Can I get better fuel mileage

[Hammerhead]

(09-08-2017 )Fergie Wrote:  Figured I'd give an update. Dash gauge is off, but by half a mile. So my first tank actually got 7.7 MPG. Second tank full 8.0 mpg. Both times gauge read half mile a gallon better. Got 373 miles on third tank and it's reading 9.0. So a possible 8.5 mpg. When I bought this I as hoping for 7 considering my current 93 kW t600 with Detroit as getting 5.8. Figured you'd think they'd increase by 1 mile in 19 years. Was pretty disappointed when I only got 5.8 on first tank full. A bit disappointed in brother in law, he's got a couple trucks and does about the same thing I do except he does pull alot of van trailer hauling seed corn. He's got older W900's with cat's, thought showing him this mpg gain he'd want to join in on the money saving. He laughs at the idea of slowing down, oh well I can lead a horse to water but can't make them drink.

That's a fact, you can tell some people, some people you can't tell them much...

[Waterloo]

(09-08-2017 )Fergie Wrote:  Figured I'd give an update. Dash gauge is off, but by half a mile. So my first tank actually got 7.7 MPG. Second tank full 8.0 mpg. Both times gauge read half mile a gallon better. Got 373 miles on third tank and it's reading 9.0. So a possible 8.5 mpg. When I bought this I as hoping for 7 considering my current 93 kW t600 with Detroit as getting 5.8. Figured you'd think they'd increase by 1 mile in 19 years. Was pretty disappointed when I only got 5.8 on first tank full. A bit disappointed in brother in law, he's got a couple trucks and does about the same thing I do except he does pull alot of van trailer hauling seed corn. He's got older W900's with cat's, thought showing him this mpg gain he'd want to join in on the money saving. He laughs at the idea of slowing down, oh well I can lead a horse to water but can't make them drink.

That sounds great Fergie! Do the math on the fuel savings... A few house notes, a new car, that 100" flat screen for the outdoor patio BBQ area you can now afford to install... Rub that in the BIL's nose. And make him bring the steaks. Fat THICK GRASS FED ones from the butcher shop, not that Kroger crap. LOL!

[Midland]

I've run both SS and duals. Can't say that I could tell a difference.

Slowing down is the single most helpful thing for fuel economy. By installing the 13 speed conversion you can better tailor your speed and rpm to each load you have in the box (or bucket, or whatever). I would encourage you to do that.

On a different rather bizarre mpg note, after Rawze's truck smacked a deer out in NM or somewhere, I added one of those basic deer guards to my truck. A couple years ago I had read some MPG testing report and they had one truck with a deer guard (it was the small square tubed one from Link) and that truck got slightly better MPG than the others. They weren't testing deer guards but they noted it and moved on to whatever they were testing.

So, in the last month or so, my MPG has reached an all time high. Into the 10s with light loads, high 8s where I would expect low 8s, etc. Is it the deer guard? Don't know. I certainly won't say that it will help, but non scientific observation would indicate that it might. It will not help as much for short and stop/go type runs if in fact it does help. Either way, I am pretty happy with current MPG and it is the first time I am happy since putting this truck together.

For those of you pondering aerodynamics, it is a very elusive science. Basically, think about the golf ball, which flies straighter AND further with the dimples. Same reason the baseball pitcher tries to scuff up new balls before pitching them.

YMMV, but I do think there is a small but noticeable MPG gain.