Fuel economy and range

[Neto]

I never drove it faster than 50 mph on the interstates

Then they took a 400 mile trip, and he decided to run the A/C the whole way, as a test. The MPH results were exactly the same as the same trip at a previous time - 18 MPH.

I thought Max was a slowpoke, but I have to give the prize to Neto's dad.

You got me there. I reckon everyone knows what my head was thinking while my fingers typed something else. My fingers are always pulling jokes on me, like they are dyslexic. I wish I would have saved all of the examples of the words I type backwards, or exchange letters in completely different parts of the word. Some are just amusing, others are quite embarrassing. My mouth did it once (at least once), in Banawa. I referred to a certain tribal group by the name of a certain inappropriate word, all by just by swapping two adjacent syllables. They all had a good laugh, and all I could do was to laugh along with them. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't sometimes still retell that story.

[Neto]

Would seem impossible to get that car through that garage door size. Sort of like a camel through the eye of a needle.

Seeing the other "gotcha" (MPH in place of MPG), I just realized that you were referring to another error I made. (I didn't think about enough to go back & check, because it really WAS quite difficult getting that Olds safely through that narrow opening of 7 FEET.) Now my post count for now is all used up, just admitting to my errors.... Back to proof-reading school.

[MaxPC]

Would seem impossible to get that car through that garage door size. Sort of like a camel through the eye of a needle.

Seeing the other "gotcha" (MPH in place of MPG), I just realized that you were referring to another error I made. (I didn't think about enough to go back & check, because it really WAS quite difficult getting that Olds safely through that narrow opening of 7 FEET.) Now my post count for now is all used up, just admitting to my errors.... Back to proof-reading school.

My biggest battle with the keyboard is with the phone keyboard: fat fingers and tiny screens. I am sure others struggle with it too so I do not bring up the typos.

[RZehr]

I tested the range of my next tank of fuel in the F150. This tank had 2 gallons of premium, non-ethanol, and then topped off with 34.8 gallons of 87 octane/10% ethanol. I drove this with the pickup in regular driving mode. Ran air conditioning virtually the whole time. Used cruise control. Allowed the pickup to idle occasionally. Ran it until it ran out of gas again.
Range: 826.4 miles, 22.45 MPG (computer says 23.3 MPG).
Went 92.2 miles after the computer said 0 miles to empty. The last 240 miles or so was hauling 1,000 pounds of cargo. Could have likely went further on 0 if I was empty.

[Josh]

Your F150 has 37 gallon tanks? Dualies?

[RZehr]

Sounds to me like your odometer needs fixing.

I think you are right, but it would only make my range and fuel economy better. Because I think it is off in the other direction.

I tested the trip odometer against a GPS and road mile markers on 5 different highways. The trip odometer consistently reported less miles traveled than the GPS and the road mile markers.

Interstate 84:
Mile markers 104.0 miles, GPS 104.0 miles, trip odometer 102.2 miles

Highway 97:
Mile markers 90 miles, GPS 88.2 miles, trip odometer 86.9 miles

Highway 20:
Mile markers 40 miles, GPS 39.76 miles, trip odometer 39.2 miles

Highway 11:
Mile markers 16 miles, GPS 16.4 miles, trip odometer 15.7 miles

Highway 228:
Mile markers 15 miles, GPS 15.0 miles, trip odometer 14.7 miles

This mileage discrepancy may explain the difference between my own fuel mileage calculations, and the computer fuel mileage. If I figure that the GPS & road mile markers are correct, then I actually am getting more miles per gallon of fuel, and would put my mileage real close to the computer MPG.

[RZehr]

Your F150 has 37 gallon tanks? Dualies?

One tank. Ford says that its extended range tank option is 36 gallons, but I fit 36.88 gallons in it by carefully topping it off. And part of this whole experiment was to find out exacty how much fuel the tank holds - which I can only do by running it completely out of fuel.

[Josh]

Your F150 has 37 gallon tanks? Dualies?

One tank. Ford says that its extended range tank option is 36 gallons, but I fit 36.88 gallons in it by carefully topping it off. And part of this whole experiment was to find out exacty how much fuel the tank holds - which I can only do by running it completely out of fuel.

Wow - that's a big tank. I think my F-150 is around 22 gallons, but I've never risked running it dry, which is pretty easy to do since it gets below 10 MPG around town.

[MaxPC]

Your F150 has 37 gallon tanks? Dualies?

One tank. Ford says that its extended range tank option is 36 gallons, but I fit 36.88 gallons in it by carefully topping it off. And part of this whole experiment was to find out exacty how much fuel the tank holds - which I can only do by running it completely out of fuel.

Wow - that's a big tank. I think my F-150 is around 22 gallons, but I've never risked running it dry, which is pretty easy to do since it gets below 10 MPG around town.

Likewise, the tank on the motorhome held 36 gallons. Apparently it too, was an extended range tank which would not surprise me on a motorhome.

[Josh]

One tank. Ford says that its extended range tank option is 36 gallons, but I fit 36.88 gallons in it by carefully topping it off. And part of this whole experiment was to find out exacty how much fuel the tank holds - which I can only do by running it completely out of fuel.

Wow - that's a big tank. I think my F-150 is around 22 gallons, but I've never risked running it dry, which is pretty easy to do since it gets below 10 MPG around town.

Likewise, the tank on the motorhome held 36 gallons. Apparently it too, was an extended range tank which would not surprise me on a motorhome.

Given that I get 10-16 mpg and you folks are well past 20mpg, it seems I am more in need of the extended tank than either of you, including with the RV.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need"...