F250 Mileage - Programmers/Chips?

[dmccarty]

Does it help to take the tail gate off and replace with one of those gates with holes in it?

On my old Chevy I once drove 5 hours in the morning and then returned home that afternoon. One way had tailgate up and the other leg had the tailgate down. I hand calculated the milage. No difference in that truck.

Later,
Dan

 

[Egon]

I believe there have been proper studies done that indicate the tailgate up works better. No not the Myth busters!

If you really want to change gas mileage get a cam put in for economy. Might not pull well or go fast but it would increase the fuel mileage. You probably would not be happy with it.

 

[dmccarty]

Trade it in for a 12 valve Dodge Cumins.

Not with the HIGH price of diesel. It was 4.25 on Friday. 4.37 on Sunday. $148 to fill up. Gas is .60-.65 cents less per gallon for 87 octane.

At the moment we have three cars, one of which we are selling. Thought about just parking the F350 but the car gets only 1-2 mpg better, at best, and requires 92/93 octane gas. Figured driving it might save me $20 a month. Taxes and insurance cost more than the fuel savings.

Selling the car and putting money to better use as well as tax and insurance savings is the way to go for us.

Regarding the chip, I would go look at Diesel Forum - The Diesel Stop.com and see what they say over there. There is a section for gassers. My reading on the chips is that if you want power they will provide it but you will burn more fuel. The chips seem to inflate the mpg even more so than usual if the truck displays the milage. Hand calculate mpg gives a more accurate result. My overhead, but no chip, is usually .3-.5 mpg worse than reality. Sunday the overhead was 20.9 mpg. Actual was 20.5 which is the milage I get this time of year.

Synthetic oil should/might give 2%-3% better mpg. I think I got that kind of a bump in mpg when I switched oils. Not sure if it is worse then extra cost of synthetic but I'm also going 10K per oil change and not 5K. Oil analysis says all is ok.

 

[riptides]

I agree with dmccarty I have not seen a case where one can tune for both MPG and power needed to pull.

The good think about diesel is (IMHO) I can burn bio when I need to. Heck I am even thinking about doing my own bio. I have gone 102k so far and my mechanic thinks it is in great shape.

 

[LMTC]

I agree with dmccarty I have not seen a case where one can tune for both MPG and power needed to pull.

The good think about diesel is (IMHO) I can burn bio when I need to. Heck I am even thinking about doing my own bio. I have gone 102k so far and my mechanic thinks it is in great shape.

About half the time I am perfectly willing to trade power for mpg. That's what I thought I was asking about. I appreciate the responses, but seriously guys....I am mechanically deficient but I can do numbers with anyone. I know how to keep air in my tires, I don't do drag strip starts, and I have a minivan that will get 28mpg+ on the highway.

None of that is the point. There are some trips when I need to take the truck, period, and when that occurs and I'm not pulling a trailer I would like to find out if there is indeed a way to trade power for mileage. And yes, I would pay $300 or so for that option IF it is a realistic option. So far I know a couple people who have gone the other way...given up mileage for power, and swear they got the power....but I don't know anyone who has gained mileage (or even tried).

 

[Egon]

The 12 valve cumins may just make up for the price difference in fuel with mileage and being able to pull something.

 

[riptides]

None of that is the point. There are some trips when I need to take the truck, period, and when that occurs and I'm not pulling a trailer I would like to find out if there is indeed a way to trade power for mileage. And yes, I would pay $300 or so for that option IF it is a realistic option. So far I know a couple people who have gone the other way...given up mileage for power, and swear they got the power....but I don't know anyone who has gained mileage (or even tried).

Go read that diesel forum about the gasser chipsets. IMHO the cost in terms of time, money and mechanical aptitude does not justify my person installing one on his cherished but parked F250 7.3L Powerstroke.

I don't think, IMHO, your going to get the results you'd expect in terms of MPG. Too many *other* factors come into play.

There is no magic bullet.

