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Old     (factorykitted)      Join Date: Jul 2009       01-27-2011, 8:24 AM Reply   
I have an Excursion as a tow rig which i love to death. Im looking to see what mods can be done boost my mpg. I drove to Austin to Houston and back last weekend without towing anything and averaged 15.77mpg at 347 miles - hand calculated. 95% of that was highway at 65-75mph. Im asking about this is b/c im somewhat jealous of my buddies 2500 Dodge getting 23mpg to Austin to Dallas and back.

Thanks in advance.
Old    SamIngram            01-27-2011, 8:35 AM Reply   
What are your axle gears and tire size? You will probably never get what the Dodge gets considering you have a 7.3L and it has a 5.9L (possibly a 6.7). When I had a F350 with a 7.3L and an automatic the best I could get was around 18 mpg with 33" tires and 3.73 gears and a gear vendor overdrive. I had a F350 with manual and didn't do much better, but that truck was beat to death hauling logs and/or a skidder. My current 1998 Dodge with the 12 valve 5.9L easily gets in the mid twenties stock.
Old     (factorykitted)      Join Date: Jul 2009       01-27-2011, 8:53 AM Reply   
3.73 and 285/75/16 Michelin LTX A/T's. I dont expect to get what the Dodge gets or even in the 20's. I was really just wondering if there anything to do that I will boost it a bit. Truck now has 204,000 miles on it. I feel like it got better mileage when it wasnt as "broken" in.
Old     (big_poppa_pump)      Join Date: Apr 2002       01-27-2011, 10:04 AM Reply   
I have a 2002 F250 with the 7.3L. I've heard of quite a few things that can get you better mileage.

Depends upon how much you want to spend to save a few bucks each fillup though.

Free(er) flowing air filter + 4 or 5 inch exhaust + a tuner will probably get you the best gains. DP tuner is the largely accepted best tuner for the 7.3L and is what I'm running. You might get 1-2 mpg out of that tuner package but its not going to be cheap. On top of that, I have way too much fun with my tunes to get any decent mileage out of it.

The following have various reports on thedieselstop.com to increase mpg. Cheaper than a tuner package, but I have some doubts as to them really affecting mpg all that much.

Higher temp 203 degree Themostat - got one haven't put it in yet
Disconnect and remove the AIH (Air Intake Heater)
Synthetic Oil ??

About the only other advice I've really heard to get good mileage is to stay off the throttle as much as possible. If you don't have a boost guage installed, you could get one. Take the attitude that if you're boosting even a little bit, you're burning more fuel. Try to keep it under 2000 rpm as much as you can, this gets exponentially harder with a tuner setup and duramaxes and dodges around you.
Old     (factorykitted)      Join Date: Jul 2009       01-27-2011, 10:39 AM Reply   
i actually forgot that i have a Hypertech tune on the truck. Can remember exactly what it is set to but its not on the most agressive i know that. Out of the 3 vehicles i have the Excursion is most fuel effecient and also the one I put the most miles on. But i agree, it doesnt make sense to dump and bunch of money into the truck to save a couple bucks at the pump.
Old     (westsiderippa)      Join Date: Dec 2006       01-29-2011, 11:05 AM Reply   
http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/

cruise around on there and see what others have to say. great site full of info.
Old     (moon)      Join Date: Oct 2008       01-29-2011, 11:12 AM Reply   
Bryan I was gonna suggest the same forum. I believe I'm still a member (haven't been there lately), since I now own a cummins 5.9, but most of the guys there are really helpful and friendly (at least in the 6.0 section).
Old     (cadunkle)      Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: NJ       01-29-2011, 1:44 PM Reply   
As others said, axle ratio. Keep the RPM low since the 7.3 has the torque to pull it. Also, what transmission do you have? Not sure what came in Excursions but if it's an older one it could be a C6. If so look into a swap to either a ZF5 or E4OD, it'll drop your highway RPM in overdrive but not give the lack of low end grunt a gear swap would do.

Don't do much with diesels, so that's all I got...
Old     (wakeboardin2k4)      Join Date: Sep 2006       01-30-2011, 5:08 PM Reply   
I dont think the excursions came with a c6 or a e4Od. But I wont say youre wrong, just doesnt sound right to me.

Best way to save money on fuel....make your own biodiesel. Look on youtube for videos.
Old     (norcalwake)      Join Date: Jul 2010       02-02-2011, 3:38 PM Reply   
I have a 2001 F350 7.3 L powerstroke. I consistantly get 20-23 mpg. I have a K&N airfilter, Edge Evolution programmer, and a 4 in exhaust from the turbo back.
Old     (big_poppa_pump)      Join Date: Apr 2002       02-02-2011, 3:57 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by norcalwake View Post
I have a 2001 F350 7.3 L powerstroke. I consistantly get 20-23 mpg. I have a K&N airfilter, Edge Evolution programmer, and a 4 in exhaust from the turbo back.
You reading that off the display or hand calculating that 20-23 mpg? That's real decent mileage there, I didn't get that back when I had the pizza cutter stock firestone rubber on but I also didn't have any mileage to speak of.

My other suspicion is that you visit http://www.hypermiling.com
Old     (dave27)      Join Date: May 2005       02-03-2011, 1:25 PM Reply   
I have a 2001 F250 with the banks stinger plus kit 4X4 crew cab running 35 inch tires and 3.73 axle. I get tops 14 MPG and low 12.5. If I drive straight to SJ to LA, I can get 18. oh, and I have an automatic.

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