I don't think displacement on demand "drastically" improves fuel economy.

 

I believe that the cylinder deactivation for the Dodge only adds 2 mpg and that is the best case senerio (Under "ideal conditions"). That is not significant. Plus trucks are heavy and not known for being aero-dynamic. Yeah, we all feel it in our pocket books when gas prices go up, but that is the price you pay for having a truck.

 

Plus why would we want to make our trucks more like a Dodge anyway?

 

2mpg = roughly $300 a year a $2.50 gallon and 15,000 miles travelled

Depending on the cost, I think every little bit helps!

 

I would rather have a hybred as an optional engine

 

I'd rather have $1.79/g gas!

 

I wouldnt mind cruising to work down some back roads with only 4 cylinders banging at 30 miles an hour. Its 24 miles a day total just to work. That would save me some gas. I think on demand deactivation is a better idea then automatic.

 

Were I live the Max Speed is 25 and we were complaining when gas jumped from 1.89 to 2.15. I only get about 200 miles to a tank now, but I only have to fill up once every two weeks.

 

I bought a truck with 8 cylinders...I want them to work at all times. If I wanted a 6 banger or a 4 banger I would have bought one.

 

My uncle had one of the old Caddy's with the 4-6-8 setup and it was a complete lemon. Ever since that, I cringe every time I hear about something similar.

 

I'd rather have $1.79/g gas!

As long as we are dreaming how about .89/g gas

 

We bought a Honda Odyssey with cylinder deactivation and so far so good. No perceptable change in performance and so far its getting good gas mileage. If the old 468 makes you cringe, remember---THAT WAS GM. Since when can they get anything right. As far as hybred, those batteries that will crap out on you around 80K will cost you 4 to 6 grand to replace. Thats a lot of gas to save to offset that and the extra inital cost. I'd like to see Nissan persue a Honda style verson of the cylinder deactivation. Anything that will really help.

 

While it would be a nice feature to have, like others said above it does not improve gas mileage considerably. To be honest, most of us here could achieve much better mileage being easier on the gas pedal. But hey, it's not our fault that 5.6L in front of us is such a monster. It's like giving somebody a Porsche and tell them to take turns slowly.
-Cyrus

 

Nissan using E-85 also helps

who wants to be like a Dodge?

 

I got into a little argument yesterday with some of my green friends critical of my new Titan purchase. It always starts with "I’ll bet that cost a fortune to fill up, how much is it anyway" type questions.

I go on the philosophy that the cost of fuel is not the issue, but the cost of fuel as it relates to your budget is the bigger question. For what people spend a week in beer, smokes, dining out, movies, concerts, etc, I would rather have the Titan to pull my boat and enjoy time on the water than other vices or activities.

I also argued that rather than complain about it, leverage yourself. Keep oil stocks in your portfolio and the dividends effectively discount your fuel costs in the long run and might even score big on the market. Heaven forbid to support big business as it violates the socialistic agenda of theirs, but that is another discussion all together.

The second option would be to have a legitimate home business and leverage your transportation costs to again discount your fuel costs with year end tax advantages. Nothing wrong with that as our tax code allows legitimate expenses to be written off, but I guess that is viewed as cheating.

For my greenie friends, if their Passat costs them $40/week and my Titan is $70/week, its not such a big deal when factoring in the other weekly expense variables. Sure, I would love to see cheap gas, but lifestyles are different and understanding that current fuel costs might cut into other lifestyle costs, it is time to evaluate all your activities and see what is most important. People who decide to buy trucks do so for various reasons as the truck serves a particular purpose that low horsepower, fuel efficient cars can not.

In spite of my greenie friends opposition of my "irresponsibility" to the environment and greed, they always seem to ignore all of that when they need to move or haul things that dont fit on top of their car. Those are the times that I remind them that they need to use the money they saved and rent a U-Haul because I will be out fishing.

p.s. As for cylinder deactivation, for the modest increase in fuel economy can easily be offset with improved aerodynamics including some type of tonneau cover, front air dam, etc or a radical body design all together. Cylinder deactivation might work, but in the long run odds are that it is going to be a maintenance nightmare which make other tweaks more attractive.

 

A diesel for 2007 that was rumored would work just as well too.

Travis

 

...
For my greenie friends, if their Passat costs them $40/week and my Titan is $70/week, its not such a big deal when factoring in the other weekly expense variables. Sure, I would love to see cheap gas, but lifestyles are different and understanding that current fuel costs might cut into other lifestyle costs, it is time to evaluate all your activities and see what is most important. People who decide to buy trucks do so for various reasons as the truck serves a particular purpose that low horsepower, fuel efficient cars can not.
...

