Ways To Increase Gas Milage In 04 2500HD

Wintersun · January 20, 2018

Basic physics mean that to move a brick, like a truck body, with a given weight through the air at a given speed takes a certain amount of energy. Increase the weight of the truck and especially the weight of the tires, and more fuel is needed to go any given distance.

Increase air turbulence and so increase air drag by lifting the vehicle and there will be more fuel consumed per mile driven. Air drag increases with the square of the speed of the vehicle, which is more basic physics. Drive a truck at 80 mph and it will burn more fuel per mile driven than at 40 mph, but the air drag is not twice as great at 80, but rather 4 times as great.

My truck gets it highest mpg at 62 mph. At 72 mph the fuel consumption jumps and my truck's mpg drops by 15%. So I can drive at moderate speeds and get 17-18 mpg or I can drive like a lead footed fool and get 15 mpg. The choice is mine. Same truck just different behavior by the driver. If one takes a few to calculate how long it takes you to go 20 miles to a destination at 65 mph, at 70 mph, and at 80 mph, the result show how little time is saved by speeding.

65 mph          18.5 minutes
70 mph           17.1 minutes
80 mph           15.0 minutes

So I can drive to my destination at 65 mph and get 18 mpg or I can drive to the same destination at 80 mph and get 15 mpg. At the higher speed I am trading an extra $4 for diesel fuel for an extra 3.5 minutes of time. My time is not something I value at $1.14 a minute or $68.57 an hour (after taxes are deducted so roughly $100 an hour pre-tax). ll it takes is a little discipline to save money on fuel. Far easier to leave 5 minutes earlier to get someplace than to drive at 80 mph and without the risk of a serious accident or a speeding ticket (and an increase in my auto insurance premiums).

swathdiver · January 20, 2018

Driving slower for short trips is more beneficial then long for some. A 600 mile trip would add an hour and fifteen minutes more time on the road doing 65 rather than 75. The difference in fuel could be 10 gallons or about $30 to arrive a 74 minutes sooner. Obviously, every man will have to work these things out for themselves but knowing these things helps them make better decisions. Thanks for posting.

I'm getting ready to make a profile of mpgs at different speeds for my truck as soon as an offending cat is replaced and have already prepared the spreadsheet.