Have you looked at brake caliper temps all around after a long drive?

 

Not with a temp gun only by feel. I'm having all pads, rotors and calipers replaced in the next two weeks as it's overdue anyway.

First up is all plugs and coils this Friday.

I wanted to space the replacements out so I can gauge what the 'cure' will be - and post it here for posterity!

 

 

Hehe, I was just jesting ;P

I haven't, but will be very soon!

 

 

odd... I struggle to find e0 regular around here. I can get e0 premium at pretty much any place near a lot of farms, but the price jump to premium doesn't make up for the efficiency jump.

costco is a pretty much guaranteed stop and fill place. next cheapest was kroger with the 3c/gal discount but that was still 15c/gal more than costco.

 

Last I read, 10% ethanol is State law for MN. Next fill up will be at Shell using their 91. Worth a shot.

Current tank is going to see 300 miles as fuel light about to come on at any moment, netting me 8.1mpg for this tank. This is largely thanks to cleaner roads and fixing the ESOF.

Better, but the journey continues.

This Friday is plugs and fuel filter.

 

Get a few pics of those old plugs if you can, interested what they look like.

 

Will do.

Went to Shell as I needed to fill. Baulked at their 91 price ($3.49 p/g). I settled for their 87 at $2.69... cost me $95 for a hair over 35 gallons. This round netted me 8.3mpg.

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In two weeks we will be heading down to Pigeon Forge TN, about a 610 mile drive towing the 11K TT at a combined weight of about 19,500lbs. I am expecting to get about the same mileage as that if the weather is bad, if the weather is clear all the way down it should get 9-ish MPG. I really think that those new plugs are going to help your situation.

 

You have no idea how much I'm hoping you're right.

What do you think I should be getting, in your opinion?

 

Not knowing exactly what your typical drive and traffic conditions are or how heavy your foot is, all I can really do is relate how my Ex did with stock tires and 3.73 gears on my 50/50-ish mix of city (suburban town & some city) and highway daily driving back when I drove it regularly. My daily use got 14-ish MPG with the 50/50 mix and on mostly highway trips unloaded it got as high as 15.5 MPG. With my current configuration it doesn't see any daily use and very little unloaded driving, but last Summer it got 14.5 MPG on an unloaded all highway trip home from Columbus OH, about 470 miles with the Cruise Control set at 65 MPH the entire way. When not using Cruise Control, like all of my towing miles, I am very attentive to my throttle management, this is a carryover from my typical warm weather Hypermiling in my Geo Metro where I see 63 MPG regularly on my 50/50 driving mix.

 

 

For thread posterity: first 1/4 tank used netted me 40 miles. No 4x4, no lead foot (under 2000rpm as much as poss), mix of urban and highway. All cold, cold, cold. Filled up to full again, as a test, put in 7.5 gallons.

 

Holy cow! That's only 5.33 MPG! My bone stock 3.73 EX did better than that towing the old 9,500lb ToyHauler, something is just not right here.......... When are those new plugs going in?
Does your exhaust smell like exhaust or does it small like gasoline? I'm not suggesting getting your face up to the tailpipe, just a general smell test standing near the pipe at the rear of the EX. With mileage that low and what I'm betting is at least one cylinder with a miss it seems like there would be a lot of unburned gas in that exhaust stream. ANd over time that WILL kill your catalytic convertor.