gas mileage

[TandM]

Hey guys I was wondering if there were any ways to get better gas mileage in my dodge w200 full time 4x4 440bb truck. it sucks the tanks dry everytime you drive it it seems. I was thinking about headers and maybye a part time kit for the transfer case or just lockout hubs. I also heard about an economy carbuerator from edelbrock just wondering if those work? thanks for all sugestions.

[PLS-Tx]

Hey guys I was wondering if there were any ways to get better gas mileage in my dodge w200 full time 4x4 440bb truck. it sucks the tanks dry everytime you drive it it seems. I was thinking about headers and maybye a part time kit for the transfer case or just lockout hubs. I also heard about an economy carbuerator from edelbrock just wondering if those work? thanks for all sugestions.

Park it and walk :laugh:

[topsites]

I use 10mm Taylor wires, a high performance cap and rotor, double platinum spark plugs, a high performance ignition coil, synthetic oil, a high performance air filter, a high performance breather cap, replaced the O2 sensor and the fuel filter, changed trans fluid and filter, greased up the zerks in front and lubed the wheel bearings. Also filled and regularly check my tires pressure, I keep these to the Max.psi sidewall rating.

That's keeping up on the maintenance, this helps.

A tonneau cover helps as well, so does a GPS.
As does hypermiling, things such as driving without brakes and engine-off coasting.
That's on top of taking it real nice and easy and staying WAY back.
But I still only get 11.5 maybe 12, so you decide.
Yesterday at the pump, mpg check came out to 11.334...

It ain't easy, I guarantee as much.

[greendoctor]

Get rid of it and drive one with a Cummins diesel.

[TandM]

Thanks topsites I will do all of that when It gets back from paint. I bought this truck for 1500 bucks because it had a straight body and a good motor. Diesel is 1.00 a gallon more expensive in my area. I do not drive that far all of my cutting is on 2 islands. I only acasionaly drive more than 20 miles to get something. Just trying to minimize my overhead thanks again

[Greenery]

Check out this. http://www.fitchfuelcatalyst.com/
I haven't used it but i've heard that it does help.

[fool32696]

Sorry, but you wasted your money. Around here you can get late model F150 XLs for under $4000 and can appear a little more professional than you'll ever look in a 30yr old pickup with "new paint". They also get good mileage with the V6 and smaller V8.

[jkilov]

You can try changing your driving habits. Gear higher, more throttle.

Synthetic transmission oil should give you 5% more mpg, more on short trips.

[IA_James]

A set of part time hubs should buy you 5-10%. Which on that thing is going to be 3/4 to 1 mile per gallon. Not really much you can do for something like that.

[TandM]

Hey fool lets see a little f150 pull a loaded 21000 pound trailer down the road at 70mph with the front tires on the ground yea I don't think it would work really great. And by the way it is only a 3 speed auto.

[Grass Happens]

do not just put hubs on it, as i'm assuming it has a NP 203 case, you will deprive the front pump assembly of fluid, the same with pulling the drive shaft. You will need to get a full conversion kit. I would use the dodge as a toy, and get something else. The 440 is a good motor, but was never designed to sip fuel. The economy carb would be the way to go, along with a good hi-voltage ignition kit with the good wires like topsites mentioned. tonneau covers/cappers don't help with gas miliage (see mythbusters) Good headers with a mandrel bent exhaust and good, open air cleaner. run smaller, thinner tires to reduce rolling resitence and make sure everything is lubed. I'd be learly of running synthetics in that old of an engine due to gasket seepages and the what not, you dont need to lose your mpg savings spilling synthetic oli onto the pavement.

[Grass Happens]

Hey fool lets see a little f150 pull a loaded 21000 pound trailer down the road at 70mph with the front tires on the ground yea I don't think it would work really great. And by the way it is only a 3 speed auto.

yea, pulling a 21000 lb trailer at 70mph isn't really going to help the mpg. however the f150 would probably pull your lawn mower trailer just fine at a nice, legal 55 mpg while still getting better fuel mileage and lower cost-to-own for repairs, etc.

[IA_James]

Not to be the "weight police" but God help if the DOT gets ahold of you, you have 21k on the hitch, and you're driving. I'm pretty sure 15 y/o can't get a CDL, and depending on the state you are liable to need one to be driving for pay.

[GravelyNut]

Not to be the "weight police" but God help if the DOT gets ahold of you, you have 21k on the hitch, and you're driving. I'm pretty sure 15 y/o can't get a CDL, and depending on the state you are liable to need one to be driving for pay.
Plus a W200 with that would exceed the GCWR of the truck and likely rip the rearend out of it. And i think that texas is one of the few states that lets kids drive at 15 and only under certain conditions. Work for hire isn't one of them.

