my 2 cents worth.

I have the complete Banks system, and a recently added 4" exhaust. This gets me 16.3 average, at 75 - 80 mph, with 4:10 rears and a US gear aux overdrive. Keeping the speed down below 60 gets me about 18.5, but only with good oil level. If I let the oil get below one quart low, my mileage decreases. I have not figured out the reason, if anyone has any ideas, let me know why it would do that - the decrease is significant:
full level clean oil = 16 - 18.5 mpg -
- over 1 qt low, or dirty oil = 11 - 13 mpg

I cannot say how the addition of the 4" effected the rate as I did it at the same time as I replaced the flatbed with a pickup box, and the duallies with single wheels.

One thing I notice is if the exhaust temp Pyro guage goes up, the fuel economy suffers, and the exhaust blows black. It is more likely to do this in the top box (aux overdrive) in hilly country. In those circumstances I return about 14.8 - 15.3 mpg Similarly, using too much pedal giving too much boost will also degrade the fuel economy - this suggests that too great an overdrive generates too much heat.

Theo

 

Drafting? What an assanine statement. You are the one's we always scrape off the highways. To make a statement like that shows your irresponsible attitude! What are you 18years old. You ever see what happens when someone slams into the back of a semi?

 

Webmaster, we need a "Tongue in Cheek" emoticon so the joke post won't come off the wrong way !

We have an '02 7.3L Ex and have done two things to it... A rear sway bar from Hellwig - PHENOMINAL change in the truck ! and got the Superchips Microtuner from Ken on this site... Even better than the sway bar....

I will have to differ to Ken on the benefits of the new Predator tuner over the Superchips I have... but the Superchips completely changed "the slow footed beast" to more of a sports car

Well, as much of a sports car as 8K lbs can be !

I had the truck for a while before the upgrdades and so was 'used to' how it reacted...
Previously the truck would stay in gear for EVER, downshift too easliy, seem lethargic from a standing start and pull ok in passing situations, but marginally at best... and fuel per gallon was ok, but nothing great...

After mods:
The first time I backed out the driveway and then strated to go The throttle response almost scared me !!! as it before you had to push it two inches to get anything and now it instantly jumped...
That may be what part of the logic really is, but it is not all... now it goes thru the gears like it should... could still use the torque of the engine a little more by upshifting sooner, but it is 1000% better use of the gears....

And the power !
from a standing start I think the 80HP setting overpowers the torque convertor/tranny combo, and definetly spews too much fuel into the engine because it will SMOKE if you floor it... but anything short of full throttle is SUPER...
I played with the different settings on the Microtuner and although the lower HP > 4k towable setting doesn't smoke as much, the passing situation (which, for some reason, I HAVE to do a lot!) really shines with the 80 HP setting... it's impressive from 40 mph up and scary from 60 mph up when you floor it... the torque comes on gang-busters...
Can you tell I LIKE this thing !?! And I don't sell them... just use them!
Good Luck

 

Well, I am a new user to this forum...so I don't want to **** anyone off. But the drafting comment was, and continues to be, ridiculous - tongue-in-cheek or not.

My 2000 F250 SD Ext Cab 4x2 7.3 diesel has been getting around 16.5 mpg. I will be looking into the superchips, new filters and exhaust mods. Thanks.

Scott

Praise our risen Lord, Jesus Christ!

 

It is possible to draft from a safe distance. The driving manual from the dmv states the 2 second rule. I have done some research and drafting from a 2 second distance will get you similar results to the drag along effect of following way to close.


I do not recommend tailgating but for posterity I tried the drag along draft. I drove 200+ miles on a quarter tank in a large 70s station wagon with a 403. I never tried it again but it is possible. If the people on here are not mature enough to read about such things and make an informed decision then may darwin have his way.

If I recall you are actually splitting the wind resistance. And normally(no truckers) two vehicles splitting a single resistance is less than separate. If two cars are side by side tho it is bad. It burns more fuel than if the other car wasnt present. This is compounded by high speeds because of increased resistance.

 

Well said, Logical Heretic.... (And we could open another lively thread on THAT handle you've chosen ) but back to the 'drafting' issue since some feel a lot stronger about this than others...

As with ANYTHING... Web surfing, TV, eating, excersizing, screaming, fighting with the in-laws )
"we should do it all in moderation"....

I'm sure no one intended to say get on someones bumper and stay within 6 inches @ 100 mph.... but....
Within reason you can follow at a safe enough distance to 'utilize' the fact that someone else is punching a hole in the air and making SOME of it go the direction you want to go...

There are 100's of factors to calculate any benefit...

if a cross wind, or following wiind...
if the follower has a substantially larger frontal area...
if there is ANY risk involved...
there will be negligible benefit to following at ANY safe distance...

but if the risk is too great it is NEVER worth it....
And by risk I also mean will it **** the person you're following off enough to where it IS a risk! And they can tell you rather easily - either by pulling into the other lane or tapping the brakes, or the international recognized hand signal we all know !

Only THAT person knows their comfort level, so be courteous...
I drive a large vehicle and I don't mind punching a hole for someone if they keep back enough to where MY driving comfort is not threatened... if I can see them to know they are there and they've proven to me they are reasonably competent, by not trying to pass me on the right shoulder, or trying to get UNDER my truck !