 

[Reg]

About half the time I am perfectly willing to trade power for mpg. That's what I thought I was asking about. I appreciate the responses, but seriously guys....I am mechanically deficient but I can do numbers with anyone. I know how to keep air in my tires, I don't do drag strip starts, and I have a minivan that will get 28mpg+ on the highway.

None of that is the point. There are some trips when I need to take the truck, period, and when that occurs and I'm not pulling a trailer I would like to find out if there is indeed a way to trade power for mileage. And yes, I would pay $300 or so for that option IF it is a realistic option. So far I know a couple people who have gone the other way...given up mileage for power, and swear they got the power....but I don't know anyone who has gained mileage (or even tried).

I havn't priced this stuff in several years, but $300 wouldn't get you CLOSE, even then.
By the time you get the chip and exhaust gas monitoring all INSTALLED (at over $80 an hour) I would be very surprised if you get less than $1K lighter in the wallet.
Remember that the pyrometer is there for you to watch as you tread on the accelerator, if it rises significantly you have to back off, i.e. it is there to warn you when you are about to do permanent and expensive damage to your engine - not to prevent that, just to warn you that it is creating heat at an alarming rate - IOW, burning a whole helluva lot of fuel.
This is NOT the path to economy, it is the path to more gallons per hour.

Hey, here's something that can help you.
Get a ScanGuage, about $160 - half what you were willing to spend on a chip.
Set it to display gallons per hour, Manifold absolute pressure, miles per gallon and whatever else you might be curious about. You will be AMAZED what seeing these numbers in real time will do to your driving style - with hardly any increase in actual journey time.
The side benefit is that you can read out the check engine light codes and re-set them. It plugs into any '96 or later vehicle that has DTCII connector, yes even diesels, you can move it from vehicle to vehilce, no wiring changes needed.

 

[ihookem]

I have tried everything there is to try when it comes to gas mileage. Only a few things work, most don't. A chip is a total waste of money. It gives worse mileage for 400$. They trick you because it also adjusts the speedometer too, in favor of looking like your getting better, my gps told me this. A few things really work thouh. Tires make a big difference! If your riding at's your loosing 10%. Get a good hwy tire, i have Uniroyal Larado HDH ( heavy duty highway) load range E is a must and go 80 Psi minimun air pressure. I do 90 psi. ( It takes 200psi to blow a tire) Tires balanced and aligned are important. The tires must be the right size for best mpg. I have one size bigger and loose 1/2 mpg. (2.5 %) I'm going back to original tires size. Synthetics oooohhh! I get .2 mpg better with synthetic oil, or 1% Better, not much but worth it in the long run I think with longer oil change intervals. I have an Amsoil air filter, no difference in mpg, had a K&N air filter, no difference. Plain stock paper filters are fine. Take off the lift kits if you have one! Cruise control on flat hwy. On small hilly terrain forget cruise cause the engine rpm's go up and down too much. Go a little slower and when on the hwy stop a little less if you can. Best mpg seems to be between 50- 70 degrees. If you can travel at night you don't fight the wind as much. If you can get a tail wind that helps too. When I travel to the cabin and if I have to buck the wind in the day I sometimes wait if the wind is supposed to calm down later in the day. I've tried everything to improve mpg. Later, ihookem

 

[jinman]

About half the time I am perfectly willing to trade power for mpg. That's what I thought I was asking about.

Egon's suggestion is really not too bad. I get 21-22 mpg in my 12-valve '96 Cummins. Unfortunately, with 375,000 miles, I've spent far more for fuel and oil changes than the truck cost new.

So, if you truly need a 3/4 ton pickup and good mileage, trade your Ford in on an older Cummins (pre-24 valve) and drive your 28 mpg van when possible. I now have a Pontiac Vibe I commute in and get a consistent 33 mpg. My truck sits unused until I need to haul something.

Sorry, this has nothing to do with chipping your Ford as was your original queston. I don't think that's possible, but I do think there are other solutions.