Does ELEVATION make a difference in mileage?

IN other words, if someone is at 5,400 feet, would they get WORSE mileage then someone at 2,000 feet as the air is thinner and therefore there are LESS air molecules? So the engine requires MORE fuel but makes LESS power at higher altitudes?!?

 

It's only a data point if the data is valid and accurate. For instance, suppose that I took a 600 mile trip and topped off the tank with 1 gallon of fuel (my fillup/pump may not have been very accurate). WOW MY TRUCK GETS 600 MPG - that's an emperical data point for you. Granted, unsubstantiated and perhaps unaccurate, but nonetheless, a DATA POINT!

 

I have been tracking my mileage since I bought the truck (well the wife has been) and my numbers are not that far off. Currently, the truck has 64k on the meter - all numbers hand calculated - towing ~11k 12-14 MPG at ~68MPH - around town / non-highway 16-18 MPG depending on traffic load and how much hot ******* - on highway 70MPH=22-24 MPG and over 70MPH I average 19-20 MPG (on highway most times driving at 75MPH). As for empirical data - well yes my wife keeps a log book with every freaking gallon of fuel purchased for the truck recorded. I give +/- 1 or 2 MPG on all my MPG calculations. Bottom-line, even if the numbers were off by 5 I would still be a happy camper.

Just recently on Mythbusters the tailgate MYTH was busted in an empirically data supported fashion. The best mileage was reported with the tailgate on and up - go figure.

 

Just to make a point I can't drive 65 and stay under 2000 RPMs. So how are you with 4:10s staying under 2000rpms at 65mph?

 

When I am driving I have a very hard time tring to keep control of the skinny pedal , so what I usually keep closer track of is SPG ( smiles per gallon)

 

Elevation, temperature, humidity all can have a dramatic effect on mileage. High, dry, and hot with a tail wind I could believe his mileage figures. In the winter, that close to sea level, hilly, head and cross winds??? A fluke, bad data, miscalculation, etc but its waaaaaayyyyy out in left field.


Higher altitudes are better for mileage due to the air density being less. Same for warmer temps. Air in the combustion event is pretty much the same no matter the altitude due to the turbo. Mpg will almost always be higher at 5400 ft than at 1000 ft.

 

That's for sure. I once took my 2002 up to Ruidoso, NM with my wife's family. I fueled up in Post, TX. I was expecting to have to get fuel while I was there, but instead, I just drove and drove and drove and didn't fuel up until we returned to Snyder, TX at the end of the weekend. I got over 24 mpg. Best that truck ever saw.

Tad

 

Well, my overhead unit is pretty close over the "long" haul. It usually starts out at about 1.5 m.p.g. better than I'm really doing but over a trip of 1300 miles it narrows the variance. I use the Trax II digital monitor with the TransferFlow system for digital readings of both tanks.
Lost the tailgate at about 200k miles. With TG on, up or down, couldn't break into the 20's m.p.g. Took the TG off and can get almost 24 m.p.g. @ 65 m.p.h. Almost 21 m.p.g. @ 74 m.p.h. Don't care about empirical data so far. Gotta go with what works!!

 

I have 267k to date with miles going up daily. At best I have done about 11mpg towing.

I drive about 70mph which is about 2k rpms it is various settings as well uphill, downhill, in-wind, against wind, and flatland.

I will say mine went up about 1mpg with the Volant intake and the cat getting lost somewhere Although far from what I had hoped for.

I honestly cant give a quote without towing since each tankful gets about 60 miles without towing. Sometimes a tank or 2 will go JUST to towing depending on the day.

 

I saw that episode as well and actually the BEST MPG reading was with the tailgate off and one of those cargo nets or whatever in place of it.

The worst was the tailgate on and down, with tailgate off close to that reading.

 

Mythbusters used a Ford F-150 with a short bed. I suspect that other trucks will have different results depending on their particular aerodynamics.

 

I know that all drivers and trucks will be different, but I am in the same boat, 1200 mile round trip, handcalc was 23.1, overhead said 24.9
Kept it under 65mph(any faster and the drone will drive ya nuts) mixed terrain, not much wind, maybe 150 miles in town puttin around, did not idle the truck longer than 20 min at one time; but I have my t/g on and up. This truck has always had great milage, my 03 would average close to 17-20. But I do have to say this, after that much driving with no load, I really got on it towards the end of the trip and I was SMILIN Cause that black cloud was great!!

 

My last truck was a 2003 F250 Superduty Powerstroke 6 speed manual. I got 21-22 in the summer and 19-20 in the winter. I live at 7300 ft. and drive 48 miles one way to work. I work at 9300 ft. I try to stay as conservative as I can with acceleration etc. These mileages are with a hand calculator cause as we all know the trip meter is ussually off one way or the other. So far my new 2007 Ram 2500 CTD 6 speed with less than 10,000 miles on it is getting 20-21 mpg again using a calculator not the trip meter. Also, The oxygen level in the air is the same at 9000 ft as it is at sea level and does NOT change until somewhere around 24,000 ft. The diference is atmospheric pressure! Thank You ,Grant.

 

I forgot to add that I pull a 6500 pound trailer at times and pulled mine at 3000 miles and got just over 14 mpg with it. Thanks, Grant.

 

A manual tranny will always get a couple of mpg better than an auto.