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2009 Town & Country Fuel Economy

33K views 110 replies 39 participants last post by  Chrysler1924 
#1 ·
I have a brand new 2009 Chrysler Town & Country 3.8 engine I picked up i believe last sunday my question is i only have 180 miles on the van and my gas light came on already. I filled up the tank and it took 17 gallons of gas so i am doing the numbers and it seems like horrible fuel economy. I realize it is pretty much mostly street driving but 10 miles a gallon?? i am hoping i didn't buy the wrong vehicle here. Could it be just because the engine is new and has to break in? Should i bring it into the dealer and have them look it over?
What are you guys seeing fuel wise in your 3.8's? ANy thoughts?
 
#3 ·
My guess is that you didn't get a completely full tank of gas from the dealer. I'd wait until you at least start from a tank that you filled up yourself before computing your fuel economy. I have the 4.0L and I'm averaging 17-18 combined but mostly around town. There is no way you will be getting 10 MPG. Also, I would imagine that mileage will improve after the engine breaks in a little. Don't worry yet.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Welcome to the Forum :hi2:

Update your Location and Signature with full info on your vehicle. Get yourself a Haynes manual from your local auto store, if they have that year out, yet. It will help you with regular maintenance, that you're responsible for, as well as more major stuff, after the warranty expires.

These engines, need about 1000 - 5000 miles on them to break them in and you will see an increase of mpg. By all means, start out with a full tank of gas, first. Monitor over a few fill-ups, not just your first tank / partial.

Take advantage of ANY specials your dealer may have (free oil changes, free filter, free annual interior cleaning, etc).

Definitely make sure your tire pressure is up to the tire mfr's recommendation. The dealer will recommend a pressure that will make your vehicle ride very smoothly, however, the tire mfr's spec (on the sidewall of the tire) will make sure you get max mpg, and max tire mileage, too. Yes, they are different.
 
#6 ·
Definitely make sure your tire pressure is up to the tire mfr's recommendation. The dealer will recommend a pressure that will make your vehicle ride very smoothly, however, the tire mfr's spec (on the sidewall of the tire) will make sure you get max mpg, and max tire mileage, too. Yes, they are different.
The PSI spec on the sidewall of the tire is NOT the tire manufacturer's recommended pressure for the tire. That's the maximum allowable inflation of the tire if you are at full tire load. As installed on a Chrysler minivan, the tire won't be at full load, and the tire is really over-inflated for the application. You MAY see a fuel mileage increase, but you also may not. There will be a ride penalty, and at the maximum inflation pressure, you may get an incorrect wear pattern. Call any tire manufacturer on the telephone and ask what they recommend for their tire and they will tell you that they don't recommend a tire pressure, and you should consult your owner's manual and/or the placard on the door jamb.

The Chrysler dealer also does not recommend a tire pressure. All that is specified at the factory by Chrysler engineers.
 
#11 ·
I have to chime in here too. Jason is right on the money. The tire sidewall is MAX pressure. The sticker on the door jamb is suggested MFG pressure. If MAX cold pressure is used and then when the tires heat way up there is a possibility of side wall failure or tread separation. Really not very safe. I think if you inflate your tires to that high pressure you are giving yourself a false sense of security. Maybe, and I say that liberally, MAYBE better fuel economy and tread wear, but a what possible costs?
 
#17 ·
I have a suggestion for you. This coming Summer, before you take off on your next highway trip, make sure your tires are inflated to "your" prefered pressure. Make sure you use your own "reliable" gauge. When you pull in for gas, after driving a long time, immediately check your tire pressure. Let me know if it's anywhere near the pressure you started with.

Obviously, you have never seen, a "low-rider", with the 12" wheels and tires. They have those tires pressurized to 60psi to keep them from being flattened out by the weight of the cars. Even the low-riders that go like this :greenfrog with the 12" wheels, are inflated to 60psi. You don't see them split while bouncing around. AND, no those aren't special tires, they're running, they are regular tires on wide rims, and over inflated to hold the weight.

