Poor gas mileage

[ferraiolo1]

I think where we are today is way better than many years ago. My last truck was 2001 dodge 1500 4WD extended cab short bed and I was getting 10 mpg with mostly highway driving. This was a truck that only made under 300 HP and I think it was just over 300 Tq (360 engine). I now have the longest truck I have ever had and I would guess the heaviest and I get 14 -15 with mostly in town driving and have seen 19 on the highway that is after leveling and aftermarket rims and tires with 392 gears. Fuel efficiency has come a long way, do I think It could be better, sure, but it is a truck at 6000 pounds with bad wind drag when compared to a car. I came back to a truck from driving a 2018 Challenger T/A 392 with 370 gears averaging around 16 mpg and burning 93 octane. If you want great gas mileage these are not the vehicles for you. Go buy a little Honda and enjoy.

Not thattt long of a way

My fathers 89 Silverado consistently gets 17mpg on the highway with a tbi 350 since he owned it new.

My 08 / 15 /17 Silverados all got in the 20s before lifting them.

Even the newest generation of trucks with all their aero and “lightened bodies” still don’t get much better than they did 20 years ago.

Although tow ratings and hp figures are a bit better now days.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Idahoktm]

Top Tier Fuel.... I'm familiar with the term and understand it means better quality gasoline, but have't put much effort into researching the details and how important it is to use Top Tier gas. Yes, we do have Costco in our area, although it's not on my "regular beat" these days, nearest one is about 17 miles away and it's a special trip, usually go there once a month or so. Typically we buy gas from our local Fred Meyer ( grocery chain owned by Kroger ). We get 10c / gal off for every 100 bucks spent ( which happens alarmingly quickly in grocery stores these days ! ). However, I just did a quick check, and it seems that Kroger / Fred Meyer may NOT be Top Tier certified. Here's one article , https://firstquarterfinance.com/fred-meyer-gas-quality/ . Hmmm. Now I got some thinkin' to do ! After rebuilding the Subaru I don't want to compromise it with bad gas ! Nor do I want to get off on the wrong foot with the Rebel once it arrives.
By the way, I think you are right and I should think carefully before parting with the Subaru. If nothing else, it's a fun car to drive, especially being a manual. I'm currently running Falken Wildpeaks on it ( which I thought might hurt the gas mileage but didn't seem to make a noticeable difference ), and it's just super solid on the road ( and off the road !)

I've been buying gas at Freddie's for years and I haven't had any issues. The last time I filled up, I had a 50c per gallon discount.

 

[SD Rebel]

Top Tier Fuel.... I'm familiar with the term and understand it means better quality gasoline, but have't put much effort into researching the details and how important it is to use Top Tier gas. Yes, we do have Costco in our area, although it's not on my "regular beat" these days, nearest one is about 17 miles away and it's a special trip, usually go there once a month or so. Typically we buy gas from our local Fred Meyer ( grocery chain owned by Kroger ). We get 10c / gal off for every 100 bucks spent ( which happens alarmingly quickly in grocery stores these days ! ). However, I just did a quick check, and it seems that Kroger / Fred Meyer may NOT be Top Tier certified. Here's one article , https://firstquarterfinance.com/fred-meyer-gas-quality/ . Hmmm. Now I got some thinkin' to do ! After rebuilding the Subaru I don't want to compromise it with bad gas ! Nor do I want to get off on the wrong foot with the Rebel once it arrives.
By the way, I think you are right and I should think carefully before parting with the Subaru. If nothing else, it's a fun car to drive, especially being a manual. I'm currently running Falken Wildpeaks on it ( which I thought might hurt the gas mileage but didn't seem to make a noticeable difference ), and it's just super solid on the road ( and off the road !)

Top Tier is just auto manufacturer supported fuel standards, essentially that it has the right amount of detergents in the fuel. The gasoline pretty much all comes from the same sources, it's that bottle of detergent/additives (brand specific) the delivery driver brings with him and pours into the station tanks that make the difference.

I just mentioned Costco or ARCO because they are usually the lowest priced Top Tier rated gas stations.

 

[yxas007]

I received my '21 Limited in June, and it seemed to run 18mpg on the stock night edition wheels and tires. Once I put 35s (ridge grapplers) and a 4" lift on it, I now get 10.4. Doesn't that drop seem excessive?

If I cared much about mpg, I'd have bought a Prius, but 10mpg is a bit absurd considering the Fords are putting out higher torque, more hp, and consistent 20s mpg out of that 3.5 ecoboost...Ram needs a better engine imo, but any thoughts on if my mpg drop is along the lines of what you all have experienced after lifting would be great.

On a side note, it also seems like the nose on my truck adjusts UP when it goes into aero...doesn't that seem backwards? Is that something the shop could have borked when they did the lift?

