# My F-350 Is Getting Great Mpg



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

On my way to airport 2 weeks ago and reset the MPG as I left home. Once I was parked at PDX, I took this shot of the readouts. I was pleasantly surprised to see the average of 21 MPG. YEA!!

(yea...I hardly drive it, as it is 6 months old and I only have 2,651 miles on it)


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## ranier1315 (Jan 4, 2008)

That's awesome, but just wait till it has to go through a Regen mode! the mileage will fall to around 10-12 mpg. It's the main reason I got rid of my 07 and bought a used 06 dodge. No Regen and I immediately removed the Cat. I still have it for warranty issues but it's not on the truck unless it's going to the dealership. I get between 21 and 24mpg highway depending on whether or not I have the OB behind her. I loved my ford I just couldn't afford to keep her with fuel prices going up and an average mpg of 12 mpg. I hope you have the best of luck with her though.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

That's very impressive Jim!

My daily commute is essentially the same drive, and I have never seen anywhere close to that.
BTW, Das Brick is 8 months old now, and I just turned 15,000 miles this past weekend.









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

PDX_Doug said:


> That's very impressive Jim!
> 
> My daily commute is essentially the same drive, and I have never seen anywhere close to that.
> BTW, Das Brick is 8 months old now, and I just turned 15,000 miles this past weekend.
> ...


I'm a bit closer to actual "freeway" MPG than you(meaning the freeway is only about 1.5 miles from my house)...and I have the 3:53....and the 6' bed.

I'm pretty darn happy with 21 MPG on the freeway.


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## swcolorado (Mar 16, 2008)

Just drove my GMC2500HD Duramax to Grand Junction this weekend and got 21.0 mpg. I have 21,000 on it. It sure was nice to fill it at $2.24 a gallon!!!!!!! Someone once told me the diesels get better with age. Don't know if it's true, but I sure enjoy driving them! What does diesel cost in the great northwest?


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

swcolorado said:


> Just drove my GMC2500HD Duramax to Grand Junction this weekend and got 21.0 mpg. I have 21,000 on it. It sure was nice to fill it at $2.24 a gallon!!!!!!! Someone once told me the diesels get better with age. Don't know if it's true, but I sure enjoy driving them! What does diesel cost in the great northwest?


It is $2.49 by my house, but if I drove 15 miles, I could get it for $2.19.


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## swcolorado (Mar 16, 2008)

The $2.24 was in Grand Junction. Down here in the four corners we are currently paying around $2.89. It sure beats the $5.00 we were paying this summer!


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## Dub (Dec 8, 2008)

Back when I was about to buy a diesel I test drove a couple GM's to compare mileage between the 2500 and 3500. Got 20.5mpg on both. I was surprised. If diesel was cheaper than gas I'd buy one!


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## CTDOutback06 (Apr 16, 2007)

Hey that's great, but don't get too excited just yet. Hopefully this isn't the case with you but I had my bubble burst by initially believing the MPG readout on my truck. I'm gonna assume that you recently purchased this truck and this might be one of your first trips on the highway. I've had my 2006 Dodge Ram SLT 2500 Quad Cab 5.9 CTD 4x4 for 2 1/2 years now and let me tell you, the computer read out for MPG lies like crazy, it can be off by as much as 4-6 MPG on any given tank of fuel. I have checked, rechecked and double checked my recheck on this and it is almost never even close to accurate. The closest it has been to correct is when I do total in town driving and I it says I am getting 11-13 MPG then it is usually pretty close. When I do a highway drive and it says I get 18 or 21 MPG I just laugh because it's usually more like 15-18 if I'm lucky. So I suggest you wait until you fill it up then divide the miles you put on that tank by how many gallons of diesel fuel you just put in it and then you'll know how many MPG you are REALLY getting. I had an 04 1/2 ton Dodge Quad Cab Hemi and it was the same way. We have a 2009 Honda CRV and I have checked it 3 times since we got it in October and it is always within 1 MPG and one time it was within .2 MPG, why can't Dodge be that close!!!!! I've seen some outrageous claims about MPG with people's trucks especially diesel's on the internet, I find it extremely hard to believe that anyone gets 20 or more MPG TOWING a camper unless it's a pop up. When we were pulling our OB the truck readout would be anywhere from 10.8 - 13.5 depending on the trip and the MPG would be more like 9-11.5 when figured out after refueling. Now that being said I do have a Cat on mine because it's illegal in the state of Ohio to take it off. From everything I have read the Chevy Duramax is supposedly the best as far as MPG goes and I can believe that because their gas engine is the most fuel effecient also, plus the Duramax is unbelievably quiet as well.

JUST MY .02


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Thats good Jim! Your on the right track and I dont believe your numbers will change much. yes regen will drop the numbers to 10-12 but only for 5-10 miles and over the long average, wont effect much.

