Range of Your Vehicle

[The Stig]

How far can your vehicle travel on one tank of gas?

This moving process has again highlighted the need to understand your vehicle and it's abilities.

My 2007 4x4 V6 Rav4 (101,000 miles) can usually cover just at 300miles with a full tank and highway travel. For further detail, I have a roof-rack with a wind diverter thing on the front.

Fully loaded to about 900lbs and highway travel that range fell to 240ish miles.

If I spend the entire time bopping around town the total millage on one tank is also around 240ish miles (with some minimal loading from sales goodies like cases of catalogs, samples, etc. Call it 200lbs max).

I've never spent much time in 4x4 mode so I'm not sure how that will effect things. I'm also curious what full loaded and stop & go/city driving would do to the overall millage. I can see it easily falling below 200miles at that scenario.

Do you know how far you can travel on a tank of gas given different travel conditions?

[alaska]

im around 300 open road in the jeep
right now around 210ish with letting it warm up in the morning & city driving & 4 wheel drive most the time

[bacpacker]

Using my 02 tundra 2x4. I can get 370-400 miles on a full tank on the highway, between 18-20mpg. When I'm loaded or driving around town, I get around 16-17, about 320-350 miles. Pulling the camper, or hauling the tractor, it gets cut down to 11-13mpg, maybe 220-250 miles.

[LUNCHBOX]

My truck will do around 350....I don't like the speed limit as much as I should. I could probably do better if I would slow it down some. If I'm pulling the horse trailer or flatbed it sucks, 6 cylinder engine. Loaded down I think it would drop down to the 300 mile mark.

[Chubbs]

I have a trailblazer that seems to do awesome on fuel mileage. Its only 2 wheel drive but it has more the enough power with the inline 6 to pull a trailer or load it down. I am between 350 - 375 on the highway, 325 -350 in the city. It was about the same a few years back I pulled a 14 uhaul trailer back from Indaina and I was still in the 300 range. Its small but it holds it own so I am very pleased with it!

[mitunnelrat]

I just got my Bravada last fall, so I haven't done too much with it yet, but I've been averaging 15 mpg city, so I'm looking at 270 miles unloaded there. I'll have it loaded up this summer for camping trips and such though, so I'll update then.

[beginner]

About 500 in the Escape I believe. However, it's a FWD, 4cyl 5 speed model and I baby it. Usually in 5th as much as I can or in neutral. Always keep my RPM's below 2,000 even when accelerating, I I'm usually in 5th by the time I'm doing 40 mp/h. (I'm trying out some hypermiling techniques, walking in instead of idling at drive throughs, shifting into neutral when a light ahead turns yellow or coasting down hills, etc...) Last Friday I put $40.00 worth of fuel in it, which almost filled it up. (It was around an 1/8th) I drive approx 20 kms each way to work. I really haven't driven anywhere this week except to and from work and, as of today it has just a hair over half a tank in it! I'm blown away with the mileage I'm eeking out of it....

[bacpacker]

Beginner, I ran across a Hypermiling website and found it interesting. I have a 98 honda civic 5spd, that I drive 68 miles a day to work and back. I've been trying some of the techniquies and have went up 2-3MPG and feel like I can do better. I have been trying the neutral coasting down long hills, trying to time redlights as close as possible, in neutral. Starting from a dead stop is one of the largest waste of fuel, along with idleing for long periods. I have found that is is much harder with an automatic trans, much easier with manual.
Interstate driving kills hypermiling I've found. But my other best route has a 5 mile strech with a bunch of red lights and lots of traffic in the afternoon. That's not good either. I am pretty limited, due to having to cross 1 of 2 bridges to get home without going many miles out of my way.
If you run across any techniquies that show a big result, please share them here. I for one would be very interested.

[jmrdrgz]

My 09 f150 I say will do about 500+ miles of normal driving before I added a programmer. After the programmer my gas milleage improved like 1-2 mpg. I haven't done a real study of it since I ruin it by flooring it once in a while. Well the reason for the mileage is contributed to the 35 galon tank it came with. Just incase you were wondering. I am thinking about adding a cai and maybe a cat back for the exhaust. That might help wth mileage and power when needed. Also might consider doing an efan mod and maybe a pulley mod. Hopefully all that stuff would add to better mpg. By the way if someone knows a reason why not to do these mods let meknow why.

Moding a vehicle could increase your range.

[AlphaTea]

Fully loaded, my '05 Avalanche can get better than 500 miles on a full tank.
I have averaged 22 mpg before, so if I ran it empty from a full tank I could possibly get 600 miles
YMMV

[ak474u]

I got 332 miles out of 16.5 gallons today this is on gas purchased in San Antonio, on Friday, I got 252 before I was afraid to drive any further on gas purchased in Dallas. I have had this experience several times with Dallas gasoline, it doesn't go as far... I drove down to SA with 1 small suitcase, 1 50 cal ammo can full of ammo, 1 soft and 1 hard rifle case, and my jumbo versipack. I'd say 50 lbs of gear total. I drove back with all of the above, plus my wife, and her giant ridiculous back breaker suitcase, and three cases of canned goods, along with a jogging stroller, and other crap that needed to come back to Dallas. I'd say that with an extra person, and at least 250lbs of extra stuff, I shoulda gotten worse gas mileage, but NO. I HATE ETHANOL BLENDED GASOLINE ARGH!

[Stg1swret]

I get about 425 miles an on a tank with my 2010 Ram 1500 4x4, has a 26 gallon tank.

