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Hi all. I have a 2011 v10 e350. I get about 10 city and 14.5 hwy. I was looking at Mikes 5 star tune and was looking to see what type of fuel increase everyone one seeing with a v10 3.73 gear. I have the 5spd torqueshift. I am hoping to achieve 12 mpg around town but I don't know if that is possible.
I have the 5 Star tuner and saw no mpg improvements. The tranny tuning is definitely the reason I got it though as it makes a huge improvement in the driveability and shift schedules.
I see about 8.5 in the city and about 12 on the highway. Doesn't seem to matter how I drive it. On the highway with a 4000lb trailer it gets about 10 at 60mph.
These numbers are with a drop in air cleaner, tuner and exhaust.
Wow. That's lower than mine. What rear end gear do you have?
3.73
Best way to gain mileage is to not stop the van more than you need to. Starting and stopping 6000+lbs is the fuel killer. I also found that accelerating briskly to get to OD is a factor as well since the vans are tuned to shift into OD above 40mph no matter what. With the engine power and torque ratings on the V10 vans being so high, most of the city and hwy driving I do is terribly inefficient since the throttle opening is not optimized (no load). Higher RPM at lower load helps too, but this is unrealistic without a manual transmission. I still try to get as good of mileage as possible, but with gas under $3 per gallon I don't worry about it. It is efficient for a big block engine, just not optimized for potential in the van platform unless loaded to GVW.
With the engine power and torque ratings on the V10 vans being so high, most of the city and hwy driving I do is terribly inefficient since the throttle opening is not optimized (no load). Higher RPM at lower load helps too, but this is unrealistic without a manual transmission.
Just wanted to clarify, engine efficiency at low load is horrible, and that doesn't get better with higher RPMs. Ideally you want the engine operating as close to maximum load as possible, which requires low RPMs unless you're accelerating.
I did some playing around with fuel economy with my ScanGauge a few years ago. Pulling my enclosed trailer I went from about 9 MPG in top gear to 7 MPG in 3rd at 62 MPH. This was in my Excursion that had the same V10 these vans do.
You want to be in as high of gear as possible, as this operates the engine at the highest load which minimizes pumping losses.
Just wanted to clarify, engine efficiency at low load is horrible, and that doesn't get better with higher RPMs. Ideally you want the engine operating as close to maximum load as possible, which requires low RPMs unless you're accelerating.
I did some playing around with fuel economy with my ScanGauge a few years ago. Pulling my enclosed trailer I went from about 9 MPG in top gear to 7 MPG in 3rd at 62 MPH. This was in my Excursion that had the same V10 these vans do.
You want to be in as high of gear as possible, as this operates the engine at the highest load which minimizes pumping losses.
The Excursion engine and the van engine are mostly the same, but the tuning is only just similar to manage engine heat and cooling capabilities. Typically you are correct, but running these engines at a higher load in top gear kills any and all performance characteristics. My van will pull steep grades in OD with the tuner, but not anywhere near as comfortable as a lower gear at higher RPM closer to peak torque. I don't think I have ever seen higher than about 3500 rpm in my van during towing or normal operation.
My opinions only apply to the V10 engines though. My experience with the V8s suggests they are tuned pretty well from the factory and perform as one would expect. The V10s were intended for heavy load and motorhome use and suffer when unloaded (mis-applied). I love the power though compared to the V8s vans!
Most of my issue is that this is what my wife drives around town. Maybe 600 miles a month. So it really sees only in town mileage which is where it hurts the most. I can handle 15 hwy because we don't do it a ton.
That's weird your numbers are the opposite of mine. I'm 10 city, 14 hwy and 7.5 towing 6.5k trailer.
City mileage is hugely variable. Everyone's driving is different, and the conditions can vary widely. One area could have six stop lights in a mile, and another only three.
Each time you stop your engine needs to burn the fuel to get the van going again. Speeds matter too, generally lower speeds are less efficient because the torque converter is unlocked more and you're in lower gears. So unless conditions and driving habits are identical you can't compare city mileage.
Just wanted to clarify, engine efficiency at low load is horrible, and that doesn't get better with higher RPMs. Ideally you want the engine operating as close to maximum load as possible, which requires low RPMs unless you're accelerating.
I did some playing around with fuel economy with my ScanGauge a few years ago. Pulling my enclosed trailer I went from about 9 MPG in top gear to 7 MPG in 3rd at 62 MPH. This was in my Excursion that had the same V10 these vans do.
You want to be in as high of gear as possible, as this operates the engine at the highest load which minimizes pumping losses.
I completely agree with this on a manual transmission but have found there is a sweet spot for how much throttle on acceleration improves MPG's with an automatic transmission.... With a manual transmission keeping it in the highest gear that still gains speed at a reasonable RPM is the most efficient, automatics very greatly depending on the vehicle, I think from torque converter slip and engine RPM efficiencies... you have to experiment on many tanks of gas to find the sweet spot in how hard to use the throttle.
My wife says I have a heavy foot but the Lie-o-meter always improves several miles per gallon after I drive her/our Expedition.
11-11-2015, 06:41 AM