I drove my 08 F350 to the Superduty Plant in KY and back (900 miles or so) and averaged 19.9 computer, 20.3 hand calculated on the trip. All freeway driving, 3 adults, gear and a 250lb LEER cap top of the bed, 3.73 gears and about 12k miles on it. now its at 16k and still about 20 freeway driving.

Just came home from 4 days snowmobiling in the UP of MI and got 17.5 for 400 miles in 4WD, 2 adults and gear.


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

Those built-in mileage calculators are so notorious for misrepresenting the truth, that they're called liar's gauges.

The only true way to measure MPG, is to note you odometer mileage between fill-ups and divide by the fuel consumption at fill-ups. Use the automatic fuel shut-off as the end of your fill-ups. Over several fill-ups this will give you an accurate indication of your fuel mileage. I have utilized this method since day one on my truck, and I can report that my mileage is only in the neighborhood of 11mpg, but then I now rarely use my truck for anything but towing. But I do use this method for all my other vehicles (_don't ask_).


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

raynardo said:


> Those built-in mileage calculators are so notorious for misrepresenting the truth, that they're called liar's gauges.
> 
> *The only true way to measure MPG, is to note you odometer mileage between fill-ups and divide by the fuel consumption at fill-ups.* Use the automatic fuel shut-off as the end of your fill-ups. Over several fill-ups this will give you an accurate indication of your fuel mileage. I have utilized this method since day one on my truck, and I can report that my mileage is only in the neighborhood of 11mpg, but then I now rarely use my truck for anything but towing. But I do use this method for all my other vehicles (_don't ask_).


Exactly! My dad used to do this all the time to determine gas mileage. We never had an automatic gauge to tell us gas mileage and I don't know if I would put a lot of faith in them!


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

I wish my buddy could get that with his.. Its a job 3 truck w/3.55's too.. His readout says 13-14 everytime I see him.. He's not happy at all.. Has taken it back to Ford many times and Ford has been no help.. Same color and wheels as yours Dean..

I told him to quit using those seat heaters, lol Its dragging the truck down.. He doesnt laugh about it..

Carey


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

You can't trust the "short term" average of any of these "lie-o-meters". They were not meant to provide instantaneous MPG nor will they do it accurately. You can only use it over a full tank of fuel or at least over at least over 100 miles. They measure flow and of course the "flow" will change depending on condition. Hammer it 3 times and that will change that 21 MPG to 15 in a heartbeat . I can run the wifes BMW around like a race car and it will show 10MPG----- don't think so!

Don't get sucked in but I do wish you the best in getting better fuel mileage!


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

That has a certain holiday look to it.









Don't know if it's true with the newer models, but on the 6.0's like mine, short trips can be problematic. Especially in colder areas like yours. You might want to check to see if an occasional romp on the freeway will have any benefits. From what I recall, problems can arise when the condensation, which occurs after a cold engine starts to heat up, hasn't completely evaporated before the engine is turned off.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Just for reference sake, here is the mileage I have been getting with Das Brick since I bought it in April, through November...

*Actual vs. (Indicated)*
14.0 (13.9)
14.4 (14.4)
13.4 (13.6)
15.1 (14.0)
11.0 (9.6) - Towing
11.2 (10.1) - Towing
13.5 (14.6)
13.6 (13.8)
10.3 (10.9) - Towing
12.4 (12.3) - Towing
14.8 (15.4)
15.0 (15.0)
12.7 (13.7)
13.8 (14.1)
13.5 (13.6)
13.9 (14.4)
10.9 (11.2) - Towing
9.1 (9.6) - Towing
7.7 (8.8) - Towing
9.8 (9.6) - Towing
15.7 (16.4)
9.1 (9.6) - Towing
9.5 (10.0) - Towing
8.3 (8.9) - Towing
7.4 (7.6) - Towing
14.2 (14.9)
13.6 (14.0)
14.1 (15.0)
14.0 (14.4)
11.4 (11.8) - Towing
13.9 (14.8)
15.0 (15.1)
14.5 (15.1)
11.8 (12.6) - Towing
13.5 (14.0)
13.9 (14.5)
13.3 (14.2)
11.2 (11.2) - Towing

As you can see, the 'Lie-o-Meter' is generally in the ballpark, and sometimes even conservative. But usually, the reality is that what you see, is not quite what you get. Compared to my Titan, the daily driving MPG is pretty similar (except the fuel costs more!), while towing is significantly better (about enough to offset the premium fuel price).

Bottom line, at least from my personal experience, is that there are a lot of good reasons to buy a diesel, but fuel 'economy' is not one of them. At least not with the 'new' low emissions diesels.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

That looks similar to my buddies report on his Doug.

His problem was he traded a 2001 dodge cummins in for his ford.. His dodge got 21-22 mpg hwy. His ford get maybe 14.. So he's a bit spoiled.. Has a real bad attitude for his new ford.

