Gas mileage

[silver billet]

Thats crazy, in Germany (at least 40 years ago) they have billboards on the autobahn pleading for drivers to keep it at 130 KPH, with no speed limit. I can tell you when a Lamborghini, Mercedes or BMW starts flashing their lights you better get over, it can be your fault if rear ended. I could barely go 130 with my little 1975 English Ford Escort and learned to get out of the way fast. Can you clarify the governor demanded by law on your truck, and what region? 65 MPH (105 KPH) is slow, but I guess they could have governed you to 55 MPH (90 KPH), like when the USA had a National speed limit of 55 MPH. There were a few States here that made a lot of money on tickets if you were caught going 57 or more MPH, but most ignored the 55 MPH limit.

I'm in Ontario/Canada. We don't drive the same way here, too many guys who park in the left lanes doing 105 km/h. At least when I drive slow I stay in the right lane lol.

News release of when the governor on trucks was implemented:

Ontario Newsroom

news.ontario.ca

 

[23RAM]

You have been claiming all along that Ram sticker numbers are unachievable.

It's what he believes, even though many have posted real world numbers that prove otherwise.

When I see pics of EVIC's showing 24 MPG over a few hundred miles, I'll give the guy the benefit of the doubt when he claims he can get 25-27 MPG on longer trips.

I concur. With 3.92 gears I typically get 21-22 along the 401 outside the GTA with the cruise set at 108-109 km/h which the police ignore, yet lets me pass transports and keep away from most of the jerks racing along at 120+. With my gearing, the sweet spot is 65-68 mph (105-109 km/h) keeping the rpm below 2k.

As you know, in the GTA with slow traffic it's a different story and can be anything from 10-20 per trip.

you claiming 12.5 MPG average with a stock Limited is laughable.

Maybe he drives with the pedal on the floor all the time...

 

[Trooper4]

I didn't buy my truck for the MPG except this thing called a Window sticker, it has words and statements that are provided as fact
I am lucky if I get 17 mpg on the highway when my truck was bone stock with EXACTLY what is listed on this document.
I just filled up and got mostly city miles this tank and I got 12.5mpg (I only care what highway miles show as there should be no variation on highway miles as there are no stoplights and I don't drive in traffic)
View attachment 169881

You say you have a Toyota Camry that gets 36 mpg?
Yes that checks out per the window sticker, there is no lying here just legit numbers that mean something.
How would you feel if you got 27 highway mpg when that sticker shows 39?
View attachment 169882

And you believe politicians too.

 

[Trooper4]

Google how the EPA rates vehicles. Their tests are nowhere near reality. But I didn't get a 3.92, because I don't tow more than 7,000 lbs., and I knew it would get 18% worse mileage. If you wanted mileage, you should have gotten a 3.21, unless you tow 10,000 lbs.

When I tow at 55-60, I get 10-12, but unloaded I can get 22-25 at the same speeds. Of course I don't get better than 17-19 at 70+, so I hardly think I am taking a 18% hit with 3.92's. But no two trucks are the same, so every comparison is apples to oranges.

 

[Idahoktm]

Maybe he drives with the pedal on the floor all the time...

I'm thinking one foot on the brake and one on the gas.

 

[Idahoktm]

When I tow at 55-60, I get 10-12, but unloaded I can get 22-25 at the same speeds. Of course I don't get better than 17-19 at 70+, so I hardly think I am taking a 18% hit with 3.92's. But no two trucks are the same, so every comparison is apples to oranges.

Yeah, there's no way 3.92's get 18% lower fuel economy during routine driving. As a matter of fact, the mileage will be the same or better than 3.21's in city driving. Maybe at sustained speeds above 80 MPH on the highway.

 

[RVTRKN]

opps

 

[RVTRKN]

I'm in Ontario/Canada. We don't drive the same way here, too many guys who park in the left lanes doing 105 km/h. At least when I drive slow I stay in the right lane lol.

News release of when the governor on trucks was implemented:

Ontario Newsroom

news.ontario.ca

I'm glad I live in a free Country, and a free State. The link you posted seems like its for a Class A Semi's, when does a Ram 1500 classify as a big truck ? On further note: keep that law from Comifornia. The Wac's out there would love to govern all cars, including EV's.

 

[spyder]

If the weather is good on the week I'm trying to do it, I'll be doing a ~4500 mile trip that will be about 98% freeway at 75+ from California to Missouri and back, with some side trips. I'll keep track of all the data and report back. Truck is brand new, just did the first oil change at 3503 miles. After this one, I'll go off the oil monitor recommendation for changes, but the first one I like to do a little earlier...even though I know it's probably not needed with modern machining, assembly, and oil tech.

 

[silver billet]

I'm glad I live in a free Country, and a free State. The link you posted seems like its for a Class A Semi's, when does a Ram 1500 classify as a big truck ? On further note: keep that law from Comifornia. The Wac's out there would love to govern all cars, including EV's.

I think you misread. The link is indeed for semis, the point is that they are mechanically governed to that top speed so there is no issue from a "flow" perspective for me to sit in the middle of that traffic along with them and sunday stroll down the freeway. I'm not holding anyone up, and all the impatient people quickly move to the left lanes so that frees up the right lane for people like me who want a calm driving experience. The left lanes can be quicker from an average MPH, but is often a "speed up" and "brake" and "speed up again" cycle which drives me nuts, I prefer to find a steady speed and stick to it.

Personally I'm happy with that particular law, there is 0 reason why semi's should be driving faster than that.

