Thoughts

Cowpie · February 23, 2016

So your average of 14 MPG consists of 90% driving on a two lane or gravel road under 65 MPH and the other 10% is mixed of a little in town/ off road. That in my eyes is not an average. An average would consist of a 50/50 mix of driving or a sway towards city driving, most on this site I believe would agree. Again, not trying to pick a fight, that's not what this site is for, it's for information and I just want you to be clear on how you have obtained those numbers when you tell fellow members.

But I also said, that it included quite a bit of off road, muddy roads, and stuff that most folks don't get in to, and can really eat up fuel. And it includes the hauling I do regularly that reaches into the 1 ton range. That 14 mpg includes all of that. This is a farm/ranch pickup. I was totally fair in presentation. While I don't usually run up and down the road at 80 mph, and I don't use traffic lights as my own NHRA post and try and see if I can beat everyone else to the next light, I do have a lot of very hilly, soft, crop and pasture land that really eats the fuel. Yes, I do have some more moderate speed two lane highways I frequent daily and don't go racing around on them. But I also have several miles of rough gravel road that turns into a mud bog when the snow melts, and when the snow isn't melting, some rather interesting drifts to negotiate frequently. All of that eats up more fuel than even running down the road at 70 mph all the time. I tend to drive in town like I drive my semi truck. I take off gradually instead of pushing my accelerator thru the firewall. Just don't see the need to jackrabbit from stops.

Look, sure, if someone is going to drive their pickup like a teenager on Saturday night, they are not going to get good mpg. But some of us actually have learned a little bit over the last several decades and know how to tweak out better mpg. It would be rather sad if, after the over 5 million documented commercial driving miles I have, that in that time I didn't learn a thing or two on how to drive a vehicle. That someone else can't pull off similar mpg as I do, well, I think that speaks more to their ability than any being disingenuous on my part.

becker87 · February 23, 2016

But I also said, that it included quite a bit of off road, muddy roads, and stuff that most folks don't get in to, and can really eat up fuel. And it includes the hauling I do regularly that reaches into the 1 ton range. That 14 mpg includes all of that. This is a farm/ranch pickup. I was totally fair in presentation. While I don't usually run up and down the road at 80 mph, and I don't use traffic lights as my own NHRA post and try and see if I can beat everyone else to the next light, I do have a lot of very hilly, soft, crop and pasture land that really eats the fuel. Yes, I do have some more moderate speed two lane highways I frequent daily and don't go racing around on them. But I also have several miles of rough gravel road that turns into a mud bog when the snow melts, and when the snow isn't melting, some rather interesting drifts to negotiate frequently. All of that eats up more fuel than even running down the road at 70 mph all the time. I tend to drive in town like I drive my semi truck. I take off gradually instead of pushing my accelerator thru the firewall. Just don't see the need to jackrabbit from stops.

Look, sure, if someone is going to drive their pickup like a teenager on Saturday night, they are not going to get good mpg. But some of us actually have learned a little bit over the last several decades and know how to tweak out better mpg. It would be rather sad if, after the over 5 million documented commercial driving miles I have, that in that time I didn't learn a thing or two on how to drive a vehicle. That someone else can't pull off similar mpg as I do, well, I think that speaks more to their ability than any being disingenuous on my part.

Agree to disagree, especially after reading what I put in bold. Props for you for getting what you do, no way I can get that with my half ton but I do not drive as sensibly as you.

TackleBox · February 23, 2016

Do any of you track your fuel consumption on Fuelly? I have used this website/app for years and found that most DICs are off by 5 to 10 percent as compared to doing the math -miles driven/gallons used. My past experiences with 3/4 tons have always netted really low mileage. 5.7l and 8.1l. Not always just because I have a heavy foot, but also the type of city traffic and highway traffic I drive in, as well as the terrain. I would jump at 14 mpg overall, but most folks don't see that kind of economy.