OT: Towing vehicle

[Orrin]

I recently had the pleasure of delivering my son's 2001 Cummins-powered Dodge w/ 6-speed manual transmission to his place in Denver.

The first day on the road my main concern was to get across the mountains while there was a break in the winter weather. So, I set the cruise to 75 mph and got [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif"%20alt="[/img] 17.9 mpg. Seeing as how I only had to go from Sheridan, Wyoming, to Denver the second day, for the sake of experimenting I set the cruise at 60 mph (The highway was nearly deserted, so I didn't get in the way of anybody.) and got nearly [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif"%20alt="[/img] 21 mpg.

This experiment goes to show that if you want economy, it pays to slow down. Remember, if you double your speed, the power it takes is eight times as much. (Power varies according to the cube of velocity.)

As a note of interest, the truck had to be emissions-tested on a dyno. I thought the 220 h.p. delivered to the wheels was mighty impressive.

All in all, I was very impressed with the Dodge. Wow! Does that engine ever have the torque!

As a further item of interest, he bought the truck at Dave Smith's in little Kellog, Idaho. Kellog is barely a wide spot in the road, but there you'll find the world's largest Dodge dealer. They sold [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif"%20alt="[/img] 1,007 vehicles in Dec. 2002.

Orrin

[Mikado14]

I agree with you Willy. How does one post anonymously? and, if he doesn't like the Off Topic (OT) too bad. That's what OT means.

Will? ..... Will? you there?

Ron

[Allen_from_CHT]

Here's a real world thing to make you go "hmmmmm?". If you take a rust bucket '73 Charger SE (4 speed, with 3:21) and over time hop it up what happens to the mileage? My results were as follows:
Stock 318 = 12mpg
318 4bbl = 14 mpg
360 4 bbl = 13 mpg
360 4bbl w/ purpleshaft and edelbrock dual plane = 10 mpg
440 w/ Edelbrock dual plane, and carter AFB = 15mpg
440 w/ factory 6 pak and hemi grind cam = 9mpg, but man what a rush
440 w/ same cam, factory iron dual plane and custom tuned Thermoquad cause you sold the 6 pak to buy an engagement ring = 18.5 mph and nearly as fast as with the Edelbrock.
yep, 18.5 mpg AND high 14s in the quarter - The 6 pak for a wedding ring was a good swap, the Charger for a "family car" was not. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif"%20alt="[/img]

Right now I have a Dodge dilemma - they changed torque converter/ flexplate size sometime around '78 - I didn't find this out until I got a nice old HD converter I had hid inna box halfway in my 87 Ram van - local boneyards don't have any old style flexplates left, and I dislike the idea of shelling out $65 for a $10 part at Napa.

[Michael_Az]

Al, the Ford diesel needs to run diesel antifreeze with the DCA additive to prevent cavitation to the liners. Same thing happens to boat props. I also use this antifreeze in my Dodge even though it isn't needed.
Michael

[ALCOSTEAM]

Al I would just happen to have some of those flexplates. Pretty much everything mopar I have is pre '76 with most being of the '69 and '70 340 engines/parts. I am getting pretty slim on the big block parts though.
If you are interested send me a message.

tim

[Anonymous]

I know I swore that I was taking my oar out of the water back there, but as I drift down stream I see that the problem with pitting of cylinder walls had come up and I have to toss out the anchor a minute before landing from this thread altogether.. Erosion by bubbles normally only occurs with wet sleeves and is no problem with Cummins which has dry sleeves (or my 93 does anyway ) Does the Ford have wet sleeves? As I understood the problem when I read about it a couple of years ago, the thin wet sleeves get a sort of chatter in them which causes the bubbles to bounce against the sleeve and cause the erosion. Seems to me like we had that problem with ALCO wet sleeves also, but that was 50 years ago and I could be wrong. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif"%20alt="[/img]

Unka (who has been known to be wrong) Jesse

[K.Shuler]

I have the same truck 1981 with 350 v8 turbo 400 auto
i get 14 empty and 6.5 to 9 loaded
i paid 4000.00 in utah last year it had 92000 miles
i now have 116000. there things to look at if you
are serious drop me a line e-mail with phone
and i will call.

jupter173@aol.com

kevin

[Chris_W]

But that's OK, it's fun to stir up the stuff now and again. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif"%20alt="[/img]

[Michael_Az]

Unka, heres the deal. I think all wet sleeved engines suffer the same problem such as the Ford Powerstroke and all the big semi truck engines such as Cummins, Cat, and Detroit. Our smaller 5.9 Cummins don't have any sleeves so no problem with cavitation. The reason I use the diesel antifreeze in my Dodge is because it does a good job protecting all the metals in the engine and I also have to keep it on hand for my semi truck anyway.
Michael

[locoparts]

Sorry, guys, But I can't let Karl bear all this alone...we too own an '02 Chevy Dually Duramax w/ Allison tranny...and we love it! Tows great...loaded with a Lance truck camper, hanging 4' beyond the rear of the truck, and then 1n 18' train trailer behind that, so loaded with about 8000# we were getting about 11-12 MPG....and a lot of that going thru the mountains of Cumberland MD on our way to-and-from Michigan.

As an aside, my bride just bought us a 32' Carriage Carrilite 5th wheel for the non-train-running trips. This is what we will haul out west this summer to the big ramble in june.

Jesse, why don't you consider a toy trailer or a Lance truck camper?

don orr
www.locoparts.net

[JohnHudak]

Tow Vehicle????? Whats that? Doesn't everyone just put their 3/4" locomotives in the trunks of their cars? [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif"%20alt="[/img] John

[Kevin_S]

I have been following this post with intrest. As I plan on buy a diesel truck in a few years. I am keeping an eye on the Dodges and Chevys. Those of you who are worried about the Chevy duramaxx engine being a new engine, the engine was built and designed by Isuzu. Who have being building diesel engine for some time.
Another inexpensive way to increase milage and HP is to put a K&N air filter in vehical. I have it in both my Tacoma and Mini-van.
To the few that think you have to slow down to get better millage, our Mini van disproves that therory. It will get better millage while going faster. One trip while the wife was driving, she was doing 90MPH with the air conditioner on, the van was getting 35 MPG, and that is with a 3.8L V6 AWD. Around town we get about 17MPG.
-Kevin S.