Ok you've got the easypass, I pull tickets so I have to stop anyways.

 

if i didnt have the ez pass, i could probably fight with them everytime i go on and off. but then i would have to stop. and that wears my brakes and uses more fuel when i pull off. i dont like to wait in traffic either...

 

For what I use my truck for - hauling the boat. I don't have a real need for DRW and at the boat ramps a SRW would probably work better.

However I do prefer the dually look. This sounds like a great idea.

 

Hello, I did the same thing with my 98 f350. I did it because I got a flat and had no spare, so i took off both inners until I could get one. Well I noticed that my mileage went up (not sure how much, I never figured it out,but it was noticeable) and it rode a little better. So I too left it that way until I needed the extra capacity. One thing that wasnt mentioned about duallys is that since the two sets of wheels are physically bolted together, each pair of dual tires travel around a different arc when you turn, this actually causes one tire to scrub. Its like having a fully locked rear differential , only on a much smaller scale. This is a parasitic loss that occurs every time you are not going in a striaght line. The other parasitic loss is the rotating weight of the tire/wheel combo, especially starting from a stopped position.( but this was mentioned.)As we all know one of the ways in which you can gain performance and/ or mileage is to reduce these type losses. On a srw or just about any other vehicle this isnt an issue because of the differential. Sorry for the long post, but I hope it helps a few guys out there.

 

To me it is looks. I can't imagine rideing around with only 1 wheel in that big fender. I would be putting tires on way to often, I pull every few days.

Have a good day.

 

well, you really cant tell that there is only a single wheel if you remove the inner wheels. and duh, yeah, that wouldn't make sense for you to do it if you tow every few days. what do you tow and how far? if you tow far or heavy loads, then this would not make sense for you to do it. and any heavy loads should not be carried on just 1 wheel on a dually. but most of us know that.

sorry if i insulted you, its not meant to sound that way.

 

According to this link.

By running a factory DRW as a modified SRW. He is reporting a ~20% increase in mileage.



Does a factory SRW get the same ~20% better mileage compare to a factory DRW?

 

What kind of mileage is he reporting?

 

factory DRW
city 8.75
hwy 11.3

modfied SRW
city 10.95
hwy 13.95

That is ~20% increase.

 

I could see a milage increase because the single tire has less rolling resistance the the duals (same with skinny vs wide tires). Blueinracing also has a point with turning. One of those wheels has to slip a little when you turn and thats more friction and wasted energy. One wheel also cuts down on wind drag (probably not enough to make a difference though).


For the guys in pa.... If I get on at the allentown interchange, I get charged as a class 2 truck, but most other places only charge class 1. The scales there seem to register heavier then the others.

 

I do understand the milage increase. SRW has less rolling resistance and better turning.

A 5% sounds more realistic. Even 10% is believeable and 15% is a stretch. But 20%. Isn't that a little far fetch?

Are the SRW folks truly getting a 20% better mileage than the DRW folks?

 

I could see that much of an increase on a gasser. Simply locking the hubs in on my old truck (gas powered) would drop me 1 mpg. Now with the newer truck, the milage stays the same (diesel powered).

 

The problem is SRW tires are wider than the DRW's.

So when you take one tire off a DRW, the overall contact patch in the back is smaller than an SRW.

But 20% ? Sounds like someone learned how to compute their mileage during the experiment

 

I didn't take it as an insult. I own a feed and farm supply store, and I go pick up some of my supplies from some of my venders. I go to Arkansas an pick up fence post, Texas to get shavings and lick tubs, Tenn. to get wire. So, I do go long distances and heavy loads.

I just can't believe 20% increase in mpg. If he was getting that mpg before he went to srw, something was wrong with his truck. I am doing 13.8 in city driving. Also, I don't know if you looked inside of a dually fender, but the factory cut about 1" off the body around the wheel well. That would look kind of ratty to be driving around like that. OH, I bought my truck new in 9-00' so I know it is factory. I am also running 265/16 75R tires front and rear.

 

Well I think the point is interesting; I wouldn't be totally surprised at 15 to 20% and here's my reasoning.

As my moniker indicates, my V10 dually is "bare bones", with virtually no options - i.e., no a/c, no auto, no big cab, no 4wd, etc - and the empty scale weight is less than 7,000 pounds. In fact, I seem to recall it as about 6,700.

In suburban driving however, I only get 10 in winter and 11 in summer. Now part of that is due to the 10% ethanol we burn in Minnesota, and part of it is due to my tires generally being aired down, and of course some of it is due to the extra hp the 2005+ engines have, but most of the SRW guys with all of the bells and whistles seem to be reporting better mpg, with trucks that are quite a bit heavier. So in my book this leaves the possibility that those extra tires are the culprit...

I guess if the price of gas continues to skyrocket I just might have to experiment by removing one set of tires. I'd do it just for the hell of it but removing the rear tires is such a pain in the a$$ .....