Nissan NV HD S HighTop V6 fuel mileage

scottm4211

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
A word of caution with this vehicle. I own a 3500 HD-SV High Roof. I have decided to upgrade to a large straight and trying to trade this in at close to value is impossible. It is not recognized as a commercial vehicle like the Freightliner or Mercedes Sprinters. The best offer I received was $10,000. So I have hired a driver for my Nissan and I am buying the straight truck outright.
That's what happens to used vehicle values when the mfr offers 0% financing for 60 months on a new one...
 

ntimevan

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Heck for a used 2012 NV 3500 model , I would of gave 12,000 cash.

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denny2010

Expert Expediter
What about personal items and comfort items. Looks small. Just saying. Back a year ago i had to do the cv thing. Learned quickly that the room is much smaller than a ST. I made my bed so it folded up into a chair. What fo u plan on doing for heat/ ac. Food cooking and storing?

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ntimevan

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I d only would lose 15 in.s in length but gain ovet 2 feet in height plus 500 more in payload. And $ 15,000 cheaper than Sprinter.

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xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Higher fuel expenses and less freight space could eat up that savings in a few years. It would boil down to maintenance

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ntimevan

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Yeah, I 'm still up in air over which way to go. I like the 12 to 14 cube but my present carrier won t take on any more , even cutaways. But 95 % of our loads are of 1 skid or less than 1500 lbs. But the height would be helpful.. If I win the Powerball tonight I won t have to worry.

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denny2010

Expert Expediter
I like the sprinter.. been looking but not buying..window shopping..lol..seen place online that can hook up a nice enclosure sleeper. Is it worth having a tval one? More load options ..

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mzraik

Active Expediter
Hi Moot,

I've been away for a bit.

Those are respectable numbers for a high top gas engine van. What is your average open country freeway cruising speed? Does your van burn E-85? If so, how often do you fill with E-85? What is the axle ratio?

I don't burn E-85 if I can help it. I use mid-grade gas or better. It's a few more cents at the pump, but it pays out in the long run, IMHO.

I also keep an eye on the tires and keep the speed between 60-65, only go 70 when needed and keep the van as bug free as I can get it.

Added a K&N air filter which seems to help - .5 mpg, but this is not tested as a constant. It could be bugs, or a tail/head wind... It's hard to tell.

I'll have to look up the ratio...

Mark
 

mzraik

Active Expediter
A word of caution with this vehicle. I own a 3500 HD-SV High Roof. I have decided to upgrade to a large straight and trying to trade this in at close to value is impossible. It is not recognized as a commercial vehicle like the Freightliner or Mercedes Sprinters. The best offer I received was $10,000. So I have hired a driver for my Nissan and I am buying the straight truck outright.

Hi subzero89,

Sorry to hear of your situation...
Please post how you are doing on this, it can be invaluable to others looking at this vehicle.
It works for me with my freight, but that doesn't mean I promote it over other vehicles, it just seemed to fit what I am doing.

Respectfully,
Mark
 

Dat1stChoice

Active Expediter
I ran the 2500 HD high top from Denver to Cut Bank MT, averaged about 15.5 or so, bone stock with 900+lbs in the rear. Didn't have any of the normal stuff with me, no tools, bedding etc. I did have about 40 lbs of gear along though, (cooler/ice/drinks/food). I ran 75 the whole way across Northern Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.

I felt it did alright fuel mileage wise, and the vertical height was why I ran it. (freight was taller than a normal CV could handle) Handled well, even in Wonderfully windy Wyoming, did OK on the few hills it had to climb. Certainly could have used cruise control, but outside that, not a bad ride. Handled very much like a standard CV for the most part, parking was pretty easy. My only real complaint was the lack of cruise with it, you get what they got when you rent one. Liked being able to stand in the back, and the stereo wasn't near as cruddy as a standard GM stereo.

I hope they do make a longer WB one eventually, I actually like the look of them. (I'm sick in the head too)
 

Jason2

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
No Dat your not. I'd like to have the passenger one.I looked at a used cargo at the chevrolet place a few months ago and the wife didn't like it.

