China Cars (aka Motorized Coffins)

[dsauve]

Don your right my 23 year old truck gets 18 mpg on the highway and my brother in laws new dodge set up pretty much the same way gets a bit LESS than what mine gets and I can out haul him any day of the week. After 20 plus years I would think trucks could get maybe 25 to 30 mpg with out to much problem.

 

[bwatson]

Dean, check out GM's C/K trucks with 5.3L and active fuel management. It's kind of like the old 8-6-4 Caddy except AFM actually works. 18-22 mpg rating. The PCM cuts 4 cyls out when not needed by unlatching the lifters so the valves stay closed and stops fuel injection. It will run like that for up to 10 miles before it returns to v8 operation to maintain cyl temp. Transition is seemless.

 

[dsauve]

I think the luxury cars that Chrysler builds with Hemi's do that too. They just don't put that motor in the trucks. Even 18 to 22 could be improved upon. I'm not sure why truck makers think that half ton trucks need to pull like a one ton. Let a half ton be a half ton and get decent gas mileage.

 

[bwatson]

Exhaust emissions are the big difference. Remember in the 70's when pollution controls and insurance rates killed muscle cars? The EPA keeps tightening hydrocarbon emissions. The automakers will eventually wring max power out of what they make now. They do it gradually so they can "improve" a little each year rather than giving it all at once and be stuck in the same place for several years.

 

[jegstad]

Brian W.

Don't believe all you hear about active fuel management. I was driving new vehicles for a Chev dealer last year and the year before - picking up new ones to deliver at our store. I could not see any improvement on the 2007s with afm from the 2006 without afm. You could see it kicking in and out on the display but the bottom line mileage was so close you couldn't really see any difference. So test before you buy. Sounds great on paper though.

JimE

 

[kweaver]

Think of it this way
What'll work the hardest pulling a heavy vechicle a 4 banger , V6 or a V8 ?

Sometimes bigger engines will get better MPGs because they don't have to work as hard.

 

[lhinds]

I just sold A 03 ford F150 4x4 with the 4.6 engine that got 23 hwy. mpg. Bought A 07 with 5.4 flex fuel engine. 4x4 F150 heavy duty. It gets 18 mpg. It has more power than you need. it should get as good fuel mileage as the 03 if they are improving them. I should have weighed the 03. The 07 weighs 5600 lb.That may be a lot of the difference.
Just my 2c