InnaTillery718
This might be the number one asked question we get every day. More so using the new trucks coming out. They have enough capacity to satisfy the owner's needs, but the high cost of diesel fuel is keep gas mileage in the forefront in everyone's mind. The following advice affect all diesel trucks including Ford Powerstrokes, Dodge Cummins, and the Chevy/GMC Duramax. They are very basic steps that can be done for little if any money that will assist you gain a few mpg. There are lots of other expensive things like programmers that will dramatically increase horsepower, but we are simply looking at comparatively cheap things the average guy can perform to improve his mileage a little without having to spend a lot of extra cash.
1. Maintenance:
You would think this may be a no-brainer, but you could be surprised at the amount of trucks that pass through our shop that run completely different after we give it a complete service. If you would like the most efficiency from your diesel pickup, you have to make sure every vehicle system is working properly. I can not stress enough how important clean fuel and hvac filters will be to the correct operation of the truck. If either of those filters are not up to full capacity, your horsepower are affected. You will have to run the truck much harder to do the same work. A plugged up air filter can rob 15-50 horsepower. Likewise, oil that's way overdue for change loses it's lubricity and results in extra drag. It really isn't doing nearly as good of a job as brand new oil will. This extra drag robs power. This is especially true for transmission, transfer case, and differential oils. If your gears have to spin through thick, broke down sludge, it'll rob just a little horsepower which in turns lowers the efficiency of the truck as a whole. So in short, get on a maintenance schedule which includes all fluids, filters, and service items. In case your truck has 75K+ miles on it and you haven't ever changed the trans or dif oils, it may be a great time to execute a little extra maintenance.
2. Synthetic Lubricants:
Ok, to tell the truth I have continually be skeptical of many of the claims that come along the side of the synthetic lubricant bottles. I have probably had at least 200 Amsoil salesmen saying about how exactly great the oil is and when I just swap out all the truck's oil, I could get two or three mpg. Now, I can not knock either Amsoil or Royal Purple. I have tried personally for both years in many of my performance vehicles plus they provide excellent protection. I have no doubts on their own superior lubrication abilities in demanding conditions. But how about these mileage claims? Well, believe it or not, they are true! We have had many purchasers over the years who will bring their truck in for a complete transition. We changed every bit of oil in the truck to synthetic oils including: engine oil, trans oil, transfer case, and both front and rear differentials. I had been finally convinced from the mileage increase whenever we switched over a few of our customers that run hot shot truck companies. This option accrue crazy miles every month and wanted to change to synthetic so that you can extend oil life combined with the added protection for such diligent trucks. They also are meticulous about monitoring mileage. On average, they all picked up two mpg after switching to synthetic. The synthetic oils simply do a more satisfactory job of lubricating the moving parts of the truck therefore providing less drag. Any time we are able to free up several horsepower to use to move the load, fuel economy will go up.
3. Check Your Boost:
This might probably go below the maintenance topic, but it is essential, it deserves it's own position for discussion. Many people seem bored with the boost level of their engine. I hear all the time, "I have no need for a boost gauge. It adds no value, it's just fun to watch." While that may be true more often than not, the actual purpose of a boost gauge isn't just to see how much boost you are making in a performance application. Boost is essential to a turbocharged diesel's performance. It varies from truck to truck, but boost is in direct regards to just how much power your truck is making. Very to put it simply: more boost = more power. So, why possess a boost gauge? Knowing your truck for it's electricity is suppose to have 20 psi of boost, you can catch small problems that go unnoticed by most. These small problems are bleeding off boost somewhere in the system and lowering the power creation of your engine. The average driver won't spot the difference within the seat of their pants between 18 psi and 20 psi.
A lot of folks will continue they are driving around wondering why they aren't getting just as much power and mileage as they used to. When they were built with a boost gauge they would possess a clue to how to start looking. Perhaps there is a loose clamp or torn intercooler boot. Perhaps a slight leak within the exhaust piping that drives the turbo. Or maybe the air conditioning filter or fuel filter is beginning to obtain dirty. A loss of revenue in boost pressure always is a manifestation of an issue somewhere around the engine. If you're always keeping track of it, you can catch these little problems well before you would normally and consistently possess a great running truck. It's not unusual for a truck to come into the shop using the complaint of low power or bad fuel economy and that we find it is only making 1 / 2 of the boost it should. Further probing could find a dirty air conditioning filter, bad turbo, or a host of other problems. The sad part may be the customer has driven the truck around like that for a few months because they did not really have an idea that they had a problem. It simply didn't appear to run just like it used to and the problems usually worsen so gradually that they don't think to begin checking for problems. If they had a boost gauge they'd have known long before it made it to us.
4. Keep the RPM's Down:
As diesel pickups be popular and more used ones are out there, there are more people than ever before switching over from gas engines. The big problem is they are still pushing them like a gas engine. And if you want to drive that way, you will not hurt the engine at all, however your gas mileage will suffer. For the best gas mileage, diesels in general much like to loaf while doing their work. As the newest trucks are making some impressive horsepower up in the larger rpms, low end torque is where it's at for ultimate gas mileage. If you are attempting to scratch out every last mile per gallon, go easy on that throttle pedal. Use only the minimum quantity of throttle to get at your desired speed. As quick as possible your truck in overdrive and allow the torque move the load down the road, the greater the gas mileage you're going to get. We have a customer who has a really nice 7.3 Powerstroke that people look after. He drives the18 wheeler very easy and also to be honest, what you know already the throttle pedal was made of glass and that he was scared of breaking it by pushing to hard. He constantly get 25-26 mpg with that truck. If his son takes it, he is able to get no better than 18 mpg. Obviously his son drives it with a little more spirit than dad does. ;)
5. Let It Breathe:
So in conclusion, should you follow all five of those steps outlined above, I wouldn't be amazed to determine a two to five mile per gallon gain depending on the present condition of the truck. Perhaps you already are following these steps right now. If you're, healthy for you. You're in the minority of diesel owners. If you're not, there is not time like right now to get started!
To enhance the efficiency from the engine, we have to get more air in and much more air out. For any bump in fuel economy I suggest doing a little work around the fresh air intake side from the engine and also the exhaust side as well. Now I know I said i was not going to try to spend a bunch of money here trying to get more fuel economy and you're probably wondering about this one. I would also like to let you know that we have a full line of performance exhausts and cold air intake kits for those diesel trucks from a variety of manufacturers. (shameless I understand) But to tell the truth, if you are searching encourage a totally stock truck you may not will need to go to all the expense to see some improvement. Don't misunderstand me, a 4" free flowing exhaust and cold air intake certainly is the best way to go if you have the scratch, but just a little diy work may show you some benefit.
First of all, any diesel truck which has a catalytic converter will more often than not see better performance from removing it. (look at your local emission laws first) There are many ways to do this. The least expensive is always to remove it and beat the material from it. The 2nd is always to cut it out and install a portion of the same size pipe you purchase from a truck shop. Just getting that out of there will usually net you a mile per gallon approximately and a better running truck. For added credit, you could take away the muffler as well. Which will help a little if you do not mind the noise. On the intake side, just adding a K&N style free flowing air conditioning filter can help out tremendously. These filters will flow more air which usually will lower your exhaust gas temperatures and increases horsepower. We have had customers report a one mile per gallon increase by just doing this swap. It makes sense money wise since usually purchase a reusable filter such as the K&N or S&B for just one and half to two times the price of a normal air filter. The second time you would need to change the regular air filter, the performance one is taken care of. You're saving cash after that on out.
