Best Fuel Economy in a new truck

[IHateMyJob2004]

UPDATE (also in first post):
I just did a long drive and for a good chunk, I did all highway driving. So I ahve some good fuel efficiency numbers. I did 70-71 mph probably 90% of the time. There were a few sections where I did 60 mph for work zones. I had 330 pounds or so of cargo, myself included. I also had an average of maybe 3/4 tank of gas during this test which is good for another 150 pounds but you can ignore that I guess. I also have a tonneau cover. The result? 22.8 mpg. I did not think it would do that well, but it actually did. At a 65 mph cruise, I totally believe the 23 mpg claims.

Also, Some of those work zones at 60 mph were long, maybe 10 minutes. At those times the instantaneous fuel economy was being reported as 27-28 mpg. Take this with a grain of salt though since I don't know if it was a slight uphill or downhill at the time. It definitely did seem from observation during the trip that impressive fuel economy can be had at a 60 mph cruise.

As a reminder, I have a 2011 Ford extended cab XLT with the towing package. 2WD. 3.7L V6. 6.5' bed.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I can borrow my father in laws truck who is 3 miles away. I tend to need it enough that even that hassle is not worth it. My sister in law is the same story. She and her husband are considering a truck too. Just because going out and borrowing a truck is a hassle. It takes time.

I have enough projects even at slow times that it is worth the money. Next house might need a new deck if we get the one we want and I'll probably have a ton of landscaping to deal with. And i have a few projects I want to do for X-mas.

So today, I bought the Ford ext cab w/ 3.7L V6. Could not be happier. Now for that tonneau cover!

That's not going to do a thing to improve your fuel economy. It just adds weight and gives you the possibility of locking things in the bed.

BTW-Driving with the tailgate down or removed doesn't increase fuel economy either.

 

[3chordcharlie]

That's not going to do a thing to improve your fuel economy. It just adds weight and gives you the possibility of locking things in the bed.

BTW-Driving with the tailgate down or removed doesn't increase fuel economy either.

I guess it implicitly makes sense that a tonneau cover would improve mileage, but seriously, if you could get even + 1mpg highway by installing a cover, it would have been done at the factory to get credit for fleet mileage purposes.

Congrats on the truck - that sure seems like a good motor, and will probably be in my work fleet in the future.

I have to say though, it blows my mind that people *choose* to get such shitty mileage all the time, just because a truck is handy once in a while. I'm the opposite - 90% of the miles my truck does it is towing or hauling, and I *still* hate feeding it so much fuel on the rare days that it isn't.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I guess it implicitly makes sense that a tonneau cover would improve mileage, but seriously, if you could get even + 1mpg highway by installing a cover, it would have been done at the factory to get credit for fleet mileage purposes.

Disagree. many people don't want one. many contractors/landscapers fall into this category. So, all that truck makers would be doing is charging more for no reason.

Babk in 1995 when I got my first truck, it had a 230 HP V6. The tonneau was like night and day. Today with 300 HP V6s it matters less. But it still has the same aerodynamic principles at work. The bottom line is that tonneau's work.

Congrats on the truck - that sure seems like a good motor, and will probably be in my work fleet in the future.

The V6 is nice. Not being a car guy, I can tell how much better it is. The shift from gear to gear are way faster than my old truck and they occur (obviously) more often which yield better fuel economy.

I have to say though, it blows my mind that people *choose* to get such shitty mileage all the time, just because a truck is handy once in a while. I'm the opposite - 90% of the miles my truck does it is towing or hauling, and I *still* hate feeding it so much fuel on the rare days that it isn't.

I had a hard time deciding what to do. I wanted to keep my old truck but it was just beat to hell. And what sucks more is that we are moving soon so we don't know if we'll need it as much at the new place. So the car vs truck debate existed. The thing is, I did not want hte old truck anymore. It was starting to become a maintenance nightmare (AC every other year, etc). Still might get a car in a few years but that is up in the air.

Don't look at fuel economy as fuel economy. Look at total cost of ownership.

Considered a small truck but I couldn't make that leap. Howe hte hell does plywood fit in those things?

