Surprising increase in truck MPG

Here in Ontario Canada, the main 400 series highways average 110-120 kph in the slow lane. 110 or 70 mph holds up traffic usually. 140 kph in the center lane and if they catch you at over 150 kph in the fast lane, you lose the car for a week....

If you follow the traffic flow, they won't pick you out, you have to do something dumb to get nailed.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build Photos:
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Reply to
Mike Romain
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"Pete C." wrote: Once you get below around half a tank, the vertically mounted fuel pump

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ No manufacturer would design a fuel pump configuration that relies on keeping the fuel level way above empty. Obviously, the fuel flow through the pump is sufficient to prevent damage. Also, this is self-limiting. When the fuel flow stops, the engine also stops. I suppose you might do some damage if you were dorky enough to sit there with a dead engine listening to the fuel pump rattling away.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

"sdlomi2" wrote: (clip) In older times a prof.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I wish your prof. were right. If the tank approached empty *asymptotically* you would never run out.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

On Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:27:46 -0400 "Ed Huntress" wrote: Haven't tried it too much

Hi Ed.. the only road in da U.P. that's over 55 is 60 miles of I75 from St. Ignace to the Soo. But I never get that far east. If I drive south I can hit 41 just north of Green Bay, I think that is 65 or 70.

Does anyone stick to 55? Nah.

You know Ed, this is a part of Michigan (the Keweenaw) that most folks downstate don't realize is here. LOL

Reply to
Jim

Yes some people do drive 55, between Raco and the Soo the cops have (well, had) a real hard-on for automotive engineers and test drivers in prototypes. Their dislike is not entirely unwarranted however...

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

It doesn't rely on it, it just has a shorter service life if it isn't submerged most of the time. It doesn't blow up, it just runs hotter and wears faster. I'm rather familiar with these pumps, I've replaced several of them and it isn't a fun way to spend an hour.

Reply to
Pete C.

I've just replaced the pump in my '85 Corvette after 265,000 miles and can attest to this. The first replacement was when money was tight and gas was always low at about 45K.

GM told me to keep more gas in the car. They were correct.

Reply to
John R. Carroll

Only a moron would make such statements about 10 MPG and not take the work done into account. 10 MPG is perfectly reasonable when you're moving 20,000#. MPG does not measure efficiency, only economy. 10 MPG would be inefficient if you got it from a 2,000 econo box, it is not at all unreasonable or inefficient from a heavy truck.

Again moronic statements. The price of fuel is currently being heavily influenced by investors moving their money from the collapsing housing market into oil futures. It has little to do with current supply and demand. Indeed we are seeing an oil bubble forming and may well see that bubble burst in the next 12 months and fuel prices fall drastically.

As for the person driving the 10 MPG truck, most of them can't do what they need to do in a 30 MPG econo box period. It's simple physics, you can't put 4,000# of shit into a 2,000# car, nor can you tow a 10,000# trailer. You drive the vehicle that is necessary to get the job done and that's all there is to it.

If millions of idiots like you actually understood what trucks are for and how the fuel markets worked, we might actually have a working national energy policy. Instead no progress is made due to idiots making moronic claims like those you have posted.

Reply to
Pete C.

My '89 Ford F350 1ton has dual tanks.

A 12 gallon and a 10 gallon.

351 fuel injected, 11,000 original miles

55mph = 15mpg

60mpg =13 mpg 65 mph =10.35 mpg

Gunner

"[L]iberals are afraid to state what they truly believe in, for to do so would result in even less votes than they currently receive. Their methodology is to lie about their real agenda in the hopes of regaining power, at which point they will do whatever they damn well please. The problem is they have concealed and obfuscated for so long that, as a group, they themselves are no longer sure of their goals. They are a collection of wild-eyed splinter groups, all holding a grab-bag of dreams and wishes. Some want a Socialist, secular-humanist state, others the repeal of the Second Amendment. Some want same sex/different species marriage, others want voting rights for trees, fish, coal and bugs. Some want cradle to grave care and complete subservience to the government nanny state, others want a culture that walks in lockstep and speaks only with intonations of political correctness. I view the American liberals in much the same way I view the competing factions of Islamic fundamentalists. The latter hate each other to the core, and only join forces to attack the US or Israel. The former hate themselves to the core, and only join forces to attack George Bush and conservatives." --Ron Marr

Reply to
Gunner Asch

Check your fuel mileage for two or three tanks on regular. Then switch to premium for two or three tanks. You'll see a difference in your fuel mileage.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Well, in the middle of winter, it almost isn't. At one point, Copper Harbor had the highest average snowfall in the continental US.

