My 2001 crewcab f-250, 4 x 4, Powerstroke truck is getting 13.8-14.6 Hwy MPG according to the instant read out. I have checked this at the pump and it seems close. I have changed the fuel filter and replace the air filter, is there something else, (not too expensive) that I could try and improve this situation? Other people around me seem to get way better fuel mileage, this is my fourth diesel truck and this is the worst mileage yet.
SHGA

 

were the others 4x4 ?, and as high as this truck (wind resistance)? also, what size tires you running?
certain of the speedo accuracy? if you have thrown taller tires on, it will screw your odometer up, and therefore make you think your getting less milage than you actually are....

just some thoughts. i am getting high 14's to low 15's in my truck right now, hoping it goes up as it breaks in....


good luck

 

The other people have 4 x 4's also, but they do have stock tires. My truck is not lifted, but it does have 295/75/16 tires. I have never checked the odometer (a few highway patrols have) but maybe that is it. I live at an elevation around 6000 ft, so that might have some effect on my mileage too. I might look into chipping it.
Thanks SHGA

 

My Y2K 7.3 PSD averaged about 15-17 on the hwy and never got that much better. The computer readout on mileage on my old truck was not close to being accurate, it would claim 22-25 mpg but if you did it the old fashioned way mathematically it would really be 15-17 true mpg.

Some of these trucks may get better but there are alot of them averaging the same as ours.

 

well, your truck came with a 265/75 at the largest, so if you consider that your speedo has to be off at few mph at least, byu the time you get ~400 miles you could be off by as much at 40-60 miles, that would certainly make a difference....

if my odometer was showing i got 380 to a tank, instead of the 420 i have been getting i would assume 14.0 mpg, vs the 15.5 i am actually getting....that makes a big diff!

anyhoo, good luck!

 

My odometer is off .2 tenths of a mile so on a tank of gas that adds up. I felt much better after figuring this out. Yours may be a little more off as I have 285's on mine.

 

I will have to check, the next time I am out on the interstate, 2 tenths of a mile is quite a bit!
SHGA

 

I think I have a solution: Start a business if you don't have one already (it cost about $50.00 for an Assumed Name License) and write off your vehicle and your mileage.

The below is an excerp from an article at the link at the bottom of this post.

The Basics
Save up to $35,000 on a new SUV (or Truck with GVWR over 6000lbs)

The new tax bill quadruples the deduction available on small-business equipment purchases, which include trucks. The catch? You've got to buy a big one.

Among the provisions of the tax package just approved by Congress is an increase in the deduction allowed for small-business equipment purchases, which rises from $25,000 to $100,000. That means real estate agents, lawyers, doctors -- anybody who files a Schedule C or corporate tax return -- can write off the entire cost of virtually any big sport-utility vehicle. The potential tax savings in the top bracket is $35,000.

The dramatically higher limit greatly simplifies the math. The deduction for SUV purchases was already pretty hefty, but it came in three parts: A $25,000 equipment deduction, plus 30% of the remaining price (courtesy of the 2002 economic stimulus bill), plus the standard five-year depreciation schedule on the remainder. On a $72,000 Range Rover, the deduction came to about $45,000 the first year, for a tax savings of more than $16,000.

It's so much easier -- and cheaper -- to write the whole thing off. Simply multiply the purchase price by your tax rate. The tax savings on that same Range Rover? More than $25,000 in the top brackets. In contrast, those who buy ultra-efficient gas-electric hybrids for personal use get a tax deduction of $2,000, worth at most $700.

The business deduction is proportional; that is, the write-off must reflect the percentage of the vehicle's use that is devoted to business. The minimum is 50%. And the deduction applies only to vehicles designated as light trucks. Far less generous rules apply to business use of cars and smaller trucks.

Bigger is better
The catch is that the qualifying vehicle must have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) over 6,000 lbs. That's the weight of the truck plus its maximum payload. At one time, the limit was believed to be high enough to eliminate all but the loophole's intended target, farm and industrial vehicles. Now added layers of safety and luxury equipment have made all vehicles porkier. Even some midsized sport-utilities just creep over that 6,000 GVWR line. (The GVWR typically is printed on the inside of the driver's door; check as you shop.)

moneycentral.msn.com/content/Taxes/P48468.asp

I hope this helps.

 

Great info thanks for the link!!

 

You forgot to mention that one is commiting tax fraud if you don't really have a business that was formed to make a profit. If you have a business that was formed to make a profit, you need to keep records of the business use of the vechicle in order to write those expenses off. If it's 50% business use=50% write-offs.

just my 2 cents

 

I have a '02 F350 Crew 4x4 7.3 and went from about 18 hwy and 15 city to 13.5 hwy and 12 city. I have 285-16's on it and have had the spedo reset. I took it to the dealer and they told me the milage drop was due to the cold and that I have a "non-standard exhast" (4") on it. I think they are smoking something funny... '
Still looking into it.

 

shga,
I have your same set-up. My trip computer also measures fairly close to the pump method. One thought, have you reset the computer? Pressing both buttons at the same time for a few seconds will do this. I avg. 18mpg city/hwy combined using either the pump or computer method. The reset was just a thought.

 

I did check my speedometer and it is off 1 tenth of a mile, if I get 300 miles to a tank I just add 30 miles on it and then divide it. I have been getting around 15.5. In the last three weeks I have the following installed, transmission, transmission cooler, waterpump, turbo, turbo down pipes and glowplug rely's! It wasn't a pretty christmas. I will see if the new turbo makes a difference.
shga

 

I have noticed that my mileage decrease's as I come close to needing an oil change. In one instance, I totally neglected to check the oil level after a Jiffy Lube oil change, and the mileage was horrible. The truck was about two and a half quarrts low. Aside from this and the usual maintenece, fuel, water, air, etc... what else needs to be watched? Glow plugs? Wires?

 

Keep in mind that right now your running winter diesel fuel, which in my experiences, can account for up to 2mpg. Between that, tire size, odometer error, driving habits, 4wd use (since it's winter), and variables in the truck itself may account for your mileage. Does the truck make good power?

Q