 

[Vette73]

UPDATE (also in first post):
I just did a long drive and for a good chunk, I did all highway driving. So I ahve some good fuel efficiency numbers. I did 70-71 mph probably 90% of the time. There were a few sections where I did 60 mph for work zones. I had 330 pounds or so of cargo, myself included. I also had an average of maybe 3/4 tank of gas during this test which is good for another 150 pounds but you can ignore that I guess. I also have a tonneau cover. The result? 22.8 mpg. I did not think it would do that well, but it actually did. At a 65 mph cruise, I totally believe the 23 mpg claims.

Also, Some of those work zones at 60 mph were long, maybe 10 minutes. At those times the instantaneous fuel economy was being reported as 27-28 mpg. Take this with a grain of salt though since I don't know if it was a slight uphill or downhill at the time. It definitely did seem from observation during the trip that impressive fuel economy can be had at a 60 mph cruise.

As a reminder, I have a 2011 Ford extended cab XLT with the towing package. 2WD. 3.7L V6. 6.5' bed.

Were there a lot of hills? My Titan got in the high 19-20.X milage on the highway in the 70's and I am rated lowwer than that.
Of course I am sure can can beat my 14.X city milage. 😛

Maybe once it breaks in more it will get better.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Were there a lot of hills? My Titan got in the high 19-20.X milage on the highway in the 70's and I am rated lowwer than that.
Of course I am sure can can beat my 14.X city milage. 😛

Maybe once it breaks in more it will get better.

There were some hills. But it was all interstate highway driving. Mostly flat or slight incline/decline. On steep inclines, I was getting maybe 10 mpg. But on the same decline I was getting 30+ mpg. It seemed like a wash.

Next chance I get I mgiht do a long distance cruise at 65 and see what happens. I'd guess 24-25 mpg.

For city driving, I've noticed that the sweet spot is as close to 40 mph as I can get. I get about 30 mpg while doing that. If I go 30 mph, I am lucky to be getting 20 mpg. With some stop and go, I can still get 20+ mpg in city. Granted where I live it is not like NYC driving where you stop every 1000 feet. I stop maybe 4 times in the city I work in. My home town requiers that I stop twice at most.

From my obsefvation, the best fuel economy seems to be at a cruise anywhere in the 40-60 mph range. I am tempted to do a test on the highway tonight while doing a 55 mph cruise all the way home.

 

[hanoverphist]

my dodge ram 1500 with 5.2L gets 16 most of the time in the city/ highway i drive. when i travel for work and there are huge hills it will drop to about 13.5 or so. keeping it tuned and stuff makes the mileage stay that high, even with 225k miles on it.

do i need a truck? not really anymore, i now have a chevy 3500HD service body available to drive for work, that sucker has power for days. my DD is now a honda civic to save me that gas money. truck is still at home for camping trips, hauling stuff and general work that it is good at tho. ill never get rid of it completely, just like owning a truck even tho it doesnt get the use it once did. at its heyday it got driven for about 36k a year for work and personal use.

 

[JulesMaximus]

There were some hills. But it was all interstate highway driving. Mostly flat or slight incline/decline. On steep inclines, I was getting maybe 10 mpg. But on the same decline I was getting 30+ mpg. It seemed like a wash.

Next chance I get I mgiht do a long distance cruise at 65 and see what happens. I'd guess 24-25 mpg.

For city driving, I've noticed that the sweet spot is as close to 40 mph as I can get. I get about 30 mpg while doing that. If I go 30 mph, I am lucky to be getting 20 mpg. With some stop and go, I can still get 20+ mpg in city. Granted where I live it is not like NYC driving where you stop every 1000 feet. I stop maybe 4 times in the city I work in. My home town requiers that I stop twice at most.

From my obsefvation, the best fuel economy seems to be at a cruise anywhere in the 40-60 mph range. I am tempted to do a test on the highway tonight while doing a 55 mph cruise all the way home.

Are you going by what the computer says? Because the one in my car is notoriously optimistic and inaccurate. It regularly reads about 10-15% higher than the actual fuel economy calculated at fillups.

Fill the tank, reset the trip computer, drive until you are pretty low on gas and feel the need to fill up again and divide the number of miles you drove by the amount of fuel it takes to refill the tank. That is your true average fuel economy.