[IA_James]

Actually the rear end would probably be good for it, should be a Dana 60 or 70. The rest of the stuff though....That kinda weight you need to be gooseneck or 5th wheel, not bumper pull. Correctly loaded a goose or 5th will have about 15% of the trailer weight on the pin, which is 3150 lbs. That's insanely overloaded with a modern 3/4 ton, and even more so with an older one. The brakes aren't up to it, tranny, motor, none of it. 21k with a bumper pull just ain't cool, you'd be trying to find a hitch to stand up to (if loaded properly) the 2100 lb. tongue weight. And then towing it with a vehicle that weighs about 1/4 what the trailer does. Begging for an accident at best.

[Johnson LCO]

I think this kid is mistaken on the weight of what he is pulling. I doubt his whole rig including his truck weighs 21000 pounds. If his trailer does weigh that much then I dont think that truck will make it more than 20 miles with that rig behind it. Save all of the "those old trucks are bulletproof" crap because if the rearend or tranny doenst go then the brakes will for sure. TandM, you should start thinking now of what you want to say to the family of the person(s) you are going to kill trying to stop a 21000 pound trailer with that truck.

[TandM]

To inform you on what I am pulling with it and the setup on the truck. I was pulling a curb machine on a gooseneck. I have a nice trailer brake control setup on it and the brakes have been done on the truck recently. Oh and by the way the trailer and all that is on it is 21000 pounds. I also live in southeast georgia and I am driving on the interstate with this load at the speed limit. Oh my father gmc 2500hd with the duramax pulls this load fine on a hitch ball not on the bumper but a receiver hitch. The other truck that we pull the other curb machine on is dodge 3500 dually with a cummins diesel in it. You can hardly tell it is behind you when your in this truck. Who makes a good part time kit It does have the np203 and a 727b torqflite tranny.

[IA_James]

Warn makes as good a kit as anybody.

Just because the truck will move it doesn't mean it's a good idea, good luck kid.

[TandM]

Thanks ia I will look into a warn kit for it. this is really good info.

[Johnson LCO]

I know that a gooseneck trailer makes a difference but that load is still wildly inapropriate for your truck. I would even be worried about pulling it with the cummins diesel. I have a f350 dually with the 7.3 and the other day I was pulling 10000 pounds and had the bed overflowing with rock. I dont doubt that I was technically overloaded and I wouldnt have done it if it wasnt completely necessary. I didnt necessarily "feel" the load behind me but I still worried a lot about stopping. Makes me glad that I have a manual truck and can slow down the truck in the event that the brakes failed. You are still young, just wait until you or someone you know is in a terrible accident because then it will finally hit home to you how dangerous your behavior is. All it takes is someone pulling in fornt of you and slamming on the brakes. Your whole world will end. Your parents will lose all of their possesions and you will have to live with what you did for the rest of your life. Have you ever seen a truck hit an automobile? It scares me to think about what my truck would do to a small car when it is empty, much less when it is loaded. I know it is hard to grasp how serious what I am saying is, afterall it is just type on a computer screen, but I hope it doesnt take a tragic situation for you to learn.

[TandM]

Thanks for your concerns but the truck stops really well with the trailer brakes. It wouldn't make since to put it on the lowboy it cant crawl on to it. how else should I haul it?

[Johnson LCO]

I am not sure of your current situation but you need to find a better way to haul it. You need to be responsible and think of what can happen. The DOT would have a field day with you. A buddy was fined $2k for being one ton overweight in his dump truck. I am sure you would be looking at much much more.

[TandM]

http://www.kurber 5000.com/photos.htmHow would that be the trailer was specced to handle it the curb machine does not way 21000 pounds but still ways a lot that is with everything else truck trailer curb machine pins, molds. We wayed it with it behind that dodge and that is what it ways why do yall think this is so bad. It just like pulling a skid steer and a mini excavator behind a dualie. Please tell whats so bad about this? go to kurber 5000.com you will see it on there.

[IA_James]

If I understand you right, it's 21k for everything, not just the trailer? 21k GCW is still pretty high for a 3/4 ton. That would be 15k lbs. ish of trailer which is dually range anywhere you go.

[TandM]

this is right. When we pull it with the dually it only squats down about 4inches of course the back of that dually is jacked up so when you put it on it sits level.

[IA_James]

Level on some trucks can be misleading. It might be that you just managed to get it onto the overloads and it didn't drop much further.

[TandM]

Overloads yea right On a 2007 dodge ram 3500 dually with a cummins in it. It has specially arched springs for pulling everyday.

[IA_James]

Unless they've changed in the last few years the single wheel and dually tonner Dodges came with overloads and a 3/4 ton leaf pack. The only difference between the 3/4 ton and the tonners was that overload.

[TandM]

The leaf packs on this one is a lot different than the 2500s It has 3 more leaves!

[IA_James]

Bolted on seperately from the main leaf pack. 1 long, 1 medium, 1 shorter medium, on top of the regular leaf pack. Like I say, unless they've changed it in the last couple years.