# Diesel Mpg?



## srlaws (Mar 14, 2005)

Weâ€™ve got a 03 Ford F350 with the Power Stroke 7.3 diesel engine that we use as our tow vehicle. I like everything about this truck but was wondering if anyone had any ideas on the best way to improve the fuel mileage? It currently gets about 15 mpg average and about 12 mpg when towing our camper. I recently added a 4â€ Flo-Pro exhaust system on the advice of my mechanic. It increased the horsepower and torque a bit, but didnâ€™t change the fuel usage. Thanks for any suggestions.

Steve


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## jlbabb28 (Feb 27, 2006)

Only drive downhill


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## srlaws (Mar 14, 2005)

Let me amend the last sentence of the topic I started. Thanks for â€œmostâ€ of the suggestions.









Steve


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Let up a bit on the loud pedal?

I only say that because I know how good that Flo-Pro sounds when you are really gouging on it!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## jlbabb28 (Feb 27, 2006)

Sorry Steve could not resist

Jeff


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## dougdogs (Jul 31, 2004)

How fast do you drive???

speed burns oil


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## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

I'm not sure on the Ford 7.3 engines but with the Cummins if you put in a power programmer/chip this adds more HP and torque and normally after your used to the fun peddle you get a ~2mpg improvement, normally accomplished by timing the programmer sends to the main computer.

Good luck.

Bill.


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

Steve,

I have a 03 F250 7.3L powerstroke also. You can contact Tony Wildman of Total Diesel Performance. I have one of his 4 position chips and he can give you a program that will help out in this respect.

For example: After adding an aftermarket muffler, the Ford Severe Duty Air Intake System (AIS) , guages and a economy program I gained between 2-3 miles per gallon on the highway. You can also check out Dieselstop.com. It is a site dedicated to the 7.3L Powerstroke, be warned - the mods & upgrades can get addictive







. There are tons of posts by folks that are in the search for the best fuel milage (or die trying).

You could also use a tuner that plugs into the data port under the steering column. Like the predator - I bought one of these first - it worked OK, but I like the chip better because I can change the programs on the fly without having to pull over and load another program. Some folks are dead against chips and adding power - but you can add a chip to a diesel without adding all the power. There are programs specific for any paramater - milage, power, towing.

Here are a few sites (there are many more sponsors on Dieselstop.com):

Diesel Innovations

Black Widow Diesel

Diesel Manor

I would also consider changing the shift points if you decide on a chip. On my auto tranny (4R100) it would shift to overdrive at 45 mph (unless the OD off was engaged), Tony changed it to 55 on my tow program.

Feel free to e-mail me with any questions - there are alot of good folks out there that know how to get the most out of the Powerstroke, wether it is towing, power or fuel milage.









Best regards,

Rich


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## Tommy (Aug 11, 2006)

srlaws said:


> Weâ€™ve got a 03 Ford F350 with the Power Stroke 7.3 diesel engine that we use as our tow vehicle. I like everything about this truck but was wondering if anyone had any ideas on the best way to improve the fuel mileage? It currently gets about 15 mpg average and about 12 mpg when towing our camper. I recently added a 4â€ Flo-Pro exhaust system on the advice of my mechanic. It increased the horsepower and torque a bit, but didnâ€™t change the fuel usage. Thanks for any suggestions.
> 
> Steve


acetone I am going to try this. Heard about it years ago but rising fuel prices have reminded me. It is quite a bit to read, but may well be worth it.


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## sleecjr (Mar 24, 2006)

TomandKarenNC said:


> Weâ€™ve got a 03 Ford F350 with the Power Stroke 7.3 diesel engine that we use as our tow vehicle. I like everything about this truck but was wondering if anyone had any ideas on the best way to improve the fuel mileage? It currently gets about 15 mpg average and about 12 mpg when towing our camper. I recently added a 4â€ Flo-Pro exhaust system on the advice of my mechanic. It increased the horsepower and torque a bit, but didnâ€™t change the fuel usage. Thanks for any suggestions.
> 
> Steve


acetone I am going to try this. Heard about it years ago but rising fuel prices have reminded me. It is quite a bit to read, but may well be worth it.
[/quote]

Do you know anyone who tried it?


