Your Miles Per Gallon

[Canine]

Well,Me and Vic used to get 17 or so in the van.Pulling the 9500 lb beast that we bought in Fl.,we get 7-8.Going to be interesting to see how the van handles Monteagle,west of Chattanooga.

 

[bcbullet]

Well, I finally brought the "Battlecruiser" home last night. 150 miles and with my foot buried to the floor at 100-120 Km/h and managed a whopping 8.12 MPG imperial!

 

[pilgrim]

2014 Chevy Express 2500 with 6 liter V8 engine.
16,000 miles on it. Moderately loaded with solar panels on roof.
Daily driving around town 12.5.
On a trip, pretty much all freeway 16 to 18.5.
I tend to drive 70 to 75 so I think it might be a bit better if I slowed down, duh.
Only thing that I did that might have helped mileage was to move the roof rack further back and I eliminated one. If nothing else it is quieter inside the van so it must have been causing some disturbance.

 

[cortttt]

Well, I finally brought the "Battlecruiser" home last night. 150 miles and with my foot buried to the floor at 100-120 Km/h and managed a whopping 8.12 MPG imperial!

Look at that Big Boy! Hey in U.S gals you're almost breaking 10 MPG (9.75) at 62-75 MPH

Is that a Ford with a big engine? What year? ....Looks like fun..

 

[cortttt]

2014 Chevy Express 2500 with 6 liter V8 engine.
16,000 miles on it. Moderately loaded with solar panels on roof.
Daily driving around town 12.5.
On a trip, pretty much all freeway 16 to 18.5.
I tend to drive 70 to 75 so I think it might be a bit better if I slowed down, duh.
Only thing that I did that might have helped mileage was to move the roof rack further back and I eliminated one. If nothing else it is quieter inside the van so it must have been causing some disturbance.

Isn't that something pilgrim. You're getting in your big 6 liter engine with all that power about what I'm getting from my much punier 4.8L (lol). ..In fact you're probably doing better because I drive from 60-65 (not fair!)...I got in the 15's when I drove 70 recently...

 I do get a bit better around town (@14)...thankfully...

Still..... :dodgy: - congratulations...that's pretty darn good.

 

[bcbullet]

Look at that Big Boy! Hey in U.S gals you're almost breaking 10 MPG (9.75) at 62-75 MPH

Is that a Ford with a big engine? What year? ....Looks like fun..

1992 with a 460. It has less than 20,000 miles on it. I just checked the date code on the tires for the first time ever...1992. Yikes!
I don't want to burst your math bubble, but I think that is like 6.5 MPG US.  :dodgy: There needs to be a sobbing smilie for fill up time! The good part is is that I put less than 500 miles per year on it. The story is here: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/show-us-something-that-you-made.523072/page-199#post-23746936 ane here: https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Anybody-convert-one-of-these?pid=177057#pid177057

Thankfully it is back home and being "re-jigged" for further adventures. My kids have finally outgrown it and they are starting out their young adult lives. Mrs. Bullet and I are in the process of converting the bed under the TV into a dinette and the adjacent bed into a reclining couch using the existing upholstery and foams.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I inherited my dad's 03 Chevy Express 2500 in 2008. It was the 5.3 liter with 2wd and standard roof height. I sold it when it had 110,00 miles on it. Kept pretty good track of my mpg's with it and averaged 18 mpgs over the 50k miles I put on it. I traveled from the East to West coast a few times, east coast to sturgis S.D, east coast to Key West, East Coast to Dallas Texas, and a bunch of other trips to different state and national forests. I drive about 70-75 and for the most part was traveling with about 1200 lbs in it. When I had my motorcycle, maybe a bit more.

I think the Chevy Express are great vans. I'm shocked at how low some of you are getting out of your vans. Depending on how much you drive, you might be able to buy into a Chevy Express and have it pay for itself over a few years time with the savings in fuel. They drive nice too, I could drive 8-10 hours at a whack and feel pretty good at the end of it.