But I would trade her Nissan van for one though.It gets around 19 to 20mpg.2007 Quest.Not much better than my 99 Ford E-250
 

mzraik

Active Expediter
So far, my fuel mileage has increased!
I do drive with a feather foot 98% of the time, as best I can running Ohio to Tennessee, Kentucky with occasional runs to New York state, Massachusetts and others. So it's not the Rocky Mountains, but it's not flat running either.

My vehicle came with the front tires at 40 psi cold which i increased to 50 like the manual says, and my rears are still at 72 cold, allowing up to 80 when they get heated.

I have had about a 1.5 - 2 mpg gain, which is significant! Yeah air pressure!
I don't think the mpg gains are totally air pressure, but they could be...

Let's hope I don't mess it up...

Now, for my next mod...

I have purchased the JDM ProM engine chip. I had read as much as I could comprehend about IAT chips, HHO, WI, and others and settled on this chip. My hope is that it will handle the changes needed to the entire system in order to provide more efficient operation based on the engine and transmission in combination to increase MPG's and extend the life of the vehicle.

The cost was around $200.00. If it can return an increase of another 2 mpg, that will translate into great savings over the course of a year. Even, if it produces a constant .5 mpg, it will have been worth the investment.

My mileage is about 48K, and I am experiencing 17.5 (Loaded) to 19.5+ (Empty) mpg's. As the engine breaks in, it seems to be increasing in efficiency. Or, maybe I have had tail winds. The math is from the pump not the indashometer. I use 89 octane/mid grade gas and no additives. I do look for the stickers to see if it contains ethanol/methanol, which it seems I can not get away from at the pumps :(

I'll post again when I have some data.
 
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Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
As we get into winter I'm sure your fuel mileage will drop 1-2 mpg on average, I know mine will.
 

tbcabs

Seasoned Expediter
The fuel mileage will increase with more mile on it... I am constantly averaging 17+ with my 3500 and I am happy with that so far. one thing that i learned is to NOT idle it at all. Ideling will suck fuel like there is no tomorrow
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
winter gas sucks
Its not so much "winter gas", in my experience over the past 10 or 12 years I rarely find gas that doesn't contain up to 10% ethanol. When I do come across gas with no ethanol, the price doesn't justify the extra 1-1½ mpg gain. The dense cold air and the fact that I tend to idle more to warm up my van in the mornings while firing up the Buddy heater, and will idle if I have to wait on a shipper etc. all contribute to my fuel economy decline during the winter.
 

mzraik

Active Expediter
What about personal items and comfort items. Looks small. Just saying. Back a year ago i had to do the cv thing. Learned quickly that the room is much smaller than a ST. I made my bed so it folded up into a chair. What fo u plan on doing for heat/ ac. Food cooking and storing?

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Hi Denny,

Sorry, this took so long to reply to.

It's hard to see, but I have wire baskets mounted as a system up and behind the drivers seat. The available space was not enough without the baskets to hold all of the little stuff needed on the road (The stock overhead bins and a center console where all Nissan provided as storage). I have also added a portable potty chair, a 6" thick memory foam single sized mattress that stands up on the right side of the van where the sliding door is (Which I never open or all of my emergency tools and triangles will fall out) and it easily bends at the top to follow the roof contour. I hold it in place with 2 bungy cords which keep it out of the way of the freight. I use the space in-front of the passenger seat to store a flat toolbox, my sleeping bag and a few other small items.

Due to the way I am currently running, I have been able to reduce the amount of clothing, etc., that I need to carry. If I was back to living on the road 24/7, I could add to the basket system. It does take a bit of reshuffling once and a while, but that is nothing new to someone who spent years in the Navy Submarine Force.

There are several things that others have done to there vans to create usable space. I removed the center console, but you could also remove the passenger seat and reconfigure everything from sleeping arrangements to refrigerators, office space, etc. You could also use the extra space to haul freight if it was light enough to be pulled over and then pushed up. The D-ring arrangement is such that you could get a strap around the front of it.

I used to drive semi's to Chula Vista, Ca. and back, so I can relate to having the sleeper berth outfitted with a reefer, TV, and a double bunk, etc. It was a FL Columbia. Prior to that, I drove an FL120 with a double bunk set up the same way (Actually more room in this one) regionally up around the Great Lakes area.

If you spend a little bit of time planning out what you need, then head to the Big box stores and see what type of storage systems they have, someone could create a comfortable setup in the NV. It does take a bit of time and money to make it work, but in the end, you can be comfortable.