Tires are more durable than you think. It's the "rolling heat" that is generated as the side-walls flex that cause the tires to overheat and shred. The less flex, the less heat, especially with "steel-belted" tires. Steel-belts have no where to dissipate the heat to, except into the rubber which causes the rubber to separate from the steel, thus the shredding and tire failure.

Even on a hot Arizona Summer day, after 100 miles of highway driving, my tires actually feel cooler than the hot air temp. Why, because they're not flexing as much as yours do, so the airflow makes them cool.

I have to side with "ASDREW" :beerchug:
:lol:
 
#13 ·
I just looked at my Goodyear Wranglers that I recently purchased at Sam's Club. I see no reference of "cold" max pressure. Mine say "Max Pressure 44psi". I will check my new Goodyear TripleTreds when the wife gets home from work, but I'm pretty sure there is no reference to "cold" max pressure.
 
#16 ·
I will check my new Goodyear TripleTreds when the wife gets home from work, but I'm pretty sure there is no reference to "cold" max pressure.
TripleTreds say: (44psi) max press. No reference to "cold". Maybe I am misunderstanding, but I will go with Chrysler's recommendation (36psi) to be on the safe side.

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. :thumb:

P.S. Congrats on the 100th post asdrew!
 
#14 ·
Ford and Firestone caused all the current regulations over tire pressure and monitoring systems.The lovely Explorer is a handling marvel (lol) and requires ultra low tire pressure to keep from rolling over (Ford tests proved it),pumping them up to 30 psi made the truck tippy,so Ford just couldnt let America drive unsafe vehicles like that,so they recommended a LOW pressure to make the tires squirm.This has to be part of the cause of the blowouts,overloaded tires at low pressure.But,too high of pressure can make a vehicle unstable and take the roll out of the tire and put it to the springs (raising center of gravity).SUVs,trucks,rear engine cars,and yes minivans are strange handling beasts,tire pressure is very important.
 
#15 ·
Maybe this should be a separate tire inflation thread, I'm sure most auto forums have many of these discussions. :)

However, I want to chime in since everyone else has. :rolleyes: - and it makes my 100th post, woohoo I'm a "member" now! :beerchug:

Since I've driven a lot of trucks with non-factory tires, I have tended to go with the tire manufacturer's recommended inflation instead and like AZTraveller have never had poorly worn tires in over 30 years. I had a 60k lease on an Expedition and turned it in with 59.7k on the original tires and they met the required tread depth specs with room to spare.

There are good arguments for "both sides" here, but in the end I agree that the mfr wants you to have a cushy ride more than anything. Their recommendation for me has become null and void every time I change from the factory supplied tires.

Besides, I recall a presidential candidate scolding all of us to inflate our tires to the maximum so we would never have to drill for more oil, just doin my part. :thumb:
 
#19 ·
We're getting about 16 mpg in our new '09 T&C, and have about 1200 miles on it so far. We're also hoping it will get better.

The '06 that we had before this was reliably 19 mpg in our usual city driving, and would get about 23-24 mpg on highway trips.
 
#20 ·
Use the vehicle manufacturer's recommended tire pressure. Not the maximum pressure (cold or not) on the sidewall of the tire.

Every tire manufacturer site says this is what you should do. The tire will have optimal contact with the road, and provide you the best handling, accelleration, and braking power. Overinflate, and you may get 2-5% better gas mileage. give me handling, accelleration, and braking any day.

The only situation where you should go by the max presure on the sidewall is when it exactly matches the recommended pressure for the vehicle. In that case, I probably would not have bought that tire, because it's probably not as good as a tire with a maximum psi higher than the one on the placard on the vehicle.

Jason is correct.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I thought my van with the 17" Bridgestone tires and "sport" suspension felt really squirmy on exit ramps. Plus, the shoulder tread block (outside edge) of the front tires was rounding off quite a bit after 5000 miles. So I raised my pressure to 44 PSI cold (sidewall spec) on all 4 tires and rotated them. Raising to sidewall spec max on tires of other vehicles I've had really made the ride choppy and harsh, but with this van I have improved the handling around corners nicely and evened out the wear, and the ride quality feels only mildly harsher.

I have not noticed any gas mileage increase. I guess it takes a lot of juice to push a 4500lb brick through the air.

