Flhxxx Fuel Mileage

[oldmsocko]

Originally Posted by Ironhorsepilot Jimer, just FYI, there is a 7% grade on Interstate 64 in W. Va. By the way, I have a one ton, 350 V10 Dodge Dually that I have to down shift to maintain speed on almost any grade in the mountains. So, I don't see what the problem is with downshifting for more power. Are you trying to compare a 1 ton dually to a TG?? I don't think the power comparison is comparable.

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[Ironhorsepilot]

No, I'm not comparing! I would say the Dodge has a lot more pulling power and I still have to drop a gear, unless I am just a dumb blonde. Are you saying because a trike is lighter you shouldn't have to drop a gear or are you saying the trike has more power? I do know 6th gear is not going to be happy going up a steep grade. I don't see the problem with that. Although, I will say that now I have the PCV 6th has a lot more power.

[oldmsocko]

Originally Posted by Ironhorsepilot

No, I'm not comparing! I would say the Dodge has a lot more pulling power and I still have to drop a gear, unless I am just a dumb blonde. Are you saying because a trike is lighter you shouldn't have to drop a gear or are you saying the trike has more power? I do know 6th gear is not going to be happy going up a steep grade. I don't see the problem with that. Although, I will say that now I have the PCV 6th has a lot more power.

The trike certainly does not have alot of power. The 09 has way more power that the 10 because of the cats in the head pipe and leaner gas mixture to make them EPA compliant. I only use 6th gear on the interstates. I will be installing SE 255 cams this winter which will give it more low end torque. I bought the SEST as I don't want to take a chance of voiding my warranty. When I am cruising on 2 lane highways I use 5th gear up to 65 to 70 mph. Have no problem pulling hills without down shifting.

[pork]

Originally Posted by crow49

You all have to remember the 6th gear is a over drive cruising gear and isn't designed as a pulling gear. So it stands to reason that you would down shift on grade of 6% grade or better. I would think if you are having problems with small hills then maybe you need to look at how much weight you have loaded in your trunks, weight is a factor.

I think you have made the point better than any of the rest of us. I said previously that we sometimes downshift out of 6th, at a little higher speed on the trike (probably about 55) than on the Ultra (probably about 52). Since we operate the trike about the same as we do our Durango (5.9 liter, automatic) and our pickup (5.2 liter, 5 speed), over the same roads, we are very happy with the way it runs. I know that is not a popular opinion on this forum, but it's the way we feel.

Oldmsocko, I did not intend to insult you or anyone else with my comment about people going 80 or above; it was just my way of saying that those speeds scare me. The thing is, I just don't understand those speeds, because we always find ourselves actually wanting to stop and smell the roses, rather than trying to cover the miles as fast as possible.

I used to enjoy speed. When I was in engineering school, I used to leave my night job after work every Friday night in Austin, and drive 100 miles to my parent's house in Waco, 100 miles door to door, in 1 hour and 5 minutes. And that was before the freeway took out the stop lights in Temple. Having aged somewhat, I no longer enjoy speed. I even ski slowly. So, I guess I am indeed now an old fogie.

[msocko3]

Originally Posted by crow49

You all have to remember the 6th gear is a over drive cruising gear and isn't designed as a pulling gear.

6th gear is kind of a odd duck, its 1.1 where most OD are less than 1. As a for instance the SE 6 speed 6th gear ratio is .89:1 which is a OD.

[oldmsocko]

Pork: All is good, I was not insulted. Until I went to South Dakota last year I would had never dreamed that I would ride 80+ mph. At one point we pulled onto Interstate 90 and my garmin said next turn in 287 miles and the posted speed was 75 mph. All there was to see was this very flat straight rolling highway in front of us. On the sides the grass and weeds were not any high that 12 to 14 ". Trust me there were no roses to smell.

At one point I saw this red barn ahead of us on the right. I wanted to see how far I was able to see ahead of us. I looked at my odometer and saw what the reading was, when we got to the barn I looked at the odometer again and we had traveled 17 mile. There is alot of flat, straight and lonely rodes out there.

[TheJimer]

Originally Posted by Ironhorsepilot

Jimer, just FYI, there is a 7% grade on Interstate 64 in W. Va. By the way, I have a one ton, 350 V10 Dodge Dually that I have to down shift to maintain speed on almost any grade in the mountains. So, I don't see what the problem is with downshifting for more power.

Joan, the IHS standards stated that there are some deviations to the standards but that they are fairly small and relatively rare.

Even though your Dually has more power than your TG; I suspect that the TG’s power to weight ratio is greater than the Dually.

I don’t see a problem with down shifting either, with 90% of my driving being mountain driving/riding, down shifting is just second nature with me in all of my vehicles. I was simply questing the validly of another’s posters statement that he does not have to down shift out of 6th. gear when pulling a "hill"!

Lastly Joan, although some of us were recently called idiots, I doubt that anyone on this forum would ever accuse you of being a “dumb blonde”!

[pork]

Originally Posted by oldmsocko

On the sides the grass and weeds were not any high that 12 to 14 ". Trust me there were no roses to smell.

At one point I saw this red barn ahead of us on the right. I wanted to see how far I was able to see ahead of us. I looked at my odometer and saw what the reading was, when we got to the barn I looked at the odometer again and we had traveled 17 mile. There is alot of flat, straight and lonely rodes out there.

I understand completely. I have done the exact same thing, out of curiosity. When we are driving one of the trucks, we sometimes stop and get out and just sit or stand around in country like that. I think there is some primal urge to return to the wild that makes that interesting. One of the things we really like about riding our bikes or the trike is that we get that same kind of good feeling without actually having to stop, because we are out in the open, I guess. Going a little slower seems to heighten that kind of enjoyment, at least for us. Different strokes for different strokes, for sure.