Secret of going from 12 MPG to 16 MPG (1 Viewer)

[kanigetts]

In short, slow the hell down and get all the crap off of your roof!

Going from 12 to 16 MPG is equivalent to going from 30 to 40 MPG. A couple of MPG makes a big difference when it is so low to begin with. Your range is extended by 100 miles which will save you about $30 per fill-up.

I took my family from SoCal to San Jose, CA for my sons Bantam A State Hockey Championship Playoffs this weekend. We had a full load, so I put his hockey bag on the roof for the trip up. We hit some traffic getting out of LA so I was a bit heavy on the gas to get there at a reasonable hour. I probably averaged around 80 on the highway, maybe a little more at times. I got about 12 MPG which is a bit lower than I had with another trip where I averaged at a bit higher speed. I never really believed you could get more than 14 MPG in this beast, but after we won the championship, I put the hockey bag inside and kept my speed down around 70 and 60 on the uphills, and I got over 16 MPG on the way home. Although the trip back took a bit longer, I was relaxed when I got home instead of tense from driving fast. Next trip, I'll try drafting off a semi and see if I can get 18.

It's a 97 LX450 bone stock w 131k mi.

 

[ralphy1997]

I usually get 16-18 on the freeway if I keep the speed around 70 and try to avoid downshifting on hills (disengage the cruise and feather the gas to the top). I have an OME medium lift and an ARB front bumper but no other modifications.

 

[Nay]

Going from 12 to 16 MPG is equivalent to going from 30 to 40 MPG.

As a percentage increase, yes. As 4 mpg = 10 mpg, no

 

[snowrider73]

As 4 mpg = 10 mpg, no

funny

 

[Isotel]

GPM - The MPG Illusion: Tools for Calculating GPM from MPG

mpg is not a consistant measurement

If you want to get 16mpg Sell your 80!

 

[autobon7]

I was told by an oldtimer long ago to keep my rpms at 2000 or under to get the best mpg. That equals about 57-58 mph on my rig, and for me that usually keeps me in the 14-15 mpg range. If I go 70 mph it dips to 12-13. Just me 2 cents.

 

[bigredmachine]

poor mpg is a small price to pay for being able to run over anything and everything you want, whenever and where ever you want. but it is nice to get abour 14mpg or so, much better than the 9mpg i was getting before.

 

[Tyler Durden]

I average 14-15. That's as good as it's going to get with a bumper, lift, skid plate, etc.

poor mpg is a small price to pay for being able to run over anything and everything you want, whenever and where ever you want. but it is nice to get abour 14mpg or so, much better than the 9mpg i was getting before.

Yup. It will take some getting used to whenever I get around to getting a car to commute with.

 

[kidglove13]

If you are stock getting 16 mpg is not a stretch.
If your truck is modded forget it not even worth debating.

 

[darwink1]

To get any kind of reasonable gas mileage out of an 80 you just have to drive a little different. Dont jam the gas every time you take off and try to be smooth. Instead of racing to a red light I tend to coast up to one now and am usually still moving by the time it turns green. Saves the brakes to boot.

If you dont drive like a fool the 80 does do pretty decent on the highway when compared to in town. Its still a big inefficient pos and there aint nothing you can do about that. Im just lucky that I dont drive much and can dd the damn thing without filling it up every 3 days...

D

 

[Tyler Durden]

To get any kind of reasonable gas mileage out of an 80 you just have to drive a little different. Dont jam the gas every time you take off and try to be smooth. Instead of racing to a red light I tend to coast up to one now and am usually still moving by the time it turns green. Saves the brakes to boot.

If you dont drive like a fool the 80 does do pretty decent on the highway when compared to in town. Its still a big inefficient pos and there aint nothing you can do about that. Im just lucky that I dont drive much and can dd the damn thing without filling it up every 3 days...

D

Yup. If I didn't have a ~12 mile commute (I get a week out of a tank of gas), I'd have already done the Volvo/Honda/Acura/anythingbutaLandCruiser DD mod.

 

[Fly Rod]

FWIW, I normally run @ 12.6 mpg. Took a trip to UT years ago. Fully loaded with kids, wife, sitter and gear for 9 days in truck and hitch carrier. We avaraged 16.8 mpg both directions. The secret is no stop and go driving. It takes alot to get these trucks moving.

 

[darwink1]

^^^ what he said.

Im lucky that I literally have a 5 minute commute to work one way and live in the middle of town so everywhere else I need to go is no more than a 7-8 minute ride. A tank lasts me about 2 weeks on average if I take it easy with the remote start in the winter. Thats lifted w 285's and a bunch of other random steel bolted/welded on. One of these days I might even get around to calculating mileage.

If I was one of the unlucky fools that has something stupid like a 40 minute one way commute Id be rocking a beater corolla or a 4 banger pick up.

D (pity the fools)

 

[Nay]

I got 13.8 mpg on my most recent all highway miles tank. First stretch of 115 miles was from Winter Park at 9K feet altitude over 12K Berthoud Pass and then all the way down into Denver, finally back up to 7,400 ft. where I live (lots of coasting downhill, plenty of 6-8 mpg pedal to the floor uphill). That was with vacation and ski gear on the roof, 4 kids, two large dogs.

Rest of the tank to 300 miles total was 7,400 ft elevation down to 5,400 back up to 6,500 to see the orthopedic surgeon, because I fractured my tibia skiing (tibial plateau fracture)

This is pretty typical mileage for me, and I was running 65-70 mph for most of it. You don't always want low RPM - in Colorado, low RPM = pedal to the floor due to altitude induced power loss, and that is where your mileage suffers.

I'd like to get another 2-3 mpg, but I don't daily drive at all so the lack of a good power range bothers me quite a bit more than the economy.

 

[SiRaDuDe]

I can go about 4 weeks on 1 tank of gas.

(I only drive once a week! )

Home Office WorkaHolic <----

 

[Eicca]

My solution for getting upwards of 16mpg would be finding a cheapo Honda and driving that whenever the roads are dry.

 

[4LITRE]

Stop and go traffic forget about it!!! On the highway, at night with no traffic is good for me!!! The holland tunnel,nj to pottsville,pa drank slightly over half a tank at with mixed driving between 55-70 mph approximately 260 miles. I think that's pretty good for a rig this heavy.

 

[opsboss]

1st highway trip this past week end on the way to Florida from NC driving w/ cruise set at 68 I averaged 16.88 mpg. On the way back hammering it with cruise set at 80 I averaged 14.35. I.m happy with both.

 

[4LITRE]

Or my gauge could off lol!!! The math shows 17...that's impossible....i'll track it again and re-post my findings....

 

[skintunes]

your @#$ is off- That is not how you calculate proper MPG at any rate - you're claiming 260 on approx 12-13 gallons- ???OK