Subject: Re: DML: Mileage figures for 2001, longish
Andy,
Assuming my calculating skills haven't atrophied too badly, it appears that
your axle ratio (3.55) expressed as a percentage of my ratio (3.92) is about
0.905. (I added the leading zero to make the decimal stand out)
Using that as a multiplier on your mileage figures comes very close to the
values I'm getting.
It's an exaggeration but seems as though every engine start uses a pint of
gas. I.e., eight starts per gallon.
My errands usually take me to the supermarket, then down the street to the
home center for hardware or lumber, then across town for other things. The
start-up/shutdowns seem to produce a bigger drop in efficiency for the 5.2
liter than with previous trucks that I've owned. I guess that would make
sense, it's a bigger engine than I've ever had.
I've also found that "average" winter driving in our area can cause a 2-4
mpg drop. The extra minute or two warm-up time in the morning, the slight
increase in power necessary to push the tires through an inch or two of snow
or slush, the unintentional wheel spin, and dropping into 4-high for the
occasional snow drift all add up.
Last week I installed 32x11.50 BFG Mud Terrains for snow tires. After
correcting for the speedo error, it will be interesting to see if there is
any significant change in mileage due to rolling resistance or weight.
Neil
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