Finally got a tank over 20mpg!

[darcane]

My goal with my truck has been to be able to get over 20mpg during regular commuting. This is about 60% city and 40% hwy (And part of that is stop-n-go traffic).

I finally got my first tank over 20mpg today. 17.7 gallons to go 364 miles, 20.5mpg! And hopefully, I can get that a bit higher during the warmer months.

Modifications are pretty minimal. Grill block, partial belly pan, 5% oversided tires at 42psi, and an Ultragauge. I have a canopy too, but it was on it when I bought it. Techniques I used are neutral coasting, DWL, and just keeping it slow (under 60mph).

I don't use this truck for straight highway driving. If I did, I'd have even better looking numbers. Based on what the Ultragauge reports for the hwy leg of my commute, I'm getting somewhere around 23-24mpg hwy.

My overall average gets pulled down quite a bit by the tanks where I'm towing heavy loads. But, I don't see any reason to avoid reporting those.

Mike

[eagletalon]

Awesome Mike!!! I bet that is a big improvement from where you started. You have nowhere to go but up. Now is this a manual or auto transmission that you've been doing neutral coasting. I've been thinking of doing it myself but don't know if is a good idea considering my car is auto.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by eagletalon

Awesome Mike!!! I bet that is a big improvement from where you started. You have nowhere to go but up. Now is this a manual or auto transmission that you've been doing neutral coasting. I've been thinking of doing it myself but don't know if is a good idea considering my car is auto.

My first couple tanks with this truck were right at 15mpg, so, yeah, it's an improvement.

The truck's an Auto. So, I coast in Neutral, but leave the engine on. No EOC for me. I searched for months trying to find a truck like mine with a manual and they are rare as hens teeth. For the newer 1500 series trucks, they completely eliminated manuals as an option.

[d0sitmatr]

nice job !

[darcane]

Well, hit a new high today, 676.6 miles and 31.45 gallons for 21.5 mpg!

We're having a really cold spring, but the temps are coming up enough to show a noticeable improvement.

And, at that rate, if I ran it dry I could have gotten 775 miles on a tank...

[skyking]

Good on ya! I just got across that threshold with my Dodge diesel.
I will always run separate books for towing and not towing myself. My trailer is a bit over 10,000 and adds a great deal of frontal area.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by skyking

Good on ya! I just got across that threshold with my Dodge diesel.
I will always run separate books for towing and not towing myself. My trailer is a bit over 10,000 and adds a great deal of frontal area.

Thanks!

I just keep it all in the same log. It pulls my overall average down quite a bit, but it doesn't really matter. Mine goes way down when I tow my trailer, but it's not a big change if I just load a bunch of crap in the bed.