What's your mileage?

[Stepside65]

I didn't see anything when I searched, so here we go. What kind of fuel economy are y'all getting out of your trucks? I ask because I am still looking for my next truck, but I need something to get me to work everyday without emptying my bank account in fuel. Thank you for reading.

[Jeff La]

Here you go http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=605616

[Clyde65]

Get a truck with a 6cyl and strap a 5speed or a 7004r behind it, 3.42 gears work best but 3.73's will work just fine.

[61_FL_Apache]

I get around 10.

[ChrisDollins]

Our 66 got over 15 on the way home from a trip. 250/3 speed. I was really impressed with it. Ready to swap to a 5 speed.

Chris

[Clyde65]

I forgot to ask, how far you driving one way to work?

[Lugnutz65]

I have talked to a lot of owners who want to improve their fuel economy.
The popular choices in no particular order are:
1. Keep the 3 speed and swap in a 3.08 rear differential
2. 700R4 AT with a 3.42 or 3.73 rear differential.
3. T5 5 speed MT with a 0.86 OD gear and a 3.42 rear differential
4. T5 5 speed MT with a 0.72 OD gear and a 3.73 rear differential
5. Tremec makes "bulletproof" 5 and 6 speeds but very $$$.
Fuel injection will help improve MPG as well.

Most importantly, match the rear differential with the transmission OD gear.

[Sharps40]

Last 2 tanks were 18.5 mostly highway. 250/T5/3.73/weber 2 bbl and hei

[66Submarine]

I think upper-teens is pretty easily achieved with a half ton (IME), at least if you aren't driving real fast. (Haven't been able to test how much of a hit you take from higher speeds, so I can't say for sure there.)

IMO, a 250 six or 283/327 (perhaps a 302?) with a manual OD trans would be at the top of my list if I was putting something together for economy. A good ultra-common 350 also works well.

Personally, I don't find these trucks to be really thirsty.

[Todd W. White]

I get 16 mpg in town consistently. In a recent trip, I got 17.5 on the highway traveling 60 miles per hour, but that was with some contrary winds. The best I've done on the highway is 18.75

I find wind is my biggest hindrance to good mileage.

Mine is a 1965 C-10 with the following:

283 CID Engine
Holley 4360 Economaster 4-barrel Carb
ME Wagner Dual-flow PCV Valve with a custom designed catch can system
Headers
Dual exhaust with X-pipe
SM 420 Transmission
3.08 rear end
29" tires

Also, I use ethanol free gasoline exclusively. I also use AMSOIL synthetic oil and their oil and air filters.

[AcampoDave]

What is an ME Wagner dual flow pcv valve with custom catch can? Can you elaborate a bit or post a pic? I'm curious.

[Todd W. White]

The ME Wagner Dual-flow PCV Valve is a revolutionary new design that outperforms ordinary pcv valves in a manner that can only be described as the difference between night and day.

Here is a link to their website :

http://mewagner.com/?page_id=444

Here is the link to the information about the catch can -

http://persh.org/Pickup/PVCseparator.html

[66Submarine]

Originally Posted by Todd W. White

The ME Wagner Dual-flow PCV Valve is a revolutionary new design that outperforms ordinary pcv valves in a manner that can only be described as the difference between night and day.

Here is a link to their website :

http://mewagner.com/?page_id=444

Here is the link to the information about the catch can -

http://persh.org/Pickup/PVCseparator.html

Why is it that I need all that, though?

[Todd W. White]

Well, an incorrectly operating PCV valve will prevent the correct amount of fresh air making it into your engine, and will allow a lot of crud into your intake, including oil, which will reduce your octane level, thus compromising your engine performance. All of that is also bad for your engine in general.

[66Submarine]

I know that, but why all that oil separator stuff and the $130 PCV valve? The factory setup seems to work fine IME/IMO. I'm know it's better in theory, but it just seems like a lot of work for questionably noticeable gains. I guess a better way to put it would be "Why did you decide you needed to do that instead of the factory-type setup?".

[Todd W. White]

Well, for one, if you do any modifications or deviations from the factory setup, such as a different camshaft, the original PCV valve will not work correctly. Then, you are faced with the dilemma of trying to find the correct PCV valve for your setup, which, if you're lucky, will only take you several dozen hours. Most, however, never find it. A more detailed answer to your question can be found on the website of the people who make the PCV valve I purchased.

What are the benefits? How about an improvement in gasoline mileage by a minimum of 6 miles per gallon in my case on the highway? That alone, makes it worth it. Long term, I am protecting my engine from the acids that inevitably get back into my engine because of an improperly operating PCV valve, and associated systems.

[AcampoDave]

Very interesting. I never knew about that. PCV's were alwas kind of a mystery gizmo to me. I mean, I knew they sucked out blowby but never knew they operated in stages. Thanks for the info. What are you running for an intake manifold there Todd?

