By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Wednesday, August 01, 2001 - 07:09 am: Edit

This week's been hectic, what with the local flooding, etc..... our office was closed until today. So.... from this weekend....

Not that I'm trying to beat this dead horse, but here I go flailing....

I managed to get some longer Interstate driving distances, and paid attention to the odometer and speedometer and my watch and the mile-markers.

As agreed here, the speedometer is off, quite noticably, reading higher than actually travelled. But, the odometer is dead on... calculating the error, I find that the odometer is 99.8% accurate... I didn't gain, but LOST 1/10th of a mile per 50 miles travelled.

Therefore, the mpg can't be THAT much off when using the odometer.

So, my daily driving to work, 16.1mpg isn't bad, and I'll take and run with my 17.5mpg on the highway.

One thing I've now started to wonder... is it the fact that I've not taken off my airdam that might be helping to keep the mileage upwards instead of dropping into the 14-15 mpg range?

Thoughts? Reasons why this isn't gonna hold true?


-L


PS: Magnecors arrived, put them on yesterday... sweet wires, the fit was dead-on. FYI - Advance sells a package that has a tube of anti-sieze and a tube di-electric silicone grease in it, for the price of just a tube of either one.

By Blue Gill (Bluegill) on Wednesday, August 01, 2001 - 07:12 am: Edit

lift, tires, cut airdam all contribute to poor mileage - all that air getting under the truck with no air dam and increased ride height really screws the aerodynamics (not that these boxes we drive are aerodynamic to begin with).

By Leslie N. Bright (Leslie) on Wednesday, August 01, 2001 - 07:29 am: Edit

I can see lift, as it affects the air getting under there, removing air-dam, etc.

But is would seem to me that taller tires, since you're travelling a further distance per engine RPM, would actually help mileage instead of hurting it (disregarding the effects on the speedometer).
Now, I do concur that the bigger tire might weigh a bit more, and also that you've still ended up raising the vehicle by an inch or so. But I think that the tire's net benefits would outweigh the negatives.

But still, to get the taller tires you 'should' lift, and also, getting that air-dam out of the way really, those two act as the biggest negatives to mileage, I think. Oh, also I guess extra weight from sliders and and a winch and a sturdier bumper and guards and recovery gear.... yeah, I guess all of that together would do it...

-L

By Ron on Wednesday, August 01, 2001 - 07:33 am: Edit

NOt to mention the high rolling resistance of mud tires. (Dunlop R/T are not so bad but swampers . . . have to cost at least an MPG)

ROn

By Leslie on Wednesday, August 01, 2001 - 07:38 am: Edit

Another good point....

Wonder what the difference betwixt the R/T and the Trac-Edge in 235/85 is? (And for comparison, the stock XPC?)


-L