Maximizing fuel economy

[ortund]

Currently getting 4.9mpg but I'm not sure if this is good or not.

What are good ways to get the most out of every drop of fuel?

[Robinicus]

Shift at low RPM (i.e. 1400), gear the truck run about 1250-1300 RPM at cruise speed, skip gears on upshifts.

It all depends what kind of weight and terrain you are on if 4.9 is good or not; I average 4.4 pulling a 48/53 turnpike combo with average weights around 118,000 with almost every trip through Mexico and back with mountains that have a lot of sustained grades to give you a reference mpg.

[Don Kauz]

After my experiences it depends on several factors (in addition to what Robinicus mentioned).
1. The engine. Lower torque -> better fuel economy.
2. The gearbox. My experience shows, that the 10 speed Allison and the 18 speed Eaton are best for fuel economy. I usually get better results with Paccar and Cat engines than Cummins. The 10 speed Eaton and the I-Shift transmissions consume the most.
3. The load you haul. The heavier the less the fuel economy.
4. The ride itself. Driving in California on a highway gets better results than driving some winding mountain roads, of course. Going at 55mph is more economical than 65 or 75 f.e.
5. I don't know if this economical or aerodynamical stuff (SCR exhausts, wind deflectors etc.) has any influence, but would be nice if it did.
I am always driving with real automatic. The best results I got were with a 455 HP Paccar engine and a 10 speed allison transmission. On long trips with mostly highways 8 mpg are possible. But don't forget to use the shift hint keys. And I usually use the CC from 20 mph on for accelerating.
Happy Trucking!

[Tim]

hi, just curious... i restarted my save file (probably stupid)
anyway, i restarted my save file to restart what i consider "properly"
1. do quick jobs to unlock all truck dealers
2. purchase a truck once all unlocked then drive and unlock all recruitment locations
3. purchase bigger garage / another truck
4. hire driver and expand....

point of the reply;

was curious if weight of the truck factored in with MPG?

i've built previous trucks with 6x2 / lift axle (theoretically should give better mpg but does not)
found the best setup so far to be the 6x4 and higher gear/ higher hp/torque at higher rpm

the fuel tank size/fuel stored DOES effect vehicle weight, i tried swapping engines to see if there was a lighter engine but there was not.. the fuel capactiy does matter..

does anyone have experience with weight/mpg? not sure if aerodynamics matter (they should because of the options we have for fascias, aeros guards and what not)