Diesel truck input

[dieseldude]

Evening everybody,

A question popped into my mind this morning driving into work, "am I driving to maximize mileage?" As for the ride its a 2000 ford with the 7.3L powerstroke, and auto trans at 220000+ miles carrying about 500 pounds of tools through various styles of driving (city, freeway, hills, ect) and running about 2000 RPM and about 60 - 65 MPH I'm not complaing about 17 MPG winter average, just curious as to what speeds and / or RPM others are running and their mileage.

Thanks.

 

[tmessenger]

A friend of my has a Ford pickup with the 7.3 and he put some kind of computer chip in it and his mileage went way up.

Evening everybody,

A question popped into my mind this morning driving into work, "am I driving to maximize mileage?" As for the ride its a 2000 ford with the 7.3L powerstroke, and auto trans at 220000+ miles carrying about 500 pounds of tools through various styles of driving (city, freeway, hills, ect) and running about 2000 RPM and about 60 - 65 MPH I'm not complaing about 17 MPG winter average, just curious as to what speeds and / or RPM others are running and their mileage.

Thanks.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Bullydog diesel programmer and you can get up to 22mpg on that Powerstroke. And never suffer a loss with power or performance either.

 

[bcbull378]

I have a 2001 F250 7.3 Powerstroke with 115000 miles when Im running on the highway Ill tach it at 2000 RPM ( cruise control)thats around 70 to 72 mph and Ill get 20 1/4 mpg. I have the Banks chip and intercooler.

 

[MagKarl]

You're already doing pretty well at 17. Lots of folks say 2000rpm or less is the key. I get about the same mileage in my 95 F350 7.3. Best ever tank for me was just a hair over 19. Dad and one of my brothers also have 7.3's and do about the same, mid-high teens.

Very few get better mileage with programmers or chips because the extra power is so much more useful and fun, you just can't help but use it. Possible, yes, likely, no.

 

[Stumpy]

Don't have a diesel truck but one of easiest ways to get good mileage is to drive slower. Half the reason trucks get such poor mileage is the extra drag they produce being up high and because of the open bed. If you can cruise safely at 50-55 on the freeway you'll grain 1-3mpg vs 65-70 or at least that's what my little Tacoma does. A real time mpg gauge also helps immensely. I've got a little OBD dongle that talks to my phone and gives me instant and average mpg and a half dozen additional gauges when I'm driving.

 

[Bulldog]

There's lots of stuff you can do and not break the bank to gain mpg's. Throw the factory air filter out and drop in the big equipment filter is a good start. I have a Edge Evolution programmer and it's common to get over 20 mpg on the road. Straight exhaust and synthetic fluids will add a couple more mpg. You should be able to get around 20 mpg fairly easy.

Another plus to the Edge programmer is it does great diagnostics. Mine has saved my butt several times which more than paid for the unit in saved tow bills.

 

[dieseldude]

The factory air filter went out soon after buying the truck, followed by a K&N filter going in. Seeing how the exhaust is nearing the end of it's useful life (muffler splitting at the seam shown by soot), I plan on doing a turbo back system at 4 inch and maybe something to mellow it out. People around here are touchy when it comes to noise.

I have driven engines that have had programmers installed, and for me that would equate to needing a fuel truck to following me around, kind of a more power means more fun thing.

The simplest thing I could do in the mean time is keep my foot out of it.

Thanks for the input though.