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Drove A Little More Than Half Way Across The Country


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I had the unfortunate opportunity of having to drive across the country. My dad passed away on Valentine's Day. I miss him already.

 

From Florida to Dallas I averaged 17.5 MPG while driving around 75 MPG. I didn't reset my DIC because I wanted to get an idea of what I would get all the way through. By the time I hit Albuquerque (Mom's house) I was averaging 16.3 MPG.

 

The speed limit changes from 70 to 75 as soon as you get in to NM on I-40, so naturally I was travelling some where close to 80 at that point.

 

I never really paid attention the two other times I drove to FL, but I wanted to see what the truck would really do. So there you go... there's the results.

 

I will post again when I drive back to Florida on Monday

 

RIP Pops! Miss ya!

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Tough road trip, Sorry for your loss.

I have done the long trips like that 3 times now. In my 95 Suburban gas was only 1.00 per gallon and I just wanted to get there so I averaged 80+ until a ujoint started talking to me about 2,000 miles in and I had to slow down below 75mph. This Throttle body 350 got a high of 18 and a low of 13.5 for this 2,500 mile trip. Avg was about 15.5.

I went to Texas in my 2001 Denali, it had the trip computer and kept me closer to speed limits. I used the instant read out most of the way and noticed it was good for 17.5 under 75 but from 75 up mileage quickly dropped like a rock, 85mph would be 14.5 mpg. This had the 6.0L with 3.42 gears.

My Tahoe 5.3L 4.10 gears will give me 18 mpg at 70 tach reads 2200, at 75 or 80 14mpg. I like the 4.10s for towing but they are hard on mileage.

All the above would get better mileage if I drove rather than use Cruise control.

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  • 4 years later...

Very late response, I just saw the question.

If you are driving and hold your foot steady on the throttle the computer will adjust for the best power and mileage.

If cruise control us used the throttle is always moving, a little up and a little down, the computer is always adjusting so you are not always in optimal MPG mode.

I just hold it steady and it responds well.

 

When we take a 770 mile drive to Idaho I will get 17.5 to 17.8, my wife will drive for a while and her tank of gas will be 15 or less. She drives the same speed with Cruise control.

Maybe the newer Trucks adjust faster and the penalty is not so tough. Or if the ground is really flat it probably makes no difference.

 

I do know the above does apply to my 2015 Ford Fusion, it does much better if I drive than with cruise engaged. About 2-3 mpg for the Ford,

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  • 2 months later...

I would think that running 75-80 cross country, the mpg would be horrible. And not from the normal aerodynamic arguments. Most commercial semi trucks, mostly large fleets, are governed to 65 mph or less. Other autos and pickups, quite a few do not run much faster. It would be a game of constantly speeding up / slowing down for all the traffic bottlenecks. Especially when one gets around more than a couple of semi trucks. Some of those morons get involved in what we in trucking call a "turtle race". Each truck basically governed the same for road speed, but down hill one can exceed the other just a little, but on the up hill the difference is reversed. So for mile after mile, neither one can pass the other. The driver on the right just won't slow a tad and let the other truck around, and the one on the left will not just give up and run a tad slower and stay behind the other truck and deal with it. They have the mindset that they are the only thing on the road that has any significance and everyone else's concerns mean nothing.

 

And some like me. I had to deal with all those years of a 55 mph national speed limit, that I haven't really felt any compulsion to drive faster than 65 anywhere, except maybe just a boost to get around someone or similar reason.

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