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Old 06-25-2014, 12:10 PM   #37 (permalink)
sarguy01
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Virginia Beach
Posts: 468

Mazda5 - '12 Mazda 5
90 day: 25.22 mpg (US)

Big D - '11 Dodge Durango Crew
90 day: 18.75 mpg (US)
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Having an automatic might make it harder to get the mileage you are looking for. But, I don't know how well that truck will coast in neutral so having an auto might not be that bad.

Does it already have a tuner? If so, which one? Is there an Eco mode?? If you don't have one, don't run out and buy one. They take a long time to pay for themselves, if you even see a difference.

As stated, your driving habits are going to make the biggest difference. Aero mods are going to be a close second. Is your future commute city or highway??

I don't know if it was mentioned, but pump those tires up. Are you do for new tires anytime soon? What tires are on there right now? If you have off road or all terrain tires, consider a highway rib that you can pump way up for your next set. You want to make that truck roll as easy as possible.

Also, remove all excess weight. People with trucks tend to carry a lot of stuff, like tow straps, tools, trash, etc. Take out everything you don't need to carry around.

I am not suggesting you sell the truck; I know you don't want to hear that. But, I just went through a similiar situation, but instead gave up on hypermiling and bought a beater... I had an 2010 Sentra and a 2006 Hemi Durango that got 14ish mpg (I LOVED the Durango). I did some car switching and ended up with a new Mazda5 for the wife and a very used, $1,000 Geo Metro for me. I was trying to boost my credit and fatten my wallet to buy a house. I went to a single car payment for a while, bought the house and got a great interest rate. I sold the Metro for $1,500 and bought my 2005 Civic. To quantify the savings, the Durango to the Mazda5 switch has saved us over $2,500 in gas in a year and a half. Not to mention, most of our family driving is done in the Civic, which gets 40 mpg. Again, I am not suggesting that you sell your truck, but only sharing my house buying story...
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