5 star tune v10 mpg improvements
 

Hi all. I have a 2011 v10 e350. I get about 10 city and 14.5 hwy. I was looking at Mikes 5 star tune and was looking to see what type of fuel increase everyone one seeing with a v10 3.73 gear. I have the 5spd torqueshift. I am hoping to achieve 12 mpg around town but I don't know if that is possible.

Thanks
Bill

Welcome to FTE Bill!

I don't think you'll see those kind of gains, but I'm hardly the expert. Paging @fordmdb.

I have the 5 Star tuner and saw no mpg improvements. The tranny tuning is definitely the reason I got it though as it makes a huge improvement in the driveability and shift schedules.

Scott

Scott, what type of mileage are you getting?

I see about 8.5 in the city and about 12 on the highway. Doesn't seem to matter how I drive it. On the highway with a 4000lb trailer it gets about 10 at 60mph.

These numbers are with a drop in air cleaner, tuner and exhaust.

Scott

Wow. That's lower than mine. What rear end gear do you have?

3.73

Best way to gain mileage is to not stop the van more than you need to. Starting and stopping 6000+lbs is the fuel killer. I also found that accelerating briskly to get to OD is a factor as well since the vans are tuned to shift into OD above 40mph no matter what. With the engine power and torque ratings on the V10 vans being so high, most of the city and hwy driving I do is terribly inefficient since the throttle opening is not optimized (no load). Higher RPM at lower load helps too, but this is unrealistic without a manual transmission. I still try to get as good of mileage as possible, but with gas under $3 per gallon I don't worry about it. It is efficient for a big block engine, just not optimized for potential in the van platform unless loaded to GVW.

Scott

Just wanted to clarify, engine efficiency at low load is horrible, and that doesn't get better with higher RPMs. Ideally you want the engine operating as close to maximum load as possible, which requires low RPMs unless you're accelerating.

I did some playing around with fuel economy with my ScanGauge a few years ago. Pulling my enclosed trailer I went from about 9 MPG in top gear to 7 MPG in 3rd at 62 MPH. This was in my Excursion that had the same V10 these vans do.

You want to be in as high of gear as possible, as this operates the engine at the highest load which minimizes pumping losses.


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The Excursion engine and the van engine are mostly the same, but the tuning is only just similar to manage engine heat and cooling capabilities. Typically you are correct, but running these engines at a higher load in top gear kills any and all performance characteristics. My van will pull steep grades in OD with the tuner, but not anywhere near as comfortable as a lower gear at higher RPM closer to peak torque. I don't think I have ever seen higher than about 3500 rpm in my van during towing or normal operation.

My opinions only apply to the V10 engines though. My experience with the V8s suggests they are tuned pretty well from the factory and perform as one would expect. The V10s were intended for heavy load and motorhome use and suffer when unloaded (mis-applied). I love the power though compared to the V8s vans!

Scott

Most of my issue is that this is what my wife drives around town. Maybe 600 miles a month. So it really sees only in town mileage which is where it hurts the most. I can handle 15 hwy because we don't do it a ton.

That's weird your numbers are the opposite of mine. I'm 10 city, 14 hwy and 7.5 towing 6.5k trailer.

City mileage is hugely variable. Everyone's driving is different, and the conditions can vary widely. One area could have six stop lights in a mile, and another only three.

Each time you stop your engine needs to burn the fuel to get the van going again. Speeds matter too, generally lower speeds are less efficient because the torque converter is unlocked more and you're in lower gears. So unless conditions and driving habits are identical you can't compare city mileage.

So is it better to speed up quickly to get the convertor to lock?

I believe so. The engine is more efficient when it's working hard, and you get to the higher gears faster.

Huh.
I've got a 2003 V10, 3.73, 285/65/16 tires (almost 33"). With cruise control on 70mph, I get 14.4mpg.

At 55mph, I've seen nearly 16.

I completely agree with this on a manual transmission but have found there is a sweet spot for how much throttle on acceleration improves MPG's with an automatic transmission.... With a manual transmission keeping it in the highest gear that still gains speed at a reasonable RPM is the most efficient, automatics very greatly depending on the vehicle, I think from torque converter slip and engine RPM efficiencies... you have to experiment on many tanks of gas to find the sweet spot in how hard to use the throttle.
My wife says I have a heavy foot but the Lie-o-meter always improves several miles per gallon after I drive her/our Expedition.

Klinquist, what is your around town mileage? I'm okay with my hwy miles but was looking to bump up the city mpg.

I've found that brisk acceleration is good for fuel economy in my van (07 V10 w/ 5speed automatic).

Think about it: it's "miles per gallon". If you accelerate slowly, you are not gaining as many miles but you are still sipping gallons. Obviously it's a ratio that is a delicate balance.

If it takes you 15 seconds to attain 45mph but I do it in 10... That's 5 seconds where I'm cruising at higher MPG and you're still burning more fuel to gently get up to speed.

Besides all that; I improve my mpg by coasting as much as possible, keeping speeds about 5mph under posted limits, and (trying to) minimize idling.

But even aside from all that: going from 10mpg to 12mpg- it doesn't add up. It's not worth your time. You said your wife drives 600miles a month. I drive that much in 2-3 days. The difference is $20/month for you based on $2/gallon fuel prices.

11-12ish. I don't think you can do much around the city.

Was that with a tuner?

I've got the 5star tuner, but I didn't see a big change in fuel economy either way.

When I had the 3.73 rear diff running in my '12 V10 E-350, i seemed to recall getting 11.7 or so in the city.

I put in a 4.30 LSD and Mike's 5-Star tuning, and basically am getting about 1/2 mile per gallon less than before. (My original programming had the tire diameter a little off, which led to perceived improved fuel economy, but once I realized it and re-programmed that parameter, the computer showed about 11.2 on avg).

I would recommend the 5-Star for the trans shift improvements and improved acceleration at highway speeds. Of course, the 92-octane program Mike gave me makes the van even more frisky when I'm running premium.

Bill,

With your current setup 10 city and 14.5 highway is pretty strong. With the tune you may see up to 1 mpg increase. Some see more, some see less. Even within the shop we each see a good bit of difference between our mpg increases. We all drive quite differently. The drivability changes will be the main reason to tune the van. Any economy increase on the 6.8L is a bonus.

Little radio. With the 4.30 gears your getting 11 in town or avg? What are you getting expressway?

Mike, I'm planning on getting the tune. It will probably be Christmas time. We took our 7k trailer up to boone nc and it kept dropping out of overdrive on the smaller hills. I would like to stop that and they tell me that I'd what your tuner will do. Right?

I avg about 13'ish mpg on long freeway rides. Drops to 9 mpg pulling a 10k lb box trailer at 65 MPH.