Ok. I know i hear all the time about guys getting crazy mileage out of their rigs. But im only getting 10 mpg out of my 88 250... I want to compile a list of free/cheap ways to raise mileage in these 7.3 IDI's as i will soon have a socond truck i will be doing all this to also.

I know right off the bat, larger free flowing exhaust, and the soup bowl mod.

I also realize there is a search function, but the point of this is to also help others out by having a list of everything in one place.

So far the list is:
Larger/free flowing exhaust
soup bowl mod

 

Larger/free flowing exhaust
soup bowl mod

intake mod (via ram air or cowl induction)
ip and injectors changed every 100k.
oil and filter changed regularly (consider synthetics if you have the $ at the time.the less resistance,the better the mpg.)
skinniest tires you can live with and at max tire pressure (checked regularly)
have the engines timing checked by a reputable diesel shop at least every 2 years.(incorrect timing,can be a total killer!!)
keep the air cleaner clean (K&N air filter)
keep the wheel cylinders packed with grease.
swap out 4.10's for 3.55's if you don't tow monster loads regularly (by regularly i mean,at least hauling 5 ton at least once a week.)
swap out old 4 speeds for the E40D auto or the 5 speed stick ZF5 trans.
start out like grandma from your stops.watch stop lights signs ahead of you,as soon as you know the truck will coast to a stop to get there,let off the fuel!
keep it at or under 55 MPH (regardless of gearing,any faster the less efficient and more wind drag you have.)
keep the front end tight! ball joints/tie rods etc and regularly aligned.not doing so,can cost you big in MPG and tire ware.
if you do travel over 55 mph,you will NOT get the mileage you could have if you slowed down.if you do need to travel faster,lose everything that catches the wind,such as bug deflectors,sun visors,wide mirrors etc.
if you dont need it,dont carry it! the more weight you carry,the lower the mpg.it all adds up.
did i mention driving easy? lol.this the the biggest part.learn to hyper mile.learn to keep an even speed.when you get the hang of it,you can make the factory cruise control look horrible for fuel economy.
keep in the highest gear possible at all times,without the engine lugging (not a major concern with the grunt of a diesel.and w the auto,she will downshift on her own when it needs to.)
keep the rpms down,down,down.
consider a turbo,the more air in,the better the mpg (when not actually using the extra power.)
don't turn your pump up to roll coal! black out the pipe = wasted unburnt fuel.nothing more!
keep the E40D trans flushed and changed every 30k miles.transfer case and rear end at least every 100k(least the rear is every 100k not sure about the transfer actually.)
use fuel additive with cetane boost.the cost of the amount used,= over the cost of the lubricity to save pump and injector ware along with better mpg from the increased cetane boost.using the additive saves $.it doesn't cost $.
if you dont need a dually (regularly carrying more weight than SRW tires are rated for,at least weekly) then take off the duals and run single! the more tire drag,the worse the mpg.you can always put the extra two wheels back on when you get ready to hook up to that 5th wheel.
avoid excessive idling.(more than 5 mins just idling is all mpg going into the negative!)
running the A/C is cheaper when over 45 mph due to extra wind drag of having the windows down.
tint the windows(check you local law for max % first! a ticket isn't worth extra mpg gains!)
invest in some sound proofing/weather proofing.use it under everything.this means- a lower A/C setting can be used and still stay cool.
do the heater core bypass valve mod to stop coolant flowing through it during the summer months.
consider ditching that monster fan for a couple electrics mod.
based on the custom grind info,im going to say the "torque cam" will also increase mpg (it has too.it brings the power band down in the rpms a couple hundred,so you get max power without revving as high.)
have a pre 93 truck? consider upgrading to the 3G alternator.they are much more efficient.(dont expect to "see" the mpg gain.but it will be there.over years it all adds up.)
keep the electrical charging system corrosion free.wasted energy going into the alternator due to poor connections/corrosion will cost you $ long term.
running taller/shorter tires? then you NEED to recalibrate your speedometer.this throws your odometer off too,and your mileage calculations will NOT be correct!


im checking my first tank now.
by the looks of it,im going to be really,really close to the 20MPG mark.
so consider these things seriously guys.
that's one big heavy wind catcher of a dump bed im carting around.
many of these things,i haven't done yet.

