What's the "Secret" to Good Mack Anthem MPG

[Cydonian Mystery]

Prefacing this with that I know MPG doesn't matter, it's just an immersion thing that's been bothering me as of late.

But moving on to the topic. I consistently see people claim, both IRL and in ATS, that the Mack Anthem is supposed to be this king of fuel economy. That it's supposed to get between 8-10 mpg.

In practice, I'm just not seeing that. I typically get between 5-6 mpg. Even a POV drive video on YouTube had the driver say that he gets between 5-6 mpg. Now, I do get closer to 7-8 mpg when doing 55, but that's just not practical outside of California. Elsewhere I consistently do 65 since I play with the speed limiter on.

My truck's current specs are:
Long 6x2 284gal chassis
MP8 445C engine
mDRIVE ATO2612F transmission

The intention was to conform to the specs of typical American fleet trucks; 400-450 hp, 6x2 chassis.

So is there some way I can improve fuel economy (while keeping to all-Mack parts), or is this myth of 8 mpg just manufacturer bs?

[CrenshawPete]

This question has alot of Variables that makes it hard to answer.

1.) What are you hauling behind your truck? 48ft flat or 53ft? Dry Van? What Commodity? The weight of your trailer and it's contents can have a big ding on your MPG.
2.) Do you have the fuel saving skills on your driver? You can get up to a 35% reduction with a trailer if you have them all.
3.) I'm guessing you are driving manual transmission? That can save you (or cost you) maybe 0.5 - 1.0 MPG if you're really good w/ your gears.
4.) A highway heavy route compared to a downtown route with more stops causing stops/heavy pulls will change it.

Fuel is important as it's your largest expense in both IRL & in-game. I personally don't think too much into it other than making sure the powerplant I chose for my truck is a good match for the job I have envisioned for the truck. While the game is a simulation, I don't think you'll ever have a full trip where it'll range within 8-10mpg to be honest.

I average the following w/o any skills in fuel saving;

Kenworth T680
6x4 - Mid Roof Sleeper (220gal)
Engine: 465HP (347kW) - Mod
Transmission: Eaton Ultrashift MXP18B (18 Speed R 19.73) - Mod
Trailer: 53ft Dry Van (Currently 45K LBS load)

Avg MPG on above: 6.5 (currently) If I had all the perks in fuel saving, I'd run at almost 8.5MPG.

[CrenshawPete]

Also note, this current haul is from Eugene, OR to Galveston TX. Lots of highway. If I was going from Eugene to Seattle, that would be a drastic difference due to all the traffic (from mods) I had. Depending on how many road events your settings allow, that can have an impact as well.

TL;DR - There are too many variables in the game to average your true MPG of your truck. There are things you can do to help your MPG but I personally wouldn't sweat trying to get your truck above "X" mpg. I would make sure you build your truck for its job and get your perks and it'll be good.

[Cydonian Mystery]

1) 48 ft reefer, typically hauling refrigerated goods ranging from 35,000 to 40,000 lbs (milk, frozen food, potatoes, etc.).
2) I have all skills filled out, but I'm currently using realistic fuel consumption. With default fuel consumption, my average mpg never went much over 6.8.
3) I actually currently have it set to real automatic, since the mDRIVE is supposed to be an automated transmission IRL.
4) I typically go long haul, which means mostly highway driving. It might affect things that I'm based out of SoCal, so there's lots of climbs along many of my routes.

[MagnusA]

I don't really know but with "Realistic Fuel Consumption" in-game option, you can influence the fuel consumption with your actual driving style. Maybe you can get down to 5-6 mpg?

Default fuel consumption is, as far as I know, a flat consumption per distance. With the Eco Driving Skill points you can lower that, but obviously not enough.

[Wolfpig]

Originally posted by MagnusA:

Default fuel consumption is, as far as I know, a flat consumption per distance. With the Eco Driving Skill points you can lower that, but obviously not enough.

The skill only has an effect if you do not use realistic fuel consumption, as it then has a fixed number.

[bigenglish55]

depends on driver with both auto and manual trucks, IRL had a 2019 international LT with x15 cummins rated at 450hp paired with eaton fuller 16 speed that got about 8.5 imperial mpg which is just over 7 us mpg, hauling 53 ft reefer with 50000lb plus payload in town. recently had a 2020 volvo VNL with volvos own 350hp paired with a 12 speed i shift up as high as 14 imperial mpgs or 11.6 us mpg but only a 30ft single axel trailer and barely 5000lbs in the box both trucks were auto but driven in manual mode... i hate autos lol