Reply to
Ed Huntress

Sorry to rain on your parade, but on a STANDARD vehicle, not tuned to take advantage of the higher octane rating of gasohol you WILL get poorer gas mileage. Scientific fact, and proven in real life. Add to the fact that you have 10% ethanol, you canalso have another up to roughly 2% water due to the the groscopic nature of ethanol. The water adds virtually no power (again, on an engine not retuned for higher octane where the water MAY raise the detonation threshold)

I have NEVER experienced an increase in fuel mileage using ethanol blended gasoline over equivalent octane non-reformulated or non-oxygenated fuel.

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada

The accuracy of the pumps at the gas station is another factor. Several friends of mine owned service stations in the 1960s and 70s. I often helped them out. It was nearly impossible to adjust the pumps to give accurate measure. Some pumped too much, others too little. Some shadier operators (not my friends) always had the pumps set up to give short measure.

Steve R.

Reply to
Steve R.

I would also be interested in seeing some definitive details as (1) increasing octane rating with no other change results in no change in power, and (2) back in the old racing days some cars ran on straight alcohol and if memory serves required roughly double the jet size to produce the same horsepower as the gasoline fueled cars.

It is difficult to see how adding alcohol, a lower powered fuel, would increase fuel economy.

Bruce-in-Bangkok (correct email address for reply)

Reply to
Bruce in Bangkok

I could likely get another couple of MPG if I emptied the van and removed the passenger seats, and then raised my tire pressure 2 or 3 PSI, took off the roof rack, and removed the bra from the front. Between the seats and the stuff I carry around there is likely close to 200 lbs. When I take off the Dunlop Graspics and put the Goodyear touring tires back on it will also make a difference of close to a MPG. That should happen this next week.

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada

And 180 is NOT too hot on most engines. An occaisional engine will have a high NOX emission when run at that temp, but the VAST majority will get better fuel mileage and lower HC and CO output at the higher temperature. The more heat you keep IN the engine, the more efficient it is.As long as you don't get detonation or other problems due to the increase heat (which are USUALLY not a factor below 190 - 195.

On economy runs, operating temps of 215 and above are (or used to be) commonplace.

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada

Closer to 50%. To run straight ethanol the jets on a carb need to flow twice the volume.

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada

Like 33-55% of MTBE in gasoline - it didn't make it better, it diluted it. Millage dropped. And the ground water and lakes polluted.

Adding Alcohol to the fuel simply stretches the gas. It will take the water out of the bottom of the tank but boost octane - not hardly.

Someday: Cuba will be able to import new cars and find out the old ones they had worked better.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.

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Bruce > >

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Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Sounds like my 850 Mini. Single carb - 60 mph in third, 55 in fourth and 50 MPG regardless how I drove it. Generally the accellerator pedal was nothing more or less than a switch.

Or my 1949 VW 998. 45MPH with a good tailwind on the level. Cable brakes made even that speed interesting when it came time to stop (touch the pedal lightly, catch the "veer" and then stand on it). Got a "breakaway" coming in the Nakatindi highway from Bottswana to Livingstone one day and hit 70 - too scared to hit the brakes to attempt to slow it down!!!! That one generally never got better than about 30 MPG, if that.

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada

IF the engine can take advantage of the higher octane you WILL get better mileage (assuming neither fuel has a different percentafe of Ethanol or other "modifications". If the engine can NOT make use of the higher octane, there will be virtually no difference in mileage, positive or negative, with increased octane rating. An engine with no knock sensor will have no improvement. Some with will. My wife's 2.5 Mystique gets better gas mileage on Super, but not enough to pay for the difference in pump price.

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada

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