 

[cortttt]

I inherited my dad's 03 Chevy Express 2500 in 2008.  It was the 5.3 liter with 2wd and standard roof height.  I sold it when it had 110,00 miles on it.  Kept pretty good track of my mpg's with it and averaged 18 mpgs over the 50k miles I put on it.  I traveled from the East to West coast a few times, east coast to sturgis S.D, east coast to Key West, East Coast to Dallas Texas, and a bunch of other trips to different state and national forests.  I drive about 70-75 and for the most part was traveling with about 1200 lbs in it. When I had my motorcycle, maybe a bit more.  

I think the Chevy Express are great vans.  I'm shocked at how low some of you are getting out of your vans.  Depending on how much you drive, you might be able to buy into a Chevy Express and have it pay for itself over a few years time with the savings in fuel.  They drive nice too, I could drive 8-10 hours at a whack and feel pretty good at the end of it.

Nice MPG's on that Express Matt...

I'm updating my MPG on the GMC Savana.... I added a roof rack with solar panels (towards the rear) then jammed down to Phoenix from Vegas doing 70 MPH....and got just under 16 MPG.  Driving around Phoenix-Sedona I was down to 14.2 MPG (ouch!) but then on the return to Vegas I got 18.9 MPG - with an average driving speed - according to the van - of about 42 MPH (I took the dogs for some runs...) On the hwy I kept it at around 60.....

That was easily my highest MPG yet - after I added the roof racks and solar panels...I was expected at least a 1 MPG hit from those..

...The one thing I did differently was that I checked the tire pressure -and found that a new tire I added was 10 lbs lower than the other one. I equalized all the tire pressures. 

.that's the only thing I can think of....

 

[debit.servus]

2001 FORD E350xl hightop 7.3 lt. super duty diesel pumped to the max and loaded driving at or below 65, 17-19 MPG

This van is now in my possession... Will my the fuel cost of my travels swallow-able until I have a cheap energy system.

Congratulations....Diesels make a difference

I guess so.

HA!! Love it. THX so much for the copy/paste thingy. The Sumpter Oregon trip was a blast. Except that I did the loop in the wrong direction! the way I did it counter-clockwise put us driving into the up-river winds on the Columbia River going home to the coast. I was so surprised we got anything approaching what we did.

We just got word yesterday from Rob @ Van Specialties in Portland that the Aluminess bumpers/boxes arrived so they'll be put on by month's end. I'm going to weight the van at the scales here on the coast before dropping the van off, then do it again on the return (attempting same fill levels in fuel etc). I've been told that the steel-stock to aluminum-custom come very close in weight. I have no idea what kind of wind funk will take place with having what is basically a buck-stop bumper up front...but better to put a dent in an elk than the elk dent the van.

: ) Thom

OH a silly PS... These rigs deserve a category of their own... I think we can all say that we get way more "Smiles" to the gallon than most other types/styles of transportation!

Loop obsession? I don't painstakingly plan my routes around MPG.

The cost of an elk hitting the van due to taking off the steel bumper to save fuel will wipe out any and all fuel savings.

"Smiles" to the gallon?

I imagine those big Elk would put quite a dent in the van! Those things are huge.

Are you measuring the van weight on a truck check on the highway? I'd like to give that a shot when I get everything loaded on..

And hitting the Elk would wipe out any and all fuel savings from doing without a steel bumper.

I am NOT a member of the Mobile Dwelling "Weight Watchers".

Nissan NV MPG estimates from Nissan NV Forums

http://nissannvforum.com/topic/803-...-low-roof-and-high-roof/?hl=mileage#entry4619

• I have a lightly loaded Cargo HT 2500, 6 cyl. Last 8-10 tanks I’ve averaged 13/14 MPG combined. Maybe 60/70% city. No hills - SE Michigan is flat.
• My 2012 high roof with V-8 consistently gives a minimum 15 mpg and that is with rolling hills, a roof rack and AC unit up top, and running boards down below (basically a lot of drag). Also weigh in at 8200 lb after the conversion. 
•  I have a basic, no rack, no running board, no anything 3500SL V8 and I am lucky to get 15 consistently.  Lately it's been in the mid to high 14's and that is fairly flat, pretty easy going roads at easy speeds of 45-55mph. 
• I get 9mpg in all city and 11mpg with a mix of city/hwy and I drive like a granny!! Something doesn't add up. For example, when driving all city- 95 liters (25.1 Gal) will get me 375km (233miles). That's 9.28 US MPG. Are people perhaps estimating Imperial MPG which would be 11.15mpg? I have v8 3500 passenger. By the way, I'd never want a v6 because a vehicle this big is so much more versatile with a v8

