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slowmover · 12-09-2017, 05:22 PM

OP, glad you’ve been a driver. Other than doing it all in one day, ease off like you’re loaded, and the rest is easy enough.

I wrote all that to get it down for once.

Everyone hits the wall at 600-miles. No ones any good after that. Not just economy, but safety.

If you haven’t tried the IH-5 route, might think about it. Stop short of Portland at 480-miles or so, and use 52-mph to calculate when you’ll be east of town 75-miles before 1200. Play with those, rely on local knowledge as to start time. Penalty in miles may not be that high and offsets backwoods route shorter miles (and lack of services).

Like I said, I use cruise control and recommend it. Let the truck drive the truck on the level terrain

The other thing I didn’t go into is mechanical condition. The standard items for a turbodiesel truck are:

No CAC leaks
Verified alignment
Zero steering slop (high likelihood on 4WD even new)
No brake drag (caliper)
Tire pressure

On the last one I’m no fan of overly high. My highways mpg highs have been at scaled load values vs the Table. Ride, handling and braking more important. Get the CAT Scale app and use it today. Get a baseline. TARE weight. Just driver, stuff permanently aboard, and max fuel (top off at truckstop).

I carry about 1,200-lbs in mine continually. But it’s within 40-lbs at all four corners at 7,940-lbs. Had to repack some to get that. That’s about 2,000-lbs per tire. So, staying inside Dodge recommendations, and using the Michelin LT Tire Load & Pressure Table, 50-psi was fine. Tires only last over 100k Miles this way.

When you’re loaded, check it again real quick on scale versus the cold pressure at departure. Might only need a little. 5-psi above minimum indicated is good. Check two hours later after gliding to a stop. Want no more than 5-7% psi rise. 10% needs more air; another 5-psi. (CapriRacer posts here, see his posts).

MPG is about a whole bunch of small things. Records, too. Fuelly a popular app.

Other than that’s its book maintenance. Bring up to date.

And a proper winter front. Which is an underhood heat exchanger cover. Mines MOPAR and heavy backed vinyl. Covers the whole radiator and support. Four flaps to control airflow thru fan. Use at 41F or lower. Bound to be a similar Ferd piece. Not expensive. No way to get decent mileage without one when that temp is met.

Biggest addition to annual mpg average (that you understood that why I wrote it all) is closed-shoulder, highway-rib tires. I’d choose (exclusively) commercial service tires like Bridgestone Duravis or Michelin LTX no matter what tread design. They’ll outlast the other types; pay for themselves.

Those are expensive, but what isn’t are shock absorbers. Minimum should be entry level Bilstein. Or go up a step. Vehicle tracking is at stake, not just ride.

Waze is for wusses,🙃 but, hey, you’re Californio, now. One of Jerry’s kids. A Garmin 770 GPS and a righteous CB get more done. I’ve dumped the WAZE app.

I can tell by the way you write it’d be easy to communicate what matters. You’re in the right place.

Make it an overnight trip. Seriously. Dinner in a Nissin Thermal Cooker in the back seat floor (look that up). Lunches in a cooler. Cut costs other ways. What you’ll find is that you arrive fresh, almost rested. And maybe before you would have dragged out of bed after a one day marathon. You might be surprised. After all, the drive time is the same. What does it matter if you took a ten hour break in the middle?

Safety ain’t expensive. It’s smart. (The second part is that a pickup is the least stable private vehicle on the road. Takes but once, and life is forever different. And not just for you).

You won’t have to leave home quite as early (I recommend no more than a half-hour prior to dawn according to GAISMA), and an early stop means plenty of time for a leisurely dinner. Time it so on Day Two you get thru Portland and Spokane at good hours.

I’ve been behind the wheel forty-five years and big trucks for twenty. MPG has always mattered. I let percentage change to the annual average pay for my vacation travel. Thousands of miles. It sure as heck pays for two nights at a motel. (See my thread for details).

