99 f550 towing better gas mileage

[muscle187]

i have a 99 f550 7.3l with an auto trans, its geared low and i pull a 50 ft 3 car wedge trailer with a gooseneck hookup, its 6500 lbs empty and close to 20,000 lbs loaded depending on the vehicles. i usually do between 50-60 mph when fully loaded and im averaging about 8 mpg, i transport cars for a living and when im busy i burn alot of diesel, im looking to make more power with my truck and get better gas mileage, gas mileage especially, i already have the intake manifold that is 2 peices soo the hot turbo side doesnt heat soak the manifold, i was thinking of going with one of the banks setups for towing that claims better gas mileage and alittle more power, what do you guys suggest for better gas mileage. i know banks is known to be over priced but im new to diesel engines and they seam to know a good bit. let me know what you think i know im probably wrong to want to go with banks soo any advice would be great, im not that worried about pricing because it is a business and anything i buy is deductable and wil make me more money in the long run with better gas mileage!

[dazdillenger]

DIY tymar intake (use some 3" exhaust pipe and a FIL6637 from napa)
Dp tuner chip (you can get several switch on the fly tunes, all of which will help with mileage)
203 degree thermostat-dieselsite.com has them, every little bit helps
free flowing exhaust (MBRP, or Diamond eye 4" will lower EGT's and increase mileage)
and a 6.0 intercooler-not really for the mileage benefit, but it'll keep the truck running cooler. Maybe try a water/methanol injection setup-They help with mileage. I'd also recommend a valve body, or at least a good shift kit.

DEFINATELY get an EGT gauge/transmission temp. Despite increasing economy, you will be adding power-even a conservative tow tune will make a huge difference.

Other than that, make sure everything is in good working order-maintenance up to date, no leaks, etc.

The only benefit to ANYTHING banks sells over what is listed, is that you can tell people you have a banks kit and they'll know what you're talking about. Banks off the shelf parts are overpriced, and for the most part inferior to the options listed.

[muscle187]

ok im doing the intake tomarrow, ordered the tstat and a bunch of other stuff from diesel site, im looking at the exhaust, mbrp is 620.00 in stainless and diamond eye i think is alittle less, i called banks for a laugh and their exhaust is 3.5 inch stainless and comes with a power elbow that deletes the exhaust butterfly, and its about 900.00. as far as the exhaust goes. im looking for a decent sounding exhaust that isnt that loud i do alot of highway driving with a heavy trailer and i dont want to get a headache. any suggestions on which exhaust would be quieter or better. i looked on youtube and the diamond eye sounds way louder. also looking into tuners i read a bunch of stuff and it seams sct tuners are the way to go. anymore help is appreciated daz thanks again

[dazdillenger]

Get a diamond eye stainless 4" with a cat delete, and a straight through muffler. It's quiet, and free flowing. I got mine on ebay for 316 bucks shipped with a 5" chrome tip. Make sure to get a muffler with it-they are too loud without!

[muscle187]

just ordered the stainless diamond eye 4 inch for 370 shipped. im looking at gauges now wanna run boost, trans temp, and egt anything else that you guys think might be important?