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Noahfreak · 07-17-2013, 05:54 PM

Be "hiiiiiiigggggghhhhhhlllllllyyyyy" skeptical all you want Frank Lee, that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Besides, I wasn't referring to its average mpg, but a specific trip that was 1000+ miles, meaning that several tankfulls were all highway miles within one day of driving. The truck was already hot and there were no rest stops between fillups. It had a cap on the back, which probably helped the aero some. All of the oils had just been changed, the carburetor had just been rebuilt and the ignition was all new as well. The engine and running gear was well broken in and had only about 50K miles on it. Most of the terrain was flat or had very little grade. I'm sure our average speed was lower than 65 mph (about 10 over the posted speed limit) due to traffic and speed zones, but there were several long stretches where that speed was run. Also keep in mind that this was done back before ethanol was introduced into unleaded fuel, which probably boosted the mileage some compared to today's fuels.

The average mpg on that truck was closer to 10 or 12 mpg because it was almost never run on the highway. It was also almost always towing a trailer or being used to plow snow or run on dirt trails that required sub-5 mph driving on trips that took less than 20 minutes. That's why at 90K miles it was completely rusted to the ground and we junked it.

We didn't monitor mpg regularly in daily driving though, because gas was about $0.98 a gallon at the time, and 20 bucks would fill the tank, so I can't say for sure what it was at any other time. We were just curious on that particular trip, and we got that mileage in both directions.

That said, the near-perfect conditions for mileage described above were very similar to a tank that I ran through my '88 recently (except that my engine has a little over 1000 miles on it since the rebuild, so it's not broken in) up to LA from San Diego, and I only got about 13 mpg with it on that trip, and I only ran it at 60, so I know something was very wrong. I filled up just before I left and topped it back off when I got back, so that's a pretty accurate highway mileage for the truck.

The transmission swap was a good start considering how much more power it seems to have now. I'll get to the sensors soon. I'm confident I can hit 20 mpg on the highway, running 65 with this truck, especially with aero mods.

07-17-2013, 05:54 PM	#13 (permalink)
Noahfreak EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: San Diego Posts: 20 Goldy II - '94 Saturn SC2 Last 3: 26.24 mpg (US) The Beast - '88 Ford F150 XLT Lariat, Supercab, Long Bed 90 day: 13.61 mpg (US) Domo - '89 Honda Civic Wagovan 90 day: 30.49 mpg (US) Thanks: 2 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Be "hiiiiiiigggggghhhhhhlllllllyyyyy" skeptical all you want Frank Lee, that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Besides, I wasn't referring to its average mpg, but a specific trip that was 1000+ miles, meaning that several tankfulls were all highway miles within one day of driving. The truck was already hot and there were no rest stops between fillups. It had a cap on the back, which probably helped the aero some. All of the oils had just been changed, the carburetor had just been rebuilt and the ignition was all new as well. The engine and running gear was well broken in and had only about 50K miles on it. Most of the terrain was flat or had very little grade. I'm sure our average speed was lower than 65 mph (about 10 over the posted speed limit) due to traffic and speed zones, but there were several long stretches where that speed was run. Also keep in mind that this was done back before ethanol was introduced into unleaded fuel, which probably boosted the mileage some compared to today's fuels. The average mpg on that truck was closer to 10 or 12 mpg because it was almost never run on the highway. It was also almost always towing a trailer or being used to plow snow or run on dirt trails that required sub-5 mph driving on trips that took less than 20 minutes. That's why at 90K miles it was completely rusted to the ground and we junked it. We didn't monitor mpg regularly in daily driving though, because gas was about $0.98 a gallon at the time, and 20 bucks would fill the tank, so I can't say for sure what it was at any other time. We were just curious on that particular trip, and we got that mileage in both directions. That said, the near-perfect conditions for mileage described above were very similar to a tank that I ran through my '88 recently (except that my engine has a little over 1000 miles on it since the rebuild, so it's not broken in) up to LA from San Diego, and I only got about 13 mpg with it on that trip, and I only ran it at 60, so I know something was very wrong. I filled up just before I left and topped it back off when I got back, so that's a pretty accurate highway mileage for the truck. The transmission swap was a good start considering how much more power it seems to have now. I'll get to the sensors soon. I'm confident I can hit 20 mpg on the highway, running 65 with this truck, especially with aero mods.