3 mpg better! (1 Viewer)

[meckles]

I picked upalmost a full 2 mpg by running 50 psi and laying off the gas. But it also rides like one of my work F450s ie a dump truck, no worries though my girl just thinks that is the way its supposed to ride.

Next is 50 psi with nitrogen, all the rage in south GA/ north FLA

 

[-Spike-]

No seriously, ... Stop flaming me, ... I am a little new, but I'm not stupid.

I apologize. In text, it honestly sounded as if you were being a jerk.

Regearing the axles or changing the tire size can cause a dramatic change in the accuracy of the odometer and trip meter, 5, 10, 15 percent or more. At 10%, a car that shows 15 MPG may only be getting 13, and vice versa. Many people here are obsessed with fuel economy, so accuracy matters. You have to have an accurate count of miles driven per number of gallons used to get an accurate MPG number. The old way to get an accurate number of miles driven was to calculate the percentage that the odometer is off, then add that percentage to the odometer (or trip meter) reading to get the adjusted mileage. Nowadays GPS makes things a lot easier, if you have the option.

-Spike

 

[Atoyot1031]

Nicholas, I got the 14MPG the first time I drove my cruiser with 4.88s and 315s (and that was coming over Eisenhower Tunnel and Vail Pass). I knew something stunk. Besides, I was doing 75MPH in a snow storm.

It turns out I was doing ~67MPH and getting ~12.5MPG, whcih I figured out the next day by driving by a stationary speed check and confirmed on GPS.

My buddy, mountjoy_99 thought the same thing with his setup.

IMHO, you shouldn't own an 80 if you are really concerned about MPG.


FYI, tripometer is the word yer looking for. If you want to track MPG, you should log your fill amount (gallons of gas) and odometer mileage (assuming it is corrected ) at ever fill. You also should look at trends over hundreds or thousands of miles rather than analysizing one tank or one trip. My father has kept his vehicle logs this way on every vehicle he has owned since the 50s. It makes it easier to know when you are due for routine maintenance as well.

 

[Atticus]

Something along these lines:

Fill your tank(s)

Reset your trip counter (odometer?)

Drive as normal until your gas light comes on

Read the trip mile counter thingy (I know! Someone tell me what it's called!)

Divide the number on the counter by the total number of gallons your tank(s) can hold

Tada, you should have a close approximation of your mpg.

I hope I remembered correctly, I'm not on my computer at the moment so I can't look it up at the moment.

You're f*cking with me.

 

[CJF]

Mickey Rubicon comes to mind, but too early to tell I suppose...

 

[nicholas]

A lot of people say to not own an 80 if you are concerned about MPG, but I have to disagree to some extent. Sure we shouldn't be using unsafe hypermileing techniques, but I don't think there is anything wrong with keeping an eye on your fuel consumption or figuring out ways to improve the the engines efficiency. Sure, these tanks aren't going to compare to any economy car in regard to mpg, but I think its good to have a rough idea of what mpg you should be expecting so you can look for possible engine problems that are effecting your fuel economy or so you can modify your driving habits. That's one of the main reasons I love the scangauge, it gives me quite a few data points so I can see what is going on with the engine real time.

 

['74 UA FJ]

I've never used a scangauge, but having a good feel for your vehicle, a good ear, and an eye on your gauges has always worked for me.

 

[e9999]

ya know, people throw 4.88 around as if it's no big deal but that is really a whopping 19% difference over a 4.1... Big difference in terms of engine powerband, efficiency etc behavior...

 

[Atoyot1031]

A lot of people say to not own an 80 if you are concerned about MPG, but I have to disagree to some extent. Sure we shouldn't be using unsafe hypermileing techniques, but I don't think there is anything wrong with keeping an eye on your fuel consumption or figuring out ways to improve the the engines efficiency. Sure, these tanks aren't going to compare to any economy car in regard to mpg, but I think its good to have a rough idea of what mpg you should be expecting so you can look for possible engine problems that are effecting your fuel economy or so you can modify your driving habits. That's one of the main reasons I love the scangauge, it gives me quite a few data points so I can see what is going on with the engine real time.

See my post above. It makes sense to monitor MPG as with any other data available from your vehicle. However, you are not going to make a noticeable positive impact on it.