Carey


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## CTDOutback06 (Apr 16, 2007)

PDX_Doug said:


> Just for reference sake, here is the mileage I have been getting with Das Brick since I bought it in April, through November...
> 
> *Actual vs. (Indicated)*
> 14.0 (13.9)
> ...


Well apparently Ford is a WHOLE LOT BETTER with the 'Lie-O-Meter" than Dodge is because my Dodge is almost always off a good 3-5 MPG anyhow. I just wish I could get mine to be somewhat accurate, if Ford can do it and Honda can do it why in the HECK can't Dodge? I realize it doesn't affect the performance or reliability of the vehicle but if your gonna put these perks in a vehicle you would think you'd try to make it accurate, or even somewhat accurate. 3-5 MPG off when your talking 12-18 MPG to start with puts you off 20-40%, that's a heck of a margin for error.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Good list Doug !! Thats the way to do it. Im guessing those averages are for city driving not consistant highway driving....hopefully....







If so, thats about exactly what my list is like for the city tanks too. the trips i was on the highway im about 19.2 (i averaged about 7 highway tanks not including the last one when i was in 4wd and got 17.5).
I dont think i will do the hand calculated method anymore since the numbers are so close. Ill probably check again in 20k miles and go a while doing it both ways to see if anything changes.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

On the trip up to KC in our Job 3 V10, we got 15mpg on the lie-o-meter while headed West out of Lubbock with a tailwind. We turned North at Ralls, TX and the wind shifted. We fought a fierce (20-40mph) North wind all the way to KC. MPG went to 11.9 hand calculated at 73mph. Wind affects the mpg on these big trucks moreso than what I was expecting. I am considering buying the Job 3 4x4 air dam for my 4x2 truck to see what affect it has on it - if any. It's worth the gamble at $125 or so. Supposed to gain the 4x4 diesels 1mpg on the highway. I need to do some measuring to see what the front end ground clearance would be with it on. That newer air dam is pretty big but if it will go on while retaining good ground clearance, I am going to buy one.

Doug/Carey - my buddy with his Job 1 4x4 F250 diesel gets very similar mpg's to what you are familiar with after he got it flashed several times etc. Prior to that, it was alot worse...as in 8-9mpg highway. He spent a bucket of money on aftermarket mods (programmer, intake etc.), busted his warranty and ended up with highway mpg around 21-22. He is semi happy - loves the truck but not happy that he had to spend a boatload of cash to get the mpg he was expecting a diesel truck to get.

This V10 is a sweet motor. Sounds good with the Magnaflow on it.

-CC


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

The wind kills anything that weighs 6-7000 lbs. You should see what happens to my semi.. Gets 7mpg at 65 in no wind. Gets 4.5mpg at 65 in a 30 mph head/side wind. Goes to 4mpg in a 50mph wind.

Ive seen 12 empty when coming back from delivering an RV up in Alberta. Winds were 60+ for 500 miles.. That was at 65 mph too. Would drop to 10 if I was running 70+mph. Ive seen 6.8-7.2 while towing a 15000lb 5er in a 40 mph wind at 60mph.. You can watch the fuel gauge move when its like that.. lol $$$ out the winder!

11.9 is pretty good at 73mph Curtis. My hemi would do no better either in those conditions.

Carey


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

CTDOutback06 said:


> Well apparently Ford is a WHOLE LOT BETTER with the 'Lie-O-Meter" than Dodge is because my Dodge is almost always off a good 3-5 MPG anyhow. I just wish I could get mine to be somewhat accurate, if Ford can do it and Honda can do it why in the HECK can't Dodge? I realize it doesn't affect the performance or reliability of the vehicle but if your gonna put these perks in a vehicle you would think you'd try to make it accurate, or even somewhat accurate. 3-5 MPG off when your talking 12-18 MPG to start with puts you off 20-40%, that's a heck of a margin for error.


Yep, I beleive this is true (although not the most important thing to look for in a truck







). My Dad has an 06 Dodge and get's ~3mpg better than me towing(Using the computers). Compare hand calculated between the two and the difference is more like 1mpg.









I don't get it either...

Jim, congrats on the FE numbers! I've had the truck out a few times over the past week, and haven't had it out of 4WD since Friday morning when I shifted it in. Around town in slush and snow doing Christmas shopping and the meter is sitting right at 10mpg...


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## webeopelas (Mar 11, 2006)

I always take my overhead with a grain of salt, but on our trip to FL last year I never reset it down or back. It showed 13.5. Taking the miles traveled and the gallons bought from my reciepts, I came up with 13.2. Pretty darn close.