And really it does help both vehicles MPG if there is drafting involved...

Let's see if we can pull out that OLD college Flow Dynamics logic?!

I'll probably have this wrong... but it's fun to see if I can fight through the cobwebs... And either thr Profs will be pleased or ill !

The coeffcient of drag is directly proportional to the frontal area...
but inversely proportional to the ratio of frontal area to length...

if two 'things' have the SAME frontal area, the longer one will have the lower drag coeffecient and therefore the less drag...
so, WITHIN REASON AGAIN... two or more vehicles will have a lower drag from the air than a single vehicle... partly because you are working 'together' to push the air and the air between vehicles is more or less going with you...

OW,
that hurt the small brain this early on EASTER Sunday morning...
I hope you and yours have a WONDERFUL holiday...

 

Well, thanks to all for the input. Between what I've discovered on these forums, some outside research, and talking to a service shop in my area, I figure the stock configuration/setup is conservative on HP and mileage and keeps Ford in a safe range of liability. Also, the mods offer only horsepower, which when applied with the same driving profile, gives you better mileage. Better mileage is an indirect benefit. If you drive harder because you have the extra horses, mileage improvements won't be that great.

I gather the mods should be: gauges first to watch the stock configuration, bigger exhaust next, better air filter, and programmer.

Anybody have an direct experience with modding your truck while under warranty and having Ford decline warranty service because of it? I've had two warranty services (windshield wiper motor and leaking oil related to the turbo). I've read the claims that some law prevents manufacturers from declining warranty service for mods that improve mileage and emissions. Anybody actually see this law stand up against the big guys?

 

to reply to scott62;

God is great, and He has risen indeed!!!

 

...have not been over here for a while, about since my last post. Added to the 1996 Crewcab/shortbox (now 201,000)was a set of LT265 tires on American Racing aluminum wheels and a K&N intake. Mileage at first dropped about 2 miles per gallon when the tires were added but is back up to the 16.5-21 mpg range after the intake was installed....this with 3.55 gears and an auto tranny.
Highway economy seems to be:
55-65/20-21.5 mpg
65-75/18.5-19.5 mpg
75-85/16.5-17 mpg

Straight around town is 16.5-18.5.

Towing 4K pound trailer 13.5-15.5

I've decided it's time for a programmer....my friend just did his 2004 duley and it jumped him 2 mpg and it will now smoke all four rear tires. I'm not interested in the smoke but better fuel mileage and better towing power would be nice.

Bob

 

Chips or programmers will not increase your MPG.

 

...great..but why not...seems to have worked well is several of my friends trucks from 1996-2001. I know that the 98 and above trucks seem to benefit the most.

Bob

 

Chips and Programmers are great fun but all of these people that have had improvements in fuel mileage ( With a Chip or Programmer ) use the Lie-O-Meter to tell them their fuel mileage. Use your commonsense a Chip or Programmer makes more power by adding More Fuel, not Less.

I have one myself it's a blast, but even babying itit cuts my mileage by 2 MPG. My Lie-O-Meter shows a solid 5 MPG increase though!!

 

I beg to differ, Mr. Dick.

I got improved mileage with a chip and also with my present programmer, but only under similar driving circumstances. Putting the chip/programmer thru it's paces will surely lower MPG's, same as without. The true test in in the pen and paper method. The onboard mileage computers are not accurate and always read high.

 

Then you would be the first!! Everyone I have talked to that I know has the mental ability to figure the fuel mileage has the same results as I have. I’ve a kept fuel log from the day I bought my 01 7.3 PSD. I drove the warranty off of it before I put a programmer on it. 100,000 miles before the programmer was 17.1 MPG 100,000 miles after the programmer 16.1 MPG. That is what my average was at that point. The average for the second 100,000 miles is 15.1 MPG. 206,000 mile fuel logs are not going to lie to you. Everyone without exception that keeps a fuel mileage log tells me the same thing. There programmer cut the fuel mileage.

It is plane and simple you don’t get more power out of less fuel

 

The problem with mileage improvement using a programmer is that we take advantage of the added power to climb hills faster, pull away from stops quicker, drive faster and generally enjoy that extra 60 horsepower or so. Engineering tells us that acceleration and wind resistance both gobble up energy exponentially as speed increases, and there goes your fuel mileage. There are ways to determine the actual results, such as constant speed tests on a track or dynamometer, but we don't go to that much trouble. You can test the effects of non-programmer changes, such as improved intakes and exhausts, using the mileage indication of the on-board computer at constant speed on the same stretch of highway, but a programmer screws up the on-board mileage calculator so it can't be used. Report your own results as best as you can, and have fun debating the issue.

Regarding the drafting post, many of us understood it as a joke, and most of us have the good sense to keep proper spacing on the highway. However, we have all seen tailgaters who have never read that post who are obviously too stupid to tell the difference between a joke and a recommendation. While it is tempting to let them clean up the gene pool by tailgating and drafting, lets be merciful and not mislead them with misplaced humor.

Enjoy your truck; thats what its for.

Warren