Bad Mileage.

[kcirtap]

need some input. I know you shouldn't spend money on mods with hope of better mileage, but kept hearing about it helping and well it hasn't what so ever. Air intake, TB and exshaust and no change in mileage what so ever. When i first bought the truck i blamed it all on bad cat converter. Actually got alittle better since new one was installed. But still sucks i hear you guys mention 20mpg and dam mine is like 15 sometimes down to 13. (15l/100km to 18.8l/100km). What else can i do, i been driving like grandpa for past while but doesn't really help. New sys fluids everywhere ( except tranny). New fuel filter. i know cold weather doesn't help, but still... Maybe someone else has some suggestions. thanks

 

[TRACket Paul]

You didn't mention them, but the basics. Clean air filter, new plugs and wires. And longer trips always help.:driving:

 

[Travis Stevens]

you mentioned driving like grandpa... if you do that anywhere but on the highway your gas mileage will drop... like doing 35 in a 45... i set my CC on the highway to 60mph and i get 20-22 highway and i normally do like 50 or better in a 45 and get about 18 but then again all the trucks are different. the only mod ive done is removing the sound dampener on the air intake box.

 

[scott degroot]

Patrick,



Only way your getting 20 mpg on a V8 ST is to hit the freeway and do not exceed 63.965428 mph and the speed has to remain perfectly constant with a slight tailwind and no elevation changes. You are getting the same mileage as I was in my 07 v6 and honestly unless you are on a long road trip thats about what you are gonna get



Let the flaming begin :fire:

 

[MikeSondra Grossen]

My last tank was 15.2. That will decrease now, they have started the winter blend gas here already. I'm guessing mine will drop 13-14 mpg. We have the same mods, but we have an SCT tuner to optimize the computer for the mods. Maybe thats your missing link, because I definately dont drive like a grandpa.



Sondra

 

[billy reilly]

I have a 2010 V8 with exhaust, intake and Xcal sct. Just around town I will average 16-16.5, highway I average 20(up to 22 if i slow it down) I usually have a combined of 17.5 with mixed hwy and city. I have a heavy foot. I have tried in the past to avoid WOT and drive like a grandpa and manage 18.5 for a few tanks of combined driving. The extra 1mpg was not worth it to me. I also check my tire pressure on a regular basis and keep it right at 38psi.

 

[Carey Frennier]

Hmmm. That is unusually crappy fuel eco Pat.



Mine gets 15-16 avg and I do WOT at least once every two days for 4-5sec. I also have crappy fuel where I live. Everything is 10% ethanol and that reduces economy.



I also have a remote starter and I use it EVERY time I want to drive. Sometimes I let it warm up for 5-10min and other times I just start it as I'm walking to the vehicle so the wideband sensors and o2 sensors are warm.



I have been lazy lately and I let it warm up longer and I drive faster since my new daycare is 30min away and 100% wide open interstate driving. That's 10min warmup and 30min at 80-85mph twice a day, 4 days a week.



It has dropped to around 12-14 avg last week.

 

[Gavin Allan]

I checked my average over the last 15 tanks and I am getting 13.1 MPG on my Trac.



Its a truck, not an economy car. With this crappy ethanol gas we have to use, if you are getting 12-15 MPG, you should count your blessings.

 

[Robert Caffyn]

Patrick, my best around town is only 14-15mpg. If all highway, it will average about 18-19mpg. Its a thirsty V-8, what do you expect? Its also a 5000lb brick, not the most aerodynamic shape! Bob

 

[kcirtap]

Hi Bob. Didn't expect 25mpg, but didn't expect low teens either.



Psycareyo yeah going to get a remote start in the next few weeks, but kind of wonder what gas mileage will be like after that.



Every other post here about mileage has ppl mentioning high teens even 20+ mpg, so i was wondering what was up with my truck...



The price to pay for owning a v8 i guess....

 

[Travis Stevens]

i didnt even notice that u had a v8 mins a v6 so that would make a big difference

 

[Richard L]

Patrick,

As others have stated; Those 20-22MPG mileage figures are on longer trips...not day to day commuting mileage.



The best way to verify you actual highway mileage is to get on the open road when there is not traffic around (like very late at night or in the wee-hours of the morning, and do an accurate mileage test, and a long stretch of flat road between 65-70 mph with the cruise control on. A good distance would be between 50-100 miles at minimum.



Be sure your tires are properly inflated, and even better if you add an additional 5-7 PSI to the normal tire pressure...just don't exceed the Max PSI indicated on the sidewall. I would recommend a tire pressure of about 33-35 PSI for minimal roll resistance without too harsh of a ride.



IMO One of the best investment to improve mileage is an Ultra-Gauge or similar device. This gauge simply plugs into your OBDII port and gives average and instantaneous mileage readings as well as access to other computer sensors.



Your vehicle may have an instantaneous MPG readout, but it gets its reading from the vehicles speed sensor and they are often inaccurate and the calibration cannot be adjusted by the owner. The Ultra-Gauge lets you accurately calibrate the gauge to your speed sensor. I picked up an additional 1 MPG just by calibrating my gauge because of the error... I did a test run of exact 7 miles using mile markers and my GPS and the odometer and gauge only detect 6.63 miles? The Ultra-gauge allowed me to calibrate the gauge with a 1.034 adjustment factor and now my ultra gauge speed and mileage prefectly match my GPS and the highway mile markers.



Also, the Ultra-Gauge will show you exactly what speed, and driving habits are saving you fuel and what eats into your gas mileage. That trains you how to drive and save the most gas you can. It also shows the impact of of things we cannot control and how traffic, wind and weather can effect your fuel mileage.



The best part is that the Ultra-Gauge only costs about $60 and you can order it online at: www.ultragauge.com



...Richard

 

[Rich Nichols]

Dam mine gets 11.5 to 12.5 around the city & 14 to 15 Highway!:cry:

 

[Scott Doughtie]

Average for my last 54 fill-ups is 16.034 mpg. My min was 13.169 mpg and the max was 22.150 mpg over the same time period.



I use the aCar app for Android to track every fill-up and expense for the ST.