The bad thing about them is that most do not measure fuel flow, they measure airflow and temperature, and extrapolate the fuel usage from there. So on a 5.9L or larger engine, here is a huge difference in air flow which introduces alot of room for error. I keep an eye on mine as a relative check. If it changes drastically when my driving hasn't changed, it will alert me to possible problems.

The dodge forum I am on has alot of complaints about the overhead. It is just part of the beast. As much as I want my truck to get good gas mileage, it was not the reason I bought the truck. Pulling power was. All the same it gets the same or better than my Tahoe did pulling my 28BHS at 6000lbs. My new one is about 12000, and I see 11-13.5. The Tahoe rarely saw over 11.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

webeopelas said:


> As much as I want my truck to get good gas mileage, it was not the reason I bought the truck. Pulling power was.


Couldn't agree more. Of course more MPG is great, but I need to climb some pretty big mountains around here and I carry a LOT of gear. The diesel handles the job without breaking a sweat.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Nathan said:


> I've had the truck out a few times over the past week, and haven't had it out of 4WD since Friday morning when I shifted it in. Around town in slush and snow doing Christmas shopping and the meter is sitting right at 10mpg...


I just mentioned this to the DW tonight. the first time in 5 days i was able to take it out of 4WD. i did notice that with the heavy diesel engine up front it tends to spin the rear tires a lot easier than my F150 did. handles great though in 4WD. very pleased.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Sayonara said:


> I've had the truck out a few times over the past week, and haven't had it out of 4WD since Friday morning when I shifted it in. Around town in slush and snow doing Christmas shopping and the meter is sitting right at 10mpg...


I just mentioned this to the DW tonight. the first time in 5 days i was able to take it out of 4WD. i did notice that with the heavy diesel engine up front it tends to spin the rear tires a lot easier than my F150 did. handles great though in 4WD. very pleased.
[/quote]

Knowing my diesel engine is really heavy and I'd prob be in 4-High in the snow/ice.....which tires would you put the chains on? Front or back?


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## Joonbee (Jan 18, 2008)

Oregon_Camper said:


> I've had the truck out a few times over the past week, and haven't had it out of 4WD since Friday morning when I shifted it in. Around town in slush and snow doing Christmas shopping and the meter is sitting right at 10mpg...


I just mentioned this to the DW tonight. the first time in 5 days i was able to take it out of 4WD. i did notice that with the heavy diesel engine up front it tends to spin the rear tires a lot easier than my F150 did. handles great though in 4WD. very pleased.
[/quote]

Knowing my diesel engine is really heavy and I'd prob be in 4-High in the snow/ice.....which tires would you put the chains on? Front or back?
[/quote]

I am not positive, but I thought you had chain them all. Especially if you are using 4wd. Difference in grip and stress on the rears. But again, I am not positive. Gonna have to keep an eye on this now and find out. I am sure you guys in the great snow regions will know best.

Jim


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## n2striper (Jul 21, 2007)

Thats good. I get around 12-14MPG with my 2000 F350 7.3L DRW 4x4 with 4:10 gears.Thats it.


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## sleecjr (Mar 24, 2006)

CTDOutback06 said:


> Well apparently Ford is a WHOLE LOT BETTER with the 'Lie-O-Meter" than Dodge is because my Dodge is almost always off a good 3-5 MPG anyhow. I just wish I could get mine to be somewhat accurate, if Ford can do it and Honda can do it why in the HECK can't Dodge? I realize it doesn't affect the performance or reliability of the vehicle but if your gonna put these perks in a vehicle you would think you'd try to make it accurate, or even somewhat accurate. 3-5 MPG off when your talking 12-18 MPG to start with puts you off 20-40%, that's a heck of a margin for error.


This is how the dodge lie o meeter works. It recalculates the mileage for every trip, not the average driven. Every time you turn on the key it starts calculating the mileage that it is using on this trip. Its uses last trip as a starting point and adjust from there.


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## GlacierPeaks (Jan 22, 2007)

Knowing my diesel engine is really heavy and I'd prob be in 4-High in the snow/ice.....which tires would you put the chains on? Front or back?
[/quote]

I am not positive, but I thought you had chain them all. Especially if you are using 4wd. Difference in grip and stress on the rears. But again, I am not positive. Gonna have to keep an eye on this now and find out. I am sure you guys in the great snow regions will know best.

Jim
[/quote]

There is a "tire chain" thread hanging around here somewhere that covered this topic in a lenghthy manner.
My .02 to the subject was to chain the rears & go. If you get stuck, chain up the front and go home!

Honestly, I've run chains (when needed) on the rear only for many years on 3 or 4 different trucks, and never had any mechanical problems. Remember that when you have chains on, you'll be looking at top speeds somewhere around 10-20 mph. Maybe a little faster with cables. Most likely not fast enough to get the rear differential into some kind of a bind vs. the front differential. Especially considering the 'slippery' conditions you're in that required the use of chains in the first place.


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