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CTH
Dodge Dakota
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3/28/2004
23:55:59
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 Subject: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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Hi! Tried this post elsewhere here and got no response...wrong forum maybe...my bad..try this again... ;>)
I just bought my first Dakota! - '02 SLT Plus, 4x4, 4.7L w/auto tranny, 3.55 gears, exten cab with only 13K miles. I LOVE everything about this truck *BUT*, the MPG stinks. I travel 16 miles one way to work. Half is 4 lane 65 MPH hiway, the other two lane with mostly 45 MPH speed limit. I've behaved myself with it for the first two weeks to see what kind of gas mileage it was gonna do. I'm only getting 13.6~13.8 MPG out of it. I hate to see what it'll get if I get in the throttle once in a while. From looking around here, it looks like a tonneau might be in my near future. What other mods/upgrades can you guys recommend that are proven to help MPG?
I have a built '68 Chevelle SS396 that does way better than this!
Thanks for any help and thanks for this website!
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Vic
Dodge Dakota
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3/29/2004
00:00:27
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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I have the model as you except that it is an '03. I average 16.5 mpg. You might try using your cruise control; it might help your mpg.
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McyMike
Dodge Dakota
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3/29/2004
08:13:54
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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Mileage is a sore subject with this group. Members luv to slam you for even asking about mileage (do some searches). Same truck as mine. You're getting pretty close to what your going to get with that truck. Straight hwy wil get you arount 15-16 at 65-70. The tonneau and synthetics help a little. Welcome to the Dodge AND frequent gas pump world.
Mike
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huskerpt
Dodge Dakota
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3/29/2004
09:01:19
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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I have a 01 QC 4x4 4.7 and I travel 40 miles on way to work. 25 miles 72-75 mph and 15 miles 50-62 mph. I just filled up this morning and I got 17.18 mpg, but that number would have been higher had I not put 35 miles of intown driving in over the weekend. The only mods I have are a cover and drop in K&N. Hope this helps. The best mileage I got was a 1000 mile trip to Ohio and I got 18.5.
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Kowalski
Dodge Dakota
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3/29/2004
16:57:06
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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My '00 RC 4.7 4x4 auto, 3.55 gets 15 mpg without even trying - your trucks a little heavier but milage sounds a little low. Don't really understand how you could possibly be getting better milage from a big block Chevelle. My '70 396 SS only got 10-12 mpg, and that was with a 4 speed.
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CTH
Dodge Dakota
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3/29/2004
19:06:45
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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Kowalski- a fellow Chevelle owner- cool! Believe it or not, the Chev gets real close to 15 cruizin around town (I rarely get into it, I've had it since '84 and it's my pride and joy) and on a trip to a car show once, on 4 lane hiway, it just fell short of 17.5 MPG. It's a 4 speed as well with 3.73 gears. A guy I knew in school had a '70 that had 4.10 gears and it was awful on MPG.
McyMike- sorry man, I'm new here. I'll look around a little and keep the fuel related questions in check ;>)
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01Motorsport
Dodge Dakota
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3/29/2004
23:54:06
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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Hey, CTH, don't apologize for asking questions; that's what dd.com is supposed to be about. A '66 Chevelle 300 6 w/Powerglide carried me through college; good old bulletproof machine. Anyway, build a nice homebrew air intake for $100, less restrictive exhaust, correct tire pressure, Bosch Platinum plugs. Any type of bed cover will give more mpg on the highway. Extra weight, more rotating parts, and increased air drag hinder 4x4 mileage; the price of admission, if you will. My '01 4.7 is a regular cab 4x2 manual tranny, so I don't have a mpg problem, however.
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Kowalski
Dodge Dakota
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3/30/2004
17:16:51
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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Tire pressure's a great suggestion - I run 50 psi front, 40 in the rear of my Dak. Go higher than that in the rear and they tend to jump around on bumpy turns with the stock shocks.
Owned my Chevelle in the late 70's and didn't exactly baby it - I'm sure the milage was even lower when I really got after it - but worth it for the fun factor.
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01Motorsport
Dodge Dakota
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3/30/2004
17:51:59
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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I read a news report lately (hot topic in the news with record U.S. prices) that fuel cost in 1981 corresponded to $2.90 in today's dollars. That brought on a small car blitz by the manufacturers in the 80's. Of course, the 1973 and 1979 gas station lines were still on the public's minds. $1.65/gal. regular is the average in East Tennessee today, an all-time high.
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xljimmy89
Dodge Dakota
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3/30/2004
18:28:14
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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I have a '02 qc 4.7 auto with o/d and 3.55 gears and I have been getting between 14-16 mpg. I let it warm up in the morning because I only drive about 3 miles to work and am never on the highway. I think you might have a brake draggin or maybe o/d isnt working or something. I know milage will suck on a motor not broke in but i would guess yours is broke in by now. Hope i helped
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xljimmy89
Dodge Dakota
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3/30/2004
18:32:47
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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I also have 4 wheel drive. I'd check air cleaner also. I have had the catylitic convertor plug up on older vehicals but i dought that is it. I'll keep thinking. Does it seem to have power?
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Major Woods
Dodge Dakota
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3/31/2004
09:37:56
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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2002QC, 4.7, 5 speed, K&N filter, Syn oil, Flomaster cat back.
50 miles to work one way almost all highway running at 70mph. I get between 18-20mpg.
Even towing a 17' boat I still get 15.5mpg on a 300 mile trip.
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CTH
Dodge Dakota
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3/31/2004
19:26:09
| RE: 4.7 fuel mileage?
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Thanks for the ideas. I did check the tires right after I bought the truck, and it seems to coast easily enough even on a slight grade (parking lot at the local mall) so I don't think it's a brake hang up (I did have a caliper doing this on my Sonoma last year). I'll check a few other things, and I'm going to probably change plugs, air filter and maybe go to syn oil. I'll let you all know in a few weeks how I made out. I'm also trying to decide on a tonneau or a cap.
Later!
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