Muddy Bean
Breaking something or fixing something
I know some of you detest mpg threads, so feel free to go have a burger while I ramble on about my eco-driving yesterday. Wife and I had a good long day to drive 600 miles and we both decided to stray from my norm of 80mph and drive the entire way at a cool 55 mph. Most of the route was limited 65 or 60 with occasional runs of 70 mph limits so we felt safe and comfortable putting along at 55.
Since this thread merely rambles on about my mpg gains and what it took to get there, I'll ignore any remarks about safety, "don't buy a cruiser if you care about MPG's", and a sundry other snarky remarks here's what I did:
1. Before the trip, I cleaned the throttle plate and area with throttle body cleaner spray. I also thoroughly cleaned the MAF sensor with MAF sensor cleaner spray. Air filter is brand new. Ran two cans of SeaFoam through vacuum line on intake manifold. Also poured a can into fuel tank. Disconnected the battery for about an hour.
2. Next day, (day of the trip) I filled the tank with 93 octane, and topped it off (yes, I ruined my charcoal canister etc etc).
3. I proceeded to drive and never once allowed my RPM to climb over 2000 rpm on acceleration. I set the cruise at 55mph and RPM at that speed was approx 2000-2100 rpm.
4. I drove 600 miles on that tank of fuel (gps corrected and matched my odo) and then filled the tank once again to the brim for most accurate mpg numbers (fuel filled cup). If you don't believe me, map it yourself. We drove from Cicero Indiana to Rock Hill South Carolina and never stopped for fuel until we reached our hotel in Rock Hill (at the 600 mile mark). Put in 26.62 gallons. MPG comes out to 22.6 Here are snapshots of various odo/fuel gauge readings during the trip:
Couple of important facts to know:
1. We are running slightly smaller than stock tires.
2. I broke my front diff, so we are running in 2wd with machined flanges.
3. Our factory roof rack is currently removed. 4. Truck was loaded down for the trip. Heavy enough to sag the rear a little.
5. I'm running 51 psi in my tires. So yes, we did drive 600 miles on one tank of fuel. Flame away.
Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD while navigating gnarly trail. Typos are inherent.
Since this thread merely rambles on about my mpg gains and what it took to get there, I'll ignore any remarks about safety, "don't buy a cruiser if you care about MPG's", and a sundry other snarky remarks here's what I did:
1. Before the trip, I cleaned the throttle plate and area with throttle body cleaner spray. I also thoroughly cleaned the MAF sensor with MAF sensor cleaner spray. Air filter is brand new. Ran two cans of SeaFoam through vacuum line on intake manifold. Also poured a can into fuel tank. Disconnected the battery for about an hour.
2. Next day, (day of the trip) I filled the tank with 93 octane, and topped it off (yes, I ruined my charcoal canister etc etc).
3. I proceeded to drive and never once allowed my RPM to climb over 2000 rpm on acceleration. I set the cruise at 55mph and RPM at that speed was approx 2000-2100 rpm.
4. I drove 600 miles on that tank of fuel (gps corrected and matched my odo) and then filled the tank once again to the brim for most accurate mpg numbers (fuel filled cup). If you don't believe me, map it yourself. We drove from Cicero Indiana to Rock Hill South Carolina and never stopped for fuel until we reached our hotel in Rock Hill (at the 600 mile mark). Put in 26.62 gallons. MPG comes out to 22.6 Here are snapshots of various odo/fuel gauge readings during the trip:
Couple of important facts to know:
1. We are running slightly smaller than stock tires.
2. I broke my front diff, so we are running in 2wd with machined flanges.
3. Our factory roof rack is currently removed. 4. Truck was loaded down for the trip. Heavy enough to sag the rear a little.
5. I'm running 51 psi in my tires. So yes, we did drive 600 miles on one tank of fuel. Flame away.
Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD while navigating gnarly trail. Typos are inherent.