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aggiedude
Dodge Dakota
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4/17/2006
16:09:17
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 Subject: Better MPG suggestions
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Ok folks, this is probably a big question/concern now, esp since gas will be hitting $3.00+ really soon. I;ve got an '04 Quad 4.7 with 30,500 miles on it, have put on an Extang RT tonneau, K&N air filter, and changed the plugs (standard Champion replacements) at 30k exactly.Also cleaned the injection intake and stuff and just wondering what other suggestions might help with a tad better mileage..Oh yea, had the original muffler taken off and put a flowmaster on it as well a few months ago. Right now I'm avg around 16.5 city and hwy and would just like to do everything I can to top it off little by little. Folks have mentioned going to NGK plugs, others have mentioned synthetic oil versus conventional, etc...but wanted to get input from in here....I ""almost"" traded for an 06 Mazda Tribute today with a 4cyl but decided to wait until I get responses from in here. I love the truck and just hate to get rid of it but dang gas is just killing me...Thanx a bunch folks !!
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Trevor
Dodge Dakota
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4/17/2006
17:49:46
|  RE: Better MPG suggestions
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16.5 is pretty good, i'm getting 14 (mostly highway) from my little 3.9 4x4.
Sorry this is off topic, but aggiedude are you from a farm? Are you by any chance in University?
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jjj
Dodge Dakota
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4/17/2006
17:50:05
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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That is about all you will get out of it. Maybe 1 more mpg if you do everything - maybe.
The truck weighs close to 5k with you in it so that isn't too bad on gas.
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aggiedude
Dodge Dakota
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4/17/2006
17:56:17
|  RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Guess y'all are right and guess I'll have to do some soul searching to decide what to do....I don't really use the """truck""" part of the truck very often but knowing it's there if I need to haul stuff sure is nice.....And not from a farm or anything. From central Texas and am a big Texas Aggies fan.....So anyone know anything about the Mazda Tribute 4cyl A/T ((still has cargo room but would get better mileage by 5-10 mpg)) ??? or the Mazda 3 wagon ((just like the heck out of that little thing))...Not much for cargo but might be able to take fishing gear with both back seats down........
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Obio3
Dodge Dakota
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4/17/2006
21:26:40
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Change everything that has fluids/oil in it to syn and you most likely will gain about 1 mile per gal. Maybe a bit more if you go with amsoil. Other then that, keep it clean and waxed to cut through the air better on the highway and you'll be doing about all you can that actually will help a bit. The champion plugs are in fact the best you can use in these trucks. They have the highest resistance of all plugs which promotes the hotest spark. infact if you use champion truck plugs you get more resistance yet Goes from 75,000 to 85,000. Open the plug gap 5 thousands extra. This will increase resistance more yet. What your attempting to do here is get 100% firing but that's a dream. But getting as close to it as possible is reality if done correct. Good luck.
So many problems .... So little time
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aggiedude
Dodge Dakota
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4/17/2006
21:39:06
|  RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Thanx a million obio3...If I decide to keep the truck I might just do the synthetic thing but am gonna go ahead and at least go "window shopping" at the Tribute and 3 wagon and see if they're even worth considering...I hate even thinking about it but man, it's taking too much beer $$$ outta my pocket and this guy don't like that...ha ha ha
Thanx again !!!!
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Obio3
Dodge Dakota
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4/18/2006
00:10:15
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Do the math BEFORE you trade it off . What's it costing to drive the Dakota and what it will cost to drive the new one. Take the differance in gas and add payments. You just may find that 3 buck gas is cheaper.
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aggiedude
Dodge Dakota
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4/18/2006
00:24:52
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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I know Obio3 and man I appreciate the advice/wisdom/words etc...............Will definitely NOT make any bad decisions I hope. Am 43 yrs old and finally got the truck of my dreams in the color of my fav football team (Aggies are maroon and molten lava is awesome), runs great, looks great, etc.........So will go ahead and drive vehicles tomorrow and at least get a taste but if they can't beat mine it ain't gona happen......Have a good one !!
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WTF??
Dodge Dakota
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4/18/2006
02:20:09
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Half the postings are asking how to get more HP and power out of their trucks - until $3.00 a gal gas comes along and then they want to trade them off for a cheaper running car. But as others have pointed out, you'll probably lose more money trading it off than if you just pay for the gas. Frankly, I got more power in my stock R/T than I can use around these parts. Then you got these idiots complaing ( or was it bragging? ) how they got a ticket for doing 120 mph in a school zone. With not even talking about what other factors of danger that is involved, getting to 120 mph uses a lot of petrol, No wonder your milage is so bad.
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
4/18/2006
06:49:05
|  RE: Better MPG suggestions
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It has been proven by Amsoil (and other leading oil manufacturers and suppliers) through use of industry accepted fuel economy tests, field demonstrations (and as witnessed by most of our customers), that switching to synthetic oils and lubricants can (and does) improve fuel economy (mpg).
Also, depending upon your driving habits, conditions, and climate ... switching viscosities can improve fuel economy also. I've observed a MPG increase when switching grades (5w-30 compared to 10w-40).
Amsoil Synthetic Motor Oils reduce friction and drag better than petroleum oils, resulting in significant fuel economy increases. In a 1.2 million mile demonstration, AMSOIL Lubricants showed a 4.5% increase in gas mileage. Other tests have shown increases of as much as 15% under certain weather and driving conditions. Yet, because every vehicle is different, as are driving habits and conditions, it is difficult to accurately project an exact increase.
__________________________________________________
To request a FREE Amsoil Catalog click the following link.
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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crow318
Dodge Dakota
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4/18/2006
08:01:57
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Obio3 makes a good point about how much you can really save with a car that gets better mileage.