Just my 2 cents...
 
#24 ·
I keep reading on this forum and elseware that this vehicle has best in class fuel economy some people say it is a gas pig and others say they are getting 19 mpg around town so there are a lot of contradictions. I have had my 09 chrysler town & country 3.8 engine about two weeks. For the first tank i went through a tank of gas i filled it up at 180 miles and it took 17 gallons now i have about 390 miles on it and am at a quarter tank again so it may have improved a bit but i did a little more highway but it is not at my expectations at all. I am very curious what other people with the 3.8 are getting around town on gas. I really did not get too many opinions because somehow this turned into a tire pressure topic not that i mind but would like to know if the fuel economy did improve with time on your 3.8's as it broke in Because if it continues at this rate it is going to kill me with gas. I am just too use to my 92 Grand Caravan with the 3.3 mo matter what i do with it i can't get below 17 MPG just wish it was the same for the T&C

my tire pressure is 36 all around so that is not an issue.

Any thoughs thanks
 
#25 ·
For the first tank i went through a tank of gas i filled it up at 180 miles and it took 17 gallons now i have about 390 miles on it and am at a quarter tank again so it may have improved a bit but i did a little more highway but it is not at my expectations at all.

#1
180/17=10.5 MPG -- However, are you sure you really had a FULL tank to start with? If not, disregard this calculation.

#2
(390-180)/15 = 14 MPG -- However, you're at a quarter tank on the gauge, but that's unlikely to be at the 15 gallon mark exactly. You should fill it up and see, then recalculate. Disregard for now.

Some other things to consider:
- What's your driving style like? Heavy or light on the gas?
- Do you sit and idle for lengths of time?
- Air condiitoning on, or vents set to the defroster?
- Is a neighbor syphoning your tank? :blink:
 
#26 ·
With heavier vehicles (5th gen) and bigger engines,I dont know how they can attain the EPA mileage figures.And this after the EPA scaled back mileage estimates.I guess they would have been touting 30mpg before the more "realistic" estimates.For best mileage,I would still say a 3rd or 4th gen shorty 3.3 van would be best.
 
#28 ·
I have owned a '91 Dodge Caravan LE (SWB) w/3.3 and 4 speed, a '97 Grand Caravan ES w/3.8 and 4 speed, a '02 T & C Limited w/3.8 and 4 speed and now a '08 T & C Limited w/4.0 and 6 speed. Gas mileage for each one is worse than the previous. I believe it's the extra weight from generation to generation. On the '08, I average 19 MPG with roughly 50% city and 50% freeway. The best I've achieved with all freeway is about 23 MPG (which is the EPA number). My '91 could reach 30 MPG on the freeway, the '97 around 27 MPG, and the '02 around 25 MPG.
 
#39 ·
My '87, 2.5L 3-speed shorty got around 20 MPG most of the time. I never got better than about 24 mpg on a highway trip. my 03 got the best mileage of any van I owned up to that point. Best highway mileage (one trip, mostly downhill, at 45 mph most of the way due to traffic) was above 30, IIRC (it's on this site somewhere).

The Quest seems to do almost as good as the 03. Hard to tell, because my driving habits have changed since I got it (not as much highway use). Looking forward to my first big trip without a heavy load, to see what it can do--hoping for 26-28 max.
 
#30 ·
We do about 50/50 city/hwy driving and get 19-20 mpg. We've only taken one trip and the van only had 500 miles on it at the time. We got 23 mpg at 70+ mph.

It seems to get about what the EPA rating expected. About what I expected considering how much heavier it is than our previous vans.
 
#31 ·
my 3.8l is getting around 13-16 in town and best so far has been 26 all highway I am heavy footed but even if I baby it in town city millage just sucks my 9,000lb Dodge Ram 3500 CTD gets about 17 in the city quite easily :-(
 
#32 ·
Thanks for the response guys the first tank from dealer was completely full and still can't get over how i got 10.5 mpg that i am definitely losing sleep over that. I just filled tank up today again and it took 17 gallons again and on the second tank i got 225 miles which is a little better but not much. Since i got it i really have babied it really no idleing and really am light on the gas pedal. no ac or defroster and really don't think have any neighbors siphoning gas outta my car because they know i know everything which goes on my block. I just would be happy getting at least 15 or 16 around town but 10 mpg is not going to cut it. Too me it seems like the 3.8 engine really labors anytime you press the gas it seems underpowered is it just me who feels that.
 
