[akironic]

Hello everyone! Name is Erik from Jersey. Back in 99 I leased a brand new black D, had it for 3 years, absolutely LOVED the truck (wife too) but at the end of the lease I just couldn't swing the buy out financially. Well I swore that one day I would have another one and that day has come! I picked up an 01, 4.7, 4WD, Garnett Red, black leather interior, SLT+, balls loaded. Originally I wanted a 5.9'r but just couldn't pass the price on the 4.7 (63k miles, $5250 :rck

I new that the D's are gas hogs and thats ok. The wife mainly drives it (well under 10k a year) and I was previously driving a mini-van :tdwn: The day after I got her, she received an oil change and while tinkering with the options of the truck, I noticed the home-link showed 9.3 mpg :YO: I thought to myself, well that cant be right. I headed to the gas station, filled her up and wrote down the present mileage. A few days later ( I drove the hell outta her) it was time to fill her up again. Notating the present mileage, I pull out the calculator and WOW!, I'm getting 9.3 mpg!!! :help::help:

In the morning I plan to check under the hood a little closer to see how things look. I was just out there w/ a flashlight to take a look at the stock air filter... perfectly clean. It's definitely time for a tuneup though!

My questions... Anyone else experience such poor gas mileage with there D? I just D/L'd a service manual off of the net and am about to do some reading, but what do you guys recommend I start out with to improve the mpg? Presently the truck is 100% stock under the hood. I do plan on doing an aftermarket CAI, but what else should I do to get some improvements? I appreciate any replies I may get and I look forward to chatting with everyone. Thanks!!

...Erik

 

[dodgefan360]

It's definitely time for a tuneup though!

For sure!!!

Gas mileage in the winter will always be poor. Make sure tire pressures are correct. A CAI is a good mod. A handheld tuner and TB are also good mods.

 

[jobemc]

And don't forget that the ethanol that is now in all gas is a mileage robber.. I used to get about 280-310 miles before the gas light would come on. Since ethanol it's around 250-265 when it comes on.

 

[B1G BLEU]

Wow, I get at least another 5280 feet out of a gallon of gas than you! Mine never dropped below 9.9mpg

 

[mojoman]

Welcome to DT and congrats on your new rig. I know in the winter time we do get poor gas mileage but hey that life and when the summer come we will have fun.

 

[!05RAM05!]

You know, I never thought about the ethanol crap. If it makes gas mileage worse, why in the hell is the government mandating that all gas contain atleast 10%. I just read that fuel containing ethanol will give you a 3% reduction in fuel mileage.

In theory, all fuel-driven vehicles have a fuel economy (measured as miles per US gallon, or liters per 100 km) that is directly proportional to the fuel's energy content. In reality, there are many other variables that come in to play that affect the performance of a particular fuel in a particular engine. Ethanol contains approx. 34% less energy per unit volume than gasoline, and therefore in theory, burning pure ethanol in a vehicle will result in a 34% reduction in miles per US gallon, given the same fuel economy, compared to burning pure gasoline. This assumes that the octane ratings of the fuels, and thus the engine's ability to extract energy from the fuels, are the same. For E10 (10% ethanol and 90% gasoline), the effect is small (~3%) when compared to conventional gasoline, and even smaller (1-2%) when compared to oxygenated and reformulated blends. However, for E85 (85% ethanol), the effect becomes significant. E85 will produce lower mileage than gasoline, and will require more frequent refueling. Actual performance may vary depending on the vehicle. Based on EPA tests for all 2006 E85 models, the average fuel economy for E85 vehicles resulted 25.56% lower than unleaded gasoline. The EPA-rated mileage of current USA flex-fuel vehicles should be considered when making price comparisons, but it must be noted that E85 is a high performance fuel, with an octane rating of about 104, and should be compared to premium. In one estimate the US retail price for E85 ethanol is 2.62 US dollar per gallon or 3.71 dollar corrected for energy equivalency compared to a gallon of gasoline priced at 3.03 dollar. Brazilian cane ethanol (100%) is priced at 3.88 dollar against 4.91 dollar for E25 (as July 2007).

 

[moe7404]

moe in wichita ks
i have a dak v6, i have been told they are very sinsative to HOW you drive. i HAVE found that to be so. unless you are racing try to keep the rpm under 2000 as much as you can

 

[moe7404]

moe in wichita ks
open your spark plug gap to .045

 

[B1G BLEU]

Micash, IIRC, the govt has us using it to reduce winter emissions during warmup. Definitely worse gas mileage using E85 compared to gasoline

 

[!05RAM05!]

i can understand the whole deal with lower emissions. in the beginning, E85 is cheaper but by the time you figure in the 34% loss in fuel economy, you end up spending more on E85 than you do gas. im gonna try to find a station around here that doesnt use 10% ethanol and see if it effects my mileage enough to care. I know the most I have ever got out of one tank was 389. i usually get about 290-310, and thats right when the gas light comes on. IMO thats not bad considering the fact that I have 33x12.50/15's on my D.

 

[gr8scott]

( I drove the hell outta her)

but what else should I do to get some improvements?

Um, I think you answered your own question. Lay off the skinny pedal!

(With the 5.9L and the 4.56:1 gears, I can get as little as 6.5 mpg romping on it around town when normally I get 14.)

 

[akironic]

Thanks for all the replies fellas. This weekend she'll be getting a tuneup and I'm going to try and be light footed with the pedal. :drivingz: I knew the D's didn't have such great gas mileage but 9 mpg is pretty sh!tty. I'm really hoping after the tuneup I'll get almost 11 with a heavy foot!

Momma is ringin the dinner triangle so gotta run. But I'll be back. I was sifting quickly through the forums earlier and see I have ALOT of reading to do! Thanks again everyone!

...Erik

 

[B1G BLEU]

Gutting the interior should get you a nice improvement, just tell everyone you're a race car driver!