 

[AngelPhoenix]

I received my '21 Limited in June, and it seemed to run 18mpg on the stock night edition wheels and tires. Once I put 35s (ridge grapplers) and a 4" lift on it, I now get 10.4. Doesn't that drop seem excessive?

If I cared much about mpg, I'd have bought a Prius, but 10mpg is a bit absurd considering the Fords are putting out higher torque, more hp, and consistent 20s mpg out of that 3.5 ecoboost...Ram needs a better engine imo, but any thoughts on if my mpg drop is along the lines of what you all have experienced after lifting would be great.

On a side note, it also seems like the nose on my truck adjusts UP when it goes into aero...doesn't that seem backwards? Is that something the shop could have borked when they did the lift?

A 4 inch lift and big, heavy 35 inch A/T's? That's probably enough to cause that drop.

As far as Aero putting your nose up, the air sus system might be confused as to what position it's in at "normal" now, with your lift. What kit did you use?

 

[yxas007]

A 4 inch lift and big, heavy 35 inch A/T's? That's probably enough to cause that drop.

As far as Aero putting your nose up, the air sus system might be confused as to what position it's in at "normal" now, with your lift. What kit did you use?

I did the BDS for air suspension. Originally I was looking into a putting a 3" on a standard coil suspension Laramie, but RAM in all their wisdom quit putting standard safety gear (mostly the blind spot monitor) on the Laramies, so I ended up with a Limited (which I love for what it's worth).

but 10 mpg lol. It's not uncommon to be going 65 down a flat highway @ 9 mpg

Should I be accounting for tire size affecting my speedometer and odometer and such like older trucks?

 

[AngelPhoenix]

I did the BDS for air suspension. Originally I was looking into a putting a 3" on a standard coil suspension Laramie, but RAM in all their wisdom quit putting standard safety gear (mostly the blind spot monitor) on the Laramies, so I ended up with a Limited (which I love for what it's worth).

but 10 mpg lol. It's not uncommon to be going 65 down a flat highway @ 9 mpg

Should I be accounting for tire size affecting my speedometer and odometer and such like older trucks?

Yeah, someone else on here can give you a better breakdown than me, but with tires that much bigger than stock, you're going faster than you think, and your MPG's are not as bad as they seem.

Still, those are heavy-@$$ tires. You have 3.21 gears, or 3.92?

Btw, I went from looking at a Laramie to getting a Limited for that exact reasoning (mostly the BSM, which is a must-have for me).

 

[brian42]

Top Tier is just auto manufacturer supported fuel standards, essentially that it has the right amount of detergents in the fuel. The gasoline pretty much all comes from the same sources, it's that bottle of detergent/additives (brand specific) the delivery driver brings with him and pours into the station tanks that make the difference.

I just mentioned Costco or ARCO because they are usually the lowest priced Top Tier rated gas stations.

Here's the list: https://www.toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

I fill up with Costco 91 octane, which is usually cheaper than 89 octane at other stations around me. I burn through a tank a week so make back my $60 membership fee in about a month.

 

[Idahoktm]

I received my '21 Limited in June, and it seemed to run 18mpg on the stock night edition wheels and tires. Once I put 35s (ridge grapplers) and a 4" lift on it, I now get 10.4. Doesn't that drop seem excessive?

If I cared much about mpg, I'd have bought a Prius, but 10mpg is a bit absurd considering the Fords are putting out higher torque, more hp, and consistent 20s mpg out of that 3.5 ecoboost...Ram needs a better engine imo, but any thoughts on if my mpg drop is along the lines of what you all have experienced after lifting would be great.

On a side note, it also seems like the nose on my truck adjusts UP when it goes into aero...doesn't that seem backwards? Is that something the shop could have borked when they did the lift?

Have you recalibrated your speedometer? I find it hard to believe an EcoBust is getting 20 mpg with 35" tires.

 

[yxas007]

Yeah, someone else on here can give you a better breakdown than me, but with tires that much bigger than stock, you're going faster than you think, and your MPG's are not as bad as they seem.

Still, those are heavy-@$$ tires. You have 3.21 gears, or 3.92?

Btw, I went from looking at a Laramie to getting a Limited for that exact reasoning (mostly the BSM, which is a must-have for me).

I'm terrible...I don't hardly use my mirrors anymore aside from the yellow triangles.....the tech on these trucks is pretty wild. I've only whiplashed myself twice when backing up to a bush, and the trucks SLAMS on the brakes so I don't hit a leaf lol.

I know I don't have 3.21. I was thinking 3.55?

 

[yxas007]

Have you recalibrated your speedometer? I find it hard to believe an EcoBust is getting 20 mpg with 35" tires.