Where's the HFAC thread?

ya know, people throw 4.88 around as if it's no big deal but that is really a whopping 19% difference over a 4.1... Big difference in terms of engine powerband, efficiency etc behavior...

You taller tires = taller gears. Changing differential gearing is one of the only ways on an 80 to compensate for the larger tires (gears). Last time I checked this is a four wheeling website, lower gearing is all but essential to improving a 4x4s offroad performance whether it's 4.88s in my 80 or a double transfer case in my minitruck. I don't understand what "effeciency" has to do with this.

If I wanted efficiency, rather than driving this week at Cruise Moab, I'd get out and hike! That way I'd be running at the ultimate 0.0MPG.

 

[Eicca]

I apologize. In text, it honestly sounded as if you were being a jerk.

Regearing the axles or changing the tire size can cause a dramatic change in the accuracy of the odometer and trip meter, 5, 10, 15 percent or more. At 10%, a car that shows 15 MPG may only be getting 13, and vice versa. Many people here are obsessed with fuel economy, so accuracy matters. You have to have an accurate count of miles driven per number of gallons used to get an accurate MPG number. The old way to get an accurate number of miles driven was to calculate the percentage that the odometer is off, then add that percentage to the odometer (or trip meter) reading to get the adjusted mileage. Nowadays GPS makes things a lot easier, if you have the option.

-Spike

Accepted. Take note, I try to be a nice guy, I rarely don't offer helpful advice

I bet the procedure would work better with a gps, yes. I'll test it out and let you know my results.

 

[bull]

Something along these lines:

Fill your tank(s)

Reset your trip counter (odometer?)

Drive as normal until your gas light comes on

Read the trip mile counter thingy (I know! Someone tell me what it's called!)

Divide the number on the counter by the total number of gallons your tank(s) can hold

Tada, you should have a close approximation of your mpg.

I hope I remembered correctly, I'm not on my computer at the moment so I can't look it up at the moment.

You just explained how to get your MPG. (car ownership 101 stuff)

What you aren't taking in account for are several variables that will affect your numbers. Which has been pointed out in this thread.

Tire Size
Gear Ratio

These will directly affect your odometer. Search is your friend. Search "MPG" you will get a month's worth of reading

 

[jvazquez53]

When I bought my Land Cruiser I knew they were not fuel efficient. If they were fuel efficient they would be in the same level of the Yaris, the Fits and the Prius. I don't even check my MPG's. I hate when I drive the wife's car because it has one of those gizmos that tell me how many miles per gallon I'm getting. Last time I checked MPG's in depth was on my trip from Anchorage to Ogden, Utah, that was 1998. If I notice a big increase in fuel usage (I know how much gas +- I spend on a weekly basis) then I park the truck and search for the problem. I'm happy with my $30.00 of gas every 10 days or so, I only travel 20 miles round trip 5 days a week.

 

[solidfrontaxle]

A few things...

When I was shopping for an 80 I always asked what kind of milage the sellers were seeing out of their 80. Time and time again I heard, "If you care about mileage, you shouldnt be driving an 80." Well I do care about mileage. I understand its not economy car mileage, but I still care about getting the most out of my tank of gas. Is that bad?

I saw an improvement of over 2mpg with the Landtank MAF. That gives me an extra 50 miles out of a tank! (Thats on the highway doing 60 of course) To me, nitpicking mileage, ESPECIALLY with something that gets terrible mileage, can be useful. I don't think of better mileage as saving money, I think of it as extending range. More range = more miles I can spend off the pavement and fewer jerry cans I need to take.

Ok, rant off. Here's my question: Has anyone who had 33s with 4.10s and then got 4.88s that was calculating their mileage CORRECTLY (especially using a scangauge with the correction factor applied) seen any mileage improvements?

 

[nicholas]

I understand its not economy car mileage, but I still care about getting the most out of my tank of gas. Is that bad?

No, it's not bad. I feel the same way. For instance, why accelerate to a red light when you end up having to brake anyway (assuming you are not in a hurry to get somewhere). More wear and tear on the truck plus poor fuel economy. I see people do this everyday then they bitch about $4 gas.