Looking to actually gain some MPG

[LongrangeLauber]

 

He asked for better MPG, disabling AFM is the opposite of what the OP is looking for...

 

OP, take off the lift, that will help. You look to be nose high (or possibly level) so that ruins some of the aero on the highway. Having stock tires your city mpg won't change much but it will help on the highway. Keep the valence too, it was put on there for the reason of better mpg and directing air away from under the chassis (that is a large point of drag) and tires at highway speeds; the lift puts that stuff more in the air. You won't gain back a ton (maybe a MPG if that was lost before) but you will gain back some and you will save your front end components from premature failure.

 

Tyler

I was getting the same if not better mpg with afm disabled. It keeps the truck from bogging down and struggling when it wants to stick in 4 cyl. mode

[J-man67]

It's a truck...with a big motor...designed to tow and haul things. Sell the truck and your problem is solved!

 

Edit: sorry, I do see you mentioned you are aware of what I just said. I'll say this then...accept it haha. This is just my opinion as everyone has different expectations and uses of their own trucks. I buy trucks bc they are the best all-round vehicle. I can carry my family, tow my bikes, haul anything, go off-road, Yada yada...they do it all. For that I will gladly accept 18mpg city and 22mpg in stock form, and I will also accept that if I alter the height and aerodynamics a tad; worse mileage. It's all how you look at it. On my lifted 07 (5.3), I fitted it with an intake and exhaust. I did actually gain 1.5mpg (according to the DIC) I put a 2.5" inlet/outlet muffler onto a 3" pipe with a reducer. Added a slight amt of back pressure and that seemed to help the truck. Just try not to lose your mind searching for gains, b/c you might not get them. Enjoy the truck you bought with your hard earned money.

[foo.c]

1) Vacuum gauge

2) Lower it

 

Driving style is huge. The vacuum gauge will show you how to use as little gas as possible to get moving. Don't use cruise control, accelerate downhill, back off the throttle uphill.

[fondupot]

OP complaining about 19mpg average guys...this thread is moot.

[benjaminforeal]

two words.... forced induction.

 

 

 

 

That is if you can keep your foot out of the throttle and drive conservatively.

[fondupot]

two words.... forced induction.

 

 

 

 

That is if you can keep your foot out of the throttle and drive conservatively.

 

impossible!

[benjaminforeal]

There was a post from some guy on this forum that claimed 27ish highway mpg on his supercharged truck. Wish I could find the thread.

[gmckenzie]

Drive like you have 1/16th of a tank left and are in the middle of nowhere.

[CptMcSaug]

OP complaining about 19mpg average guys...this thread is moot.

 

Kinda what I was thinking, I get like 15.5 uncorrected though

[LongrangeLauber]

I average 16 in town, about 17-18 highway. Never seen, over the course of a full tank, anything greater than 20mpg average. That was also all mountain driving which I thought was pretty good for cruising 80mph

[Sierra Sik]

google "hypermile"

[fondupot]

As said before, Watch the instantaneous mpg screen, it will teach you how to drive for best mpg.When possible coast. These trucks are heavy vehicles and have alot of inertia,use it ! Keep tire pressure up , 38 psi +. Top tier fuel if it dosent cost extra. (87 octane is fine). Full synthetic oil might help,not sure? And remember to forget about mpg once in awhile and drive for fun and enjoyment.

 

This but I would recommend using at least 89 octane. The Direct Injection and High Compression ratio will thank you.

[J.Wilhelm]

Full length Running Boards haven't been mentioned. The keep the airflow separated between the side and dirty air on the underside of the truck and increase CD and gas mileage.

 

A Tonneau cover will help here's an article on actual wind tunnel test: http://www2.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?id=57514

 

On average, we found that tonneau covers improve the coefficient of drag by about 5.7%. Although other tests would need to be conducted in order to determine the exact effects on fuel economy, we can use an aerodynamic “rule of thumb” which states that a 10% improvement in aerodynamic performance translates to roughly 2%–3% gas-mileage improvement. Therefore, an improvement in Cd of 5.73% would translate to roughly a 1.8% gas-mileage improvement.

[Justin Nachazel]

Im running a 2inch level + 33" nitto terra grappler All terrain E rated tire on XD 22"s and took a road trip last weekend. I got 19-20 mpg on the interstate. I get about 15-17 around town

 

Thank you man thats actually pretty reassuring. I thought it would go down to 15 across the board. Do you think a 3" compared to a 2" will make that much of a difference?

[amxguy1970]

I was getting the same if not better mpg with afm disabled. It keeps the truck from bogging down and struggling when it wants to stick in 4 cyl. mode

 

Might have something to do with the hills out there, mine here in flatter Texas jumps 2-3 mpg when it clicks in to 4 cylinder mode on the highway and stays there for even slight inclines. When I first got it, it was a fun watching the mpg and mode around town, on the highway, coasting to a stop or down hills. It seems to stay in 4 cylinder mode until down to 10-15 mph before going to V8 when coming to a stop. If they made these new trucks stay in it longer, I wonder how little it would switch in the last gen? I heard it barely ever would.

 

Tyler