Lightest 16" wheels for my second gen?

[Diesel Dodge]

Does anyone have any links to what the stock wheels weigh? And what the steel spare weighs? Any light weight aftermarket rims that are 16x7?

Reason I ask is I'm trying to get the best possible MPG's as I drive a lot.

Truck is a 1996 RCSB 318/NV3500 2WD. Stock.

So far I've added a grill block, turn both mirrors in, removed wipers, and drive like a grandpa on Sunday.

I'll be adding a kill switch to kill it while coasting to stops at lights, and one of those ugly bed aero caps in time.

Holy Grail (Dodge Ram 1500) | Fuelly

 

[crazzywolfie]

if you want better fuel mileage buy a car. its a truck. only way you could get better mileage is if the truck was a diesel. you could try running narrower tires but it may also give you a rougher right.

 

[Diesel Dodge]

It's more about the challenge than anything. I don't want a car. I've knocked down 22.8 with my simple modifications and great weather conditions. Usually get 21's.

I own a 3rd gen cummins. Don't want to rack up the miles on it and it has gotten a best of 17's. That's hand calculated, not the over head lie-o-meter, which most ignorant cummins owners go off of. My over head says 22-24 on the high way. Yeah right.

 

[Johnn123]

It's more about the challenge than anything. I don't want a car. I've knocked down 22.8 with my simple modifications and great weather conditions. Usually get 21's.

I own a 3rd gen cummins. Don't want to rack up the miles on it and it has gotten a best of 17's. That's hand calculated, not the over head lie-o-meter, which most ignorant cummins owners go off of. My over head says 22-24 on the high way. Yeah right.

You pulled 22.8 mpg out a 2nd gen ram? I'm sorry, I need evidence to believe that. These trucks are pigs on fuel, they're rated for like 14 mpg from the factory. What have you modded on it? I'm quite curious.

edit: looked through your link, thats trippy. Why the big drop over the 16-18th?

 

[Diesel Dodge]

On the 15th I filled up getting back from a trip. On the 18th I filled up before leaving for a trip, those 80 miles were in Cincinnati. A lot of short trips where the engine didn't get fully warm. Heavy/aggressive acceleration up hills and in traffic. Bunch of stop and go. Then the 22.8 was after my highway trip when I got to my destination.

I don't drive with the cruise control, either.

I drive with the mirrors tucked in. (Going to delete the passenger mirror all together) Added a coroplast grill block(grill and bumper). Removed the wipers. Made the hood come down as close as possible for smaller body gap. Properly inflated tires, (a little on the high side. Still playing around with this.) Drivetrain wise, truck is stock.

Remember, this is a 2WD 318 Manual pickup truck. Not a 4x4 automatic.

I will get a picture of the original window sticker. It says 19 for highway, IIRC. And says they range from, for highway, like high teens to basement twenties.

 

[Diesel Dodge]

No one has weights of these wheels handy, though?

 

[crazzywolfie]

no. i don't think you will be able to find lighter rims. aluminum and steel rims weigh about the same. if your truck had the old bolt pattern like my 81 you could try finding magnesium rims like the ones on my 81 but they don't. my magnesium rims are noticeably lighter than aluminum ones i have handles but pretty hard to find.

i personally think you need to put your wipers back on your truck. it is not safe to be driving a truck without wipers.

 

[Diesel Dodge]

Haha. Wipers are in the cab and I can't remember the last time I have really used them. RainX works wonders. If I ever get caught in a heavy downpour I will stop and put them on, remember, there are no tools needed. They slide on, then you slide the pin down. Takes seconds.

 

[crazzywolfie]

i don't trust rainx. plus i think there is laws in place pretty much everywhere that says you need at least 1 working wiper just like you usually need a drivers side mirror.

 

[Diesel Dodge]

 

[Johnn123]

On the 15th I filled up getting back from a trip. On the 18th I filled up before leaving for a trip, those 80 miles were in Cincinnati. A lot of short trips where the engine didn't get fully warm. Heavy/aggressive acceleration up hills and in traffic. Bunch of stop and go. Then the 22.8 was after my highway trip when I got to my destination.

I don't drive with the cruise control, either.

I drive with the mirrors tucked in. (Going to delete the passenger mirror all together) Added a coroplast grill block(grill and bumper). Removed the wipers. Made the hood come down as close as possible for smaller body gap. Properly inflated tires, (a little on the high side. Still playing around with this.) Drivetrain wise, truck is stock.

