securityguy
Legendary member
If you are concerned about gas...you should never have bought a truck
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HOW TO SAVE GAS?
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silver billet
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Actually I somewhat disagree with the "eggshell acceleration". A couple of us on here discovered a while ago that it's better to have a more confident and brisk acceleration, but don't over do it either. Just get up to speed relatively quickly and then immediately feather it once you're there. The idea is to maximize the amount of time your truck sits in MDS or in low rpms. When you accelerate slowly, you drag out the amount of time your truck is revving up.
That's the theory, I no longer use MDS so I don't know how accurate it is anymore, but just another approach you could try.
That's the theory, I no longer use MDS so I don't know how accurate it is anymore, but just another approach you could try.
I refuse to do anything like that, takes all the driving fun out of it...
silver billet
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Fair enough. But this IS the "how to save gas" thread.
securityguy
Legendary member
Sorry...but anyone that buys a RAM and then looks to save on gas is...well.......................
RAM Patriot
Ram Guru
Gasoline's blended with Ethanol will lower MPG in most engines. The EPA says Fuel efficiency can decrease by 1.5% to 3%.
Also summer blends contain about 1.7% more energy than winter gasoline.
Also summer blends contain about 1.7% more energy than winter gasoline.
silver billet
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Nobody "buys a truck to save gas". Many people buy a truck to do truck things, but still want to maximize the MPG when the truck is not doing truck things. I'm not sure why this is such hard a concept to understand, but ...............
securityguy
Legendary member
Enjoy your truck...it's an 8-cylinder HEMI that wants you to stomp on the accelerator. What will you save each month by attempting to hypermile a HEMI...$5 in gas? I get the "concept"...I just feel it's...well.......................Nobody "buys a truck to save gas". Many people buy a truck to do truck things, but still want to maximize the MPG when the truck is not doing truck things. I'm not sure why this is such hard a concept to understand, but ...............
silver billet
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I don't try to save gas. I run around with MDS disabled, remember?
I bought my truck to tow my travel trailer, and it's also my daily driver. I'm sure you can imagine that a small portion of the life of my truck is working pretty hard, the rest of it is just sunday strolling around. It's perfectly understandable if some want to reduce their gas. Others buy a truck because it's a large, comfortable, and extremely capable "family hauler" that can go anywhere and do anything and haul stuff from Home Depot. Perhaps the 3.6 is the better choice there, but still.
But yeah, agreed, that hemi does encourage one to bury the foot.......
securityguy
Legendary member
AMEN Brother...right there with you my friend! My truck is just one big TOY. It will see mulch in the bed twice a year and that's about it
I've always loved trucks would never buy anything less than a V8, and the HEMI is one sweet motor mated to the excellent 8-speed tranny. My foot is always depressed hard into my accelerator so I can hear that beautiful HEMI rumble
AmericanRebelution
Well-Known Member
MPG really drops off a cliff after 70mph or so... especially with 3.92s
securityguy
Legendary member
And that's where I spend most of my time...north of 70
One tip you guys forgot was to avoid accelerating up hills. If no one is around, avoid using more gas at all up hill, and catch the speed back up going downhill. Especially with something like a truck that weighs 5,000lb, even going up 10ft in elevation is a lot of energy. Accelerating 5,000 pounds in addition to building the potential energy due to gravity may feel like pressing the gas a little more, but over the course of a tank of gas it's a considerable difference.
As far as stopping goes, every time you stop you're turning that gas you just burned into heat. Again, if you don't have a reason to get to a stop immediately, just coast. staying on the gas 500 feet before slamming on the brake for a light is way less efficient and way harder on the truck than seeing a red light 500 feet away lifting off the gas, and letting the drag of the truck (and eTorque, if you have it) slow you down. For eTorque, some light braking will let it turn even more of that energy into electricity versus one second of braking. It's a habit a lot of people have, but trust me... the light will still be red regardless of how fast you get to it. Around town if no one is around, some lights are short enough I can just coast until they turn green again - less fuel burned, less wear on the truck, and I'm even faster through the intersection than had I come to a full stop.
On idling, as others have pointed out, it's still a big V8 with port fuel injection. We don't have the complexity of a high pressure direct injection system - which is great - but that also means the fuel delivery at idle is less precise so you're going to burn ~2 Oz of fuel every minute (as mentioned before), and it's WORSE when the engine is cold because it's running richer to combat detonation.
TL;DR - drive gently or coast going up hills or toward stop lights, and avoid idling and hard driving when the engine is cold (this is also in the owner's manual).
Yeah, trucks aren't designed to be efficient, but if you need a truck you need a truck. No reason to spend more on gas and wear/ tear if you don't have to.
As far as stopping goes, every time you stop you're turning that gas you just burned into heat. Again, if you don't have a reason to get to a stop immediately, just coast. staying on the gas 500 feet before slamming on the brake for a light is way less efficient and way harder on the truck than seeing a red light 500 feet away lifting off the gas, and letting the drag of the truck (and eTorque, if you have it) slow you down. For eTorque, some light braking will let it turn even more of that energy into electricity versus one second of braking. It's a habit a lot of people have, but trust me... the light will still be red regardless of how fast you get to it. Around town if no one is around, some lights are short enough I can just coast until they turn green again - less fuel burned, less wear on the truck, and I'm even faster through the intersection than had I come to a full stop.
On idling, as others have pointed out, it's still a big V8 with port fuel injection. We don't have the complexity of a high pressure direct injection system - which is great - but that also means the fuel delivery at idle is less precise so you're going to burn ~2 Oz of fuel every minute (as mentioned before), and it's WORSE when the engine is cold because it's running richer to combat detonation.
TL;DR - drive gently or coast going up hills or toward stop lights, and avoid idling and hard driving when the engine is cold (this is also in the owner's manual).
Yeah, trucks aren't designed to be efficient, but if you need a truck you need a truck. No reason to spend more on gas and wear/ tear if you don't have to.
Last edited:
CMil527
Spends too much time on here
take the bus!!
You seriously overestimate the reach of public transit outside of the tri-state area
RSZ
Active Member
2oz per minute at idle? Holy crap! That's a liter every 16 minutes.
RAM Patriot
Ram Guru
securityguy
Legendary member
Just took a 500 mile trip...250 miles each way. Averaged 80 mph on the highway and 16.3 mpg. Kept it on ACC 90+ % of the drive.
