I think if tn mac was getting that kind of mileage he would be doing cartwheels . I dont use my truck as a source of income . So with that said I can understand tn mac's frustrations with the mileage he gets . It is costing him some income .

 

I'll go back to guessing here but is tn mac up north plowing? What about break in period? I have read posts about people taking their trucks right off the lot and towing a trailer of plowing the same day. I know this is their income stream so they have to do that. I babied my truck the first 200miles then followed the diesel break in that is posted oin this sight somewhere and I get 15.2-.5 city, no real highway trips to say what I get there yet. So my question still is:

Can the mpg vary that much due to differences in the break in period?

Filled up last night and pencil mpg was 15.2. The lie-o-meter was at 17.1 by the time I got home on the new tank (city).

 

Tim: Only 100 miles in a month? I find it hard to believe a person of your intelligence can't find an excuse to take a drive!!!!!

Picked up my 05 6.0 F250 4X2 SC long bed Lariat Auto 12/8/04. Stock with Linux. Have 6808 miles and purchased 371 gallons of fuel which gives a 18.35mpg. No towing yet. Average speed is 45+ mph with 75% highway. Drive somewhat conservatively (around 70 when I can) and usually keep it between 2000 and 2500rpm when accelerating. There are a few full throttle merges though. (You have to have some fun.)

Will be hooking up the 5er in about a month or so when I retire. Got 9-10mpg with 95 PSD and a 3.55 rear. Hopefully I'll get about the same with the 6.0.

 

NO I am in memphis TN. using the truck in the landscape business,What is so puzuling to me is the 6.0 is the same truck as the 7.3 I had before and my driving habits are the same. But I get terrible mpgs,broke in right use fuel additive,every tank tires are at max psi. IF anything I drive easier with 6.0 then the 7.3 cause of the increase in fuel prices. Best I have ever got is a litle over 14 mpg on the hwy.cant even get 400 miles out of tank of fuel and I have the 38 gal. tank all hwy. AND I would be juming for joy if I could get anywhere near the mpgs some of the guys here get. I am getting ready to order a new pickup and it will be a gas burner 250 six speed 4x4 supercab 8 foot bed,for my son. I get 17 mpgs hwy out of 2002 250 lariat 4x4 my wife drives.

 

Hey tn mac...are you going with the V 10? Good engine. A friend of mine has one in his Excursion and he loves it. Heard they were hard to find with the 6 speed though.

 

I am in the same shape as you tn mac, I work out of my truck and I get about 13.5 mpg highway/city combined. But I couldn't follow the proper break-in. I unhooked my trailer form my old truck in the car lot, hooked it to the new truck, and went to work, it has only been unhooked a few times since. On my first fillup I got 10.7 mpg, I was about ready to cry. So far every fillup I have been getting a little better mileage. I am happy though, my old truck was doing good if it got 8 mpg.

tn mac- You are buying your son a new truck, will you adopt me?

Tim

 

tn mac- You are buying your son a new truck, will you adopt me?

Don't be cutting in on my deals...

 

Tim
he works with me and he does my irrigation work,needs some thing a little newer and bigger has a K5 BLAZER 4X4 230K STILL LOOKS GOOD BUT HARD ON THE FUEL 456 gears and high performance engine big tires . and yes I will adopt just forward your social security number and let me know when we can expect you to show to work,I will provide you some work gloves you have to buy the rest yourself,on and buy the way you do know how to run a trencher?

 

IT WILL BE A NEW COMPANY TRUCK,but he will be the omly driving it.The company will be his one day,he has earned it has been working since he 12 now 22 .

 

I figured he was working with you. Not many fathers will just buy their kids brand new trucks, at least mine never did.

I will show up for work tomorrow morning, I don't know how to run a trencher, but I can operate a shovel.
Tim

 

IT would be a big change to leave GODS COUNTRY,FOR THE ARMPIT OF THE SOUTH memphis.

 

I think a some of the problems in the 6.0 , is that some of the owners are getting a really bad grade of fuel not known to them and that compounds or causes problems. I have been using a premium#2 with soyblend @2% and haven't had a fuel related problem in all the 6 diesel engines I am running, including the 6.0 and 7.3. Some of these engines have over 7000 hrs on them.

 

Just a thought, what if the gas prices go to 3 or 4 dollars a gallon like they say it might in a few years? You may have a hard time selling a v-10. Tim, you have to turn off the computer before you can drive your new truck.

 

I have a cousin that's a diesel mechanic. Two other friends that are also heavy equipment wrench turners.

They agree, Yes!! Break in for a diesel is very important.First thing is- Drive it. No, not to the corner store. Not hauling around a load of grass clippings and a couple lawn mowers. (Nothing at all against that TN.) But these things need to be -shall we say, 'Warmed up'. Really! There's a process of putting a load on it, to give it some work to do then backing off. Giving it load, then again backing off. It's a heat thing. But one thing people don't realize- The same thing, the same process of breaking in a gas engine that we've rebuilt - to get the rings to seat was to drive at varying speeds. A little load, no excesive rpm's. And after a short while, the smoke would stop and the performance would magically appear. Isn't quite the same for the oil burner.

The diesel is much different. It takes sustained load to get things to heat up. But don't confuse that as high rpm's. Or 1/4 mile launchs. Under load or not. That's not the same. I don't know how to explain it all, but there's a forging process that happens with the pistons, plasma rings, and the cylders/block.

I seem to be one of the fortunate. One of the 98.725% of happy owners of the Ford SD 6.0. But I actually attribute some of that happiness to how I've been breaking my engine in. (That way I get to take some credit)

As for better fuel economy than my brother'n law's 2000 SD 7.3, Well, I attibute that to a bit of driving style, (He always seems to be taking it out of OD (automatic) when his rpms drop down. Too often to me. Diesels have low end torque. If you're on a flat without load, then use it. Lug it a little. But listen to the engine. It'll tell you when to down shift. He's really not used to that since he's recently converted from a GM SBC. I can also attribute some of my numbers to having the 6spd. When in a long line on a rural highway, I can see that the light up ahead is red. I just pop it into newtral and coast to the stop or what ever. It is driving style that is giving me an extra mile to gallon. None the less, a manual transmission behind any engine usually provides better fuel economy. That's time proven!

As for some 6.0's getting 10-12 mpg. That is unacceptable if break in And I woundn't blame anyone for wanting to offloade that rig. There's somethign wrong with that. Diesels are known for better fuel consumption than the gassers. I hope that's the way it stays. But Ford should help these guys. Plane and simple. Best of luck to those of you that are not satisfied.

Just my humble oppinion....

 

Great post Jackofalltrades A lot of people don't realize the importance of the breakin and what happens inside the engine during this period. In fact they say a diesel should be driven a minimum of 10 miles one way or it doesn't get hot enough to clean itself of soot and carbons. If a person drives less than that maybe they should consider a gas motor. my 2 cents.