I've never driven and calculated in a dodge, so I cant say, bit my GMC Savana 2500 was pretty close the few times I hand calculated, as have been my last Malibu, and current Fusion. As for fuel economy, my 1997 F250 Reg cab Powerstroke with 4:10's got 21mpg hand calculated.
The Lie-o-meter is usually closer than hand calculating assuming the fuel system is in good condition. Unless you have leaking injectors or your fuel pressure is off-spec, it should be pretty spot-on assuming you have stock tire sizes. Hand calculating doesn't take into account the variability of the fuel pump auto-shut-off. And you still have to have stock tire sizes or your speedometer/odometer correctly calibrated for other sizes to get an accurate result. Weighing the truck would likely be the most accurate method without some special gear.
average mpg is mpg. There is no way a computer calculated number should vary from half calculation . I agree assuming a stock truck. My work truck with the factory set of tires that I ran for like 45,000 miles the lie O meter was often over estimating 1mpg or more. If I drive 400 Miles on a tank and i put 24 gallons into that tank how can you come up with any other answer than 400 divided by 24?
Oh I’m using the same equation as you Clem, no worries there! But the result is only as accurate as the inputs right? You are assuming 400 miles based on your odometer being spot-on, and 24 gallons trusting that you filled the tank to the exact same level as the previous fill. Which is extremely unlikely, although we generally get plenty close enough. The odometer variance affects the computer calculation and your hand calculation equally but the computer calculation is indifferent to how much fuel you put in the tank. The computer assumes a given amount of fuel consumed for the duration of each injector pulse. There’s plenty of wiggle room in that too. Fuel pressure and injector flow must be to accurate for the computer’s calculation to be correct. In theory, if you know the the error factor of your odometer and weigh the vehicle to determine the amount of fuel used, you should be able to make a precise calculation. The odometer error is easy to figure, weighing the vehicle is usually a hassle however and you’d need to be certain nothing other than fuel load has changed between weigh-ins. Just for curiosities sake, Clem, see how far off your truck’s odometer/speedometer is. Plenty of GPS apps out there, just track a good stretch of highway driving and compare the distance traveled. Also keep in mind that tire pressure and load affect odometer accuracy. (Not to mention mpg!) So if you are a couple psi low in the tires, air ‘em up!
I agree on all you state. I totaly understand where the numbers come from and even how the computer figures. But on thise numbers i threw out there you can be a half gallon the "full" point from last fill up and only throw that calculation off roughly .5 mpg either way. I consistently see almost a 1mpg difference. I dont buy im cramming another gallon in every time to make it off. On a side note out toyota sequoia is a true lie o meter . Its life avg or whatever that one is would always be higher than 15. Even after like 2 years of about 13.5 avg mpg tanks. And i know how averages work. But this is after i replaced a battery and a few times manually reset it to get a true avg . I dont know whats going on with it. Its an 04. That leaky of injectors. That said my 01 Highlander life mpg meter is dang spot on. On the ranger i use to run corrections for odometer being off for larger tire size.
My guess would be that the fuel pressure is off-spec for whatever reason. Unless the ECU is actively monitoring the fuel pressure, it would be blind to the fuel pressure being a bit high. But that’s pure SWAG.
I drove a 2018 Ram last week. I can't get over how big it was compared to my 2009 F150....the center console was at least 8" wider than my truck...it was a boat. It felt all sorts of soft, and squishy, and bloated...transmission shifts were super soft...and torque down low left a lot to be desired. My BILs 2018 Silverado feels the same, but not as bad as the Ram. The new F150's may be the same, but I haven't driven one. It was like driving my Honda quad compared to my dad's Polaris. Mine feels more stiff and a more angry when it shifts...and I like that. They just don't have that same "truck" feel. Kinda sad. That's just my opinion though.
they are highly derated driving around. imagine having all 1000 ft lbs of torque available all the time, lots of broken pieces and parts. Hook a HEAVY trailer and it will awe you. All brands.
So you like a buck board ride and harsh shifts? Most would comment how soft the ride is, and how smooth it shifts as a good thing...
The coyote in the F-150 is a nice engine. That engine, especially in the 10 spd ones is mega peppy. The gm 5.3 it's tuned for mpg, it's soft, presumably in the tranny tuning. I felt the 2019 etorque hemi rebel was peppy as well. But that rebel had 3.92 gears, as all rebels do. I've yet to drive the 3.21 geared 2019 Rams though. I really should though, because I think I'm about there to finally buy a truck. I'm just torn about buying a new truck when I am looking to upgrade my bike too. I'm thinking a year or 2 old truck, then the bike....
Watch the tire sizes on these trucks. I know a few years ago Ford made some trucks with real short tires and 3.55 gears. I never did the math but I bet they were geared like a truck with taller tires and 3.73 gears.
I know a guy who bought a new silverado, but he got the old bodystyle. I forget what GM is calling it. He said the 2019 with the new body was really small inside. He said he could reach across the truck and touch both the passenger and driver side windows.
Most of the trucks I'm looking at have the 3.31 gears. There's a few with 3.73s and I think a few with 3.55 but the majority are 3.31. Now I want the electronic locker, but some don't have that. I'd think that would be one of the easier mods to do, right? There's several aftermarket lockers out there.
The new 19 Chevy's I couldn't even think about even with the supplier discount. Gm really phoned it in on the interior, and you can't get the 6.2 in a trail boss, or any trim except ltz and high country. Also, gm isn't doing much to move their new body style trucks incentive wise. Which is probably why I have seen almost none on the road. They are at the dealer, but the same ones that are there sit, and sit, and sit. Meanwhile the new Rams at the ram dealer are constantly moving and I see a lot of the roads. I know nationally, ram is damm close to stealing the #2 selling truck title from Chevy.
I dont want harsh shifts, but when my truck shifts, I want them crisp and quick. The shift kit in my Bronco is awesome. He drilled out the passage ways at the minimum, if not a touch smaller in some instances. End result was exactly what I wanted. It shifts better than my friends high dollar billit internal filled transmission.
i agree hard shifts are better for the transmission, its just most people dont want to hear a bang when it shifts.