The best you can do for a long drive on the highway is meaningless if you spend most of your time driving around town...or even half of your time driving around town. I would expect you will see 17-18mpg in typical daily driving at best out of that vehicle. Probably more like 14-15mpg if driving mostly in stop and go city driving. The would certainly be the case here in SoCal anyway...the land of pickup trucks and SUVs with shiny chrome wheels.

 

[CurseTheSky]

IMO, a daily driver car + beater truck is the way to go. Every time I see a new F-150 driving down the street I turn green with envy, but I also know that I wouldn't want to spend that much on a new vehicle (for the options that I'd want: V8, 4WD, extended / crew cab, etc.) compared to an average sedan, AND not having the option to jump into something that can't at least average mid to high 20s combined would kill my wallet.

For me, it's a 2008 Fusion V6 for the daily driver, which at this point I somewhat regret. I love the car overall, and I do like the power and the noise that it makes (coming from a 170HP 2003 Malibu V6), but it's to the point where you can't always put the power down, and it's just burning gas for nothing. Next time around, I4 for sure. On the other hand, I'm heading out today to pick up a 2001 Sport Trac. It's just old enough to be a beater, but new enough / in good enough shape to be a great people mover. The bed is laughably small, but it will accomplish my goals no problem - hauling a couple of mountain bikes around, and being able to take a few gas cans to the gas station. Who wants to put filled gas cans in the trunk of their car? :|

Anyway, congrats on the truck. Maybe you could consider doing the opposite - pick up a beater 4 cylinder car to drive around half the time, and drive the new toy around when you want a nice ride. You get the best of both worlds, and you don't have to spend a ton on the beater - just enough to make sure that it's reliable. Early 2000s Saturns are a good bet, from what I've heard. Having a beater also carries the perk of having a vehicle that you can experiment with. Want to put in a different head unit / lighting / aftermarket option or do some of your own maintenance on the truck, but never done it before? Pick up something used and cheap for the beater and try it there first.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Are you going by what the computer says? Because the one in my car is notoriously optimistic and inaccurate. It regularly reads about 10-15% higher than the actual fuel economy calculated at fillups.

Fill the tank, reset the trip computer, drive until you are pretty low on gas and feel the need to fill up again and divide the number of miles you drove by the amount of fuel it takes to refill the tank. That is your true average fuel economy.

The best you can do for a long drive on the highway is meaningless if you spend most of your time driving around town...or even half of your time driving around town. I would expect you will see 17-18mpg in typical daily driving at best out of that vehicle. Probably more like 14-15mpg if driving mostly in stop and go city driving. The would certainly be the case here in SoCal anyway...the land of pickup trucks and SUVs with shiny chrome wheels.

Both.

I do the fill up test at the end. That's how I got het 23 mpg. 22.8 mpg actually. My truck is being pessimitic with the numbers it seems. It is not more than 5% off though. It might have said 22.2 mpg or something like that. Of course, those little 60 mph sections were based on the fuel economy gauge. But my truck keeps a 5 minute history with 1 minute averages in bar chart form. So I couldsee what it was saying over the past 5 minutes. Knowing it's accuracy, it was probably slightly lower than reality. Close enough to reality anyway.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Over 38 minutes of driving that was a 65 mph cruise (half last night, half this morning), my truck reported fuel economy of 23.3 and 23.7 mpg. So, 23.5 mpg. Not bad. I think this is a fair estimate.

Might try the 60 mph cruise tonight.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Over 38 minutes of driving that was a 65 mph cruise (half last night, half this morning), my truck reported fuel economy of 23.3 and 23.7 mpg. So, 23.5 mpg. Not bad. I think this is a fair estimate.

Might try the 60 mph cruise tonight.

You'd never get close to that in SoCal. Too much traffic and too many stop lights and if you're cruising along at 60mph on the freeway you'd have people cursing you for miles.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Did a test at 60 mph this morning but there was alot of traffic so I think the result is skewed in one direction or the other. At 60 mph, I seemed to be getting about 25.5 mpg. I have to do this test again to verify but I am confident that the number is definitely over 25 mpg.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

No way you got 35mpg. Maybe for a downhill stretch with a good wind at your back.

My truck drinks gas like a motherf'er.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

No way you got 35mpg. Maybe for a downhill stretch with a good wind at your back.

My truck drinks gas like a motherf'er.

Dang nabit. Meant 25.5. Fixing posts ...