I just inheirited my father in laws 2000 Excursion Limited with 80,000 miles on the 7.3 turbo diesel. It is completely stock except a K&N filter and I just put Airlift air bags on it. When driving without towing I get 18 mpg but when I tow my 30 foot camper it goes down to 11 mpg. Everyone says to put a programmer on it and it should gain 3-5 mpg but there are so many different programmers out there I dont which one to buy. I do know someone who bought an Edge Evolution #15001 for his and it made massive power difference but I am looking for gas mileage. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

18 solo and 11 towing are good numbers. Tuners are fun and don't hurt mileage if you drive sensibly but if you want a tuner for mileage you're best leaving it stock and save money for fuel.

 

x2 on all that.

 

I am very satisfied with 18 solo but I would like to get up to around 14 towing since I tow about 10,000 miles a year.

 

You won't see 14 mpg towing, unless you're towing a reasonably light to medium load.

If I were you and hand calculated I'm getting 18 mpg, I'd leave the truck alone.

 

You will never see that towing that weight. Programers typically dont add MPGs, but can wake up the 7.3 with some basic tunes. I have PHP six postion programer. I run the 80DD most of the time, 80hp tow for jeep (6000lbs) and 60hp tow for boat pulling (9000 lbs)

I would just sell it to me, it not worth much maybe 5 grand.

In all seriousness welcome to the excursion family.

I tow a 5500-6000 lbs frequently and I never see better than 14 on the highway 75ish MPH. It would do a little better if I slowed down some.

Just make sure it is mechanically sound... no boost leaks!! If you are getting 18 I would say its in pretty good shape.

 

30' camper...probably a fairly high wind profile...weighing 8k - 10k loaded and wet, yes?

11mpg with a trailer like that (very similar to my trailering setup...I pull a 31' Wildwood) is not bad at all.

"Everyone" that told you that is wrong.

Stewart

 

Fixed that for ya Yes, you should gain that if not 8X that

 

I pulled a 27' camper to Corpus and back recently with my X that HAS a programmer on it. I got 10mpg. Your 11 mpg when loaded is a very, very good number. It won't get better I am afraid, no matter what you do to the vehicle. I get 19.5-20.5 unloaded on the highway driving 65-68 mph and enjoying the scenery. A lot depends on wind directions and speed.

The advantage to having the X is not the fuel mileage. It is having PLENTY of power to tow said camper with plenty of comfort for all that go for the ride.

 

I'd love 18 unloaded, I only get a bit more than your loaded mileage. I average 11.5-12 unloaded

Programmer only for power....

 

file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/Cummins%20-%20Secrets%20of%20Better%20Fuel%20Economy%20Whitep aper%20(1).pdf

Good read if all you want is mpg.

 

I've been wanting to get back into the tuner world for a while. Had good luck in the past, 97 350 7.3 and my dads 2001 7.3 250. If you have mods done, most popular are intake and larger exhaust, you will see more power if you have some adjustments done to the PCM via a tuner of sorts. I look at it this way, with my fuel curve(s) adjusted to account for moving more air in and out, the engine will make more power and torque, that said, when towing a trailer, it wont need to work as hard and therefore may be easier on other parts...trans and fuel level. I can say from past experience, towing with the 97 dually before and after the chip, after was definitely better and I want to say I maybe did 1-2 mpg better as well. My dads truck has been cross country several times with a trailer and he would average around 17 on a long haul with a laden trailer, rare but thats at around 65 through Nebraska.

It all depends on how and where you drive as well. I do about 60% city while towing so Im not that worried about mileage. The long trips are where I really want the power for passing and hills, again, not that worried about the mileage as long as its not in the single digits. Neighborhood of 11-12 with a load and Im happy.

So with my engine mods mostly done (for now), Im going to contact Banks and go with a level 3.

 

Thanks all for your input and as of right now I am just gonna go to a 4" exhaust and be done with it. Just for your info,If anyone has the need to lift your excursion a little.Go with AIRLIFT Loadlifter 5000. They are offering discounts and rebates. I paid less than $500 for both from Suspension Connection.Very easy to install and with only 40 psi in em it lifted it 2-1/2 inches and the ride is great.After I installed them on front and rear(about 4 hours) I put 90 psi in em and it lifted it 5-1/2 inches but was rough riding. Thanks again for the help.

 

I suggest you get rid of that K&N if it is the kind that drops into the stock airbox. They do not seal well around the edges and the engine injests a lot of dirt, dust etc. Search on the term "dusted" in the 7.3 diesel section.

 

If you want better MPG a lift is not the right way to go.