i have recently purchased a 2004 F250 diesel and i am wondering how i can increase the MPG. it is killing me at the pump. is there anything anyone can tell me on how to increase MPG but have the mods be DIY? i have been thinking of making a PVC cold air intake.

 

My '07 6.0L gets 14.5 average, my dad's '07 gets about 16 average. Uncles '03 averages in the low teens, buddy's '03 averages high teens. The two lifted trucks do the worst, the 2wd does the best. Pretty simple math here, lower is better, slower is better, street tires are better. Lifting, driving fast, and huge tires suck it down.

A cold air intake will do nothing for MPG, and can damage the turbo in the long run. Tuning isn't having a huge impact either, an econ FICM tune from Power Hungry Performance sometimes nets 1-2 increase, sometimes doesn't (didn't for me). Some guys running 120+HP race tunes swear they get better economy, but a stock truck will need $3-8 grand in work to be able to take the tune, negating any benefits.

From a cost-benefit perspective, the only mods that work consistently are returning the truck to stock height and tires, and lifting your foot.

You'd be better off sinking some money into a good gauge setup (like this: http://www.amazon.com/ScanGauge-Auto.../dp/B000AAMY86) and making sure the engine isn't having issues that would negatively affect mileage. Specifically the FICM, EGR function, the high pressure oil system, injector stiction, and the turbo.



You can find out what all those acronyms mean right here in the engine specific forum for the 6.0L:
6.0L Power Stroke Diesel - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

 

how will a cold air intake damage the turbo in the long run???

 

The stock unit filters to a smaller micron size than most aftermarket filters, so eventually the particles that get past the CAI filters damage the turbo. It's called dusting, when the compressor blades get worn down and nicked up, and it'll cause power loss through low boost pressure. Even using a prefilter won't fix it. The stock filter isn't restrictive because the stock turbo can't pull more air than the filter can handle. And it takes larger injectors to put out enough fuel to use more air than the stock turbo pushes and the stock filter passes.

See page two:
http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdi...argerGuide.pdf