what do you do to get the most mpg in your truck

im new here but i have been scrapping for over a year already. i use a 1999 5.9 ram 1500 2wd and would like to know if anyone else has one and what you do to make it use
less gas

only drive downhill of course

I read a couple years or so ago about either a new word, or a new most popular word. It was "hypermiling", which is defined as doing anything you can do to get better mileage

One of the scrappers in town drives around with his tailgate half open. I dont know how he does it tho.

First off...Welcome to SMF from Indiana. As far as better mileage...keep your truck tuned up, check your tire pressures and try to keep your foot out of it. Good Luck...

i'd like to know myself

First buy a gauge that tells you instant and avg mpg then you can see what driving habits are causing you to burn more gas. For me I though accelerating under 2krpm was key, wrong it burns almost as much gas as going to 4k, the key is not using the brakes as much and coasting to stops, etc.

Originally Posted by greytruck

One of the scrappers in town drives around with his tailgate half open. I dont know how he does it tho.

Bad idea. You want the tailgate UP on the truck at all times. It turns out that dropping the tailgate makes the aerodynamic situation worse, not better.

Originally Posted by Bear

I read a couple years or so ago about either a new word, or a new most popular word. It was "hypermiling", which is defined as doing anything you can do to get better mileage

This is 100% good advice. Google 'hypermiling' and read up on it. The main things are: don't use your brakes, coast as much as possible, anticipate traffic stops, avoid jackrabbit starts, and keep the vehicle in top running condition.

Limit your top speed to 60MPH, anything above that and the mileage goes down really fast. You can make very small, incremental improvements in mileage (less than 1 MPG) by using synthetic oils and gear lubes. Inflate the tires to the maximum pressure listed on the tire sidewall (my father-in-law's 98 Ram's tires will hold 90PSI!) Change the air filter when it starts to get dirty, and also occasionally run some fuel injector cleaner through a tankful of fuel.

A 5.9L Ram from that era is going to be tough on gas, no matter what you do. They were not made to be as efficient as today's trucks are, and will use a lot of fuel. If you do all the things I mention above, including the hypermiling techniques, you may see as much as 1-3MPG improvement; more if you have a heavy foot, less if you don't. But before you consider getting a different, more fuel efficient vehicle, make sure you calculate how much you're gonna spend on it and how much the actual savings will be. Most of the time you're money ahead keeping your current vehicle and just using it more efficiently.

I found if I drive slow and keep my shifts under 2k (I have an automatic until I start my manual swap) I can get about 5mpg better than what the manufacturer said. Like others have said you can look into hypermiling. I always turn my truck off at trains and long red lights. Also look into a vaccuum gauge. Basically it tells you how efficiently youre driving.

Get a diesel

Try alternative fuels and fuel blending

Get a 1999 or newer Silverado with the 4.8 or 5.3 V8. 18-20 mpg highway and 15 around town. I love those dodge 5.2s and 5.9s but they're not the best on gas. My wife's Durango with the 5.9 gets 13 mpg lol

Is that slick 50 still around. I had a friend who was a courier who like it.

the only way a 5.9 will get good milage is if its a cummins, ive had two of the gas burners 13.0 emtpy no matter how easy you drive, diesel i get 16 mpg pulling a trailer 95% of the time and half of that time has a car on it.

Originally Posted by corycouch

the only way a 5.9 will get good milage is if its a cummins, ive had two of the gas burners 13.0 emtpy no matter how easy you drive, diesel i get 16 mpg pulling a trailer 95% of the time and half of that time has a car on it.

Ditto. 91.5 intercooled 4x4 here.