Lots of questions on MPG for owners (I know I have plenty)

How about listing your setup and your MPG, along with any notes or questions?

Here is my contribution:

2003 6.0 Diesel 16.3 MPG combined Highway / around town.

I read that the 7.3 got mileage in the 20s and that the 6.0 was supposed to be even better so I am a bit disappointed so far.

 

Petrops, 10 to 1 your truck is nowhere near broken in seeing as you have a 2003, so don't be disappointed in your new 6.0 Liter Powerstroke. Yes, us 7.3 owners do see the 20 mpg range, but it can be a rare thing depending certain situations. Some of us have mods on our truck that allow us to see such an amazing gain in gas mileage. Chips, programmers, tuners, exhaust systems, air intake kits, and a few other heavy mods allow for such a gain. Then again, some people see 20mpg+ bone stock. The only mod I have on my Excursion is the drop-in K&N filter. The filter itself helps with acceleration, torque, and horsepower, but most of the people on this forum don't recommend it. (Rumor has it that they are sometimes the cause of most "dusted" engines. not a good thing) With the filter and a bottle of Diesel Kleen every tank, I personally get about 16-18 mpg depending on the driving conditions. Alot of the time your mileage has to do with where you fill up. If you fill up at a local regular station where you see a few diesels filling up, you're probably getting diesel that may be a few hours to weeks old (in other words, of low quality). This happens becuase diesel that "sits" at a gas station deteriorates in a way. If you fill up at a truck stop or where all the big rigs fill up, you're almost guaranteed "fresh" diesel. Big rigs consume more than enough diesel in a week and sometimes one day to warrant fresh diesel being brought in daily or on a weekly basis. If you fill up with "fresh" diesel, you get Higher quality diesel and it shows when you check your mileage and fire up your truck. So as often as you can, fill up at a truck stop or where you see alot of big rigs. One other thing you can do is use a fuel addative. Stanadyne is the one that everybody recommends. You're only supposed to use it if you live up north where it gets really cold, because it has an anti-gelling agent in it. Stanadyne can be hard to find, but check around online and see if you can find a Diesel Performance store near you; if anything they'll have it. Down here in the south, the best thing to use is Power Service's Diesel Kleen. It keeps your intecjtors and the rest of your engine clean. It also boosts your cetane levels by 6 numbers. This gets you more out of your tankful of diesel than you would ever expect. You can find it at wal-mart for $3-$5, it's the silver bottle. If you can't find Stanadyne anywhere, you can use Power Service's Diesel Fuel (the white bottle), that has an anti-gelling agent as well as a cetane booster in it that allows it to be a safe alternative to Stanadyne. It's like getting two products for the price of one. This is all based on my personal knowledge and experiences, so rest assured, you're getting some good info. The rest of the boys on the forum will fill you in on anything I missed. I hope this brings you a little closer to your Powerstroke.



BTW, what kind of truck do you have? (model and whatnot)

 

love my 03 6.0 and I am getting 18 and 20's on the highway, if I keep my foot out of it.
Greg

 

With the X, I once did get 20.6 mpg and it was on a stretch of road marked 55 mph, but never again.

I have 31K on here and get between 14 and 15 in town and I will get 18 to 19 on the highway. Depends on how heavy my foot is and the speed. I have found anything over 2000 rpm (68mpg), my mileage drops fast.

 

Thanks for the info Toreador.

Lots of good suggestions. My rig is a 2003 Excursion. I kind of figured that 3000 mi may be a bit young to declare an MPG record so I will take some of your suggestions and let it age a bit.

Other than losing 90% of power on the way home from the dealer the day I picked it up, it has been trouble free. The problem was evidently related to the fuel level. I was below a half tank and had almost no power. I filled it up and power was restored. The dealership said this was a known issue and said they reset some programs but that it could happen again. So far so good.

Thanks again

 

I have 1200 miles on my 7.3 3003 X and I see about 17.5 for my everyday driving. Highway only 19-20 and around town running errands only 15-16. I use stanadyne, that is my only mod.

 

15 MPG around town, 22+ MPG @55mph,18MPG@70mph

'01 Excursion Limited 4X4 PSD (stock)

 

So far all deisels...My 2000 V10 gets 12.5 highway and 9-10 around town...

K&N filter, Gibson Exhaust, cJET Computer chip...

Big 33" tires though...


Mel