That mpg is from my bro in laws 2019 raptor. Pretty sure those have 35s.

I have not recalibrated my speedometer. It seems to line up with gps speed on like google maps or whatnot. Sounds like I have a little project to look into

 

[IvoryHemi]

Should I be accounting for tire size affecting my speedometer and odometer and such like older trucks?

Just like older trucks, today’s trucks do not have the ability to detect tire diameter on the vehicle

Re-calibration of tire diameter is required for an accurate speedometer.

From stock ~32’s to ~35’s usually means you are going ~7% farther than indicated.

So your 10.4 mpg is actually ~11.1 mpg

 

[TSL]

I've been buying gas at Freddie's for years and I haven't had any issues. The last time I filled up, I had a 50c per gallon discount.

yeah, I've been buying there for probably 10+ yrs myself without any issues that I know of ! I guess if they were selling "bad gas", by now somebody would have filed the ubiquitous "class action lawsuit" !

 

[SD Rebel]

Here's the list: https://www.toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

I fill up with Costco 91 octane, which is usually cheaper than 89 octane at other stations around me. I burn through a tank a week so make back my $60 membership fee in about a month.

Yup, same with me. Sometimes I will occasionally top off with 91, and refill when down almost half a tank with 87, which should equal 89. I could do that at one sitting, but I suspect the other drivers waiting behind me would do a purge on me if I tried.

But 91 Costco meets the 89 octane recommendation while still being cheaper than most other stations 89 or sometimes even 87, win win I say!

 

[Trooper4]

I received my '21 Limited in June, and it seemed to run 18mpg on the stock night edition wheels and tires. Once I put 35s (ridge grapplers) and a 4" lift on it, I now get 10.4. Doesn't that drop seem excessive?

If I cared much about mpg, I'd have bought a Prius, but 10mpg is a bit absurd considering the Fords are putting out higher torque, more hp, and consistent 20s mpg out of that 3.5 ecoboost...Ram needs a better engine imo, but any thoughts on if my mpg drop is along the lines of what you all have experienced after lifting would be great.

On a side note, it also seems like the nose on my truck adjusts UP when it goes into aero...doesn't that seem backwards? Is that something the shop could have borked when they did the lift?

You put larger tires on and complain about MPG suffering? You don.t say what gears you have, but if it's the 3.21's, that might have a lot to do with it. Also, what engine do you have? The 5.7? Comparing your MPG to a Fort Eco boost is not even a comparison. No spedo recalibration might have something to do with bad numbers, but bigger tires never equate to better MPG. Kind of a no brainer.

 

[yxas007]

You put larger tires on and complain about MPG suffering? You don.t say what gears you have, but if it's the 3.21's, that might have a lot to do with it. Also, what engine do you have? The 5.7? Comparing your MPG to a Fort Eco boost is not even a comparison. No spedo recalibration might have something to do with bad numbers, but bigger tires never equate to better MPG. Kind of a no brainer.

I didn't mean to suggest that a mpg drop surprised me. A 45% drop seemed enough to make me wonder what else could be an issue. Sounds like calibrating my speedometer would fill some of the gap.

 

[CrazyWorld]

What is the reason folks say using cruise control kills fuel mileage?

People believe what they want to believe.....it's like politics and religion but with wheels.

 

[397STROKER]

I didn't mean to suggest that a mpg drop surprised me. A 45% drop seemed enough to make me wonder what else could be an issue. Sounds like calibrating my speedometer would fill some of the gap.

If you use a GPS app on your phone that shows your speed, you can see how far out you are. Also use this app to verify calibration. Don't think just because you set your tire size to 35 using a calibration tool that it is right. Most people have had to play with the setting to get the speedometer right. If your speedometer reads faster that GPS you need to down size the tire using the calibration tool and the opposite for the speedometer reading slower.

 

[brian42]

Yup, same with me. Sometimes I will occasionally top off with 91, and refill when down almost half a tank with 87, which should equal 89. I could do that at one sitting, but I suspect the other drivers waiting behind me would do a purge on me if I tried.

But 91 Costco meets the 89 octane recommendation while still being cheaper than most other stations 89 or sometimes even 87, win win I say!

At current prices ($4.69/gal for 91 octane) it's a double swipe if I get below 3/8 of a tank. I either do one swipe and call it a day or do the double-swipe if some elitist is eyeballing me from their plug-in hybrid that's behind me waiting.

 

[KWKSLVR]

At current prices ($4.69/gal for 91 octane) it's a double swipe if I get below 3/8 of a tank. I either do one swipe and call it a day or do the double-swipe if some elitist is eyeballing me from their plug-in hybrid that's behind me waiting.

Dang man. Where do you live? My Costco has premium for $3.27/gallon.