[Vernski]

Originally Posted by Todd W. White

Well, for one, if you do any modifications or deviations from the factory setup, such as a different camshaft, the original PCV valve will not work correctly. Then, you are faced with the dilemma of trying to find the correct PCV valve for your setup, which, if you're lucky, will only take you several dozen hours. Most, however, never find it. A more detailed answer to your question can be found on the website of the people who make the PCV valve I purchased.

What are the benefits? How about an improvement in gasoline mileage by a minimum of 6 miles per gallon in my case on the highway? That alone, makes it worth it. Long term, I am protecting my engine from the acids that inevitably get back into my engine because of an improperly operating PCV valve, and associated systems.

Mind sharing the name of the PCV and website?...Vernski

[Todd W. White]

I'm running an Edelbrock Performer

Actually, only the PCV valve from ME Wagner is a two stage, adjustable unit. When an engine is designed, the engineer specifies the PCV valve based upon the engines requirements at the time of manufacture. Once any modifications are made, those specifications no longer apply. The more drastic the modifications are, the more off the original PCV valve will be. This results in poorer engine performance, decreased efficiency, and many other detrimental effects. The one I put on my truck was easy to calibrate, and improved my performance incredibly. The other fly in the ointment is that there are no published specifications that I could find that describe specifically the performance parameters of PCV valves for engines that have been modified. I certainly could not find any charts that would tell me which PCV valve to use based upon my engine modifications. Thus, the Dual-flow PCV Valve was a perfect, natural choice, as it allowed me to fine tune it in real time to my engines exact requirements.

Thank you for the compliment!

[Todd W. White]

http://mewagner.com/?page_id=444

[Vernski]

Originally Posted by Todd W. White

I'm running an Edelbrock Performer

Actually, only the PCV valve from ME Wagner is a two stage, adjustable unit. When an engine is designed, the engineer specifies the PCV valve based upon the engines requirements at the time of manufacture. Once any modifications are made, those specifications no longer apply. The more drastic the modifications are, the more off the original PCV valve will be. This results in poorer engine performance, decreased efficiency, and many other detrimental effects. The one I put on my truck was easy to calibrate, and improved my performance incredibly. The other fly in the ointment is that there are no published specifications that I could find that describe specifically the performance parameters of PCV valves for engines that have been modified. I certainly could not find any charts that would tell me which PCV valve to use based upon my engine modifications. Thus, the Dual-flow PCV Valve was a perfect, natural choice, as it allowed me to fine tune it in real time to my engines exact requirements.

Thank you for the compliment!

Some people are just hard to extract an answer from. So is the website Wagner or Edelbrock? And what compliment?...Vernski

[Todd W. White]

The link is to ME Wagner.

The thanks was to AcampoDave.

[66Submarine]

Well, it doesn't seem to be a giant problem for me. The most shot-out truck I have burned an average of one quart every hundred miles at last check (smokes blue at high speed or under heavy load) and got an average of 18MPG doing it. Too many mild hot rod engines with no issues for me to really worry too much about it, I guess; it just doesn't seem to really present much of an issue.

IMO, no way in hell that you gained <6MPG going from a working, normal PCV valve to that. That's just absurd. Considering your highway mileage is something like 18MPG, that would mean you got 12MPG before (which is worse than me beating on my "stock" one ton with 4.10 gears and driving up to 70MPH at times, btw), and that would mean that the magick PCV valve reduced your average fuel consumption by a third!

So, I'm not buying that. What kind of 20,000RPM nuclear-powered spaceship is this 283 that supposedly makes it so intolerant, anyway? To burn 2/3 of the fuel on average with the magick PCV would mean that your A/F ratio would had to have been absolutely horrific with the normal setup, which always seems to work fine for everyone else.

I mean, really? You are saying that before this magick PCV setup that you were dumping half-again as much fuel as the engine wanted to run on into it; that's a LOT, and that is still an averaged number!

[Todd W. White]

I'm sorry you do believe me. My PCV valve, as I have stated, was not working correctly because it was set up for my original engine configuration. And,yes, I did gain 6 miles to the gallon on the highway. I'm sorry you don't believe that, but it's true. I have no reason to lie about that.

Google the ME Wagner Dual-flow PCV Valve and "Nova" you will find a forum filled with very qualified owners of Chevrolet engines that have found this PCV valve to do what it claims to do.

[66Submarine]

But to gain 6MPG from 12MPG would mean the engine was running really, really poorly before. Since the PCV valve obviously doesn't effect power from timing or anything else like that, the only way I can see you burning more fuel is to just somehow dump it in there in the form of a super-rich mixture, which should also be pretty obvious, IMO.

You keep saying that it doesn't work because your engine isn't absolutely factory spec for a lame truck 283, but how radical is it? GM made stuff like the 283HP 283, DZ 302, 350HP 327, etc. and put those into cars with no issue, and there are thousands of user-made hot rod SBC's being driven every day without issue with the factory PCV setup. I just don't understand why a mild hot rod 283 should have any issue.

That's not to say the magick PCV isn't a better PCV valve, but there's a difference between a PCV valve not being optimal and the truck burning 50% more fuel...