 

Well I'm not switching out gears. I push snow with the 250 and the 350 is basically going to be my daily and do search and rescue with. I do not run wide tires. I am running 10 ply steeltex tho. Heavy tires. I do not plan to turn the pump up on either. And I keep them pretty well kept up. I am sure they could use injectors and a pump. I have no idea if they were ever done. The 250 only has about 3k on the motor, but I do not believe the ip or injectors have ever been done.

 

yeah,there's loads of things there that many wont consider (cost to gain ratio etc.)
just tossing everything i can think of that increases fuel economy.
the 4.10 w/no over drive can't compare to od/3.55's.so don't feel bad when you don't see the same kind of numbers.it's impossible to match (all other things equal.)

 

yes, i do absolutely hate these c6's for not having enough gears... I havee to do a 1200 mile drive down to salt lake, unloaded, than 1200 miles back pulling a 1970 bug. and my debate is to use the big truck, and drive slower, or the ranger since i do have the 1/2 ton package on that thing and have towed full size chevys around with it.... the ranger gets 13mpg 15/16 on the highway... so if i can up the mileage of the big trucks i may take one of those instead.

Fuel cost ratio would probably end up the same between the ranger and a big truck with better mileage, just the big truck can do it without worries of breaking anything towing long distances... plus more inside room.

 

aww man.
i went out and sprayed my red rims black to look better until i put the duals on(and yeah,much better)...well i got thinking its been a little bit since i checked my tire pressure.
my front passenger tire was down to around 30 lbs( i added air to all of them,all a bit low).dangit lol.that's gunna frig up my first test a little.ah well.just goes to shows it's good to check them often.
i picked up a truck tire gauge the other day.didn't have one that went high enough.
she's now in the glove box.
i should have checked it when i changed the oil.

here's a test done with identical cars but much different driving styles.this should help you understand the difference a bit.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/Feg/video...small_wide.wmv

 

Identical cars , trucks ,etc never get identical mileage even with the same driver, they will also never run the same 1/8-1/4 mile times or pull the same load the same. Have you ever noticed someones stock rig that would just tear everyone elses up, I may be wrong but I have always attributed this to how the motor is balanced from the factory, there is lots of difference from motor to motor.

 

got to kinda side with ya there star.i have had a couple of those quick stock ones

 

yup i agree too star.when people say the IDI is slow,i honestly can't figure out what they mean.
im going to do a little video tomorrow and see what you guys think of the truck.
im going up a REAL nice grade on the way to a job tomorrow.im gunna gun her,and see what people here think lmao.
iv done it a few times,you'll see i have to back way off and fast at the top to take the corner.i'll do a start/stop on a stretch too.
i really have to know if my truck is slow or what lol.

 

if the bug has good rubber under it you can get the bug style tow bars (the one that clips to the front axle) for about $50 and it weighs less than 2k the ranger won't mind at all

 

That's true star (variable mpgs). My '93 NA must be the exception to the performance issues a lot of the guys complain about here. It's no race truck but with the 5.13s it gets up and goes a lot better than I would have expected based on reading some posts. And it's at the top end of its GVW at around a hair over 15k lbs. The utility box and boom are the aerodynamic equivalent of pushing a cargo trailer sideways into the wind up a hill yet I regularly see 12-13 mpg and have seen 15 on longer road trips. Burns about a gallon per hour when working with the boom and I also expected worse there. Its getting so I think I enjoy driving the 93 more than my 08 F250 gasser, must be the noise.

 

well so much for my 20+ prediction lol.
first tank: 16.48 MPG
however i did have 3 tires with 5 lbs low,and 1 tire was down to 30 lbs.
winter or summer blend fuel unknown.
still not to shabby though hey for the first try.
im tickled and hope to see it raise some with tire pressure up.
man i wish i checked them when i changed my oil.ahh well.plenty more tanks coming lol.
no time for the video.not working tomorrow though,so i'll do a couple.

 

I checked my tires today, for the first time since winter... oops... one was at 30, 2 were at 40... and the other was at 45-50.... wow i should check them more often...

 

pushed close to 17 MPG (exactly 16.96 w/ avg speed of 50 mph-a few loads of debris,but nothing serious weight wise.) with the tires full of air.
that's better.

i need to get around to rigging up a custom built cowl induction system and see if i can notice a gain.this ones a cheap and easy mod.

 

When you stop and look at your bed, that is costing you some MPG.

But then again, the bed is why you have the truck, so more MPG with a stock bed would be a bad trade off.

Plus side, since it is a work truck, careful record keeping as far as miles driven, gallons used, repairs or upgrades that are work related are deductable when you do your taxes.
So that makes the costs lower in the end.