Powerboost- Same round trip- Same driving habits - Wide variation in MPG. Why?

[Shane150]

Growing up, my dad always told me that you are suppose to drive in the right lanes if you want to travel below the speed limit or slower than the moving traffic. Later in life I saw an autobahn sign in Germany stating the same thing. I am yet to see the same sign in Canada and it was not in driver license handbook either. It pisses me off when I see these drivers in the left lanes!! My truck is still pretty much stock but I am thinking of leveling and going with LT285/65R20 Toyo Open Country AT3s. I know there will be a hit in mpg but I love the levelled look with nearly 35" tires.

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[Samson16]

Thanks everyone. Along that stretch of Interstate wind conditions are minimal for the most part. Even though it's an even number highway this section runs NE to SW. When there are higher winds, they are rarely direct headwinds or tailwinds.
Other info- Running at 80mph I turn 2000 rpm in #10 and get some boost on overpasses and a few short inclines.
What about fuel and how the system adjusts for it? Running with 87 octane usually the 'Kroger blend' if there is such a thing.

Other than environmental factors contributing to the variation in mpg, that Kroger special bottom of the tank 87 might not be consistent.

 

[HammaMan]

Other than environmental factors contributing to the variation in mpg, that Kroger special bottom of the tank 87 might not be consistent.

Places like walmart and kroger go through considerable amounts of fuel so the odds of getting 'old' gas from them are slim. In-fact most gas comes out of the same refineries / distribution centers. Some brands may mix some additives, but the fuel itself is all the same. It's one of the reasons I had contacted my state's fuel division about testing the unicorn gas I'd found. It was a trust but verify thing.
Now the delivery driver messing up which tank can occur. Nothing like getting some of that 87 diesel blend.

I get this for the same price of kroger/walmart mid tier, 93 ethanol free ?

One question I had is that it's legal to advertise 91-93 octane interchangeably under the premium label. I wanted to make sure I was getting 93 octane without ethanol. Their octane engine indicated 92.8 octane without ethanol. yay!

 

[Gros Ventre]

He could actually be traveling below the speed limit.

In wyoming Interstates have about half their miles at 80MPH.

 

[Eskram]

In wyoming Interstates have about half their miles at 80MPH.

Probably because everyone wants to get out of Wyoming as quickly as possible.

I kid. Never been there - but I know it's beautiful and on my list of places to go.

 

[Gros Ventre]

Hey, Wyoming is a small town with very long streets... So we have speed limits that allow us to get around with dispatch when needed.

 

[powerboatr]

ok let me toss this in as real world data
this afternoon i had to drive from sulphur springs texas to ROCKWALL tx then over to rowlett in dads maverick HYBRID
all but the rockwall to rowlett was on I 30 at 76 /77 mph
and let me say i despise ROCKWALL and the people there, they drive like lemmings
i would rather drive NAKED in san antonio on a vespa with a 500 lb naked bearded lady during rush hour in high summer than drive in rockwall, but one was not available on short notice.


any way the maverick has a PERCENT of pwr display and a GREEN part for electric driving
on the run out the percent of pwr gauge read between 25 to 29 ish percent of pwr to maintain 76 /77

on the return trip this evening it read 20 to 25% pf pwr to run 76 / 77

only difference i could see was outside temps
it was 73 going out and 66 coming back





oh and as a side bet LIttle rock is 335 feet above sea level and dallas is 870 at its highest point
i would have thought Little rock was higher...

 

[Ajzride]

I didn't know you could travel at that speed in North America! I think 65-70 is the sweet spot to achieve good mpg with PB.

There are thousands of miles of TWO LANE roads (1 lane in each direction) with 75mph speed limits in TX. And they have really wide shoulders so you can get over and let people pass if that speed makes you nervous.

 

[Antimatter22]

There are thousands of miles of TWO LANE roads (1 lane in each direction) with 75mph speed limits in TX. And they have really wide shoulders so you can get over and let people pass if that speed makes you nervous.

You're lucky. All of our two lane country roads are 55mph and the people in my area have problems reaching that speed. It drives me nuts!

 

[TSGarp007]

Regarding winds, here is ChatGPT doing math for me so I don't have to... Standard day, sea level, traveling at 80 mph under three conditions - 15 mph headwind, no wind, 15 mph tailwind. Used a coefficient of drag of 0.45 and a frontal reference area of 51,547 square millimeters, both of which I found online.

So like was mentioned before, since the air speed over the truck increases drag quadratically, the actual forces placed on the truck can be dramatic as you increase your speed (and wind).

 

[BLVCKSPECTRVM]

Several times per month I make a round trip Little Rock, AR to Dallas. This trip is 290 miles one way mostly on I-30. Running in Eco mode, I Blue Cruise at 80 mph as much as possible. I start each leg with a full tank of 87 regular gas. My mpg is scattered between 17.5 to 22.1. I seem to get some consistency of 19.5mpg. I measure by actual gallons used and miles driven. This range is over a couple of years now. Why the variance? Please no WAG's!

Ive never tan 87 octane in my powerboost only 91 which is the highest I can get I my state. I have heard some say they not only get significantly less power obviously with 87, but a couple mpg less as well. Owners Manuel says recommend premium that’s what I run. I average 18 mpg in town and at 75 mpg for distance 21 mpg. I live in a costal mountain range area and have the 20” stock wheels on my powerboost.

 

[LRscott]

As others have stated......

80mph on the speedometer in a pickup truck is an interesting condition. If you had air-speed indicators like an aircraft, you might find that the ICE was pushing that brick through anywhere from 65-100mph.

Some roads are in geographic areas where wind is consistent. But most interstates are wide open to mother nature's whims.

Snakebitten, it really hurt when to said my ICE was pushing a brick! Sometimes the truth just hurts. I'll be in search of tail winds and going down hill.

 

[Snakebitten]

You should know that I consider them some of the most elegant bricks ever.

 

[SteveP150]

Nice use of ChatGPT.
And yes, the wind can make a huge difference. A year ago, drove through the Columbia River Gorge in OR, which is one of the windiest places around. Something like 12 mph into the wind and almost 30 with the tailwind.

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