Respectfully,
Mark
 

mzraik

Active Expediter
Hey Everyone,

It's been a bit, but I have been researching a lot of stuff. Nissan does make a van that could rival the new Transit, it's called the NV400, but it's not available in the US :( ... Morons!

There probably is a reason for it not being available though, maybe some gov't regs, compliance etc.
The dodge folks are touting their Fiat Van, but I didn't goo too far into that.

So, I too like the Ford Transit, I still like my Nissan NV, and am not too fired up about the Fiat.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mileage for my Nissan using some Hypermiling techniques has allowed me to haul 2K worth of freight from Detroit, MI. to Bristol, CT. 793 miles loaded using I75 to I80 to I81 to I84 to Bristol which is just up CT8 a few miles. The techniques were as simple as running the tires at 72 psi (the max is 80psi cold) all the way around, coasting on the downhills in neutral and coasting when coming to a stop. Driving at night like I usually do, I'm able to safely do the coasting. If traffic pops up, then I leave it in gear if it needs to be. When I coasted down the hills, I was able to maintain 60-65 mph+, and also ran 60mph on the flats and didn't let it go under 55mph on the uphills. I did have a tailwind that reached 25-30mph which helped the Cargo Hurse obtain 22-23 mpg for the 250 miles in PA, and an overall 20+ mpg for the trip.

So, I guess the first nut that I tweaked was the one behind the steering wheel...(as the saying goes) and it has been working well for my personal cars, too.

This thread is mainly about the Nissan and it's fuel mileage. I wanted to post this to encourage all of us in that we can make small changes in our driving habits to keep more of the money in our bank and not in the oil companies or governments. Some of the techniques would only work in a van and would actually be dangerous in a bigger vehicle. Neutral in a big truck on a hill is a major accident waiting to happen, so please read this with common sense in mind!

Overall, I have to say that the fuel mileage that I can get out of this Cargo Van has not ever gone below 13 (I haven't seen that in a long time) and has surprisingly hit a high 23.6 loaded (Calculated at the pump). I would have to take away the tailwind and say that without it, I probably would have seen 22 as the average in PA.

Maybe, if I coordinated my passing of gas after a bumpy portion of highway I could increase the mpg's at least by .1 :)

Oh well, it's a work in progress.
 

LDB

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Do you have an overall number since new and if so how many miles and what mpg? You are right that the biggest factor in mpg is fine tuning the nut holding the steering wheel. Congrats on some excellent numbers.
 

mzraik

Active Expediter
Do you have an overall number since new and if so how many miles and what mpg? You are right that the biggest factor in mpg is fine tuning the nut holding the steering wheel. Congrats on some excellent numbers.

Hi LDB,

Just crossed 72K with the last load. On the return to home in Ohio, I hammered at 2+ whatever the speed limit was (65 in PA, 70 on the OH turnpike), and still had the headwind at 20 mph. When the flags are flappin' almost straight out, the wind is 25-30 mph. My overall mpg with the insanity return at high speed ended up at 14.7 :(, but I was home for the Holiday weekend!

Me and the wife spent some time away from the house and had a great time!

If I would have ecomodded (Feather foot/coasting/etc.) I probably would have maintained 19+ even with the headwind. Of course, if I would have stayed in CT at the local truck stop waiting for the next run, the 22+ mpg would still be standing.

An overall number since new is 19.5 average mpg at 60 mph consistently, with no coasting or JDM Chip. The winds of late have made it difficult to compare one run to the next...They don't want to reload the stuff after I deliver, so it's hard to get the return comparison with the same weight, if you know what I mean...

Now, that I'm adjusting my driving even more than before, I have to establish a new baseline. But I can say with confidence that the NV has more often than not, gotten 18+ mpg in the hills (With 300 and 600 lb loads) and 19-21 on the flats using the cruise at 60mph. If you kick it up to 65-70, it will knock you down to 14-16, depending on the headwinds etc. Side winds actually haven't bothered the mpg's much at all.

I don't mean to be vague, but the weather keeps changing too much to really draw a conclusion, and the loads do the same. Even running through Chicago it's hard to nail down a consistent mpg.
I've had as high as 21 and as low as 17, go figure.

Respectfully,
Mark
 
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