Friend with an 03 got 29 MPG. Went 55, road was down hill (Amarillo to Dallas) and had a tail wind.

 

Something else that might account for this is my air conditioner was low on freon, added 20 oz when I got back. This would result in lower A/C head pressure and not load the engine as much. Lordy that was a hot trip. 98 degrees outside and the A/C was only putting out 80 degree air.

In the winter time the highway MPG goes up to around 23 on average terrain and my nose ain't growing.

Never went on a long trip unloaded. When I go to Mogollon New Mexico--800 miles I am pulling a 3500-4000 lb trailer and the milage drops to around 16-17 MPG at 70 mph. Fantastic---unbelievable?

 

Wicked road too.

 

One point we might be missing is some of us DRIVE ours trucks! I drive the **** out of mine, I go 80 in the 70, 75 in the 65 and so on. Of couse some knucklehead can get 22mpg out of my truck driving 60, clogging up a freeway somewhere. I will be the one who runs his A-- smooth over! I'm sure we all get good milage when we feather the pedal, but I'd rather drive. Since I used to have to drive for a living, I am now like this. Idiots would call in on me, saying I was going 67 in the 65, I should be fired. I had to watch my Ps and Qs for too long!

 

That is another great point you just made. And like you said, I drive to get somewhere, TODAY.

If you driving miss daisy guys feel the need to baby this truck (why DID you buy a work truck again????) go ahead. I bought this truck to use it, and use it I shall.

 

I have heard lots of claims about mpg. I think anything up to 23-24 is a somewhat reasonable claim ( I dont know how, but it COULD happen). But I DRIVE my truck, and I can get + or - 17 in town, and 19 highway. When I have babied it to see, the differance, I maybe get 18 in town, nothing noticable, so therefore, I continue to DRIVE my truck. I have 315's Ranchands front and rear, and a toolbox full of ****, so if I can have big tires and around 400 extra lbs of junk in an otherwise unloaded truck, and still get 17-19, I am very happy. My truck is plenty broke in, and that may be why my mileage is lower than a lot of claims, and on the highway I usually run 75-80, 1800-2050 RPMs. I am not doubting some of the "reasonable" claims, but anyhting above 25 mpg must have been in a Diesel Jetta ( maybe they got confused) or a CTD on a down hill route with a 40 mph wind at their back and a loaded trailer to push them down the hill. Just my opinion, but if you guys are getting that kind of mileage, good on you, I dont think I ever will, but I cant complain.

MSandt

 

All I know again for a fact is either my '03 is just now getting broke in good or TCW-3 + DK makes a difference!

I've had to tow the tank trailer approx 60 miles one way and left it idling when I went into the Peterbilt store for a horn part. At one point odo + MTE was as little as 620. Right now odo + MTE is about 720!

I'm going to fill up on the way home, add 16+8 and take the trailer + 2 450ish drums in the bed home. Leave in the WAY am, drive no more than 1800 rpm for 275ish miles with some 9 stoplights clustered about 3-4 with a pretty good distance in between.

It will be interesting. At times a full fuel load didn't seem like enough. Last few times I did it pretty easy. Never done it with TCW-3/DK before....

 

Well..... I really stayed at filling up, and stuffed almost 27.5 gallons for 515.4 miles. If I'd have stopped were I normally do, it would have been right at 25 gallons.

I'm leaving 4AM for the trip down to Corpus Christi. Between todays fill up and that trip my average is gonna take a HIT!

 

Early in my return trip from Corpus I had between odo and MTE 735 or so. Headwind started the down slide, and traffic hurt too.

But between odo and MTE as I parked it 660ish is indicated.

The hit might not be as bad as I thought!