http://nissannvforum.com/topic/830-gas-milage-on-nv-1500/?hl=mileage#entry5008

• My NV 1500 s low roof averages 19 to 20 around town on my daily commute , and I get into the low/mid 20's when traveling .And it's been doing it for about 65k miles now ...
• Don't feel too bad, my 3500 is getting under 200 miles a tank, approx 6.7mpg. I too was told and shown 15 mpg by my salesman. Of course that was before I bought it. 
• I have the 2500 V6. It gets 11 -13 around town (Denver). 19-21 going up and down the mountain highways to the ski resorts in the rocky mountains.
• First long distance drive today with the new NV2500 V6 HR from DC to Christiansburg, VA. A total of 264 miles, some of it in DC in city traffic running errands before freeway between 50-70mph, and a 30min traffic jam at 15-20mph. The NV loaded to the brim with approximately 1,500lbs of household goods. We averaged 17.9MPG, which I am very happy about. We did drive very conservatively, lots of coasting and not gunning it up the hills.
• I do the math and do not rely on the mpg display on my 2012 NV 2500 with V8. I also add up the miles and divide by gallons used during our trips, as who knows what the pump cut off is at each fill up. Last trip of almost 5000 miles, mostly secondary roads showed 15.6 mpg. This included a lot of mountain driving, eg 13% grades at 10,000' and periodic idling the engine to keep the camper house batteries charged when dry camping for long periods.
• As luck would have it we put 4954 miles on our NV between 9/27 and 12/2012. The mpg was 14.1 or 15.3 if you believed the computer. (This optimistic reading may be why it was deleted, I won't include it below.) The best per tank mpg was 17.2 and the worst was 12.4, when we were towing out car home after picking up the NV in California. By the end of 2013, we added 16,834 mi and averaged 16.3 mpg. The worst fill up mpg was 13.2 and the best was 17.8. 2014 looks about the same. Worst fill up mpg was 11.5 (Saga of 30 psi under inflated rear tires and dry camping) and best was 18.1 and 18.3. I don't believe 18+ mpg so toss the high and low out.
• I've got 56k on it now and I use it for a daily driver and for road trips and camping with my Trials motorcycles  . My 2012 has the mpg average monitor and Nissans logic in the program is silly . But after not resetting it for over 15k , (it showed 19.6) forever ... I reset it last week to see what my new commute would show , and it settled right back in @ 19.6 . And yes I back it up with a paper and pencil too and it is fairly accurate . I get into the low 20's when traveling with aluminum bike trailer in tow / draft behind the van ...
• I have '13 2500 high roof v6.I'm mostly driving 2 lane rural highways with little stop and go activity. Some freeway too.
    I'm seeing 18 + regularly, calculated at the pump. No computer. Have not seen 19 or better. I use a light foot, accelerate slowly, and rarely go over 62- 63 mph. I'll draft a big rig on the freeway.

Dude, you got scammed by the dealership who told you 15 MPG. I know if I bought a car that said 15 MPG but only got 7 MPG I would be looking at my options for litigation. Of course I would do my homework before the purchase to lower the risk of being scammed.

 

[Almost There]

I just did the math on my return trip from AZ to the MI/ON border.

I'm a happy camper - I averaged 16 mpg on the over 2000 miles I did.

From Flagstaff area to Elk City OK, I was on I 40 mostly but set cruise control at about 60 mph. After that I headed cross country on secondary highways all the way to South Haven MI and then back on to the interstates for the trip across MI.

Not bad for a 2002 GMC Savana 2500, 5.7 L with the 24" hightop on it. It isn't loaded to the rafters like some vans I've seen but I don't skimp on what I'm carrying. I have 250 lbs of batteries in here plus 2 Whynter 65 Qt units and a hitch hauler that is full...

 

[DannyB1954]

Well, I finally brought the "Battlecruiser" home last night. 150 miles and with my foot buried to the floor at 100-120 Km/h and managed a whopping 8.12 MPG imperial!

Round off the front of that box with some plywood or plastic. It will make a difference. You might be able to buy a ready made bubble like the senmi's use.

