My 2000 Jimmy challenge

[oil pan 4]

See this:
GMC Typhoon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[wmjinman]

Interesting.

[MetroMPG]

Thanks for posting another test.

[wmjinman]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Thanks for posting another test.

OK, I'm getting addicted!! After re-reading some of the other posts, I'm seeing the wisdom of accumulating "small" improvements in addition to looking for the "low hanging fruit". So with folding the mirrors back yielding between 0.1 and 0.2 mpg on my initial test, then thinking about the roof rack delete yielding 0.4 to 0.46, I can't help but thinking the combined will be over 1/2 mpg. So I read-up on "mirror deletes" in the aerodynamics threads last night, and am now going to go see what I can find for inside mounted convex mirrors!!

Also starting to think about a partial belly pan from the bottom edge of the factory bumper/air dam to the front of the skid plate (which looks somewhat aerodynamic to me already).

Gotta get it up higher than 81st place for % over EPA in the "fleet". :-)

[MetroMPG]

Re: the small improvements adding up, you've probably read around here: there's no magic bullet, but there is magic buckshot.

And... not to go too far off topic - when's your Suzuki going to be back in action?

[wmjinman]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Re: the small improvements adding up, you've probably read around here: there's no magic bullet, but there is magic buckshot.

And... not to go too far off topic - when's your Suzuki going to be back in action?

Gotta finish using the Jimmy for hauling & towing, then trade back for the Gnat. Depends on how well I "get on the ball".

Speaking of hauling & towing, I finished one of those tasks today - delivered a 2000 lbs. car trailer (empty, thankfully) about 20 miles to my folks' place & was really worried it would hurt my tank's average. But surprisingly, I didn't do too bad - mileage still up around 25. Of course, I still had the grille block in place, the roof rack off, the tires aired up, and went ahead & folded the mirrors back. - and drove 40!

Earlier, I had to make a run to Reno (about 30 miles one-way), and started out driving 40. - Probably not the best idea on the freeway... I got honked at about 3 times, and could see in the mirror (sort-of with the outside ones folded back) that I was definitely impeding traffic. So I ended up speeding up a little at a time, and eventually settled on about 55 mph.

So now I'm trying to decide if future trips to Reno should be on the "old highway" where I could probably get away with going really slow (and impede traffic less), of just "bite the bullet" and take the freeway & go faster. The benefits of the freeway are more gradual hills and no stoplights. Drawbacks are probably more cops (who might suspect me of drunk driving at that speed) & more likelyihood of causing an accident if I insist on going slow.

[wmjinman]

So I had to deliver another trailer today, and was bummed that it would probably lower my mpg for the current tank. Sure enough, by the time I got it un-hitched, I had only tipped over 23 mpg momentarily per the ScanGauge, but then dropped back below it. Tried all the "tricks" I knew to "hypermile" back home, but had to go into a headwind, and ended up losing a little bit of my "tank average" by the time I was parked again.

But in trying to maximize mpg, I wanted to keep my mirrors "folded in". Trouble is, this particular trailer completely blocks the view through my inside rearview mirror. Thus, I was motivated to check the local auto parts place & see what I could do for convex mirrors I could put INSIDE, but still get a view back. Ended up buying an "el-cheapo" version for $2.99 and putting it on the passenger's side. But the folded-in stock mirror blocked part of the view, leaving me with just a "sliver" of visibility to the back & side.

Think I'll spring for another $2.99 and install a second one on the driver's side, though. Being closer to my eyes, I think I should get a somewhat wider field of view from that one. I noticed that when coming up behind someone going even slower than I am (not exactly sure how that's possible), that the standard glancing at my mirror and simultaneously moving into the next lane to go around doesn't work so well when the mirror's folded-in and I've got no field of view!! Then I'm forced to "convert gasoline into brake pad dust", as someone else so aptly posted on here somewhere.

[royanddoreen]

interested to know if your jimmy has the built in mpg guage if so how accurate it is?

[wmjinman]

Originally Posted by royanddoreen

interested to know if your jimmy has the built in mpg guage if so how accurate it is?

No, it's not a "built-in" mileage gauge. See my paragraph 1 above. I have an aftermarket "ScanGauge II" that I plugged into the car's computer diagnostics port under the dash & sit on (in) the instrument cluster between the steering wheel & the car's other gauges (speedo, tach, etc.)

As far as it's accuracy, when I filled up the first time after plugging it in, it was about 1 mpg "optimistic". BUT, it also "guessed" that I used about 1 gallon less on that tank than I actually did. So I went through the "calibration feature" on it at that fill-up, and we will soon see how accurate it is this tank, after "calibration". I expect it to be pretty good.

What I do is use the ScanGauge readings for "instantaneous" feedback on what current conditions are doing or using it's "trip feature" to see what my current "mod" is doing. But to get the "true" mileage for the tank, I still do it the old fashion way - - divide miles traveled by gallons used with a calculator.

[Slow_s10]

Some s-series trucks/SUVs had a build in mileage gauge. I think what Roy was asking you was do you have the factory gauge also and if you do how accurate is it compared to the Scanguage.

For what it's worth I have an Oldsmobile Bravada that I have been trying to squeeze better mileage out of. It's basically the same as a Blazer or Jimmy but with AWD instead of 2wd or 4wd. I have done some little stuff and I have managed to get it from an average of around 14.5 up to over 19 but I am trying to keep the mods on the more mild side for now. Although I really hope to pull off the ultimate mod on this truck early next year, which would be to just go ahead and jack up the radiator cap and roll a more efficent car under it.