Envy, lust, and greed

[smokey262]

Since I bought my TB last Labor Day it has never gotten better than 17.3 MPG. I have read posts here that filled me with envy as the owners were getting much better gas mileage than I was getting. I was resigned to the fact that this truck is just too heavy to get excellent gas mileage.

This weekend I went on a roadtrip to watch my nephew race. 280 miles one way trip. I kept the cruise on at about 66 mph (1875 RPM) the whole way. Gas up and lo and behold 19.8 MPG! I was filled with lust for this beast again. On the way home except for a few miles of stop and go traffic jams I did the same thing. 19.7 mpg. Yeah Baby! This was using 87 and 91 octane non-ethanol gas. Stopped to hit the head once or twice in each direction. No wind to speak of, and moderate hills

Now I am getting greedy, and want to top 20 mpg. I suspect I can do it, but the methods involved would make my passengers crazy. Which is to say of course my wife would have a stroke if I drove 45 mph and coasted down all the hills. Maybe I will have to go it alone and stay off the interstate!

Curious if this improvement is a result of the CPAS I just replaced.

 

[RayGumm]

Maybe the CPAS, but my guess is the 91 octane non-ethanol gas and the light foot/not getting over 70. I drive like 79 mph (as much as I can get away with) using 87 octane ethanol gas and get right at 18.3 mpg highway.. and thats WITH a goofy half stuck open thermostat that I have neglected to replace since I bought it 2 months ago. (Yeah I know, Roadie, lecture away. )

 

[jsomething]

Where did you find non ethanol? I thought everything was 10% now.
Also.. why would you want non-ethanol? Doesn't it help keep everything clean?

 

[RayGumm]

Dude ethanol gas corrodes everythin up somethin fierce if left to sit for more than a month or so. Ethanol is used because it's 'green' or whatever... huge debate on this that I will *not* get into here.

Back in Oklahoma City (hometown) I can find non-ethanol gas at like every other gas station. In VA it's rare, but it exists. There's a Liberty in Winchester, VA that has it. In WV I have not seen it. It usually runs anywhere from 5-12 cents higher than ethanol laden gas.

EDIT: I have heard non-ethanol gas gets way better mileage (anywhere from 2-6 mpg), but have not used it enough to corroborate this on my own.

 

[smokey262]

This site will help you find non-ethanol gas

http://pure-gas.org/

I never run ethanol in any of my outdoor power equipment. Bad juju

 

[Sparky]

Ethanol has less power per unit volume which is part of the reason of mpg loss with it.

I have always run 10% in mowers and stuff but there are literally no stations around here to get anything else. They have run for years however so it seems the 10% isn't too bad. This 15% some are trying to push is bad bad news for some engines.

 

[jsomething]

Wow first I've heard any of this. And I was doing gas station service back when the us standardized the 10%.
Probably because the closest gas station that doesn't have ethanol according to that site is about 100 miles from RI.
He'll I've been hoping we would adopt the 85% that most nonpetroleum producing countries have adopted.
Course we haven't cause the manufacturers haven't been importing cars that could deal with the 85% until recently.
But I guarantee its not too far away.
Think I'm gonna have to look into this a bit more.

 

[Sparky]

Biggest issue with using ethanol as a fuel is this country seems hell bent on using a food source for ethanol (corn) instead of other, non-food and higher producing plants.

I am totally against corn-based ethanol.

I'm against increasing ethanol content in our regular gasoline as that only spells trouble for many, many engines and older vehicles out there.

 

[C-ya]

smokey, what rear gears do you have? The lower the ratio, the better the mileage you will achieve. I have 3.73's, so I'm stuck at about 18-19 on the highway and 12-13 around town on summer gas. 3.42's keep the rpm lower on the long trips, which makes the mpg go up. I'm turning about 2200 at 75 mph.

I started using Lucas Safeguard ethanol treatment and stabilizer beginning of last winter and saw an increase in mpg with winter gas. Not nearly on par with summer gas, but better than without the treatment. I kept using it since the switch back to summer and can maintain about 12.5-13 around town. It's about $9/bottle here, so since it seems to be working and won't make me go broke, I'll keep using it.

 

[DocBrown]

Driving habits and freeway speeds have a dramtic effect on mileage. I could get 21 with my old EXT and E-10. But that's at 60mph, very steady on a nice flat country road. At 70 on the Interstate I'd get about 18.5. You also have to do "granny" starts from stop lights and never let it shift at over 2500 RPMs.

Biggest issue with using ethanol as a fuel is this country seems hell bent on using a food source for ethanol (corn) instead of other, non-food and higher producing plants.

I am totally against corn-based ethanol.

I'm against increasing ethanol content in our regular gasoline as that only spells trouble for many, many engines and older vehicles out there.

We've been forced to use E-10 for many many years. While I can't say I'm thirlled about it, its never caused me, nor anyone else I know any problems. Older vehicles, yes, they weren't made for E-10. Very bad.

I'd be more concerned about how much of our grain is sold to China than using cow feed for fuel. In the US there are hundreds of thousands of acres not being farmed. There is enough farmland capacity to feed half the world's population and still have capacity to grow enough to use for renewable fuels. Trouble is, yes, there are better things to use than corn. The method used to make ethanol in the US is the least effiencient way to do it and is a waste of time and energy. The bottom line is that there is so much crap propoganda spewed out by proponants of both sides that very little acurate information readily available. You really have to dig to get the truth of the matter.

 

[smokey262]

smokey, what rear gears do you have?

3.42's

 

[Kurb]

The best highway mileage I've gotten with my EXT is 17.8 mpg over the 6 years I have owned it, but I live in a hilly area. Even my longer trips have always involved a lot of hills. Of course, I do not worry too much about the mileage since it is fun to drive.