Remember, this is a 2WD 318 Manual pickup truck. Not a 4x4 automatic.

I will get a picture of the original window sticker. It says 19 for highway, IIRC. And says they range from, for highway, like high teens to basement twenties.

Ahh yup trips like that will do it.

Why did you remove the wipers? I really don't see how that would help mpg plus as CW said thats not really safe, nor is removing a mirror. Untuck them, be safe. Whats more valuable, your life (yes extreme but gets the point across) or a few pennies at the gas station?

Didn't see it was a manual, that would make a good difference. Did you do the plenum fix by chance? That would definitely help if you havent. Do you have a tonneau cover/cap to? Definitely keeping an eye on this I've never seen one of these trucks, regardless of form, get such good mileage...

 

[wingnut]

Hey Diesel Dodge! I see what you are doing. Its a thing called "Hyper-Mileing". Folks willing to go to the nth-degree to get better mileage. Good on ya! Some things suggested are using tape to cover the holes in your wheels. Or better yet, flat covers. Also many of the new trucks have a small spoiler bolted on top, or stamped-in to the tailgate to break-up the vacuum that occurs in the rear of our trucks. Might want to look into that. Lowering would also help. Another thing. I work at a factory for cars, and some of the parts come in containers using what I can best describe as corrugated-plastic. Looks like corrugated cardboard, but made of plastic. I always wondered about using this material to create smooth panels on the bottom of my car. Away from heat of course. Hope I gave you some ideas! Keep us posted.

 

[Diesel Dodge]

From my research Chrysler specification for drag coefficient on my ram with the mirrors in place is 0.470. With both mirrors removed, it has a drag coefficient of 0.432.

I removed the wipers in hopes to lower the drag coefficient even more.

Passenger mirror will be getting a block off plate from a ram that has bolt on tow mirrors like this.



Haven't even looked down the throttle body to see if the the plenum is good. But with the MPG's I'm getting, I'm willing to bet it's still good. I am going to take a look next oil change, and I will also send off an oil sample to Blackstone Lab for an oil analysis.

Currently the truck only has a weather guard tool box on it, mostly empty though as the weather guard on my Cummins has most my tools in it.

I am in the process of sketching a design for my bed cap, it will be tapered down to the tailgate. Have to do some math to figure all that out. I am going to try to be able to keep the weather guard and have the cap on a track so I can slide it back to open up the tool box.

It will look something like this, but not as professional as that cap. I will be adding a tailgate brake light from a 1 ton third gen to my tailgate as my third brake light once the cap goes on.

 

[Diesel Dodge]

Hey Diesel Dodge! I see what you are doing. Its a thing called "Hyper-Mileing". Folks willing to go to the nth-degree to get better mileage. Good on ya! Some things suggested are using tape to cover the holes in your wheels. Or better yet, flat covers. Also many of the new trucks have a small spoiler bolted on top, or stamped-in to the tailgate to break-up the vacuum that occurs in the rear of our trucks. Might want to look into that. Lowering would also help. Another thing. I work at a factory for cars, and some of the parts come in containers using what I can best describe as corrugated-plastic. Looks like corrugated cardboard, but made of plastic. I always wondered about using this material to create smooth panels on the bottom of my car. Away from heat of course. Hope I gave you some ideas! Keep us posted.

Thanks!

I am going to look in to lowering it. I am also looking in to a bigger front air dam, that hangs lower.

I know 3rd gen diesel guys add a 2nd gen front air dam to the bottom of the 3rd gen stock one.

 

[crazzywolfie]

could try installing electric fans.

also since your truck is standard transmission you should not need to install a kill switch. should be able to just use the key.

 

[Diesel Dodge]

also since your truck is standard transmission you should not need to install a kill switch. should be able to just use the key.

I want to go with a kill switch on the shifter, rather than using a key in case I accidentally lock the steering column somehow. That would suck.

 

[Diesel Dodge]

I'm leaving the engine/drivetrain alone until I get all the areo stuff done and get a solid baseline.

I'd like to mess with megasquirt at some point and focus solely on tuning for economy. I will not be using SCT.

 

[Johnn123]

I think on a 96 you have to use megasquirt because they're not obdII. Some of the later ones have it but I think the rest are obdI.

 

[Diesel Dodge]

This has OBDII. I thought OBDII started on all 1996's.

 

[crazzywolfie]

if you are looking for a good electric fan for cheap you should look up mopar Part number CBG4F250