2006 6.0L fuel mileage
 

Hey guys,
I have a 06 psd and I am on the hwy alot. I drive about 5k a month. The truck is still under factory warranty. I want to make some changes to increase mileage without voiding the factory warranty while also planning on tuning the truck as soon as the warranty expires.

I am thinking of a 4" or 5" catback exhaust and a cold air intake. I have heard that the 5" exhaust will cause me to loose some low end torque as the variable vanes on the 06 psd turbo needs some backpressure at spool-up.

what mods and suggestions do you have that will increase the mileage without voiding the warranty.....power increases are not bad either!!!

Thanks.

Cat back exhaust won't do anything for mileage, or very little. Aftermarket intake won't do much either since the stock intake can support up to 500Hp. You'd be best off getting an SCT with some economy tunes, that could get you anywhere from 1-3 mpg better.

Before doing any mods... Check with dealer and owners manual about it. I know in my 04 manual it says any mods will void warranty. Yes even exhaust mods. So beware and get the proper info from dealer. You also have the engine warranty of 100K to work with.

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=839 border=0 x:str><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 629pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 30683" width=839><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 13.5pt" height=18><TD class=xl25 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 13.5pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=18>Ten Areas that helped me:</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=20><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 15pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=20>#1 - (NO DOUBT) - driving style, habits, highway speed, slow take-offs, coasting and/or anticipating stops, etc. (AND SLOW DOWN!!)</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=20><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 15pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=20>#2 - MINIMIZE IDLING (I still do 30 seconds to a minute on VERY cold mornings and days - but NO MORE). This helps in a lot of areas!</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 15pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=20><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 15pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=20>#3 - tire pressure - maximize it to the safe maximum pressure. Maintain tires in good condition. Some tires may even be better at mpg than others.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=17>#4 - I got the most recent flash - I LOVE it! I think it adds .5 mpg at least.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 14.25pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=19><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 14.25pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=19>#5 - minimize your AC usage, but do NOT open all windows due to increased drag. On the highway, this can help up to 0.5 mpg.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=17>#6 - fuel additives (MY OPINION HERE, some feel differently). Use one that is a water demulsifier and does not contain alcohol.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=17>#7 - If you still have it, clean your EGR valve every 30,000 miles. Not sure how much it helps, but I am confident it does.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" height=17>#8 - synthetic oil (change on time) - may help a few tenths to .5 mpg (0.5 is probably optimistic).</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=17>#9 - I was recently talked into a power elbow - maybe makes a tenth or two tenths mpg improvement (but I like it).</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=17>#10 - Check regularly for boost air leaks and check the filter minder to ensure you are not driving w/ a restricted air filter.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 13.5pt" height=18><TD class=xl25 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 13.5pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=18>Things that others have said will help (that I have not directly experienced):</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=17>#1 - Optimize your differential gearing to fit your truck and your service- definite help</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=17>#2 - Smaller, lighter, narrower tires - definite help</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=17>#3 - Tonneau cover - most say it helps by up to 0.5 mpg</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=17>#4 - tuner - probably will help - if you can still drive sensibly - takes willpower!</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 27pt; mso-height-source: userset" height=36><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 27pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=36>#5 - open up the exhaust - probably will help VERY LITTLE and is a "high dollar per improvement gained" mod in my opinion.
The real reason for the exhaust mod is to lower EGT's.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 12.75pt" height=17><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 12.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=17>#6 - Zoodad - probably not much help, but easy (I have done it and saw no difference).</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Expensive (pay out is over 5 years), but some say they are good:
http://www.gearvendors.com/

From Ford:

6.0/6.4 Fuel Economy:
Ford vehicles equipped with the 6.0 PowerStroke diesel are not rated for fuel economy by the EPA. If economy is in question, a boost test should be performed. If boost reaches 22-25 PSI in third gear, wide open throttle under load, then the engine is operating normally and no economy related repairs need to be performed. If not in specs, then the engine will need to be diagnosed--check sensor reading, VGT and EGR operation, fuel pressure and quality, crankcase pressure, intake or exhaust restriction, exhaust or CAC leaks.
Fuel economy will be affected by many factors, including: excessive idle time (one hour equals approximately 33 miles of driving), fuel quality and blend, ambient temperature, driving habits, vehicle use, towing, loads, add-on accessories. Broadcast Message 1271, 4450, 6989