.

12-09-2017, 05:22 PM	#41 (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	OP, glad you’ve been a driver. Other than doing it all in one day, ease off like you’re loaded, and the rest is easy enough. I wrote all that to get it down for once. Everyone hits the wall at 600-miles. No ones any good after that. Not just economy, but safety. If you haven’t tried the IH-5 route, might think about it. Stop short of Portland at 480-miles or so, and use 52-mph to calculate when you’ll be east of town 75-miles before 1200. Play with those, rely on local knowledge as to start time. Penalty in miles may not be that high and offsets backwoods route shorter miles (and lack of services). Like I said, I use cruise control and recommend it. Let the truck drive the truck on the level terrain The other thing I didn’t go into is mechanical condition. The standard items for a turbodiesel truck are: No CAC leaks Verified alignment Zero steering slop (high likelihood on 4WD even new) No brake drag (caliper) Tire pressure On the last one I’m no fan of overly high. My highways mpg highs have been at scaled load values vs the Table. Ride, handling and braking more important. Get the CAT Scale app and use it today. Get a baseline. TARE weight. Just driver, stuff permanently aboard, and max fuel (top off at truckstop). I carry about 1,200-lbs in mine continually. But it’s within 40-lbs at all four corners at 7,940-lbs. Had to repack some to get that. That’s about 2,000-lbs per tire. So, staying inside Dodge recommendations, and using the Michelin LT Tire Load & Pressure Table, 50-psi was fine. Tires only last over 100k Miles this way. When you’re loaded, check it again real quick on scale versus the cold pressure at departure. Might only need a little. 5-psi above minimum indicated is good. Check two hours later after gliding to a stop. Want no more than 5-7% psi rise. 10% needs more air; another 5-psi. (CapriRacer posts here, see his posts). MPG is about a whole bunch of small things. Records, too. Fuelly a popular app. Other than that’s its book maintenance. Bring up to date. And a proper winter front. Which is an underhood heat exchanger cover. Mines MOPAR and heavy backed vinyl. Covers the whole radiator and support. Four flaps to control airflow thru fan. Use at 41F or lower. Bound to be a similar Ferd piece. Not expensive. No way to get decent mileage without one when that temp is met. Biggest addition to annual mpg average (that you understood that why I wrote it all) is closed-shoulder, highway-rib tires. I’d choose (exclusively) commercial service tires like Bridgestone Duravis or Michelin LTX no matter what tread design. They’ll outlast the other types; pay for themselves. Those are expensive, but what isn’t are shock absorbers. Minimum should be entry level Bilstein. Or go up a step. Vehicle tracking is at stake, not just ride. Waze is for wusses,🙃 but, hey, you’re Californio, now. One of Jerry’s kids. A Garmin 770 GPS and a righteous CB get more done. I’ve dumped the WAZE app. I can tell by the way you write it’d be easy to communicate what matters. You’re in the right place. Make it an overnight trip. Seriously. Dinner in a Nissin Thermal Cooker in the back seat floor (look that up). Lunches in a cooler. Cut costs other ways. What you’ll find is that you arrive fresh, almost rested. And maybe before you would have dragged out of bed after a one day marathon. You might be surprised. After all, the drive time is the same. What does it matter if you took a ten hour break in the middle? Safety ain’t expensive. It’s smart. (The second part is that a pickup is the least stable private vehicle on the road. Takes but once, and life is forever different. And not just for you). You won’t have to leave home quite as early (I recommend no more than a half-hour prior to dawn according to GAISMA), and an early stop means plenty of time for a leisurely dinner. Time it so on Day Two you get thru Portland and Spokane at good hours. I’ve been behind the wheel forty-five years and big trucks for twenty. MPG has always mattered. I let percentage change to the annual average pay for my vacation travel. Thousands of miles. It sure as heck pays for two nights at a motel. (See my thread for details). .