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Nee more MPG out of my '03 6.0L Powerstroke

23K views 33 replies 17 participants last post by  ptsk06tank 
#1 ·
Hey Fellas...Please give me your opinions on what modifications to make (as cost effective as possible) to get this truck to get better fuel mileage. F250 Supercab, No muffler and the rest is 00% stock with 91,000 miles.

What has an has not worked for ou.

Prefer something I can just plug-in and go.

Thanks,
Matt
 
#3 ·
Get rid of the cat and put a turboback exhaust..this will let it breathe like its supposed to. An SCT tuner with custom tunes by gearhead of innovative will help as well. Just let them know what exactly you are looking to get (better mileage) and they can write you a tune for that.

Other than that...small things like keeping your foot out of the pedal..cruise control on the freeway at about 65...keeping tires inflated...all the normal stuff.

Like said above....this is a truck so it is not going to get GREAT mileage but gets a whole lot better than a gas rig...

Other drastic option is to get a 03-06 cummins and you will be getting 20+mpg. My cousin has an 03 with 275k miles on it and constantly get 23mpg..about 21mpg pulling.
 
#4 ·
What he said.! ^^^

Also, I recommend getting some gauges and run a HOT tune and just keep your foot out of the skinny pedal. That will get you the best mileage :thumb:
 
#5 · (Edited)
You can also buy a cat delte pipe for much cheaper than a full system. Stock trucks(inj adn turbo) do need 4" exhaust. 4" on a stock truck will decrease your low end TQ, thats what you need for mpg.

The stock exhaust size is 3" down pipe and 3.5" to the back.

Synthetic fluids in the eng, diffs will help.

SCT custom tunes and Innovative FICM progams hlep the most with mpg. Moderate is the most effective even with stock trucks.

I can give you more options but they depend on where you live in the US. What state do you live in?

I get 20mpg on the highway going 65mph.
 
#6 ·
I get 22-23 doing 70mph on my truck.

K&N Cold air intake.
Cat delete
Muffler delete
T5 10w-30 oil.
Crankcase Ventilation mod.
Diesel Kleen cetane booster in every tank.
 
#7 ·
10W30 will help mpg but im not up for thinner oil in my 6. Same with the K&N


The reason why I talked about where you live Matt is cuz of the EGR system. That is a huge way to help your truck.

you can also unplug your egr valve but it is a good idea to have some way of clearing the codes when you want to plug it back in. When it is unpluged the valve is closed stoping the exhaust flow. It is even better to plug or almost plug the up-pipe that feeds the egr system.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Not saying anyone is lying but 22-23mpg's in this truck does not sound realistic. If it was an inline 6 cummins I would believe it...but not a big ol 8 cylinder 6.0..

If your truck is somehow getting those kinda numbers I would NEVER get rid of it.
 
#10 ·
Here is a good write up from Diesel Truck World on the 6.0L and improving economy. I like how they broke it down for what each mod got them. Do a search for part 2 of the article and it breaks down how long it takes to recoup the costs for the mods.

Diesel Truck World powered by EON - Enthusiasts' Online Network, Inc.

One of the biggest helps was changing the driveline lubricants to synthetic. Also since the front and rear gear and transfer case doesn't need to be changed that often you really make up some money on this. By the end of the test they were getting 21mpg on a closed course. Real world would probably be closer to 19.

Edit: Another good swap that helped a friend of mine is a bed cover. Does a pretty good job improving the aerodynamics. There's a reason the NASCAR trucks run closed beds.
 
#11 ·
I understand your apprehension towards my numbers. I have a light foot on this truck when I'm trying to max economy so I will not let it get above 2k RPM.

On the interstate where I got those numbers I was doing 70mph GPS, 74 MPH indicated.

2wd. No leveling kit. Regular tires. Max pressure. K&N intake. Straight pipe exhaust. 10w-30 T5 oil.

You can be apprehensive all you want. It's DAMN good economy and it was one of my major selling points on talking the wife into letting me get it. My city driving gets me 15-18 depending on how much stop n' go I do.

I <3 my truck.
 
#12 ·
I also took my spare out and had a tonneu cover. I absoulty got 23mpg and that is hard checking it, I did not have a mpg cal. in my truck. I drove 64 miles a day. I now have an 08 that I am just getting started with, right now with the mods I have I am at 15. I just took out the spare and will be buying a cover for the bed soon. I should also mention that my tires are inflated to the max 80psi.
 
#16 ·
#19 ·
I use the T5 oil and cetane booster every tank and never had a problem starting her up since I switched oil.
 
#20 ·
Is the T5 synthetic? The Rotella I use is T6. I have sold my 05 and now have an 08 dually and am in the process of seeing what I can get out of her. I have just gotten it switched to synth I have no tonnoeu yet and with the DPF Delete and the program set on two I am getting 15.5 right now. I am looking at getting a new air dam up front and have to do some saving up to get the Tubonetics intercooler, I hear that the power and fuel mileage gains are impressive.
 
#21 ·
T5 is a synthetic blend 10w-30. I'm not sure about the T6.
 
#23 ·
Myth busters proved that tops, covers, and leaving the tailgate open all actually yield slightly worse mpg than with the tailgate closed and no cover. But to me its preference...cover or not b/c the mpg dif is essentially neglible.

I was getting 18-20 mph at 65 mph with the truck in my sig BUT minus the 35" Toyos and the Ranch Hand...all I had was the leveling kit and SCT custom tunes and the truck is also a FX4 with 3.73 gears.
 
#24 ·
Tailgate open

With the tailgate open especially with a long bed hurts mileage because the wind comes around the cab and pushes down on the tailgate. With the tailgate up there is a vacuum over the bed. A flat supported cover, no arched bows, yields the best results. No tail gate makes a slight improvement. Best results I have gotten was with my chip on 10, Quadzilla Adrenaline, and my foot out of it. Some chips and programmer really get agressive with the fueling and no matter how you drive it, will suck fuel. I was getting 23 on an 05 F-350 with a flat cover, s&b air, 4" turbo back manual trans. with sythn in all holes, tires aired to 80psi. I now have an 08 with synth in all holes Edge Race set on 2, s&b, 4'' turbo back, regen shut off, and avg right now is 17.7, dually, no cover yet, and a Spearco on the way hope to get 20 and then I will be happy!:thumb:
 
#26 ·
Thats 23mpg

Get the lift out and do what I did, you will be amazed:thumb: There are some other mods that work also, longer air dam up front cleans the air from underneath the truck, believe it or not wax and rainx, think slick, works also. I do all these things just for fun, or should I say, as a challenge. Most of the time when I drive, it's hammer down, 65mph or more, ( I got things to do and people to see!!) Some guy told me today that he was getting high twenties with nothing more than a 4'' pipe on a bone stock 04 :hehe: I don't so
 
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