<TABLE style="WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=839 border=0 x:str><COLGROUP><COL style="WIDTH: 629pt; mso-width-source: userset; mso-width-alt: 30683" width=839><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 13.5pt" height=18><TD class=xl24 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt solid; HEIGHT: 13.5pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=18>Ford Top Ten: Ways to improve fuel economy.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 34.5pt" height=46><TD class=xl25 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 34.5pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=46>1. Slow down and watch speed – Drive 55 miles per hour instead of 65 to save fuel. EPA estimates a 10-15 percent improvement in fuel economy by following this tip. Also, aim for a constant speed. Pumping the accelerator sends more fuel into the engine. Using cruise control whenever possible on the highway helps maintain speeds and conserve fuel.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 38.25pt" height=51><TD class=xl26 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 38.25pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=51>2. Accelerate and brake smoothly – Accelerating smoothly from a stop and braking softly conserves fuel. Fast starts, weaving in and out of traffic and hard braking wastes fuel and wears out some of the car components, such as brakes and tires, more quickly. Maintain a safe distance between vehicles and anticipate traffic conditions to allow for more time to brake and accelerate gradually.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 34.5pt" height=46><TD class=xl25 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 34.5pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=46>3. No idling – Today’s engines don’t need a warm up. Start the car immediately and gently drive away. Don’t leave your car idling. Prolonged idling increases emissions and wastes fuel. Turn the engine off in non-traffic situations, such as at bank and fast food drive-up windows, when idling more than 30 seconds.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 38.25pt" height=51><TD class=xl26 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 38.25pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=51>4. Check your tires – Keep tires properly inflated to the recommended tire pressure. This alone can reduce the average amount of fuel use by 3-4 percent. Under-inflated tires increase rolling resistance and reduce fuel economy. They also wear more rapidly. Check the vehicle’s door-post sticker for minimum cold tire inflation pressure.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 34.5pt" height=46><TD class=xl25 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 34.5pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=46>5. Be kind to your vehicle – Maintain proper engine tune-up to keep vehicles running efficiently. Keep the wheels aligned. Wheels that are fighting each other waste fuel. Replace air filters as recommended. Use a fuel with good detergent additives to keep the vehicle engine clean and performing efficiently. Always consult the Owner’s Manual for proper maintenance.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 38.25pt" height=51><TD class=xl26 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 38.25pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=51>6. Travel light – Avoid piling a lot of luggage on the roof rack. The added frontal area reduces aerodynamics and will hurt fuel economy, reducing it by as much as 5 percent. Remove excess weight from the vehicle. Unnecessary weight, such as unneeded items in the trunk, makes the engine work harder and consumes more fuel.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 45.75pt" height=61><TD class=xl25 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 45.75pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=61>7. Minimize use of heater and air conditioning – Use heating and air conditioning selectively to reduce the load on the engine. Decreasing your usage of the air conditioner when temperatures are above 80 degrees can help you save 10-15 percent of fuel. Use the vent setting as much as possible. Park in the shade to keep car cool and reduce the need for air conditioning.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 23.25pt" height=31><TD class=xl25 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 23.25pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=31>8. Close windows at high speeds – Don’t drive with the windows open unless your keep your speed under 50 mph . Driving with the windows open at highways speeds increases aerodynamic drag on the vehicle and lowers fuel economy.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 34.5pt" height=46><TD class=xl25 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 34.5pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=46>9. Choose the right oil – Use good quality, energy-conserving EC oils with the viscosity grade recommended in the Owner’s Manual. Look for cans marked with the symbol ECII, which is the American Society of Testing Materials logo for fuel-efficient oils.</TD></TR><TR style="HEIGHT: 23.25pt" height=31><TD class=xl25 style="BORDER-RIGHT: #d4d0c8; BORDER-TOP: #d4d0c8; BORDER-LEFT: #d4d0c8; WIDTH: 629pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #d4d0c8; HEIGHT: 23.25pt; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" width=839 height=31>10. Consolidate trips – Plan ahead to consolidate your trips. This will enable you to bypass congested routes, lead to less idling, fewer start-ups and less stop-and-go traffic. Whenever feasible, share a ride and/or carpool.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

I read this in a car enthusiast magazine ..........

Car air conditioners are much more efficient today than they used to be. In around-town driving, using the A/C will drop fuel economy by about a mile a gallon. driving at higher speeds with the windows down greatly increases aerodynamic drag. As speed increases, drag becomes more of an issue, making A/C use the more efficient choice at high speeds.
At most speeds and in most vehicles, A/C use drains slightly more fuel than driving with the windows down, contends David Champion, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports. "My final take on is that it's very close," says Phil Reed, consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com. "It's hard to measure the difference and every vehicle is different."

How about running nitrogen in the tires?

Oh god, don't start a nitrogen discussion again. It does absolutely nothing except make the tire pressure vary with temperature less....slightly less... not enough to worry about.

great post bismic, just for my two cents worth; I had some work done on the truck in feb of this year and they flashed the PCM with what was described to me as the latest calibration. I have no idea what this cal was because it is not marked anywhere but it increased the mileage about 1 to 3MPG and gave the engine more low end power (torque). The mileage is more consistant now and overall I think I am doin the best I can with a stock truck- 17 to 19 highway with nothing in tow. AND YEA, DON'T DO ANYTHING TO KILL THE WARRANTY ON A 6.0.

I have the flash where you can hear the injectors circulating before starting and when turning off. I get around 16-18mpg at 65-70, and 18-20 at 55mph on two lane roads.

Wow, I currently get 22.5 at 60mpg. No one in my squadron believes I get this with my Ex. Is this a ridiculusly high number for this engine?

my 06 f350 averages anywhere from 17 to 21 on the highway at 65 70 mph

You need to explain more about your truck and mileage. 4WD?, manual tranny?, gears?, mods? Any tire size changes?

Also - is this one trip or a long term average? Hand calculated or by the electronic gauge?

To answer your question - yes 22.5 AVERAGE at 60 mph is beyond what I believe to be possible.

The milage is 148650 as of this morning, 4WD, Automatic trans, stock gears, I don't know my tire size off hand but they are slightly bigger, I have an AEM Brute Force air intake (3in), 3in turbo back exhaust (Bully Dog), and a Bully Dog Triple Dog Downloader. I'm using Rosella synthetic oil... I got my calculation from the electronic gauge. The trip was a 18 mile trip from New Bern, NC to Cherry Point, NC. With the A/C on I average 21.3. A/C off windows down I got 22.1. Is this really that hard to believe? I change filters every 3,000 miles and oil and filter at another 2,000 miles.

No it's not hard to believe after you said this calculated by the electronic gauge. In reality that number drops 3-4 mpg. My electronic did show 18 mpg in city, while hand calculated was at 14 + . So don't trust in that.