01 Dodge 3500 4x4 dually challange!

[dem45133]

And finally, given the description of your commute in the other post, I think the best choice for your daily driver would be an older Mazda Miata.

Yea, not too eco friendly is it?. I could run my wife's Concorde... but on that commute I bet it wouldn't get more than 22. Gets 24 going the other way (west vs east), but its much more consistent and not as sharp on the curves or as steep on the hills.

I've wondered about the Saturn Sky or the Pontiac equivalent... but not sure what their mileages are. Maybe cleaning up the aero might get the 1 ton to 19.

Maybe considering the commute the battery powered e transformer might payback quicker.... but they will drain faster than normal too.

[dem45133]

Actually I'm not doing anything requiring serious money until I see if I still have work at the start of the new FY in October... Its always feat or famine in my industry.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by dem45133

Yea, not too eco friendly is it?

Well, you'd do way better driving the Miata than the pickup, that's for sure :-) But I wasn't really thinking eco, I was thinking handling on the curves, and fun...

Another thing you might look at, since you're a diesel guy, is the various projects that put small diesels into older sports cars.

Maybe considering the commute the battery powered e transformer might payback quicker...

It'd be a perfect commute for a Tesla :-)

[slowmover]

Saying a 1/2T can't tow 9000-lbs is like saying a 1T ton can't tow 24k. Your experience isn't any longer than mine, and possibly not deeper. You can make your own investigation into what proper hitch rigging can do for you, or not, that is your choice. (But your argument is easily picked apart).

So, go back to basics. How much money did your family spend on transportation fuel last year? If that number isn't available, then start up the log books that record it. None of what we try to accomplish around here can be done without accurate, complete records. Some see it as a method of controlling costs, reducing them to a minimum. My take is that I wish to be able to predict fuel costs (as a variable; thus my signature).

As DD pointed out above, there is more than one way to skin a cat. And one of those ways is to reduce the gallons used as the dollar price per gallon rises. I cut annual city miles from 12k to 10k while still getting everything done. And increased in-town mpg from 18 to 23 in that same period.

From $2,670 to $1,740 (at a constant fuel price). Same "work" in less miles and with less fuel burned. Fewer trips driven more skilfully. That $900 could pay for a good bit of pleasure travel.

So, with the same point I tried to make above about a WDH -- approach from a different angle -- see where (as DD notes) 18 becomes 19 becomes 20. One could also say, "I've banked 4-gls this week towards travel." For me it was to cut out an average of 40-miles per week. Increased mpg was icing on the cake. Trip plan, route plan . . terms you're already familiar with.

This is just an example.

[drmiller100]

Originally Posted by dem45133

The truck: 01 Dodge 3500 extended cab 4x4 dually, full 8 ft bed.
- HO Cummins 5.9 6 speed manual...
!

I would run my mix of used motor oil.

at 53 cents a gallon, who cares what kind of mileage it gets!!!!

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by slowmover

As DD pointed out above, there is more than one way to skin a cat. And one of those ways is to reduce the gallons used as the dollar price per gallon rises.

To go a little further, you can separate that into two variables:

1) Fuel burned per mile.
2) Total miles travelled.

So we've thought of a couple of ways to reduce fuel per mile: either increase the efficiency of your current vehicle, or switch to a different vehicle. (Or both, of course.) But there's also reducing the miles travelled. Can you telecommute, or switch to a four-day week? For recreational travel, are there things just as fun to do near home?

[dem45133]

Hello jamesqf

I checked out that report. I was actually impressed...something not always easy to do depending on the subject. It was some of the better research I've seen, and one of the few that actually incorporated real stats.

Of question is why the pickup category was higher in its own driver risk... all around. I think as they said... we tend to be more rural... and if this area is any indication, we have all the risk increasing attributes here plus more.

