Just finished a 296 mile trip with my 2004 5.4 pulling a John boat. It was decently smooth highway with long hills, so I had to run the entire trip with the od off of course. 296 was 21 gallons of gas which made me average about 13.3 mpg which I thought wasn't to bad. Just wondering if this mpg sounded good bad or ugly to anyone. Truck ran like a champ with it's 145,000 miles on the clock.

 

that sounds about right, I do a 325 mile trip once a month with some hills and not hauling anything with a 4.6l engine and i waste about 21-24 gallon.

 

Not bad at all, that's what I get driving my truck normally haha. The hills around here kill my MPG and my big tires sure aren't helping either...

 

I was only averaging 13.75 normally so I was very impressed.

 

You might have improved it even more if you left your OD on. In the city it's fine to turn it off, but on the highway your tranny's going to downshift if it needs to and it will be for a stretch of time as you go up a hill. You're losing all your coast by having it off.

This is just my opinion. I'm no expert on transmissions, but I've got plenty of experience towing a boat here in NH which is never flat and I never shut it off.

Other than that.....you got some pretty descent gas mileage there....

 

Yes but arnt u suppose to turn it off when ur pulling something going up or down a hill??

 

maybe if you are pulling something really heavy? I have never heard turning off OD for going down hills, and I don't think a Jon boat would make enough difference to require it being turned off, I tow my 17' open bow on fairly hilly roads and in stop and go traffic and always have OD on...

 

Hmmm... I was under the impression to have it off when ur pulling something unless ur on flat ground.

 

A 200lb jon boat on a 500lb trailer doesn't count as pulling something.

 

The way I understand it, (and someone can correct me if I'm wrong), is you turn OD off in the city to stop the transmission from shifting too much. That is the only time I think it should be turned off.

The only time I turn mine off is when I keep catching up to traffic when I'm coasting and keep having to apply the brake. Like I said.....it slows down the coast like downshifting with a standard transmission.