten between 17 and 19 mpg on the highway.
I only check my mileage on trips so I don't know about city mpg.

 

[kirkagosto]

Well the area i was driving in was hills but nothing to large. I set the cruise right on 70 just because i was curious how well it would do as far as downshifting on hills with the new tires but it did really well and hardly ever shifted unless it was a big hill.

 

[mikeprince]

This last weekend was 16mpg overall with small rolling hills, minor around town driving mixed in, and pulling a 400lb trailer. Best "real" mileage 20mpg on a windlass flat stretch with me feathering the gas peddle. Best mileage was while drafting a semi truck, I think around 23-24mpg sustained.

BTW, no lift and riding on 285/75r16 Duratracs.

 

[snowrider73]

Remember if you are running larger tires with stock gears your speedo is reading approx. 5 mph faster than what you are actually doing which means your odometer is off as well, significantly. you may be only getting around 15-16, which is still pretty good. As far as 22mpgs on 38's, WOW!!!!

 

[kirkagosto]

If your running stock gears with larger tires the speedo is running slower than your actual speed. According to the GPS on mines it about 3 mph off. So in theory i am actually traveling farther than the actual mileage reading. Isnt this correct?

 

[Shinichi]

If your running stock gears with larger tires the speedo is running slower than your actual speed. According to the GPS on mines it about 3 mph off. So in theory i am actually traveling farther than the actual mileage reading. Isnt this correct?

Yes, this is right.

 

[kirkagosto]

So then i actually did better than 19 mpg right?

 

[bwr9300]

what do you do to get good gas mileage?

 

[kirkagosto]

It is a stock truck with the exception of 285/75/16 tires. I just set the cruise and went on. I had the cruise set at 70 and thats what i got. When i did the math i re-figured it with the speedo correction and tire size and it actually equals more like 19.8 or 20 mpg. I was shocked based on everything i have ever read about the 80 series and was just trying to get like 15mpg at best. So the results were very good in my favor