300 6 driving tips
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 5,860
Likes: 4
From: Metro Detroit (Redford)
You have an automatic, so it is impossible to redline it unless the tranny malfunctions and doesn't shift. They will normally shift a few hundred or so below redline.
Now the way to drive a 300 I6 is hard. Why? Because the engine will last forever, but the rest of the truck will rot out long before that. Drive it hard because it is fun and you only live once in this world, so why not go with gusto. Mat the pedal as much as you want. I do with my '95 and get about 15.5 mpg. Now I don't abuse it, that is, I never dump the clutch. I don't want to break things, but I do keep my foot heavily into it.
Now the way to drive a 300 I6 is hard. Why? Because the engine will last forever, but the rest of the truck will rot out long before that. Drive it hard because it is fun and you only live once in this world, so why not go with gusto. Mat the pedal as much as you want. I do with my '95 and get about 15.5 mpg. Now I don't abuse it, that is, I never dump the clutch. I don't want to break things, but I do keep my foot heavily into it.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 491
Likes: 0
From: Boyd,TX
I've got almost the same set-up as yours except 5 speed manual. Keep it tuned( PCV & all filters), make sure there are no vacuum leaks, replace the TPS( I got a big boost on that), and buy the liquid carb cleaner in the 16oz. white can with red and blue letters( starts with a "B"). Also check for codes. It doesn't matter if you baby it or drive it like you stole it.
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,006
Likes: 4
From: Sussex County, DE
Also check your thermostat and make sure it's letting the engine get warm. You should be running a 195 degree 'stat or it may not go into closed loop operation. Also, the O2 sensors might be lazy, and letting the engine run too rich. This doesn't always set a code. Lastly, if you are running larger tires without having recalibrated the speedometer, then you will register less miles on the odometer than you have acually traveled, and therefore your mileage will be artificially low.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,375
Likes: 0
From: the beaches of florida
Originally Posted by VikingBabe
Keep your tailgate up despite what you may have heard. In wind tunnel tests, trucks do not do better aerodynamically with the tailgate down. Tune up is always good.
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