On Tue, 19 Aug 2003 03:47:05 -0400, mike-lists@tepidcola.com (Michael
Maskalans) wrote:
>On Monday, August 18, 2003, at 04:34 PM, Michael Quigley wrote:
>>
>> Is anyone getting better than around 12 MPG from their 4.7L V-8?
>>
>> I get between 11-12 MPG no matter how I drive. Sometimes I'll get
>> around 14
>> MPG if I'm doing a lot of highway driving.
I made a freeway run yesterday and averaged 17-18, which is some of
the best mileage I've gotten to date. This is the first long run I've
made since adding the tonneau. I used to see around 15-16, so this is
a pretty noticable difference. The other thing I noticed is that when
driving through windy areas (Golden Gate Bridge and the areas to the
immediate north), there isn't nearly as much force pushing the truck
around as there used to be. (Of course, a lot of this is probably
also due to the fact that I replaced the shocks)
I've got an '00 CC 4.7 4x4 w/3.92s also. How many miles do you have
on your truck?
>sounds like pretty crappy mileage, but with those 3.92s it doesn't
>surprise me too much.... don't forget that your truck, being a quad
>cab, is quite a bit heavier than many others here, too. I don't have
>any numbers to directly compare to, though (read on).
>>
>> I use my Dakota for pulling a sailboat trailer (around 4,000#) on a
>> fairly
>> regular basis. Anyone have any advice or general commentary on using
>> the
>> Dakota as a tow-vehicle?
>
>I know mine (98 CC 318 4x4 3.55) has performed admirably. for heavy
>loads (I wouldn't put your sailboat in that category), I'd really
>prefer to have the 3.92s, and the 'soft' rear springs could use some
>help when tongue weight is high (roadmaster? air bags? weight
>distributing setup? overload springs?). I rarely tow anything wide,
>but auxiliary mirrors are certainly a must with something more than
>about 7'.
I agree. I tow my boat (4000-4500 lbs. depending on how much
gear/fuel/etc.) frequently and the truck handles it extremely well. I
also noticed a huge difference in the ride after I replaced the
shocks. (On a bumpy road, the whole truck doesn't bounce up and down
anymore) I have the 6x9 mirrors on my truck and don't have much of a
problem seeing what's behind me, with the exception of what's directly
behind the trailer and less than about 10' away from it. When I need
to back into tight spaces, I usually have someone to guide me (a good
idea anyway). I'm definitely going to buy some extra mirrors as soon
as I find some that fit in nicely.
>if you're looking to mod your truck, keep in mind that a loud exhaust
>will start to drone more than it normally would when overdrive is off
>and revs are high. also, if you do duals out the back, it'll reflect
>off the trailer and be far louder. watch going for too much flow, too,
Mmmmm that's good stuff. I like to open the rear window when I'm
pulling the boat out of the water at the ramp. Between the extra load
on the engine and the sound reflecting off of the trailer, it sounds
pretty damn nice. :-)
>there are certainly people here with a lot more Dak-based towing
>experience than I, so I'll let them fill in the massive blanks I've
>left.
Just take it easy is all I can really suggest. I've found that my Dak
is an extremely capable tow vehicle, but as with any vehicle, towing
puts a lot of extra strain on it... so you should try to avoid
stomping on the gas and things of that sort. If you have an automatic
transmission, you generally want to keep it out of overdrive. The
only time I sneak it back into OD is when I can do 55-60 on a flat
piece of road and I know that it's not going to keep shifting in and
out of OD. (The shifting under heavy load is what's the worst for the
tranny)
-Bill
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