[Diesel_Dave]

I achieved a milestone today: >50 mpg in my 3/4-ton diesel truck over my 24 mile commute. I got an average of 50.2 mpg on the overhead this morning. Note: I know the overhead reads 10-15% better than reality, but I guess it's a pschological thing to break the 50 mark.

A year ago I never thought this would have been possible. A year ago I was excited when I got over 30 mpg for the first time. The biggest thing that's helped me is the daily fuel log that I've kept for the last year. That's improved my driving techniques (timing lights, P&G, DWB, even some EOC P&G) as well as route planning. I've also done a grille block, a bed cover, a block heater, an oil pan heater, an an engine blanket. The biggest change recently which put me over the top was switching to some 5W-30 synthetic oil, which has bought me another ~5-10%. In addition to that it's been nice to have the temperatures come up, which have helped a lot (about 1% for every 2 deg F).

One thing that helped on this specific run was that I'd gotten home late last night (after 9) and plugged it in right when I got home. Overnight low was only about 65 F, so with my engine blankets on my engine was nice and warm this morning. Here are the rest of the details:

Distance: 23.8 miles (SSE direction)
Temperature: 66 deg F
Wind: Out of the south at 2 mph with gusts up to 7 mph
Barometer: 29.9 in Hg
Relative Humidity: 96%
Conditions: Overcast