I just paid $2.39 a gallon to fill up today...........and it still emptied my wallet.

My '86 4x4 with the 460, T-19, 4.10 gears, and 35" tires gets 8-10 around town, dosen't matter if I baby it, or drive it like I stole it, milage is always the same. On the highway, at 60-65 mph I get 13-14 mpg, while doing 75 mph will get me 7-8 mpg. The best thing I can do for milage in my truck is to go easy on the skinny pedal..........or drive my Taurus.

 

We are holding at $2.99. I have a 351 and am only getting 10-11. At least you have the extra cubes!

 

I need to correct myself; after looking around on the 'net, it seems they (MythBusters)
revisited the topic and tried a few other configurations, it seems the netted back (in place of
a tailgate) WILL actually give better mileage! I have no idea how much the improvement is
but I can't imagine it's much.

From MythBusters Episode 43: Sea-sickness – Kill or Cure?:

It is more fuel efficient to drive your pick-up truck with its tailgate down, rather
than up.

BUSTED

Driving with the tailgate down actually increased drag on the pick-up and caused it to
consume fuel faster than the identical truck driven with the tailgate up. It was later
revealed that the closed tailgate creates a locked vortex flow that created a smoother
flow of air over the truck. With the tailgate down the trapped vortex was dissipated and
the drag increased.

(This myth was revisited in episode 64 and re-busted. However, it was found that mesh
tailgates are the most efficient configuration.)

 

Manufacturers have probably had that tailgate thing figured out for years.

 

just get a beatup honda as a drive to work car... i managed to land a pretty nice Cutlass for real cheap, just havent had the time to work on it... as said before 460 and MPG shouldent be said in the same sentence

 

If you are doing mostly local driving, you might alternate between filling your front and rear tanks. That would reduce your trucks weight by a little over 100 pounds.

I alternate tanks to ensure that the gas doesn't get stale. The only time that I take on a full 38 gallons is when I'm going on a trip.

 

Put the truck on a diet. What is it, every 100 lbs shed is equal to 10 horsepower or something like that? Clean the junk out of the truck, extra tools and unnecessary junk, even the spare tire, jack, and related stuff - if you are that brave.

 

What about exhaust and anything on the intake side - how efficient can you get the air in and out. Also a hot spark and as efficient carburation as possible. BUT you are still driving a 460 and that will only yield minor gains.

 

Hi ya, 86!
Yeah, buddy- I feel your pain! The gas pump is the only place where it is tough to have a truck like ours! On the upside, though, I just pulled a double axle trailer with a load of fresh cut (heavy) eucalyptis logs up to my buddies woodworking shop in Victorville CA which is at the top of the Cajon pass just north of L.A. on interstate 15. The funny thing is I got about 8 MPG on the way up, filled up and got about 9 MPG on the way down which is kind of like coasting all the way. The cool part of the whole thing is that my truck pulled that load like it didn't know it was there! Torque is GOOD!! Horsepower isn't bad either, but unfortunately they take a certain amount of gas to produce! I'm with everybody else here- do what you can to make sure you're running at the best efficiency you can achieve, try to take it as easy as you can and drive something else when you don't absolutely need the capability of your truck. As for engine swaps, unless you are really gonna drive the wheels off of the truck the hassle and expense don't seem to add up.
Have fun!
Dave

 

One major characteristic is shared by all the big blocks from GM, Ford and Mopar.........
8 - 12 mpg......Sometimes you just have to accept the hand your dealt, its a HD truck not a econo-box. Best to have a beater car to drive.

 

13-15 MPG in a 4x4 3/4 ton with a 460 is like getting 20-22 MPG in a 4x4 1/2 ton. It is possible, and people all over will claim to get it, but you probably won't. Just my observation.

 

As said above, at what point does the expense outweigh the savings? You could do a million different things to increase mpg...for the right price. A Gear Vendors will help the fuel economy, but how long until it pays for itself? Do not beat yourself up over economy, it is just not going to happen.

 

Just let that crappy MPG remind you why you drive what you drive, a big block that will tow whatever you hook to it, a good ol' reliable heavy hauler. I am grateful and proud of what I drive, and I don't get very good gas milage either, but I sure as hell am glad to have a good ol' solid, real truck that will haul my firewood, tractors, dirt, gravel, lumber, and all my tools, and go four wheelin and have fun, and then reliably fire up for next morning's commute. Not some eco box that'll last you a couple years, then break down, not be worth fixing, and be crushed into a cube and recycled. Sorry for the rant. Trucks for life!!! yeah!!!! rant over. good night all.

 

I should change my nick to GasHog... Cause I spend in range of just under 10k yearly.. True my truck makes me money so its not so bad.. but when i bought her premium was $1.25 and diesel .99c.. That wasn't all that long ago 2004..

 

I second this statment. I picked up a fiberglass tonneau cover from the pic-and-pull and it made no difference in mileage whatsoever, but it did allow me to store my tools in the bed and find them there in the morning... A large cap may make mileage worse by creating a large flat surface and associated low pressure/drag at highway speeds. That being said my 300 gets 16 mpg on the road w/4-speed, 31’s, 308’s and tonneau cover. My 460 gets 12.5 on the road w/4-speed, 32’s, 3.55’s and large fiberglass cap. Both trucks are >100K mi and in tune. I feel tweaking and adding cruise control will get the 460 one or two MPG more on the road. Lack of OD in both trucks is a major reason for poor mileage. As noted in previous posts, the skinny pedal is the determining factor in getting the best possible mileage.

As to the 300 swap, don’t do it if you need to get anywhere fast. The advantage of the 460 is that it will roll down the road at any speed you choose and pass anything even if a downshift is required. The 300 was done 3500 RPM so downshifting at highway speeds is out and max cruising speed is ~75MPH with my gear/tire combo.