30 mpg 1st gen???

[Bondo07]

I have read in an article in dieselpower that the 89's to 91 1/2's have rare 3.07 gears in the rearend. And that if I wanted to switch out the 3 spd auto for a later model overdrive tranny i can get upwards of 30mpg. Makes a lot of sense but is this healthy for towing loads? Has anyone ever experimented with this or know how easy it is? plus i hate topping out at 80mph on the freeway. I'm a speed nut!!

[BRUISER]

if you are running 80mph you will never get 30mpg no matter what gears you have..

I have found for best mileage stay under 70 and you will get good mileage.. the best I ever got was 23mpg.. truck was empty with bed cover on it.. all highway and I never went over 67mph, most of trip was at 65mph

in my current truck I get 16 to 17 but I only drive around town 95% of the time. when I do get on highway for an entire tank I usually get 20 or 21.. but if i stay above 70 it goes right back down to 17 or 18..

when towing I get between 11 and 13 depending on how hard I stay on the throttle on hills.

I have 3.55 gears with 33" tires..

[Slow69Chevelle]

As Bruiser said if you are a speak freak, then forget about 30 MPG as you won't get anywhere near that. If you drove on the freeway with said setup doing 55-65 mph you might get into mid to high 20's but I think it would be hard to achieve 30 without some mods. I have the stock 3.54's and 34's on my truck and I get about 20-21 on the freeway at 60-65. I would think the auto trans and 3.07's would be hard for towing especially if you plan on running larger tires. I'm sure other members will chime in with their thoughts.

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92 W250 LE - 5 speed Getrag, 3.54's, 4'' Rancho lift, AR 16X10's with 34'' BFG Mud Terrains, muffler delete, Bully Dog fuel pin, mild pump tweaks, ASA intake, Greddy turbo timer, Autometer boost gauge and simulated HID headlight conversion.

[Orangeracer]

you can get 30mpg if you let it ideal on the bed of a trailer. lol i got 27 on time 5speed completely stock driving like a Grany and nuatralling down hills. not speeding.

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93 d350, 92 d250, 81 cc, LOTS OF MONEY
www.myspace.com/myjavelin

[TTipsword]

i get 20 in town. about 24 on the highway doin 70.

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1992 dodge W250, pump maxed, cooler tubz, Denny T pin, SDX 5x.014's

[Philip]

I have read in an article in dieselpower

Look at the sourse. Even with an OD. If you baby it. You might get 24/25 empty. That is with SRW setup. A dually would be lower.

Now towing with the 3:07's. I have done a bunch of that. They are slow starting out with a load. The 2:47 1st gear Dodge gave us just blows with this gearing. Once your up to speed no problems. Stand on it and roll.

A tighter converter is a must. Any converter Dodge installed in a 1st gen is about worthless for towing with a turned up engine. They just slip to much.

You will like the 3:07's with a OD trans.

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93 W350 w/duals, fuel pin turned, 6X.018" injectors, 4" exhaust, 3" air intake horn, Super HX40/16, auto(G56 soon), 3:07's axles, 2" skyjacker lift, B&W flatbed

[JBradley500]

hey philip... next saturday ill be driving through indiana... wanna trade trucks when i get there?

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92 W250(5qt Getrag)- Denny T, 8x.011" Injectors, 366 Spring, AFC Valet, 1/4" Timing, 4090 BHAF, Pump "Tuned", Piston Pump, Top-hat Ground, Boost/Pyro, Pull Cable.

[Philip]

JB your truck doesn't have enough tires on the ground and I don't like a P/U bed.

If you want to stop by and B/S. Let me know.

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93 W350 w/duals, fuel pin turned, 6X.018" injectors, 4" exhaust, 3" air intake horn, Super HX40/16, auto(G56 soon), 3:07's axles, 2" skyjacker lift, B&W flatbed

[Bondo07]

Thanks phillip for the info about my real question. Yea i think 30 was exagerating a little bit in that article. but you know what i mean. it's not like i drive 80 all the freaking time everywhere. Already got 6 speeding tickets within the last 3 years. but it's nice to have a truck where you can accept a redlight challenge from some idiot high schooler and not worry about topping out before you kick his. I'm a decent driver though. normal commuting back and forth to work I average about 60. So how hard is it to find a cheap overdrive that'll bolt right in? Any modifications? Engine's completely stock so i don't think torque converter's an issue.

[Philip]

If you watch the classified adds on this site. There are 518's come threw pretty regular. Most are listed as cores needing rebuild. 4X4's seem the be the easyest ones to find.

A 518 is almost a straight bolt in. The only issue is moving the cross member back a couple of inches and drilling new mounting holes. Then shorten the drive shaft as needed.

Is your truck a 4x4 or 2WD?

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93 W350 w/duals, fuel pin turned, 6X.018" injectors, 4" exhaust, 3" air intake horn, Super HX40/16, auto(G56 soon), 3:07's axles, 2" skyjacker lift, B&W flatbed

[powerbrake]

i get better milage at higher speeds. my only explanation is the stock converter has so much slip at lower speeds that at higher speeds i must be closer to stall and get better milage. i hate my converter. best milage is 20.5 at 80. 65 to 70 gets me 18. i've checked it many times

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92 4x4, fuel screw turned in all the way, starwheel dropped to the bottom, 40 hp injectors, machined pin, detroit locker lets me smoke 'em evenly. auto meter pyro.
God Bless Our Country and Damn The Goverment

[Bondo07]

my truck is 2wd. I'm in the process of working on the power steering right now. new pump new lines and the pump still heats up and smokes after idling 5 minutes. probably bad steering box or a block in the line i'm thinking. don't wanna fry this pump so i'm stuck driving my cavi. bad clutch tires and rotors on that piece o

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89 D350, Single Wheels, 2wd, Stock Motor (for now), No Exhaust In process of patching rust and painting it primer?? black?? not sure yet.