Going camping need better economy

[George_Pimpdaddy]

Hey so tomorrow early in the morning im leaving for radium B.C. from edmonton thats a 550km drive. now i have my 89 blazer with a 355/700r4/241 hedders, and a 14ff out back sporting 4.10's. Now my question is what kind of mileage should i be expecting on the highway if i keep it around 110km/h. also any other tips for a long trip like this i was thinkin about putting more air in the 35's there bfg muds on 15's. should i put the max recommended? also i just changed my fuel filter last night after having the truck die out on me 3 times yesterday acting like it was starved for fuel but now that seems good. im gonna have spare tire and all my tools as well. anyways any ideas how far i could go on a full tank? any benifits of running 89 octane? without my 02 hooked up. thanks alot guys for any tips or input.

 

[BUDDY]

Werd. It may be too late to really worry about it.

35 psi - Don't max them out, the pressure has to go somewhere when the tires get heated up from rolling at 110kmh, (110 km/hr = 68.350831 mph), for those of us, not from Canada. If you put in the 44psi I believe is on the sidewall, it's likely that they would overheat/overpressurize & possibly pop. Not to mention the tread would only wear in the center. You may get there & find little to no tread left in the middle of you're tires.

Are you sure you fixed the problem with it dying?

Why do you, (or would you) have the O2 sensor disconnected? That'll DECREASE you're mileage.

Personally, I'd be glad to get 12-13 mpg, (13 mpg = 20.921472 kilometers per gallon), out of my blazer on a road trip like that, but in reality would only get 9-10 mpg, (10 mpg = 16.09344 kilometers per gallon).

Maybe that'll help.

Later,
Buddy

 

[George_Pimpdaddy]

thanks for the response yea im runing the max 35psi now and the 02 sensor is un hooked due to the hedder exhaust and needing a 3 wire 02 to be wired in.

 

[bowtiepower00]

The 3-wire is easy, get the sensor and do it. Ground, 12V switched power (think fuel or ignition), and the output. Worrying about economy without having your FI working properly is pointless. My 95 K2500 went from 15+ MPG to about 11-ish when it stopped closed loop operation.

A tune-up, to include many of the engine sensors, can go a long way to improving MPG on a TBI rig.

The FF should be changed every oil change or two, they are notorious for clogging up.

 

[sope]

You want betrer mileage, get your O2 sensor done.

 

[George_Pimpdaddy]

K so what part number is it threw napa for the 3 wire 02?

 

[dyeager535]

I doubt you NEED a heated sensor. If you've already got one, get the bung welded in (if not already) and plug it in. Heated can't hurt of course.

Whether you go heated or unheated, you should really stay away from Bosch. Just like the aftermarket ignition modules, they have a pretty poor track record out of the box, and AC Delco is the way to go.

 

[colbystephens]

Werd. It may be too late to really worry about it.

35 psi - Don't max them out, the pressure has to go somewhere when the tires get heated up from rolling at 110kmh, (110 km/hr = 68.350831 mph), for those of us, not from Canada. If you put in the 44psi I believe is on the sidewall, it's likely that they would overheat/overpressurize & possibly pop. Not to mention the tread would only wear in the center. You may get there & find little to no tread left in the middle of you're tires.

Are you sure you fixed the problem with it dying?

Why do you, (or would you) have the O2 sensor disconnected? That'll DECREASE you're mileage.

Personally, I'd be glad to get 12-13 mpg, (13 mpg = 20.921472 kilometers per gallon), out of my blazer on a road trip like that, but in reality would only get 9-10 mpg, (10 mpg = 16.09344 kilometers per gallon).

Maybe that'll help.

Later,
Buddy

fwiw, the tire pressure is rated at 44psi cold (or whatever the max says on your tire). to my understanding, this allows for expansion, which means the tire is rated for a higher psi but they are compensating for it because you usually don't fill your tires with hot air.

 

[bowtiepower00]

My 33" BFG AT's are rated at 35 psi, maximum. That's what I keep em at, and even after 1500 miles fully loaded at 75+ MPH the tires were not getting excessively warm.

You can get collector/ reducers with bungs in them. I've read that long tube header applications need a heated O2 to read properly, but a unheated one would be better than nothing at all.

 

[dyeager535]

It depends on application/placement.

I'm running unheated in mine, and sure enough, at idle, system goes open loop, but ANY amount of throttle and it goes closed loop. Good enough for cruise. Not ideal, but even stock that was typical.

