Rarley goes to V4

[kpanza]

I'm in Orange County, but yeah, the 405 sucks here as well... :mad2:

 

[dcovell]

Actually the 405 section that heads east and west is the worst part. Sorry you have to deal with that every day. I used to have almost a 1-2 hour commute every day (1 way) and one day it took over 2 and a half hours to get to work (only 50 miles) and I started looking for a new job the same day.

 

[JRTV8]

Oh man LA Freeways.... I live up here in Bay Area and I use to commute 1 1/2 hours and yes im with you on that, its sucks...

 

[Hardin Thicke]

Every weekday, I run 40 miles each way on I-90 (the MassPike) going to and from work. The entire trip averages 60 mph which includes about 3 miles of country type road, so I'm running about 70 on the interstate. It's rural most of the way, and is the same every day, so it gives me the opportunity to study the engine and vehicle operation and pick up on minor nuances that might be missed in other types of driving. I've found that the engine is more inclined to drop to V4 when running at higher speeds, 65 and up. Perhaps this places the engine in a favorable location on the torque curve, I'm not sure. I encounter all kind of grades on the trip and can tell you that any kind of incline will cause the engine to run in V8. It will only drop to 4 on dead level surfaces and of course, downhills. The shift in and out of 4 and 8 is immediately felt and heard as the exhaust note in 4 is a low rumble, and there is a little bump as all 8 fire up. I've also played with folding the power mirrors back on long trips, and light traffic, and I've noticed about a 1 mpg advantage in doing so. The best I've gotten with now 4900 miles (in 2 months) on the clock is 20.1 mpg on a 180 mile non-stop trip.

 

[Andy4639]

Gas Milage

I have to say I agree with the higher RPM'S. That should help some on the torque. I haven't ever tried the mirror deal though...I use mine here in SC if you don't you'll end up getting run over.:lol:

 

[73shark]

What axle ratio do you have?

 

[Hardin Thicke]

3.73 here

 

[73shark]

You are one lucky guy then. I've never been able to get into V4 at hwy speeds on level roads. Just to make sure it was level, I've checked same stretch in both directions.

 

[Andy4639]

Interesting

I pulled my 10'x8' utility trailer yesterday in the Tahoe and it went into V4 mod quite a few times. It surprised me doing this, it wsn't long though. It even did it on unlevel ground, running 75MPH too!