WOW, just wow! Christmas trip and awesome fuel MPG's
 

Hello All! Happy New Year!

The bride and I took a trip to Alberta from our winter RV haven in Osoyoos, BC. to spend Christmas with our kids and grand kids. Normally we would be on our way to sunny California except that I have recently been diagnosed with a cancer problem and have to have surgery on January 12th. Travelling outside of Canada is a no go with our health insurer :(. We traveled on Hwy. 3 over the Creston/Salmo pass and then up Hwy. 2 to Red Deer, Alberta. We got 25mpg in Canadian gallons on this part of out trip and traveled approx. 900kms. I wish my records were better and all I have is rough mileage etc.

We returned home to Osoyoos on December 28th and 29th, traveling on the Trans Canada Hwy 1 through the Rogers Pass over the Rocky Mountains. We stayed in Revelstoke, BC on the 28th as I was too tired and sick to finish the drive in one day. Mileage on this leg was 885.4kms, door to door. we used 21.156 Imp. gallons of fuel to travel this distance and my calculations worked the mileage out to 26.157 mpg Cdn. and 21.780 mpg in USG. Considering the 500lbs of dead weight (rocks) in the box for axle weight, a couple of hundred pounds of luggage, Christmas presents and the dog, plus me and momma in the cab, I think that the beast got amazingly good MPG's.

I run 0W-40 synthetic oil in the beast and had the oil changed on December 27th along with a Fleetguard oil filter. I checked the oil when I fueled up on arrival in Osoyoos and the oil was as clean and pristine as it was when first put in before the trip. I hear so many guys say that there oil turns black as soon as their fresh oil change is fired up. I am pleased that the oil stays clean for as long as it does, often to 3,500kms before it really starts to get dirty and dark looking. I tried to take a picture of the dip stick and it didn't quite come out as I had hoped - not a great cell phone[redface]. The beast has 253,000kms on it - Gawd I love this truck![laugh]

Cheers Boys and Girls! Happy New Year!

Mike

Nice going MikeL! I pulled a pretty good mpg out of mine over to Kalispell MT and back in July. Got 18 mpg US running around 68mph average according to my gps. What is that in Canadian MPG?!??

Seriously though, I am pulling for your health situation and hope you have a speedy recovery so you can get down for some sunshine! This cold and rain is gettin old.

BTW, my oil stays green for around 3000 miles also, then starts to slowly darken up til I change it around 5K....

Hi SIXSLUG! Thanks for the kind words - I gotta admit that I am pretty scared about the health problem. I am way to young and handsome to die. I will kick cancers azz!

18MPG US = 21.617MPG CDN. IMHO very respectable fuel numbers:cool:

I just figure that for the oil to stay clean for that length of miles in a diesel motor it's a positive sign that the motor is happy and running smoothly!

Cheers!

Mike

Best wishes Mike for a speedy recovery!

Mike, hope you're feeling better soon!!!
Ya know, I read all that, and after the cancer thing standing out, the other thing that really caught my eye was A COUPLE HUNDED POUNDS OF LUGGAGE!!!! Geez, I thought my wife over packed.....
Get better soon man

Torquefan and kerry.king - Thank you so much for your kind words. The prognosis is good, my attitude is good and I am a warrior and a fighter. Too many things left to do on the bucket list to slow down much for this.

Yes, A COUPLE HUNDRED POUNDS OF LUGGAGE! It was a long trip and momma never packs light. I learned a long time ago to keep quiet, nod my head, smile and just keep loading.

Cheers!

Mike

Mike - kick the cancer and get well. As for the luggage, remember the golden rule 'Happy Wife, Happy Life'. A bigger truck or a few miles poorer gas mileage is cheaper than a divorce and finding a new wife :) :)

Nice going especially considering your winter fuel. I always thought Western Canadian winter diesel had a lot more kerosene in it than what we get in the states (and thus less BTUs). Sure smells that way.

Hope for the best with you cancer battle!

Thanks for the good wishes guys!

Tallguy67 -Been married to this one for way too long to risk buggering things up. Besides that, I really like the one I have!

SeaW250 - Yes, you are quite correct that our winter blend usually causes a drop in MPG's.

Cheers!

Mike