Hi guys need info I am trying to get better mileage out of my F250 on the cheap. I have a 01 F250 4x4 supercab. It has an auto trans, manual locking hub, 3.73 gears and 285/75r16 tires. The engine is stock, no mods the trans was rebuilt and the exhaust is stock. I have done the zoodad mod and have a K/N filter. I drive alot of highway and just want to get better mileage. I currently get 15mpg at 65 to 70. If it is pushed the mileage drops fast.The only thing i can see is my problem is my flow-through tail gate. Any help is appreciated
Poor mpg
- Thread starter RON.B54
- Start date
Hoosier Golfer
SDD Junior Member
I am with ya brother!! My truck is currently getting 13.5mpg, but i'm thinking i have an EGR issue. Since i have taken it out and cleaned it my mileage has went to shit! So I'm listening for any advice as well!!!!!!!!!!
Zookie400
I WANNA GO FAST
for highway driving the aerodynamics play a decent role in determining mileage.
you definatly want a solid tailgate, with a bed cover if possible.
3.73 is not terrible, but for a lot of highway driving you need my 3.55's. in fact....you should take your gears out, send them to me, and ill send you mine.
free flowing exhaust helped my truck get better mileage.
a low stall torque converter will help your stop/go/slow mileage, but wont do anything for highway.
i know a lot of people are having good luck with a "50 hp" tow or economy setting on a chip or programmer.
you definatly want a solid tailgate, with a bed cover if possible.
3.73 is not terrible, but for a lot of highway driving you need my 3.55's. in fact....you should take your gears out, send them to me, and ill send you mine.
free flowing exhaust helped my truck get better mileage.
a low stall torque converter will help your stop/go/slow mileage, but wont do anything for highway.
i know a lot of people are having good luck with a "50 hp" tow or economy setting on a chip or programmer.
BIG DUTY
F-250 Care Taker
For a cheap increase in exhaust flow i would replace the stock muffler with a straight pipe. I did this on my 7.3 two years ago and have had good results. Most muffler shops will do this for $50-80. You will notice a slight increase in exhaust noise as well.
BJS
Full Access Member
the easiest and cheapest ways to improve your mileage are with an open air intake and an exhaust however if your motivation is fuel economy the ROI is quite high.
if your only goal in modifying your truck in any manner is for fuel economy purposes then don't do it, it will take you many many miles to recoup the initial investment before you begin to save any money. That being said if you want extra power, more turbo whistle etc then have at it.
chip 1-2 mpg $300+
3.55 1-2 mpg $100-$1000+ (depends on how & if 4wd)
intake 0.5-1 mpg $100
muffler 0.5-1 mpg $20-100+ (delete pipe or better muffler)
Auxillary overdrive 1-2 mpg $1500-3500+
Here are some calculations I did a few months ago when fuel was more expensive so this makes the ROI time even shorter than with current fuel prices but gives you an idea.
Realize that with all of the listed modifications it will be hard to get more than a real solid 3 mpg gain.
As you can tell my my signature I'm not against modifying my truck however, I find that on forums it is easy to get caught up in the quest for mileage without looking at the big picture.
I will say that you mileage is a bit low but within the "normal" variation for factory configurations. With 4.10 gears I'm hitting 17 mpg on the highway at 70 when running empty scaled at 7280.
As far as the tailgate issue Here is an SAE paper on aerodynamics of trucks with the tailgate up and down -- conclusion keep the tailgate up and mesh tailgates do not help.
if your only goal in modifying your truck in any manner is for fuel economy purposes then don't do it, it will take you many many miles to recoup the initial investment before you begin to save any money. That being said if you want extra power, more turbo whistle etc then have at it.
chip 1-2 mpg $300+
3.55 1-2 mpg $100-$1000+ (depends on how & if 4wd)
intake 0.5-1 mpg $100
muffler 0.5-1 mpg $20-100+ (delete pipe or better muffler)
Auxillary overdrive 1-2 mpg $1500-3500+
Here are some calculations I did a few months ago when fuel was more expensive so this makes the ROI time even shorter than with current fuel prices but gives you an idea.
Realize that with all of the listed modifications it will be hard to get more than a real solid 3 mpg gain.
As you can tell my my signature I'm not against modifying my truck however, I find that on forums it is easy to get caught up in the quest for mileage without looking at the big picture.
I will say that you mileage is a bit low but within the "normal" variation for factory configurations. With 4.10 gears I'm hitting 17 mpg on the highway at 70 when running empty scaled at 7280.
As far as the tailgate issue Here is an SAE paper on aerodynamics of trucks with the tailgate up and down -- conclusion keep the tailgate up and mesh tailgates do not help.
dpantazis
#12
speed- speed is your biggest killer of mpg's. keep the RPMs around 1800 and you will do best MPG. its about 60-62 mph.
intake- get rid of the K&N filter. they are not good. look in the wiki for the DIY intake, you will breath easier and flow more air.
like BJS said. 3mpg is reasonable increase for not a lot of money.
while straight pipe is good, it might not be legal. look at the Walker/NAPA BTM mufflers, they are essentially a big glasspack, and they are cheap. like $65. its as good as a straight pipe.
chip would do you the most good. 80hp econo tune from someone like DP Tuner of Wildman will do wonders.
intake- get rid of the K&N filter. they are not good. look in the wiki for the DIY intake, you will breath easier and flow more air.
like BJS said. 3mpg is reasonable increase for not a lot of money.
while straight pipe is good, it might not be legal. look at the Walker/NAPA BTM mufflers, they are essentially a big glasspack, and they are cheap. like $65. its as good as a straight pipe.
chip would do you the most good. 80hp econo tune from someone like DP Tuner of Wildman will do wonders.
copracr
Full Access Member
How bout check your tire pressures? use the highest psi that doesnt give tire wear problems.
DaveBen
SDD Senior Member
The K&N air filter isn't very good. They let fine particles through the filter into the intake. THIS IS NOT GOOD. Go with someone else. Check out sponsors for a new aif system.
Dave
Dave
X2 on what dp sez about speed/rpm
Over the last year or so, I've slowed my speed down to 62 MPH (under 2000 rpm), empty & towing. Simply doing that has gained me a solid 2+ MPG.
And like almost everyone here has said: Air Flow in & out is key to getting more out of these 8000 (+/-) pound trucks, both power & economy..... along with a "re-tune" to change the fuel mapping. In a Word ? Stock... these things are "Choked" off.
my .03 ?
.
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platinum01
Full Access Member
Good call Dave I was waiting for someone to comment on the K&N filter. Look in the WIKI for the DIY Air Intake. It is a 6637 full flow air filter. You might want to look at switching to Royal Purple Syn oil. I swithed to that and picked up about 1.6 mpg. Free flowing exhaust will help some like everybody else said. Also when driving on Highway what I found to work better is try to run about 1800 rpms. I notice the milage increases when I run there.
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