What upgrades for better mileage?

[JNutter]

Originally posted by JARichard

OK guys I hear everyone talking about 20 mpg's. If i accelerate and never reach 1800 rpms and never do over 70. I still only make 18 hand calculated. I do not have aggressive tires or anyhting. I thought about the bed cover. Roll N Lock makes a decent one. But I need the full 8' of bed to carry equiment. Plus I usually load with an overhead crane. You guys making 20 mpg

WHAT KINDA RIGS do you have? MANUALS OR AUTOS? Gears ? 2 or 4 wheel dRIVE? Tires? Modifications?

That is what I really want to KNOW!!!!

Judging by what I've seen posted, the issue seems to be SO vs HO, with the HO being more efficient and getting better mileage for some reason.



I've got some guesses, but I really don't know much about the fine details of the differences between the two. Maybe the HO makes more boost? Maybe the HO has higher fuel delivery pressure (which would give better atomization)? Maybe the timing is different? Maybe the HO exhaust is less restrictive? Is the turbo any different between the two?



I don't know if any of these are true. I'm curious to find out though. Hopefully someone who knows more than I do can answer some of these questions.

 

[Matt400]

Originally posted by JNutter

Judging by what I've seen posted, the issue seems to be SO vs HO, with the HO being more efficient and getting better mileage for some reason.

You may have something there, mine is the SO and I'm in the under 20 group. I have read many posts claiming better mileage with a box set low and I will pay more attention as to if they are HO or SO.

 

[Tardog]

Make it breath, and as another member stated watch your speed. Speed is the diminishing rate of return thing. Hypothetically it may take only 100hp to do 60mph but it will take triple if not quadruple that to do 120mph and that means fuel.



Let it breath

watch your speed

cover the back

be happy with 20mpg, you own a truck.

 

[draymorris]

All of the above!

Some of the threads over the past six months go into this over and over. I still wish TDR would make special section to post MPG and truck specs so that we could see what works easier. I have a TAG with a completely stock truck. My best MPG improvements have been synthetics fluids throughout, and using a cetane booster fuel additive. I have heard that bed caps work and others who say they don't work. The same is true for the synthetics. The TAG, I believe it helped mine, but not as much as possible because I don't have a filter and exhuast for better air flow. I will take mine out ASAP and see what it does and post a thread. The bottom line, IMO, is heavy foot boost pressures. Keep boost low and driving conservative - you will see immediate increases. For example, I got 14. 5 pulling my 40 ft flatbed that weighs 8700 lbs, driving through NM where the speed limit is 55 (and I obeyed the law). I could not get this good with the truck alone before synthetics fluids were put in, the TAG, and the cetane booster - 13. 7 was about as good as I could get. Everyone's driving habits vary - see what works best for you! Synthetics, I felt, were a good start because I also save money with extended oil change intervals. The TAG - it is relatively cheap compared to other mods, so I did not mind trying it - I think it helps. The cetane booster, it makes me money - primarily because I pull heavy loads and drop my milage down to the 6-7 range - at those numbers, one MPG is a large percentage and I have seen increases of 3MPG pulling my trailer empty with the cetane booster. I have heard it is hard on these 3G injectors but I will take that chance.



Good luck.



By the way - with cetane booster I can currently get over 17MPG in my truck, on the hwy, truck only, 70 or under MPH. I don't think that is too bad for a dually 4WD that weighs 8100lbs.

 

[jamesjohnson]

When I put the Edge Easy on my SO I now get 1 to 2 miles

a gallon better,always. And the extra power is great. I

think it was the best add on I did to my truck. Just wish it

didnt surge at idle.

 

[EMD-Run8]

I'm getting near the bottom of my first tank and I've been pedalin' it a few times, running it up some for break-in. It looks like I'm still gettin close to 17 even though i've mashed it quite a few times. I figure with cool-headed driving habits and the truck being pretty tight still it should be topping 20 at least so we'll see over the course of the next few tanks. I've got a Banks exhaust w/ Aeroturbine and a TAG coming as well as Amsoil for the transmission and diff. I'll be very interested to see the results. If the Amsoil makes as good an improvement as it did on my wife's Odyssey then I should see around a 2 mpg improvement on the lubricants alone. The stock 245 tires are gonna have to go too I think.

 

[Jeremiah]

Instantaneous readouts?

Originally posted by Gary - KJ6Q

BUT, in all seriousness, if you have an overhead console that gives instantaneous MPG readouts,...

I drive an '03 and the overhead console is anything BUT instantaneous in its readout. More like average fuel flow, and even then it's not close to calibrated mpg.



My 3500 SWR overhead reads 21. 5. I get 20. 5 or so average. Not complaining, just statin' facts.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

I'd heard that the 3rd generation trucks no longer had the instantaneous MPG readout feature - too bad, I sure like it on my '02. It's pretty amazing the stuff DC sometimes chooses to eliminate in the name of cost savings - I can't imagine the instant readout could have been THAT costly to leave as a feature...

 

[Matt400]

Originally posted by Gary - KJ6Q

I'd heard that the 3rd generation trucks no longer had the instantaneous MPG readout feature - too bad, I sure like it on my '02. It's pretty amazing the stuff DC sometimes chooses to eliminate in the name of cost savings - I can't imagine the instant readout could have been THAT costly to leave as a feature...

Yes I had that on my 02 also but not on the 03. Actually I like the average better cuz in my 02 I was tempted to look at it under heavy pulls. Kinda sickening to see 4mpg from a 4. 7 1500

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Well, of course as you know, the '02's had both instant AND average - my point is that since DC already has provided the readouts, keeping the instant readout feature sure doesn't seem to be a budget breaker in production costs, almost seems MORE costly to redesign the readout to ELIMINATE it in the 3rd generation trucks!

 

[sluper]

MPG

I also am concerned about the mileage of my truck. As others have said; Driving Style, Exhaust, Air intake. The first modifications I plan on making are to the exhaust, then to the intake "AFE". After that I will add a box of some kind probably one by "TST", I used them on the 1996 and liked the results. TST also has a lot of history with Cummins that gives Mark a big head start for my money.