 

[Big Blzn]

You might get better gas mileage if you change your dash gauges from kilometers to miles, etc.

 

[4WheelCowboy]

I was told by our shop teacher for max tire life and mileage you should run them at max psi and check the PSI when they are cold. The reason for the differences on vehicle stickers and tires are the car makers want a smother ride and the tire being lower than max gives a little softer ride. Police fire and true service vehicles run at the listed max psi for tire life.

You also get better MPG if they are inflated properly. I believe this to be true my truck rides harder but I get about 9.6 mpg in town when I had them a 32psi Now aired to 45psi I get 10mpg in town.

 

[dyeager535]

2000 pounds on rear tires at 60PSI is entirely different than 200 lbs on rear tires at 60PSI.

As already mentioned, running the pressure higher than it needs to be means worn out tires.

Shop teachers aren't always right, friend has a buddy that's a shop teacher, HE adjusted the set screw on the top of the steering box to tighten up the steering.

 

[sope]

Police fire and true service vehicles run at the listed max psi for tire life.quote]

I repair and maintain Police cars. I set the pressures to the specs on the door. I'm not saying all police cars are set this way. Also from my experience whan it comes to emergency vehicles tire life is not a consideration neither is any other cost for maintenance. It's all about keeping them safe and from crashing through extreme driving conditions.

 

[4WheelCowboy]

Police fire and true service vehicles run at the listed max psi for tire life.quote]

I repair and maintain Police cars. I set the pressures to the specs on the door. I'm not saying all police cars are set this way. Also from my experience whan it comes to emergency vehicles tire life is not a consideration neither is any other cost for maintenance. It's all about keeping them safe and from crashing through extreme driving conditions.

http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=19&id=27281

What is proper pressure?
The proper tire pressure for the Police Crown Victoria is 44 psi. If you look on the sidewall of the tire, you will see that it lists 44 psi max pressure. Regardless of what vehicle you have, use the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall. Higher pressure results in better performance, decreased tire wear, and it lessens your chance of hydroplaning at a given speed. This number on the sidewall lists “the maximum amount of pressure you should ever put in the tire under normal driving conditions.” Pursuits and Code 3 responses are not “normal driving conditions.” Many agencies maintain tire pressure at 35 psi since this is what is listed in the owner’s manual and on the door placard. The reason the owner’s manual lists 35 psi is because we get the same manual as the civilian version of the Crown Victoria. The police version, however, is fully loaded with communications equipment, a cage, and your gear. You are not looking for a soft and cushy ride, you want performance.

 

[bear76]

http://www.safercar.gov/Tires/pages/TirePressureFAQ.htm#q12

 

[BUDDY]

http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=19&id=27281

What is proper pressure?
The proper tire pressure for the Police Crown Victoria is 44 psi. If you look on the sidewall of the tire, you will see that it lists 44 psi max pressure. Regardless of what vehicle you have, use the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall. Higher pressure results in better performance, decreased tire wear, and it lessens your chance of hydroplaning at a given speed. This number on the sidewall lists “the maximum amount of pressure you should ever put in the tire under normal driving conditions.” Pursuits and Code 3 responses are not “normal driving conditions.” Many agencies maintain tire pressure at 35 psi since this is what is listed in the owner’s manual and on the door placard. The reason the owner’s manual lists 35 psi is because we get the same manual as the civilian version of the Crown Victoria. The police version, however, is fully loaded with communications equipment, a cage, and your gear. You are not looking for a soft and cushy ride, you want performance.

I think that in any case, you should go with the tire manufacturer's recommendation. They designed the tire, they tested it, the police department, et al, specified the type of tire, (performance, load handling, Speed rating, etc.), they wanted the tire manufacturer to make, & so the mfr made it.

Why would the tire mfr. expose themselves to the liability of recommending a higher than OE, (of the car/truck) spec for the air pressure, when the department will just go ahead & max them out anyway? That doesn't make much sense to me.

Wow what a great tangent!!

Later,
Buddy

Edit - Oh & BTW, I've seen MANY a set of tires that have been COMPLETELY worn down in the center of the tread due to over-inflation. The guy in the officer article, doesn't know what he's talking about. At the shop I work at we replace all of the police cruiser tires (50+ cars) & swap them for snows in the winter, so I've seen a few gov't vehicles come through. We set them to 35 psi as well.