Quote:
Originally Posted by Foldbak
For me the answer is simple. At $6.50 a gallon I'm running at 61 MPH. In good conditions that equates to 10 - 12 MPG.
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Yes, it's good to know what speed is ideal for your rig. For ours, 61mph does not seem to get the best mileage; usually 65-68 is the sweet spot. (details in posts above).
Manufacturers know roads have higher speed limits and people drive faster than before, so they are adjusting accordingly. Newer trucks have different fuel delivery algorithms, are more aerodynamic, etc, etc, etc; the ideal speed of a newer rig may be very different than past rigs we may have had.
If any have not experimented with this, they should try varying their speed and checking the results. Of course, it's difficult to do perfect testing, but ideally if you have a "favorite trip" and you can have similar conditions, you could drive the trip at different speeds to get a good idea on your trucks "sweet spot" speed.
Slower may be better, but not always.
(and of course we are not talking about comparing 80mph to 60mph here, even though we've all likely been passed by folks towing 5th wheels at 80mph+; I doubt any rigs today can achieve ideal mileage at those speeds...)
Brad