Other cars and light trucks are doing well over the speed limit. Some areas here the speed limit is 110 km/h, traffic is often doing 120 to 130 with cops only pulling over the morons weaving in and out or driving excessively past that.

 

[ZombieSlayer]

At 60 mph on somewhat hilly and twisty 2 lane highway I get 21ish mpg for a 50ish mile trip one way. On the short drive to/from work for a week I average 16 mph with about 80% of that on the freeway at 69 mph (69 because I'm still a little immature ) If I stick to 66 mph I can get almost 18 mpg over the course of a week.

My last trip from Roseburg OR to Sacramento CA I averaged 23 mpg at 69 mph (once I got over the mountains in southeren OR).

 

[vincentw56]

I think you misread. The link is indeed for semis, the point is that they are mechanically governed to that top speed so there is no issue from a "flow" perspective for me to sit in the middle of that traffic along with them and sunday stroll down the freeway. I'm not holding anyone up, and all the impatient people quickly move to the left lanes so that frees up the right lane for people like me who want a calm driving experience. The left lanes can be quicker from an average MPH, but is often a "speed up" and "brake" and "speed up again" cycle which drives me nuts, I prefer to find a steady speed and stick to it.

Personally I'm happy with that particular law, there is 0 reason why semi's should be driving faster than that.

Other cars and light trucks are doing well over the speed limit. Some areas here the speed limit is 110 km/h, traffic is often doing 120 to 130 with cops only pulling over the morons weaving in and out or driving excessively past that.

The way you made it sound above was that trucks, including light trucks like yours, are governed. I think that is why everyone was confused. You didn't clarify that it was only big trucks and your just prefer to stay behind them.

 

[silver billet]

The way you made it sound above was that trucks, including light trucks like yours, are governed. I think that is why everyone was confused. You didn't clarify that it was only big trucks and your just prefer to stay behind them.

Glad I could clarify. Since half of Canada drives (pickup) trucks too, I think there would be an insurrection if they tried to govern the speed of them. We just get our license yanked and car/truck impounded if we go >= 150 in a 100.

 

[RVTRKN]

Most big trucking corporations govern themselves to save money, not the environment. Unfortunately I drove for Swift and Knight Transportation that have governed trucks at 62 MPH or 65 MPH with cruise set and would cause a lot of headaches for not just truckers legally driving the set speed limit for the State their in, but for the 4 wheelers (auto's) that got jammed up from other Semi's getting around me. In Comifornia its worse, 55 MPH Semi's or Auto's with trailers, which really screws up wide open Desert driving. I ignored the 55 limit and would cruise at 65 in the Desert, I had many CHP (California Highway Patrol) on my tail as I passed the slower trucks and I never got pulled over.

 

[spyder]

My last trip from Roseburg OR to Sacramento CA I averaged 23 mpg at 69 mph (once I got over the mountains in southeren OR).

Funny. I drive from Pendleton area to Redding area frequently and I very consistently, with every vehicle I've had over the years, get a couple mpg better going south on the trip than I do going north. Not sure why, as the elevation changes are pretty similar going both ways and I don't think I change driving style any.

 

[HSKR R/T]

The way you made it sound above was that trucks, including light trucks like yours, are governed. I think that is why everyone was confused. You didn't clarify that it was only big trucks and your just prefer to stay behind them.

I'm not sure everyone was confused. I understood what he was saying

 

[HSKR R/T]

Most big trucking corporations govern themselves to save money, not the environment. Unfortunately I drove for Swift and Knight Transportation that have governed trucks at 62 MPH or 65 MPH with cruise set and would cause a lot of headaches for not just truckers legally driving the set speed limit for the State their in, but for the 4 wheelers (auto's) that got jammed up from other Semi's getting around me. In Comifornia its worse, 55 MPH Semi's or Auto's with trailers, which really screws up wide open Desert driving. I ignored the 55 limit and would cruise at 65 in the Desert, I had many CHP (California Highway Patrol) on my tail as I passed the slower trucks and I never got pulled over.

I got pulled over in Sacramento doing 70mph in the left lane pulling a small trailer behind my Dakota back in 2015.

 

[vincentw56]

I'm not sure everyone was confused. I understood what he was saying

"Trucks in my region are legally governed to about that speed (105 km/h), meaning, they're physically unable to go faster."

That was his statement. Glad you are able to understand the difference between trucks and semis and light trucks with the general term of "trucks". Not all of us are so smart.

 

[hogger]

Funny. I drive from Pendleton area to Redding area frequently and I very consistently, with every vehicle I've had over the years, get a couple mpg better going south on the trip than I do going north. Not sure why, as the elevation changes are pretty similar going both ways and I don't think I change driving style any.

I've done the central valley trip quite a bit myself, and noticed the same thing... most of the time. It's the prevailing wind. Generally out of the north west, so you effectively have 5-10 mph more air speed on the north bound trip, and 5-10 mph less on the southbound leg. I've had a couple trips where the wind patterns were reversed, and sure enough, I got the opposing mileage pattern.

 

[HSKR R/T]

"Trucks in my region are legally governed to about that speed (105 km/h), meaning, they're physically unable to go faster."

That was his statement. Glad you are able to understand the difference between trucks and semis and light trucks with the general term of "trucks". Not all of us are so smart.

If you include the rest of his comment, to add context, when he talks about liking the right lane because "trucks" are moderate in there speed and don't speed up or slow down quickly, one can ascertain he isnt talking about pick up trucks