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## Tommy (Aug 11, 2006)

sleecjr said:


> Weâ€™ve got a 03 Ford F350 with the Power Stroke 7.3 diesel engine that we use as our tow vehicle. I like everything about this truck but was wondering if anyone had any ideas on the best way to improve the fuel mileage? It currently gets about 15 mpg average and about 12 mpg when towing our camper. I recently added a 4â€ Flo-Pro exhaust system on the advice of my mechanic. It increased the horsepower and torque a bit, but didnâ€™t change the fuel usage. Thanks for any suggestions.
> 
> Steve


acetone I am going to try this. Heard about it years ago but rising fuel prices have reminded me. It is quite a bit to read, but may well be worth it.
[/quote]

Do you know anyone who tried it?[/quote]

Not personally but bought a gallon Friday and will test it myself as soon as I can find a suitable container to get it into my tank. If I remember correctly acetone doesn't react well with paint, so need some way to get it safely into tank.


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

Here are two more websites dicussing the use of acetone. Very interesting stuff... might just give it a try this week also.

Be careful not to spill any on your paint - it will strip it off!

Acetone to increase fuel milage

A semi's actual results from using acetone

The only concern I would have would be the negative effect acetone has on rubber compounds, would this be damaging to our seals over time? But maybe the level of acetone is so small this is not a concern. Any comments







.


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## Above & Beyond (May 20, 2006)

Buy a Chevy I get 28mpg with the help of a programmer. That is conservitave hiway I have been averaging 24-26 mpg for combo town & highway.


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

Above & Beyond said:


> Buy a Chevy I get 28mpg with the help of a programmer. That is conservitave hiway I have been averaging 24-26 mpg for combo town & highway.


Is that manually calculated or going off of the display on the overhead?


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## mountainlady56 (Feb 13, 2006)

HI. 
I have an 06 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins, and was told after it was broken in, some, they could adjust the fuel intake slightly, and that would increase gas mileage some. I've found that driving habits (jackrabbit starts, heavy foot, etc.) makes a difference. 
For instance, my son had a 2004 GMC Sierra 1500 ext. cab 5.3L, and he got about 12 city/15 highway. Me driving it, I got 15 city, 18 highway, but only 8.5 towing, as I was towing too heavy a rig for my vehicle. I watched a thing on 60 mins. about additives, devices, etc., and every one of them was shown not to increase mileage. Tests were done by Consumer Reports.
Good luck!
Darlene


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## OVTT (Mar 31, 2006)

sgalady said:


> HI.
> I have an 06 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins, and was told after it was broken in, some, they could adjust the fuel intake slightly, and that would increase gas mileage some. I've found that driving habits (jackrabbit starts, heavy foot, etc.) makes a difference.
> For instance, my son had a 2004 GMC Sierra 1500 ext. cab 5.3L, and he got about 12 city/15 highway. Me driving it, I got 15 city, 18 highway, but only 8.5 towing, as I was towing too heavy a rig for my vehicle. I watched a thing on 60 mins. about additives, devices, etc., and every one of them was shown not to increase mileage. Tests were done by Consumer Reports.
> Good luck!
> Darlene


So what milage do you get out of the Cummins?


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## sleecjr (Mar 24, 2006)

OVTT said:


> HI.
> I have an 06 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins, and was told after it was broken in, some, they could adjust the fuel intake slightly, and that would increase gas mileage some. I've found that driving habits (jackrabbit starts, heavy foot, etc.) makes a difference.
> For instance, my son had a 2004 GMC Sierra 1500 ext. cab 5.3L, and he got about 12 city/15 highway. Me driving it, I got 15 city, 18 highway, but only 8.5 towing, as I was towing too heavy a rig for my vehicle. I watched a thing on 60 mins. about additives, devices, etc., and every one of them was shown not to increase mileage. Tests were done by Consumer Reports.
> Good luck!
> Darlene


So what milage do you get out of the Cummins?
[/quote]

I get about 14 around town and 10.5 towing at 65. They say it will get better when broken in.


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## Mike2 (Jul 14, 2006)

Above and Beyond,

Could you ellaborate on your setup? What kind of Chevy, is it the 4x4?
What brand programmer? What are the cons/pros of these programmers?

Can anyone else get 28mpg w/ a programmer on this type of vehicle?

Mike


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## Above & Beyond (May 20, 2006)

It is the second generation duramax or lly motor with the bully dog power pup. if you have the same motor yes you can get the same results. I have not seen any combo on ford or dodge come close. In fact I bought my truck used to get this motor I have not seen comparable results with the first or third generation duramaxs. how ever they do do better than the fords or dodges. I wanted a ford for the wider cab but mpg was more important I can actually get over 30 on flat highways not towing in cooler weather. Towing 10k lbs I get around 14 avg through mountains stop & go Highway & ideling. that was averaged from a 3600mile trip from florida to wisconsin & back. 
As far as drawbacks go If you have a heavy foot and beat on it you wont keep tires on your truck & you could blow the tranny. If you drive normal the only draw back is the oil companys dont get as much of your money.


