Sux the Fuel!

[mandrroofing]

Hey guys,Traveling from central Ohio to Colorado is around 2500 miles,i know some of you guys here feel my pain of the fuel cost.Have any of you all done anything to your trucks/cars to improve your MPG? im drive a 2009 f-250 heavy duty and runs of diesel.a couple mpg per gallon would be better than nothing.anyone have any tips of tricks? BTH im getting around 11 MPG

[pointysticks]

11? Ouch! How big of a load are you bringing?

[pointysticks]

Drive slow.

Man that is far! 2500 miles one way? $900 of fuel. Ouch. How many guys splitting fuel cost?

[howler243]

Besides cheking your air filter(especialy with a turbo go with a good one and not one you have to oil imo) make sure you are running injector cleaner of some kind. does your 09 have the piss bucket? DEF if so I would get a programer and bypass that again IMO. Looks like your exhaust is still factory ugrading that has helped in the past. I know on my Duramax going from 3 to 4 made a differance. The biggest thing is not driving 90 down the interstate. I know its alot of fun but you will find your best milage is from 65-70 and if you are using a gps you will see your ETA really doesnt change too much. Make sure your fuel filter has been changed out I belive yours may have two (one under the hood and one on the fuel rail). Best of luck on your hunt. Thanks for driving a diesel you are helping us prevent the next ice age.

[mandrroofing]

lol sorry guys,typo its 1500 miles!sorry bout that

[elknturkey]

Wow that's like $1100 for fuel round trip. Stay around 55-60 mph but other than that not much you can do that I know of

[LckyTylr]

I think all of the mechanical suggestions have already been listed, but for aerodynamics . . .

Stretch that tarp over the trailer as tight as possible and don't let anything flap. A sloppy tarp creates a LOT of drag. If you can find someone who will let you borrow a camper shell or a tono cover, that will also help to limit turbulence.

Higher tire pressure (maybe at the highest suggested PSI). Make sure your trailer bearings are well greased and tire PSI is good.

[Bowhunter]

In that picture the truck appears to be empty or not much in it. Try to organize your gear into the truck and leave the 2500lb trailer at home. You might be able to leave a few luxuries behind. Drive 65-70 like suggested and a clean air filter and fuel filters does make a difference. You might add a carryall thing in the hitch for a few more items. I put a freezer on mine. I do better milage not pulling the trailer even though it is tempting. It is also way easier to turn around on or back down a blocked mountain road. Good luck.

[mandrroofing]

Thanks guys,i do believe i wont have to hull the trailer this year.I just had the truck its annual service as well so maybe that will help.I saw on line that a more efficient fuel pump could help,if i install that if might almost pay for its self on this trip...

[tdiesel]

Do you have emissions testing if so your kinda maxed with what you got currently I'm double yours in my diesel truck at around 22 mpg about 24-25 highway but I am a diesel mechanic so I get to cheat a little

[Jtoplinesales]

Buy a Chevy! Duramax you won't ever go back.

[ferris bugler]

Buy a Chevy! Duramax you won't ever go back.

Ha ha. Made me laugh. Keep it friendly.

[mandrroofing]

Buy a Chevy! Duramax you won't ever go back.

that's pretty bold for only 5 post count

[Swede]

I had a Dodge diesel for years. I sure noticed a big difference if I kept my speed down under 60 mph. I understand that the newer emissions controlled diesels are getting poor fuel economy. At 12 mpg, I would be tempted to have it checked at a shop that specializes in diesels. Maybe tdiesel can recommend something that would help like a K&N air filter.

[Bullnuts]

11? Is that full or empty? My 05 F250 with a 6.0 gets right around 17 empty and 9 when I'm pulling my 11000 pound 5th wheel and I have the off road gearing, so 11 doesn't sound right to me. WW has a F250 too, and he gets up around 22 without the off road gears.
Make sure your tire pressure is right and if you're running oversized tires, get rid of them. They look cool but will rob you of mileage faster than anything else. Clean oil in diesels is important - never go over 5K without an oil change. You should have 2 fuel filters - one under the hood and one on the driver's side frame. Change those at 30K intervals and never use a cheap paper filter. The good fuel filters will run you around 70 bucks but injectors cost about 1300 to replace so it's worth it. Be ready to wear a bunch of fuel when you change the one under the frame though - I haven't figured out a good way to keep from getting hosed down when I change that one.

[RockChucker30]

I'm driving an 89 F250 with a 7.3L Diesel that is getting about 14 mpg. And for my 3000 mile trip to CO this year I'm taking the bare necessities and renting a car. I can do a local rental at $20-$30 per day with unlimited mileage, so around $300 for the rental and hopefully the car will get close to 30 mpg and I won't have to worry about breakdowns on the old truck.

[Indian Summer]

Find someone going your way and carpool. What are your dates?

[mandrroofing]

Leaving on the 17th of Sep,lol I am stuffing five friends in my truck,so that will help a lot.how about a k&n air filter?I know it would not be much help but would it be any help?

[MTLongdraw]

Run died diesel Just remember the cost will be long forgotten after the memories are made.

[Bullnuts]

A K&N filter and cold air intake might help you get a little relief - maybe 1/2 gallon, but over the course of a long trip that will add up. Also, when you get to Colorado you should be running some power diesel cetane additive. Cetane levels in diesel here are low and that will definitely help your truck run better

[tdiesel]

In a lot of dirt I have had much better success with AFE filters the K&N would let fine dust into the intake tube. But plenty of people are running them I'm not sure about the fords but I know the 2008 Duramax had problems with setting a code if you just dropped in a filter with no chip or anything so be aware of that. what really is sucking fuel on those newer trucks is the regeneration. It dumps fuel in to get it hot enough to burn the soot. All that said if you have emmissions testing you really can't impove a ton with your truck I have done a whole egr/dpf delete on a 2010 ford and he says he gets about 20 mpg driving around so the engines are capable. we just decide to shoot our selves in the foot to make a process that would naturally happen in nature happen in the length of the truck but i guess thats the hand we have been dealt. and yes cetane will help a little.

[HTNFSH]

Hey MandR, I know you from BHO. Good luck this year!

I bought my superduty (05 f350) for hunting and pulling my boat. It gets an average of 15 on the highway and 11 towing. All the major 6.0l work has been completed too. I am headed west myself but leaving it at home. .50 cent a gallon more and 2mpg less than my explorer adds up over 4000 miles.

IMHO with all the extra weight and people, your mileage will be less than expected. It would be best if you could roll 60-65 the whole way, but who does that?

[>>>---WW---->]

Guess I'm the odd man out here. My 6.0 F-250 gets anywhere from 19 -23 mpg. It is a 6 speed manual. Doesn't seem to matter if I drive 55 or 80, or loaded or not. By loaded I mean at least three guys and all the hunting gear we can stuff in it.

I did get some bad fuel in Texas once that knocked it down to 14. But as soon as I ran all of that through I was right back up in the 20s again.

Sounds like I may just be lucky. Other than servicing it every 5000 miles, everything on my truck is stock just as it came from the factory.

[KMT]

It doesn't look like you have them on your truck, but the giant cartoon tires and lift kits are the biggest mileage stealers.