Hybrid Shifting to Improve MPG

[Lunentucker]

21 Mojave stock wheels 35 KO2s @ 27 cold / 30 warm
2"AEV with Rancho Brackets

I've been tinkering with manually keeping the vehicle in a higher gear, especially on highway.
It just seems that it down shifts too frequently when in auto mode.

In fully auto mode I've been getting around 17.5 on winter blend. That's small towns and highway combined. Usually not over 60 mph.

By manually forcing the higher gears and not driving like I'm in a hurry when I'm not, I seem to be averaging slightly over 19.

It's interesting to play around with, but it's not going to make anyone rich. LOL

One thing I noticed is that you can do this and still run cruise control. That kind of surprised me.
The system won't let you shift higher gears below certain speeds, so it's kind of fool proof, but holding 8 on a slight hill and giving up 2-3 mph seems to make a decent difference.

Almost a half tank into the experiment.

Sponsored

 

[KWin]

love your min tow tag, especially with this style test! fits right in

 

[Labswine]

I've always driven very conservatively and am getting around 19.5 mpg bopping around on winter blend. It's 1 mpg more in the summer. I have a stone stock Overland (built 6/19).

I do MUCH better on the highway. Cruise set at 70 mph and I've seen (calculated) as high as 28 mpg, she usually averages in the mid 26s' on pure highway.

I tend to shift manually anyways and my transmission has actually learned my driving habits.

I generally start off in 2nd, shift to 3rd around 18 mph, 4th at 22 mph, 5th at 32 mph and 6th at 42 mph. The rest I flip over to auto and let it do it itself.

You see the pattern? 2+2 = 4, 3+2=5, 4+2=6...RPMs are just below 2K at these points.

When I get lazy and don't want to do this, I let her do it by herself and she actually shifts right around these points.

Towing, I ONLY shift manually. Keep it around 2,500 rpms at shift points, almost never get out of 7th (unless downhills or very long flats then the rare 8th) and no faster than 65 mph. RPMs are between 2,000 and 2,100. Then I get (calculated) anywhere between 12.5 and 13.5 mpg. My trailer is 27' and around 5,100 lbs with all we want or need, plus me and the bride in the truck. This is pretty much (so far) east coast towing (wife LOVES the sea shore). Haven't tried the Shenandoah or Pocono mountains yet so I'm pretty sure that'll make a drastic change in driving habits and shift points.

 

[104wb]

Hi, new member here. I've also taken to shifting manually. I previously had a Ram 1500 5.7L with a similar 8-speed transmission which always seemed to shift as I would, if it had a manual trans. It was stark contrast, then, when I switched to the Gladiator which seems to hold lower gears much longer than I would if I had a stick, like 2 gears lower. I tried the manual shifting, and found the response to be smooth and instantaneous, so I've stuck with it. I generally only upshift, letting the trans downshift as I slow down. Since I'm interested in fuel economy, I will also push the shifter back to 'D' if I'm approaching a stop light, to allow the ESS to work. I also think I've picked up 1.5 mpg; I'm getting 18-19 mpg on winter fuel, and 21 mpg in the summer with 4.10 gears, 285/70R17 load range E tires, and a soft top.

 

[Lunentucker]

It's not something I'm likey to do all the time, but it's a fun experiment.
But you're right. It's quite eager to downshift at the slightest drop in RPMs.

Sponsored