 

[slem]

• Year 2010
  
• Make / Model: Freightliner Sprinter
  
• 1500/2500/3500: 2500
  
• Normal Wheelbase / Extended version: 170"
  
• Engine: V6 Diesel Turbo
  
• Tranny: Auto
  
• Drive (2WD/AWD/4WD): 2WD
  
• Average driving speed on highway: 65-70mph
  
• # of Miles on the Van: 44,000
  
• Loaded up / Moderately loaded / Not loaded up - you decide: 1220 lbs, GVW 7,220 lbs
  
• Towing something?: No

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Approximate City/Hwy/Combined MPG: 19.75 mpg[/font]

• Anything you've done that you beli: Roof Rack, Front Bull Guard, Front Hitch, No side Windows. 300 watt solar panel, compost toilet.

 

[66788]

1990 Grumman Olson all aluminum body Step Van.   3.9L  4BT  4 cylinder turbo diesel Cummins motor with a 4 speed rock crusher manual transmission.

Dual rear wheels, 15 foot bed, 7 1/2 foot ceiling, and the aerodynamics of a box going down the road.

17 MPG freeway, a bit more on the city streets.

Top speed is about 55 mph, I suspect it has a governor on it, but I'm not in a hurry so I don't mind.

This is a 100% mechanical diesel, so an EMP won't bother it at all.   No electronics for the motor, no computer or computer modules.


The best of all, it's hella fun to drive!

 

[cortttt]

I just did the math on my return trip from AZ to the MI/ON border.

I'm a happy camper - I averaged 16 mpg on the over 2000 miles I did.

From Flagstaff area to Elk City OK, I was on I 40 mostly but set cruise control at about 60 mph. After that I headed cross country on secondary highways all the way to South Haven MI and then back on to the interstates for the trip across MI.

Not bad for a 2002 GMC Savana 2500, 5.7 L with the 24" hightop on it. It isn't loaded to the rafters like some vans I've seen but I don't skimp on what I'm carrying. I have 250 lbs of batteries in here plus 2 Whynter 65 Qt units and a hitch hauler that is full...

2000 miles - nice test.

That's pretty amazing given the high top, the fact that you were hauling something, that big engine and its 14 years old....

I have a 2010 lightly loaded Savana; I think if I stayed just on the highway and the conditions were good - I could average 19 or 20 ( )

 

[MrNoodly]

2007 Chevy Express 3/4 ton, cargo van, 180k miles, regular length, 4.8L engine, 4-speed automatic, don't know what the axle ratio is.

About 16 MPG highway, 14 MPG city, infinite MPG while parked.

 

[TMG51]

I've been meaning to draw up a graph relating to my driving philosophy, gave 'er a quick mockup and seems relevant to this discussion.

 

[Almost There]

2000 miles - nice test.

That's pretty amazing given the high top, the fact that you were hauling something, that big engine and its 14 years old....

I have a 2010 lightly loaded Savana; I think if I stayed just on the highway and the conditions were good -  I could average 19 or 20 ( )

I was very pleased with the mileage!! With the high top I wasn't asking for a lot. BUT I also drive conscientiously for gas and brake mileage...anticipating light changes and using the cruise control at every opportunity, etc.

Keep in mind though that the age of the vehicle doesn't matter as much as the mileage on it. It only had 62,000 miles on it when I bought it in Sept 2014 when it was 12 years old.

Since then I've only put 15,000 miles on it.

 

[Happy Camper]

1991 GMC G2500 Vandura 5.7 350. I get roughly 14mpg in mixed city/hwy consistantly.

 

[ahh_me2]

1987 GMC 3500 Vandura 350 V8 Cube van, 12 ft box.....10 mpg

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

It's not a van, but to add to the data:

2012 Ram 2500 4X4 pickup, standard cab, 8' box, 5.7l gas engine, automatic transmission.  50,000 miles on clock.
Four Wheel Camper Grandby pop-up camper.
Camper weighs 1250 lbs fully loaded; truck, camper, me and 'the monkey' = 7920 lbs

Highway speed @ 68 MPH (sweet spot for this truck) = 14.2 MPG
Dirt road speed @ 20 MPH = 13.7 MPG

 -- Spiff