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## OutbackPM (Sep 14, 2005)

Above & Beyond

That is great mileage you get from just a programmer. Do you know how it gets these results and why the factory is not making something closer. I have an 06 LLY (same as LBZ but detuned) and get about 15 in short trips to work and 19 on the highway. Towing the 6000 lb Outback at 65 mph I get about 12.5 mpg in "neutral" conditions i.e. flat and no wind. With wind it has been as low as 9.0 mpg and going up mountains it goes to about 10.5 but it make most of that up on the downward side.

I have tried to follow other forums on the diesels but really there is alot of hot air and poorly informed responses so I just ignore it. Its a bit like the fishing stories where you ought to see the fish that ate the bate.

David


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## Above & Beyond (May 20, 2006)

The lly as far as I know was only made from 2004.5 -2005 if you have a 06 you would need to make sure that GM did not make any changes from the eariler version. Other than that I have a K&N air filter. Why Gm does not program that way is it creates more Horse power than the tranny is made for. There are kits for the tranny you have to replace the valve body & the torc converter then the tranny will handle well over 800hp. If you drive normal & you are not competing in truck pulls or drag racing you wont hurt the tranny, I bought mine from a GM mechanic at a GM dealership. I hope this helps


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## mountainlady56 (Feb 13, 2006)

OVTT said:


> HI.
> I have an 06 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins, and was told after it was broken in, some, they could adjust the fuel intake slightly, and that would increase gas mileage some. I've found that driving habits (jackrabbit starts, heavy foot, etc.) makes a difference.
> For instance, my son had a 2004 GMC Sierra 1500 ext. cab 5.3L, and he got about 12 city/15 highway. Me driving it, I got 15 city, 18 highway, but only 8.5 towing, as I was towing too heavy a rig for my vehicle. I watched a thing on 60 mins. about additives, devices, etc., and every one of them was shown not to increase mileage. Tests were done by Consumer Reports.
> Good luck!
> Darlene


So what milage do you get out of the Cummins?
[/quote]
Hi, OVTT!!
Sorry I didn't include that!!







I get about 11.5-12 towing the 27RSDS and about 15 with regular mixed driving (I live off a major highway). I haven't taken it on the road, except towing, as I have an 03 Buick Century that gets 30 MPG on the highway, and I think that'd be a waste of gas, unless I was taking the camper.








Darlene


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

Above & Beyond said:


> Above & Beyond
> 
> That is great mileage you get from just a programmer. Do you know how it gets these results and why the factory is not making something closer. I have an 06 LLY (same as LBZ but detuned) and get about 15 in short trips to work and 19 on the highway. Towing the 6000 lb Outback at 65 mph I get about 12.5 mpg in "neutral" conditions i.e. flat and no wind. With wind it has been as low as 9.0 mpg and going up mountains it goes to about 10.5 but it make most of that up on the downward side.
> 
> ...


David,

With a chip or tuner you can increase you MPG. If you are concerned about the warranty the tuner is the better way to go. It reprograms your computer for the type of driving you will be doing (i.e. towing, economy w/no payload). If you have to go back to the dealer for warranty work you can then reprogram it back to stock. Also, an exhaust upgrade & air intake upgrade can also give you a 1-2 MPG increase. Check out dieselinnovations.com or dieselmanor.com.

WB


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## rtavi (Jul 8, 2005)

Above & Beyond said:


> Buy a Chevy I get 28mpg with the help of a programmer. That is conservitave hiway I have been averaging 24-26 mpg for combo town & highway.


What programmer did you get and how much did it cost? I get 17-19.5 combined driving. Once in Utah driving 75-80 mph I got 22!


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

Currently, with 1600 miles on the odometer, my Cummins is averaging about 17.5 around home driving.

Towing the OB to West Virginia last weekend, it averaged 15.8 until we encountered the mountains, then dropped it to 12.9.

But that wasn't pussyfooting it up the mountains either.

Steve


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## Scott Z. (Jul 13, 2006)

I would think a lot of this is going to depend on your gearing also. The 97 Powerstroke I had averaged about 15-16 on the highway - it had 4.10's and i purposely drove at 65 or so (2000 RPM or less) to try and help the mileage. If I got to 70 the mileage dropped dramatically. Pulling a 6,500 lb 5th wheel dropped me to around 10 mpg. I never experienced a Powerstroke getting over 20 mpg which I hear a lot of on dieselstop.com - I would venture to guess most of them have 3.73's for that kind of mileage.


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