[realist]

Mine get about 475 to 500 depending upon how careful I drive. I have a 2011 GMC HD 2500 with a 35 gallon tank.

[Sniper-T]

I only get about 300. But I almost always have a 2-1/2 gallon can in the back of the truck.

I'm HORRIBLE at watching the gauge, and run on E waaaaaayy too often :(

[Fatty]

I plan for an easy 300. I wouldn't take anything more than that for granted in my 94 f150.

[bacpacker]

I still don't have a great handle on my new (to me) truck. It's a 2008 toyota tundra 5.7L with a 26 gallon tank. The only long trip we've taken with it we got just over 20mpg and about 400 miles. I can't remember now how much was left. I was paying close attention to how I was driving. Around town I get about 16-17.

I am fixing to change the oil to Mobil 1 full synthetic. From what I have researched, it should help some with MPG, maybe 1mpg. I've also got to replace the rear tires and will be going with a set of Michelin E rated tires. They will handle the loads I carry and have a 80,000 warranty. I had them on my old truck and they helped the milage a little as well.

[helomech]

My work car a 96 saturn will easily go over 400 miles on its 12 gallon tank. My Nissan Titan will barely go 300 on its 28 gallon tank.

[Gunfixr]

Well, my bug-out vehicle would be the Bronco, which has a 32 gallon tank to fuel the V8. It's getting about 12mpg when not loaded.
I haven't really tried it over a whole tank fully loaded, so I don't know. I also have an off-road capable trailer, which would probably drop it a bit more.
The main problem is that the odometer always reads off, as does the speedometer. This is due to the 35" tires.
However, I can get it to go just about anywhere that it'll fit, so long as it isn't a swamp.

[realist]

There should be some formula out there so you can get the correct mileage. If you check with a tire dealer they should be able to help.

Fatty not a bad idea. A couple of weeks ago I was going to come home from a local trip,100 miles and decided to top off. It was raining and it turned into a demolition derby. That 100 miles took me 5 hours to get home so it was a good lesson to keep it topped off.

[ak474u]

I still don't have a great handle on my new (to me) truck. It's a 2008 toyota tundra 5.7L with a 26 gallon tank. The only long trip we've taken with it we got just over 20mpg and about 400 miles. I can't remember now how much was left. I was paying close attention to how I was driving. Around town I get about 16-17.

I am fixing to change the oil to Mobil 1 full synthetic. From what I have researched, it should help some with MPG, maybe 1mpg. I've also got to replace the rear tires and will be going with a set of Michelin E rated tires. They will handle the loads I carry and have a 80,000 warranty. I had them on my old truck and they helped the milage a little as well.

Have you ever tried Motor Kote? It apparently helps with mileage as well, it's not cheap and is only available at truck stops, or online, but it goes a long way like 1 oz. per quart of oil. The overnight trucker talk radio show had a guy call in about Motor Kote one night, he said he picked up a load in Dallas, and drove straight thru to San Antonio, (about 270 miles) and when he pulled into the yard to drop the trailer he noticed the side of his truck was covered in oil, he had no indication that he was losing oil during the trip, but the crank case was empty when he checked it, apparently this stuff saved his motor. They had a guy that was a gunner in Iraq call in to tell them his whole unit had been adding it to their cleaning regimen on the 50 cals and malfunctions went way down on a bunch of old guns. My trucker buddy says he thinks it added .5 mpg in a big truck, so it ought to help in a smaller engine.

[bacpacker]

Thanks AK ! I've never heard of it. But I will be checking that out ASAP. Sounds useful for many things. I have no doubt it would work well in small engines and tractors. I do wonder about how it would work/mix in a 2 stroke engine? It shouldn't be hard to find some research on.

[Stormfeather]

Good God. . . im so jealous. . . I get maybe 175 miles to a tank in my jeep. Its a 94 with 33's, automatic, 4.0 6 banger. Thats without a full load! But she goes anywhere I want her to!

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/Strmfeathr/Jeep/5420439b.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/Strmfeathr/Jeep/c351e516.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/Strmfeathr/Jeep/dd089733.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/Strmfeathr/Jeep/f3febdbc.jpg

[bacpacker]

Love the pics Stormy! I used to do a lot of jeeping years ago with some friends, great fun. Although you don't do well with the mileage, you can go places my 2wd wouldn't even consider.

Mainly got mine to haul loads.

[Stormfeather]

Im thinking of actually selling her. for a 1994, shes only got 90k on her. But I do think I want to get something with more room though. I may end up going full retard and buying a old school suburban and making her my new SHTF BOV.

[bacpacker]

I saw a old late 50 early 60's suburban just a couple days ago. It looked to be in good shape. I would have took it in a heartbeat.

[izzyscout21]

CUCV anyone????


http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx288/2crgrunt/img_1024860_45330392_1.jpg
http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx288/2crgrunt/cucv-1.jpg

[Evolver]

200 mi on 22 gals but most of the time I'm pulling a 12' job trailer when I'm not pulling the trailer I get 230mi or so. 98 Tahoe 4'' lift with 33x10.50 the pics are when it had 33x12.50 on it. By changing tires I picked up 1mpg.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/09%20Christmas/DSC00598.jpg

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/230855.jpg

[MegaCPC]

25 gallon tank gets me 250 miles - about 10mpg overall. Not too good but for the mobility factor I put up with it.

1990 Chevy with some stuff:

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb146/megacpc/CIMG0231.jpg

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb146/megacpc/CIMG0235.jpg

I'm figuring out if I can mount a bigger tank, but I try to carry 10 gallons of extra fuel in cans on longer trips.