Hey guys/gals I am looking at purchasing an 08 F250 6.8L to replace my 04 6.0L Powestroke. I have over 300,000kms on the diesel was thinking of putting a bale deck on it and using it around the farm. The 6.8L will be mainly used to pull my 30ft holiday trailer (approx 8,000lbs) I am aware that there will be notable performance differences between the diesel and gas. My question to you is what kind of modifications would you suggest to increase horsepower and fuel economy. I understand we dont buy these trucks for fuel economy but if I can get better mpg's by making some minor changes then why not? I have heard some discussion arround the local coffee shop about straight piping and adding a chip to gain around 50hp and get near 15mpg. Of course this is coffee talk so I thought I would come here chat with some of you who have done these kind of mods and what results you are getting.

Thanks
Trevor

 

Come on down to the V10 forum!

I think you will be surprised just how little performance you'll give up. It doesn't have the low end grunt of the diesel, but let her wind up to 4K+ and you can't help but be impressed. For towing, the optional 4.30 gears are excellent with stock tires. With bigger tires, 4.56, 4.88, or 5.13's are impressive.

But in a nutshell, the only other thing that is consistently reported to be worth the cost on the 3V engine is a CUSTOM tune from Mike at 5-Star. Everything else just lightens your wallet a lot with minimal, if any, real world power or mpg improvement. These engines come from the factory as a very, very well designed package. A straight pipe will make a lot of (obnoxious!) noise, but no more power. "Intakes" are the same. Noise, not power.
The stock air filter and housing are very good. Just use good paper elements and change when dirty.

The only significant ways to get better mpg:
- LIGHT FOOT
- Small tires
- 2wd
- Keep it low

A 4WD with 285 or bigger tires driven at 65 mph will never hit an honest 15.
With significant tail winds or down hills, sure. But not on a routine basis.