MY findings on performance products, fuel treatment products and fuel savings

[Devildog]

So far everything I bought for my truck, from everyone I've purchased from make a claim that there product will give performance add 1-2 or 3-4 miles per gallon in fuel economy, The fuel savings part is all BULL CRAP, The fuel economy part is Marketing strategy trying to separate you and I from the mighty "green backs", undeniably once the first vendor started they all had to follow suite to get there product to the consumer, "you and I". 1st putting in the DDII's performance gain YES fuel savings as claimed BULL CRAP. DD 4" exhaust, better flow and quicker spool up YES, and a drone at 2000 RPM that they deny, I'm in the truck and I'm here to tell you theres a DRONE! , fuel savings NO. K&N filter, more flow YES, fuel saving BULL. ( I'm debating whether or not to upgrade to the AFE Mega Cannon, more air flow than the K&N I have now, maybe... fuel savings as described in the TDR sale banner, more than likely BULL!). MY DTT transmission upgrades- performance gain, durability, customer support OUTSTANDING, fuel savings BULL. I don't know if EDGE products makes any claims to fuel savings but, performance increase, OH YA! But lets face it, Do we really buy these performance products for the fuel savings? Do we really believe that we can gain 50-250HP and save 3-4 gallons of fuel per mile in doing so? Do we really believe as we strive to reach the 500 HP range that we are going to drive like granny on her way to church. I for one think NOT! But in the beginning I did look for and increase in fuel economy and no matter how "soft" I drove my truck I saw less and less economy with each performance package I added. At stock I saw an average of 15-17 mpg now I'm around 10-12 mpg no matter how I drive.

One more thing to add, Fuel treatment, I tried almost every one, I still have four gallons of Amalgamated left, performance gains, can't quite tell, fuel savings BULL and maybe a loss of MPG, but definitely no increase, Worth it? maybe not! now just hoping for good lube properties to keep my injector pump in check.

Well there you have it, my views based on my findings, yours findings may be different But, If your honest with yourself I think you will agree with ME!

 

[BigUgly]

Devildog;

I think that you can gain MPG if you're carefull and don't go too high in the search for MPG. I have a buddy with a 98. 5 3500 that tows his horse trailer and keeps a log of fuel usage, miles and MPG. When he added the VA, he gained a solid 0. 8 mpg average (towing included), he later added a set of 275s, this netted him about a 1. 4 mpg gain average. Presto, almost 300 hp to the ground, no worries about EGT (after he added a boost fooler) and still okay for the clutch, all this and a little over 2 MPG.

Now, I barely saw any increase in my MPG with all my BOMBing, maybe 1 MPG total, maybe. I bet one of the main reasons you get poor MPG is the lift and bigger tires, more wind resistance. Also, I bet the DD showerheads don't help fuel atomization, but heck I bet the slug ya back in the lumbar area!

Josiah

 

[Devildog]

I installed the lift kit first....

and was getting 15-17 MPG, then started with the performance packages. I keep a fuel log in the truck, every time I fill up I make an entry, do the calculations. It's taken me almost 2. 5 years to get the truck to the performance level that it is today. Driving hard, driving soft, from tank to tank filling up at the same Chevron Station to get a fair evaluation on each product I installed ( to satisfy my own curiosity).

As stated these are my findings, yours maybe different.....

 

[Bob Wagner]

Good post Devildog, I agree

 

[SlyBones]

In general I agree. I also log my fuel purchaces. Once upon a time I added up the first 10K miles when the I had the truck stock. And the next 10K after my first bombs. Just adding up the miles and dividing by the total fuel. No factoring in for towing or anything, just the raw calc. My post bomb mileage was up . 9MPG over the pre bomb mileage.

 

[Marco]

I agree.

Devildog, you hit the nail on it's head!



Marco

 

[SlyBones]

OH yeah, fuel treatments. I have used several. Never really noticed any difference either. Always hoped they were worth it for the pump lubrication and that kind of stuff. Recently at well know guru around here told me that when they take a part pumps, they can tell the difference between ones that use fuel treatments and ones that do not. -- Dont have any details to why that is. Didnt ask.

 

[Pit Bull]

Originally posted by SlyBones



Recently a well known guru around here told me that when they take a pump a part, they can tell the difference between ones that use fuel treatments and ones that do not. -- Don't have any details to why that is. Didn't ask.

Did he say fuel treatments were positive or negative?

 

[KatDiesel]

I get better milage now then I did stock.



On average its 15. 5 to 16. 25 mpg for me.



Be interesting to see what the new TC does to me.

 

[SlyBones]

Pit Bull,



I didnt really ask. The main part of the conversation was focused in a different direction, and I just never went there. Since they have a brand of fuel conditioner on the shelf and do sell it, I would assume its positive.

 

[LSMITH]

If you make a lot of short runs you will never see any gains in economy. Drive 50 miles on the highway, shut it off and the next start is to get back. Doing this at 55 mph I get over 23 MPG consistently, tank after tank. Doing this on the interstate at 65 mph I get over 21. 5 consistently. Doing this at 75 mph I get over 19. 5 consistently. All above MPG figures are at average summer temps here. Using the power available after even mild bombing can wreck the economy, using it when heavily fueled can be catastrophic to fuel economy. I have had a couple tanks in the 11 mpg range, from short trips and testing new mods. Fuel condidtioner has never shown a gain or a loss in my case. Hot dry weather is also good for my economy, humidity is BAD. Cold temps also rob some economy.



