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slowmover · 03-10-2011, 07:34 PM

OH! and thanks slowmover, for linking for me, lol I"ll be putting that link in first post probably tomorrow. For right now, I'm just trying to get a good solid baseline of where i'm at now to get my log started

You're quite welcome. It was a lot harder 35-40 years ago to find enthusiasts of a similar stripe. We all wanted a wider performance envelope (acceleration and economy) but it was hard, very hard, to find out just where the otherwise similar efficiency gains necessary to both branched apart without money, time & expertise. Some mods worked and some didn't.

Today one is faced with the consumer culture that sees, "buy my product for FE and throttle-stomp with no overall penalty!!" endemic to aftermarket advertising. And is reinforced in this self-deception by enthusiast forums, ad nauseum. Main problem is lack of records. No indication of average mpg much less average speed, etc. Hard to know who to trust.

When in doubt: ask for the calendar year numbers, both average mpg and average mph. Those without don't truly have a leg to stand on.

As to tire pressures: the big truck tire folks will tell you to get per wheel readings and use the heaviest tire as the across-axle tire load X2.
My suggestion is to weigh it with a really heavy load this way so you know how things are; remember, springs settle over time at different rates. And masons never overload their trucks, lol. Then, a separate set of readings for a light and normal load.

In both cases check pressure the following morning to see what actual pressure was when cold. Record, and then inflate/deflate to proper numbers. Work trucks & tires are a special. Done right you'll come out close to a commuter for life, relatively. Done poorly and tires will eat you. (As you already know). I imagine you have easy access to an air compressor.

With one or two or three scale weights to compare against, truck tire pressure can be kept in accordance -- quickly changed -- for long life and safe operation. FE is just part of overall Economy. And is always trumped by safety. No one wants to "give" us the time to keep the vehicle at it's best, we have to make it.

03-10-2011, 07:34 PM	#20 (permalink)
slowmover Banned Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Fort Worth, Texas Posts: 2,442 2004 CTD - '04 DODGE RAM 2500 SLT Team Cummins 90 day: 19.36 mpg (US) Thanks: 1,422 Thanked 737 Times in 557 Posts	OH! and thanks slowmover, for linking for me, lol I"ll be putting that link in first post probably tomorrow. For right now, I'm just trying to get a good solid baseline of where i'm at now to get my log started You're quite welcome. It was a lot harder 35-40 years ago to find enthusiasts of a similar stripe. We all wanted a wider performance envelope (acceleration and economy) but it was hard, very hard, to find out just where the otherwise similar efficiency gains necessary to both branched apart without money, time & expertise. Some mods worked and some didn't. Today one is faced with the consumer culture that sees, "buy my product for FE and throttle-stomp with no overall penalty!!" endemic to aftermarket advertising. And is reinforced in this self-deception by enthusiast forums, ad nauseum. Main problem is lack of records. No indication of average mpg much less average speed, etc. Hard to know who to trust. When in doubt: ask for the calendar year numbers, both average mpg and average mph. Those without don't truly have a leg to stand on. As to tire pressures: the big truck tire folks will tell you to get per wheel readings and use the heaviest tire as the across-axle tire load X2. My suggestion is to weigh it with a really heavy load this way so you know how things are; remember, springs settle over time at different rates. And masons never overload their trucks, lol. Then, a separate set of readings for a light and normal load. In both cases check pressure the following morning to see what actual pressure was when cold. Record, and then inflate/deflate to proper numbers. Work trucks & tires are a special. Done right you'll come out close to a commuter for life, relatively. Done poorly and tires will eat you. (As you already know). I imagine you have easy access to an air compressor. With one or two or three scale weights to compare against, truck tire pressure can be kept in accordance -- quickly changed -- for long life and safe operation. FE is just part of overall Economy. And is always trumped by safety. No one wants to "give" us the time to keep the vehicle at it's best, we have to make it. Last edited by slowmover; 03-10-2011 at 07:47 PM..