#34 ·
You need to break it in with "typical" driving. Don't baby it, but don't redline it between traffic lights, either. MY 07 Hyundai Elantra hit the highway cruising (cruise control) @ 85 mph (3000rpm) commuting I-8 between San Diego and Phoenix, starting with 200miles on it from the dealer. I did that for 7 solid months (900 miles a week). It now gets +33MPG HWY. You need about 2000 - 4000 miles to break it in. Take a "road trip". :thumb:
 
#33 ·
Give it a bit more time to break-in. IIRC, my 4.0 had to break in for about 2,000 kms before I got decent gas mileage.
 
#35 ·
I agree with the others. You are fretting too much about your first several tankfulls. You must wait to accumulate several thousand miles before you do any more calculations. Remember, it's a brand new engine and has to be broken in. Give it time.
 
#36 ·
What is meant by "break=in" ?

That is when the piston rings "seat" (seal). They need to "wear-in". In the "old days" the mfr's provided a special "wear-in" oil for your first 500 - 1000 miles of driving. Today, they don't, so you need to drive a little longer. Just driving to the store and back doesn't allow the rings to really seat-in.

My wife used to drive 3 miles to work, our car used oil excessively, got poor gas mileage, however, after she started working 7 miles away, the rings re-seated and the engine stopped consuming oil, the mpg went up.

When we moved from Cleveland, Ohio, to Phoenix, AZ. My dad had rebuilt the engine and installed "chromium" rings (very hard). They ran quite well during the move and many vacation trips back to Ohio, however, when we no longer took long vacations, the car began to consume oil and gas mileage was poor. When we went back to long vacation trips, everything cleared up, mpg went back up.

Take a "road trip" ! ! ! :headbange :thumb:
:lol:
 
#38 ·
Rschrei518,if you take it too easy the tranny will upshift quickly (too early), causing the engine to act like it's bogged down, no guts. Accelerate like you would with any other vehicle (put your foot into it -- see what that 3.8L can really do, occasionally). Remember, your tranny is also learning your behavior (these are intellegent trannys) and will learn to shift too early, if you don't get a little heavy footed.

Ignore the "MPG" for the first 6 months, to a year. Get some mileage on it. :thumb:
 
#40 ·
Rated PSI cold on the door jamb vehicle load placard (sticker) is what is designed for the vehicle suspension using OEM tires. If you have after market lower profile tires you may need slightly more PSI to keep the tire profile square with the road.

My 2008 GC has 65% profile OEM tires that can take 44PSI cold, but my load placard states 36 PSI. I run at 40 PSI and suffer a bit of front suspension bobble on rough roads.

When I first drove my 2008, I had horrible mileage due to the dealer "warming" up the vehicle. I took delivery with only a 1/4 tank of gas and the onboard dash mileage display showing 5 mpg(!) average. I reset it, inflated my tires and tanked up. Around town (in winter) I am getting 18.7MPGus (12.4l/100km) and 27(8.4) on the highway
 
#41 ·
Rated PSI cold on the door jamb vehicle load placard (sticker) is what is designed for the vehicle suspension using OEM tires. If you have after market lower profile tires you may need slightly more PSI to keep the tire profile square with the road.

My 2008 GC has 65% profile OEM tires that can take 44PSI cold, but my load placard states 36 PSI. I run at 40 PSI and suffer a bit of front suspension bobble on rough roads.

When I first drove my 2008, I had horrible mileage due to the dealer "warming" up the vehicle. I took delivery with only a 1/4 tank of gas and the onboard dash mileage display showing 5 mpg(!) average. I reset it, inflated my tires and tanked up. Around town (in winter) I am getting 18.7MPGus (12.4l/100km) and 27(8.4) on the highway
 
#42 ·
I just checked in on mine last night and I was avg 18.0L / 100 km that is with 4 winter tires and some remote starting and idling.
 
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