News U can use

[Bryan Z]

Me and my wife drive her 4.7 Dodge Ram SLT only when we really need to because of its crappy gas mileage. I know I should have got the Hemi with more torque and cylinder deactivation technology. I'd also heard horror stories about a lurching sensation with that same technology, so we got the conventional 4.7.
Anyways, my mileage improved from an average 14.5 mpg to now about 17.4 mpg simply by slowing down to 60 miles an hour on the highway and setting the cruise control. I know this is all basically common knowledge but I thought I'd mention that ever since I started this regimen it works really well. The big difference is setting the cruise control and letting the computer do its thing. I thought that I could do a better job by controlling the gas pedal myself but the found that the opposite is true. Also whenever possible use a light touch on the gas pedal. I took a pic of the overhead eco monitor, it's hard to read but 17.4 is now my average fuel economy.
If anyone else out there wants to boost their mpg, don't forget to slow down and set the cruise control if you have it.

 

[iraqivet01]

When the manufacture set the mpg on vehicles, it taken on flat ground driving 55 mph. It why people freak out when their 4 banger only getting 28 mpg and it was posted 32 to 36 mpg on the window sticker.

You have to find your cars sweet spot. Every 5 mph I go over 70 in my SRT 10 take another 1 to 2 mpg away from the listed sticker. If I go 70 in 6th gear, it will get into the 16's on a good day. But I didn't buy a V10 500 hp viper truck for the gas mileage or to go 70 when it posted 75.

A K&N filter will bump you up a mile or 2, but I would not recommended it if your driving down dirt road.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

I have the 5.9 magnum in my 2000 Durango and it averages 12ish.Never bothered to look at the 2500 pick up with the plow on it:icon_eyes:

 

[Deleted member 214]

I have seen Priuses and other hybrids blow by me doing 75 or 80. I heard one lady is suing Honda becaause her Prius doesn't get the advertise mileage. If she is one of those people, and mashed the accelerator a lot, I blame the driver and not the car. My six pack went from 8-10 MPG to mid-teens on the highway with an overdriver 5-speed and a good tune.

 

[68sportsatelliteragtop]

I've got an 05 Magnum R/T that gets 24 mpg on the highway only if I set the cruise and let it do its thing. I also thought I could do better then the computer but just can't do it. It has the MDS system and I can tell you the transition from 4-8 cylinders is seamless. You can cruise at 65 mph and step on it and be over 80 in a blink of an eye!

 

[Budnicks]

I have a 99 Dakota SLT extra cab 4x4 5.2ltr. Magnum/OD auto, it use to get 12ish mpg completely stock, Now it has a a bunch of bolt-ons, I did, 195* thermostat, 1.7:1 Harlen Sharpe roller rockers, AEM 1/2" TB swirl spacer, air box, tube & K&N cone type filter, Edelbrock shorty headers, 3" cat-back Flowmaster exhaust, Hypertech tuner/programmer, Royal Purple Synthetic oils in everything, 32"x11"x16" snow tires, it gets between 13-15mpg stop & go, if I keep my foot out of it & drive somewhat conservatively driving {not like a teenage hot rodder} & 17-21mpg on strictly freeway/hwy 65mph driving... The added power & torque gets me around the mountain roads much, much better than the stock combo did, I don't need to bash the throttle as hard, to get any were, I also take it out of OD or shift down to second gear on really steep 35mph roads/hills, on most of the hills so it's not up & down shifting so much, maintaining a constant speed & RPM around 2000-2200rpm 55-60mph out of OD & 2200-2500rpm at 35mpg in second gear on the steep hills & use the cruise control & OD 1400-1600rpm at 60-65mph 1700+rpm at 70mph on any longer flatter drives, were I'm not having to reset it or braking all the time, "we don't have many, if any freeways up here in the Central Sierra Nevada Mountain sticks, were I live"....

 

[b-bodyboy]

Thanks for the truthful post Budnicks, most people don't realize the right performance mods can severely increase your gas mileage. My 68 road runner clone gets considerably more than 25 mpg highway with no cruise control. but thats with a 273V8 and a 2.76 rear gear. still i find it strange how my 44 year old muscle car with a 46 year old engine gets better gas mileage than a vast majority of brand new cars. Im sure it has a lot to do with how i drive though, since i just cruise like an old man till its time to race.

 

[tpodwdog]

.
If anyone else out there wants to boost their mpg, don't forget to slow down and set the cruise control if you have it.

slow down?....SLOW DOWN??????.......we all drive MOPARS here buddy.....THATS NOT IN OUR VOCABULARY!!!!:headbang:

 

[Cranky]

Cruise control works very well on FLAT roads and does exactly opposite than what's needed on hilly terrain and slowing down does help. Our 2000 5.2 Durango with 3.90 gears gets 17-18 @ 60 and it's 4600 lbs. Proper tire inflation helps too. I've been told that the overhead lies but I've checked ours many times over the years and it's on the money. Ok, lets talk diesels!

 

[Ron 73]

Getting my Ram, with a 5.2 fixed, ill know what to expect, maybe No free way driving here... Going into town really the only time we use the cruise control, in her car, yet to know how the truck will react, the 3/4 4x4 i sold last year was in a word, terrible... Especially with the plow on it..

 

[Meep-Meep]

When I checked my 02 Durango (4.7 / 3.55) it got about 14 commuting and 18 on the hwy. I drive 65-75. I don't have the cornputer so I just did the math. 20 gallons for 300 miles is what I usually get and on a long trip 20 gals for 350-370 miles. Towing an empty car trailer does not seem to affect the mileage at all on the hwy. Still got 17 or so. With a car on it I got 12. It now has 176 K miles and still runs like a champ and I bet if I did what you do I could get better.