1995 Dodge Ram 2500 V-10 - 25 mpg possible?
OK, so here's my thought experiment: My father in law has an 8.0 liter V-10 1995 Dodge Ram 2500, and he's trying to sell it. (BTW - it's not a diesel.) So, not surprisingly he is having a hard time selling a truck that gets 8-10 mpg in town and at best 15 mpg highway. Anyone who would want a truck like that would buy a newer one, and those who need one would consider a diesel first, just for the fuel savings. Needless to say that it being 12-13 years old with 236,000 miles does not help. It is in good shape, but the darn mileage is always against me.
However - it does not rev very high, 1500-2000 rpm on the highway, which made me wonder if I lowered drag, how much could mileage be improved?
Obviously you'd still want it to be able to tow horses/hay/etc, which would mean a relapse into its drinking habits. So no crazy tail-cone mods please.
My obvious mods would include lowering the ride, fitting road tires (low rolling resistance?), wheel skirts (front and back), modding the side mirrors. The bed area is the a troublesome spot. Is there a way to deactivate cylinders while on the go? Is it recommendable for reliability?
But since this is a thought experiment, I'm open to all ideas!
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