That struck a chord, since I own a Passat and a Titan. I agree with your post, and I am also frustrated by folks who make those mis-matched comparisons. We should all try to make the best choices for our lifestyle, wallet, the environment, etc. and not judge/direct others. I like getting 40mpg on trips in my VW diesel, but it couldn't haul the 1700 lbs of floor tile home last week.

Actually, I just wish I could bike to work (too far) and really be righteous!

 

2mpg = roughly $300 a year a $2.50 gallon and 15,000 miles travelled

Depending on the cost, I think every little bit helps!

You shouldn't own a truck if $300 a year is going to break you. However, that's just my opinion. :cheers:

Cylinder deactivation doesn't help mileage enough to overcome my fears of the engine becoming problematic. I have a V8...I expect them all to be active at all times!

 

I'll buy a motorcycle when the gas becomes a really big issue.

 

Honda Odyssey cyl deactivation

SLTBLUES,what sort of mpg do you get with your Odyssey?I was pleased with the 24.1 mpg we just got with the 2003 Pilot on a 965 mile trip.It was all hy of course.
What sort of hy mpg do you get?The CYL deactivation Odysseys are rated 20/28?I spent time plowing thru the 700+ tanks recorded at hondaodyssey.org.I didn't notice much difference between the 19/25 non de and the 20/28 cyl deacts.I think the best tank recorded was 26+mpg.26 MPG is very good,but I expected to see some at 28mpg and above because the Pilot will beat it's hy EPA figure(17/22).
The Odyssey-2005-is a heavy-4600 lb-vehicle.It won't be able to use the deactivation at higher speeds especially on upgrades.I notice the Pilot downshifts very readily on gentle upgrades(gets great hy mpg despite the downshifts)Thanks.Charlie
Ha,Ha anyone who had that POS Caddy 4-6-8 will be forever scarred-and scared- in respect to cyl deact!!-

 

I wouldn't want the cylinder deactivation, I bought a V-8 and I want all my cylinders at all times. Wonder what kind of problems those cylinder deactivation engines have, you wouldn't want to be stuck some where with only half an engine lol

 

We bought a Honda Odyssey with cylinder deactivation and so far so good. No perceptable change in performance and so far its getting good gas mileage.

Glad you like your Odyssey! :clap: It was feared that people would remince the old GM technology when the VCM engine was launched. The name VCM stands for Variable Cylinder Management. It was changed 2 more times till we ended up with VCM b/c ther other names sounded too much like what GM used to name their technology.

I drove a test mule of the new '06 Pilot with VCM about a month ago and you can NOT tell when it's in 3 cyl mode, other than the light that comes on to indicate you're saving fuel. When your speed plateaus at any speed, the VCM is activated. I just dream of the day they couple this technology with a clean diesel with a hybrid system. You'd be good as gold.

 

I say there is always a need for technological advancement. If it was easy to do and you wouldnt notice a difference in driving why shouldnt every vehicle do it? Correct me if I am wrong, but doesnt the chrysler system deactivate cylinders at cruising speeds, not creeping speeds? I thought this was a feature designed to save gas at constant highway speeds. I like the idea of that better than messing with hybrid batterys etc. It is a good starting place for more efficient vehicles, without giving up performance.

 

I drove a new Charger yesterday with a hemi and the displacement on demand. Very impressive in terms of smoothness. You had no idea it was occuring. I'm told the car makes it's EPA rating of 25 on the highway. All of that sounds good.

What I wonder about is long term durability. It can't be good to constantly heat and cool the aluminum pistons. When the block is warm and the cylinder has been 'off' for a while the piston has to have lots of clearance with the cylinder bore. I can't imagine that it wouldn't wobble and turn our awesome 5.6 motors into pre-2003 4.8, 5.3, 6.0 Chevy's (ie screwed up bore, piston slappin, oil burning pigs).

 

What I wonder about is long term durability. It can't be good to constantly heat and cool the aluminum pistons. When the block is warm and the cylinder has been 'off' for a while the piston has to have lots of clearance with the cylinder bore.

Well, don't think that the cylinders remain off for the entire duration of a 4 hour trip b/c they usually turn back on when the computer deems necessary for uphill power or exceleration. Driving the new Pilot, I think the longest it stayed on at any time was 5 minutes while I was cruising across flat highway.