Real quick math for ya.
If you are getting 16.5 MPG,
and you say your car will get 5-10 more
approximately 25 MPG
With gas at $3.00
Your car payment is just $50/mo more than you currently pay, you have to drive 809 miles per month or 9700 miles per year, just to break even.
Lets say you drive 15k per year. You will be $325 ahead at the end of the year.
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aggiedude
Dodge Dakota
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4/18/2006
08:17:46
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Mazda is offering a great deal on their Tribute and offering me a great deal on my trade so monthly payment would be right at the same ($340 +/- a couple dollars).....I've got 4 yrs left on mine and would have 5 yrs if I bought theirs....Basically, their offering to sell the 06 Tribute 4 cyl A/T (my fiancee doesn't like M/T) for $16800 pretty much loaded as far as a Tribute goes, and would payoff mine plus give me $400 extra for the down payment.....I'm still not sure I wanna do it and won't know until I go look but definitely gotta go drive it ((and the little Mazda 3 wagon which gets 25+ mpg but needs to hold them fishin' rods)) and see if it's even worth considering...But YES, definitely all worth listening to and that's why I posted.....Like I said, I'm 43 but still young at heart, no kids,no wife, and still like to have fun, enjoy the power of the 4.7, but again, $$$ of gas is just scaring me right now so gotta at least consider the options.....All input is appreciated...Gonna hit thu rack but will read any more replies when I wake up...Thanx a million everyone and God bless all of ya !
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Shatto
Dodge Dakota
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4/18/2006
10:34:05
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Along with the math wizardry of Obio3; another consideration should be the monthly cost. If you own it, it is cheaper than paying a bank.
You ought to pay off any loan as fast as possible to get out from under the interest.
Where I am license renewal is less each birthday.
Then there is what Steve posted; If you get another 100,000 miles out of it, compared to it wearing out sooner with conventional oil, you saved money.
Finally,aggiedude;
Bet there is a Costco near you. Quick! get the brochure on their car buying program. Why?
a) you'll probibly get a better price on something new.
b) They have a REFINANCE program. Refinancing the Dodge could bring down your payments quite a bit.
Ditto, Credit Union.
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Justi
Dodge Dakota
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4/18/2006
17:54:44
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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I too was very close to convincing myself I needed to trade my Dakota for a fuel efficient car. When you figure say a 10mpg increase with a new vehicle as the savings. Then consider how much you'll actually save per year.
882.35 Gallons User for 20k mi at 17mpg - Cost Per Year @ 3.00/gal: $2647.05
555.55: Gallons used for 20k mi at 27mpg - Cost Per Year @ 3.00/gal: $1666.67
Thats $1000/yr savings which sounds GREAT on paper. But in my case my truck is 2yrs away from paid off. If I bought a new car, even after trade in, I'm still stuck with a minimum of a 4 year loan. Let's just say that's at $300/mo. $300/mo x the extra 24mo I'm going to have to pay for a vehicle is $7200. Considering ALL of this, it will take 7.2 years to realize MY FIRST CENT OF SAVINGS! And that's assuming a $3/gal price which could drop (or go up, granted). It's also assuming
When you consider all of this, I'd rather keep the truck I love than go with a savings plan that will not only take me 7 years to show any savings, but actually cost me MORE in the short run.
Personally I think you want a new vehicle and are using the gas cost angle to justify it to yourself. If that's the case then so be it, just make sure you realize you're doing it.
Justi
My Dakota Page
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Justi
Dodge Dakota
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4/18/2006
17:56:18
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Er, above calculations were done at 15k miles a year, not the 20k shown. Personally I run 20k so I do it at 20k for me. And just for the record, it takes 5.5 years instaed of 7.2 if you run 20k a year.
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aggiedude
Dodge Dakota
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4/18/2006
18:24:09
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Thanx Justi for the post buddy; I've been kinda doing the same kind of adding on paper as well.....One of the things is though, is that I still have 4 yrs on my truck and would only have 5 on a new Tribute or 3, which would basically be maybe $4200 or so ($350 X 12), less the $1,000 on gas I guess would make it $3200 extra.....heck, i still dunno man; I didn't go look or drive either one today. Had too many other things to do so probably tomorrow. Definitely love what I got and whatever I do test drive best be at least close in comparison somehow or another....
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Justi
Dodge Dakota
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4/19/2006
10:26:23
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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No problem and good luck. It's exciting to shop for a new car but I know at the end of the day I'd be hard pressed to top the long term satisfaction I've gotten so far out of my Dakota. When I consider that with the fuel mileage thing I feel good about where I'm at. BUT, we're all different and no two situations are the same, so GOOD LUCK!
Justi
My Dakota Page
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Nitro
Dodge Dakota
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4/19/2006
11:04:39
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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buy a beater ! I bought a little car to drive around and I keep the R/T in the garage 99% of the time. I couldnt afford to drive that thing around.
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Shatto
Dodge Dakota
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4/19/2006
12:00:09
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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Change what you are doing. Earn more money. Price becomes much less important.
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AmsoilSponsor
DakotaEnthusiast
4/19/2006
20:09:04
| Better MPG suggestions - Switch to Amsoil
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__________________________________________________
Oil hit $72+ per barrel, Gasoline over $3.00 gallon.
Please consider Amsoil to save oil and increase MPG.
__________________________________________________
Everyone can Request a FREE Amsoil Catalog by clicking below.
Steven Roark , Amsoil Dealer , Proud Sponsor of www.DodgeDakotas.com
AMSOIL Synthetic Motor Oils, Lubricants, Filtration, and Truck Care Products
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anyone
Dodge Dakota
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4/22/2006
12:26:41
| RE: Better MPG suggestions
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help
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