I gained a solid 1 MPG with the VA. I gained a solid 2 MPG with the Torqus Maximus ECM. I LOST a solid 1. 5 MPG with the DD1's I had. The DD3's are 1. 5 MPG LOWER than stock, and the same as the DD1's. I drive 100-350 miles per day and usually it is on two starts.



IMO, how you drive and the particular truck you got are huge factors in what kind of mileage you get. Some trucks will NEVER get over 16 or so no matter what the condidtions, seen that with my own eyes. Some drivers will also get lower economy than others in the same vehicle over the same trips.

 

[Tom W]

I guess I'm luckier than some but I'm very happy with my mpg. I get 17 plus in town and as those who live here know the traffic is terrible. I don't drive slow but the traffic is so bad I don't get too many chances to show off. I can't say any one mod improved mileage but over all it didn't hurt and maybe slightly better. On trips at 75 - 80 mph I get 21mpg plus. I usually drive around with the Comp on 2 - 1 which I think is about 350 RWHP. ( I dynoed 366 with the Banks Ottomind before I got the Comp )



You gotta admit it's amazing that a truck with this kind of performance will get the mpg that it does.



Tom

 

[Devildog]

My next upgrade is going to be the Cam shaft, I'm going to make the purchase based on performance and lower EGTs not the fuel savings "hype"

When I switched out from DDIIs to the Super Mentals my fuel economy only went down slightly, It was worth the trade off.

 

[o_mccarroll]

I agree, DevilDog. With an EZ, DDII's, 4" exhaust, and K&N filter, I see the same milage roughly as stock. I never noticed any change in the bombing process, and I keep religious records of my fuel consumption (not just looking at the overhead computer).

 

[jwdeeming]

I pretty consistently drive about a 50/50 combo of highway/city when empty.



When my truck was new and stock, I averaged 17mpg. Also, the overhead fuel economy computer did in fact match when checked against measuring the odometer and fuel pump numbers. As my truck broke in, I learned how to drive it better, learned who to buy fuel from, etc. , I watched that number creep up to an honest 18. 5.



Now, with the mods in my sig below, plus having 315 tires, my economy is no longer braggable. The overhead computer is COMPLETELY meaningless. I can make that thing climb 1mpg with each bump up of the comp box, to a rediculous 19mpg. Measuring the odometer/pump method shows I am now averaging 16 and, (more often) when I can't keep my foot out of it a lot of the time I get 15. Them's the facts.



Now towing economy dropped too, but not as drastic. Pulling my loaded 4 horse trailer, stock I used to average 13. 5. Now I average 13 - a drop but not as big a percentage as empty.



But it's all worth it. Who wouldn't like passing a 5 litre Mustang in a truck while climbing up to 11,000 feet on I-70? I bet my mileage is no worse than his! Don't measure miles per gallon - measure SMILES per gallon!

 

[kaptn]

My experience I was getting 14-15 mpg stock. DD1s I gained 2 miles to gallon instantly. DTT transmission added maybe . 2 mpg but I noticed more load on the engine (longer cool downs also). I drive at warp speed most of the time. Just another story to compare.

 

[Devildog]

Once I installed the DDIIs the overhead computer fuel economy reading was useless, I wish it was right, things would be grand

 

[Roger rodbolt]

Great reasoning!!!!!!

Originally posted by jwdeeming



But it's all worth it. Who wouldn't like passing a 5 litre Mustang in a truck while climbing up to 11,000 feet on I-70? I bet my mileage is no worse than his! Don't measure miles per gallon - measure SMILES per gallon! [/B]

jwdeeming,



Thanks for the reminding me how much I miss the pull on I-70 to the Eisenhower Tunnel. You made me smile and I like the way you think! Larry

 

[RobbyRam]

I don't get it? I went stock avg hwy/city of 13 mpg at the pump (overhead computer told me 15mpg avg). I was very dissappointed! However, after adding 'EZ' set on '2', + DD II's and a DTT V/B I consistantly average 17-18. 5 hwy/city mpg's and on straight freeway trips at 70 mph I average 23 mpg's at the pump (Overhead computer gives me up to 30 mpg's )

Now with a complete DTT transmission, I'm even getting better.



I have a Cummins Quick Check that reads gals p/hour and it confirms the milage I'm getting at the pump -and the wallet.



I use no fuel additives.

Bob

 

[HC]

I have to agree about 95% with the original post. Lots of mods, the only one that I feel really did add to the mpg was the 275 RV injectors, and I can't tell you whether they added 0. 5 mpg, or maybe a full 1. 0 mpg. I've tried both VA and EZ boxes; if there was a gain, it was small enough that it got lost in the variables of wind, changing traffic conditions, weather, etc. I've recorded every gallon for over 106k now, and one of the things I have learned is that if you check EVERY tank, you see a lot of variations no matter how carefully you try to fill to the same point at each fillup. If you look at only the first 1 to 3 tanks after a mod and then draw your conclusions, your conclusions will probably not be accurate.

This doesn't mean "don't do the mods". It just means concentrate on the other smiles, and don't try to justify that spending $1500 on mods is going to save you money via mpg!



One thought - those with Autos may be more likely to see mpg changes with mods, especially "around town". A box or injectors could really change where your auto shifts, which is just like changing drivers on a manual transmission. With the same driver, a manual will likely get shifted at the same rpm before and after the mod.