Re: It's all in the gearing

Posted by trucker40 on April 25, 2008 at 16:48:03 from (69.154.212.40):

In Reply to: It's all in the gearing posted by NCWayne on April 25, 2008 at 15:07:15:

I know you are right.Its all in the gears.The more you can keep something in overdrive,which most transmissions are nowdays,even manual big rigs,the better fuel mileage you get,and the more you downshift for hills,or for 55 mph 4 wheelers you cant get around,the lower your fuel mileage gets.ULSD seems like it doesnt get as good of mileage,like a 1/2 mile to 1 mile per gallon less in my truck.
Another way to look at it is like this,if the speed limit is 70mph and you drive 55 mph,in an hour drive at 70 mph you will drive for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 55,which means you will run your engine for 25% more minutes,or 15 more minutes,and that will be in direct maybe instead of overdrive,so it could cost you money depending on your gears.Tires,air pressure,front end and total alignment,rolling resistance of your tires,how many hills you pull,the wind,all have lots to do with fuel mileage,even the temperature,if its raining,or ice on the road,octane of the gas,and I like to find a truck thats boogieing if I am on the Interstate and follow them back a ways,just enough where it pulls you along,that helps a lot on a long trip even if I am in another truck.Drafting works better if the conditions are right for it than anything else other than Georgia Overdrive which is kick it out of gear going down hill.Thats a dangerous and illegal thing to do in case you didnt know in a big truck.So is following too close.If you try to draft and get too close it hurts your mileage too.
If it was better to drive slow to save fuel,in a vehicle thats built to say run 65,and you drive 55 instead,you will hurt your mileage.The whole drive 55 thing was a scam.For the most part nobody drove 55 anyway,and wont now either.Lots of people dont care what fuel costs,they have places to go,and things to do,and no time to waste.
About the only way you are going to save any fuel by going slow is coast down every hill you come to and not push very much on the gas going up the other side,or higher gears,or an overdrive trans mission.You cant drive that way on the Interstate without attracting the cops and making everybody else mad.The way things are nowdays,and getting worse daily,you could get into a situation you dont want in because you think its smart to drive slow,which for the most part is not true.Your best bet is to go with the flow,draft if you can,coast if its not going to cause a wreck.If you dont like your gas mileage,look for something that gets better mileage,dont cause road rage or a possible wreck because you think it helps to run 50 on the Interstate.Ive seen plenty of wrecks caused by people running too slow.Its not a pretty sight when a car or small truck is wadded up underneath of a semi.

Replies:

• Re: It's all in the gearing trucker40 17:21:29 04/25/08 (0)

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