-no shoulders even on the bigger US two lanes (trees or 5 foot deep ditches might be 2 ft off the pavement...Really!, may or may not have a guard rail)
-hills and curves everywhere
- poorly design or no design roads
- limit +10 as the normal speeds (in Ohio, if its not posted otherwise the speed limit is 55 by default... even on a 2 track dirt road... truly... some are not posted... and they driven by crazy people.
-some of the poorest maintained cars and trucks, running may-pops and God knows what on the brakes (some of these counties are some of the poorest in the state)
-and probably some of the least conforming in seat belt use ... (although in the years of the study... the larger the vehicle the more likelyhood of not wearing them as you feel more safe maybe. It wasn't really manditory yet ... and that could be maybe reflected in some of the larger class vehicles.

Combine that with the fact they are too light by design on the rears when empty and can break out easy, freight and trailer issue exacerbating things now and then, as well as (I swear it) some of the dumbest drivers on the planet it would appear here... to the point the state of Ohio actually put up signs on the Ohio end of the KY bridge reminding people not to pass on double yellow lines... up hills and on curves... Evidently someone thought they needed to tell them again. But hell they do it all the time... on both sides of the river.

I can see these effects adding up... but all the way to 3x. Big doesn't matter on handling if your used to it... most of us that have them are... so why?

If its 3x in these conditions for pickups... it must be even more for the little cars... as 90% of out fatalities here are head-ons or running off road into the trees (many are big trees too that don't move) but the data design wouldn't necessarily reflect that as the numbers from the metro areas would over shadow our small numbers.

I'm not going to sell the 1 ton though... maybe a stronger car, er... a... deer catcher though. Just joking, well upon reflection of the conditions here...maybe not. But we do have a problem here and on the 18 miles of the US two lane on my commute I do wear my seat belt.

Later....

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by dem45133

The challenge... use any and all eco mods and reasonable driving mods to enable one to still commute 120 mile RT.

I'd like to make net yield equiv to 30 mpg.

As you can see... she's a damn nice truck.... but I didn't buy it to look at...I bought it to drive it!

If you actually want to recoup the cost buy a $500 crap car and drive it at 50mpg.

If you don't mind a long payback period, buy a cheap set of CNG tanks,

Get aCNG mixer (like a propane booster)

and get fuel for $1-$2 a gallon, of coarse you will still burn 40-60% diesel. You also need to be carefull with CNG as you can make more power and more power = burnt up engine, keep it light throttle and light on the CNG and it is fine.
Oh, And you need a fuelling station somewhere, some are popping up around here (wi).

To get a REAL 30mpg in you truck you need to pulse and glide at low speeds or almost as good cruise in a high gear at very low speeds (aka 30mph or less)

Cheers
Ryan

[dem45133]

Originally Posted by drmiller100

I would run my mix of used motor oil.

at 53 cents a gallon, who cares what kind of mileage it gets!!!!

Smokes just a bit doesn't it? Be pure white and blue behind you I'd think. When the turbo went out and the intercooler filled up and passed oil directly into my intake manifold I had to stall it out to shut it down. It layed out a smoke cloud clear across the bay trying to get across the rest of the 12 miles of the San Mateo bridge. Based on your 53 cents, That's what? 7:1 in favor of the used oil if diesel is $4.00. Are your really doing this or just trying to kill my Cummins.

Don't be offended if you were serious, but I'd bet there are some that would give advice to do just that thinking they are doing society a favor.... but if you are... why would you do that?

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by dem45133

Smokes just a bit doesn't it? Be pure white and blue behind you I'd think.

Don't be offended if you were serious, but I'd bet there are some that would give advice to do just that thinking they are doing society a favor.... but if you are... why would you do that?

If you had a Ford 7.3 I would agree with him, cummins tends to not be long term reliable, it generally will work at 50:50 or lower mixes of well cleaned and centrifuged WMO/RUG/Kero/Diesel Mixes however.

If you do it remember to detune your motor (or retune for WMO85) or don't overdo the amount of WMO, a heated tank or two tank system is a good idea.

WMO How to thread - Diesel Forum - TheDieselStop.com
http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/...ght=smoke+free

CNG in my mind is more doable long term, but if you enjoy removing and replacing injectors a lot WMO may be for you.