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what kind of m.p.g. are you getting?

I try to fill up at busy truck stops as they get fresh fuel often. I'm not sure but I bet the GOV has a hand is fuel quality regulation but it is all regulated (which i dont think means crap) and SHOULD be the same.

My 93 one ton dually with stock exhaust, heavy flat bed, manual trans, 235/85 tires, turbo leaking oil all over the place, wastegate frozen in open position, and lift pump bad still got 16.5 all highway and 14-15 around town. RPMs are in the 2100 range at 65
 
o.k. people. what chip will give me the very best fuel saving and a power increase? and im leaning more towards better milage? i have a bd chip. and was told it is very outdated. it is a bd pin 1059. z-bpaa. bxpy 1624. thank you
 
19ish

I'm right at 19ish avg on winter blends here on both my truck & the Tahoe. I check it religiously. I also watch the rpms & do not allow my foot to push em over 2K from stops or on the road. Try it, it really helps the mpg & it also will train you to improve yr driving habits. I also use the cruise most all the time. Flat here no hills, so no challenge it's not working it hard to hold constant speed.

I run avg of 450 miles a week, I also have a sweet fuel deal setup currently with a side weekend job that is soon going to come to an end... :(

I have been searching for a IDI at a reasonable price, but nothing has caught my eye, yet, still searching. It is gonna be hard for me to get back into a sedan after driving these full size pickups for the last 6 yrs, but I am gonna do it.

My Tahoe has 3.42 gears 4wd with an aftermarket chip, the EGR is disconnected. I am gonna swap out the chit intake upper & lower & add new rebuilt injectors this spring along with a K47 air box, not expecting for major gain in the MPG just want to set it up the way I want it & have the injectors behind me.

My truck has 3.73 posi 2wd, same supplier after market multi chip with a flat bed tahoe cover. I removed the cap that helped me gain about 1.5 mpg. The only way to keep the avg up with this truck & the stock winter 15" wheels is to run it on the slab at no more the 63mph. I will be swapping back to the 20" rims here very soon, then I can run it at 70mph. The truck scored me 23mpg on a trip home last yr all slap at 73mph cruise & AC on, my best ever with the old injectors, we'll see what it get me this yr with the new rebuilds...

My secret with either vehicle is very easy...keep the tach under 2K oh & my 19 mpg avg is EMPTY no load not towing anything.
 
Mine also gained a bit more than 2 mpg when going from 180's to 195's. Running empty up to 60-65 mph it averages ~19 mpg. 75 mph knocks that down to ~17-18 mpg.

If the 195 'stats you run open adequately by 195-200 degrees, then the concept of running 180's for better cooling has limited merit. Also you could reasonably argue the cooling system can exchange more heat when operated at 195.

Heat exhangers move heat proportionally to the temp difference btwn engine coolant & ambient air temp. A given radiator at a given ambient air temp will dump more heat units w/ the engine coolant at 195, than w/ coolant at 180.
 
I like my selectable programming. Econ, towing, and racing tunes.

My 95 Z71 pulls 18mpg normal driving but has gotten 21 loaded with 4 large spray rig tires cruising 72mph from Dodge city, Ks to Seiling, Ok (SW KS-NW OK). Flat or rolling hills most of the way. Not bad for a 4x4 w/ 265K miles on it! That was when it was all stock too.
 
I was noodling around with a gear ratio calculator and found a tidbit of info that is pertinent to this thread.
The 86 6.2 2wd 1/2 ton Suburban I have gotten 20-21 mpg with in a 25-75% town / highway driving is geared 3.43 (typical) with 235/75/15 tires. This works out at 55 mph-1500 rpm 60 - 1670, 65 - 1800. most of the cruise on the highway was at 65. So that reinforces the point the 6.2/6.5 really must turn less than 1800 for mileage.
BTW 4.56 gears and 37" tires puts the RPM at around 1850 @65 :hihi: I can live with that.
 
Hey there good people. I will just say ive had mt 95 k3500 for over 2 years. And it used to be a dually, now its a single rear wheel. Ive went from 180 stats to 195, Ive drove 55, 65, 70, and 75 mph. Ive run lucas, and howes, and power service, Ive filled at truck stops and regular stations,, , In the summer i get 13.5 to 16, And in the winter i get 13.5 to 16. All these fuel saving tips have got me nothing, but disappointments. Hell last month i pulled my equipmenmt trailer about 200 miles loaded about 6000lbs, and my millage is still 12.4 mpg with winter fuel. I think its the u.l.s.d fuel, and 4.10 gears. I just drive the crap out of it. I give up on all your miracles. I love the power of my truck. Its no cummins or duromax, or powerstroke. But its paid for. Dont fix it if it aint broke. Just my opinion. thank you much
 
I would be happy it is atleast consistant. Drives me nuts worrying something broke when my truck gets 21mpg one tank and 15 the next for no logical reason... I drive my 93 like I stole it and never get less than 13.

I dont see much difference between summer and winter MPG either. Maybe we have different blend then the rest of the country??
 
I think not all diesels are the same as far as the 6.5,s are. I had a 97 even the same color in 2002 and 2003, and it got 17 mpg to 22 mpg. Or is it the u.l.s.d? Or is some people stretching the truth? and, or all of the above? maybe im too honest? thank you
 
I think "most" people on this forum are pretty honest. All trucks are different this is true. ULSD didnt have as much effect on MPG as it had on Longevity of the fuel system IMHO. 97's had different programing and might have been more conservative on the fuel and boost out put than your BD tune causing better mpg when coupled with 3.73's. And as mentioned earlier 97's had free flowing intakes and slightly better turbo's (my 95 has a GM4)

13-16 is ok for a truck that can still pull the axles off any trailer you put behind it. My goal is 4.56's and the best flowing turbo I can muster up on my 93 and if it gets 15 mpg unloaded (which it is loaded +10K 90% of the time) then I will be extremely happy.
 
My 95 i have now is weird one for sure. I can beat the crap out of it, or baby it. Not much difference at all. I just dont like how people say buy this do that. And its just a waste of money. But i listen and try them out. I have took out the computer and its still the original so i have no tuning at all. The only thing thats not stock is the exhaust its got 4 inch all the way ,no cat.It damn sure has a lot more power than the 97 i had.A whole lot more. But i dont see why the mpg is 6 mpg difference.Its been more tanks less than 14 ,then tanks over 14.THe only time i got over 16 is when i went to michigan in 2011. So the power is there. and it works for me. I would like to learn more. So thank you much
 
I wonder what causes all the variances in 6.5L mileage. When My truck was bone stock it got about the same as it does now. With the 3.73 rear I get about 21 mpg on the open road and 17.5-18.5 mpg or so running in between Concord and Charlotte on NC-29 every other day. Worst I ever get is down I-85 when it is backed up and everyone is going from 0-60-0 mph every mile or so, then it is about 16 mpg.
 
What i cant understand is ive been told if i go to bigger tires or change my gear ratio to 3.73 or 3.42 i would get better mileage.My thought is if i did that the cost would never pay for it self. ever. Whats weird is when i pull my trailer i drive faster. If i slow down its a little better but then people are always on your ass. Tailgating. Here in kansas they all drive at least 10 over. Even the semis. Even on the back roads. ill just live with my 13 m.p.g. thank you
 
I average 13.5.

Summer, winter, highway city.

It just doesn't care.

Heck, 8500 lb 9' tall travel trailer only dropped it to around 11- 12 mpg.

4:10 final gears and the truck is definitely not "stock" anymore. But, it's not radically modified either.

I don't think people are "dishonest" or exaggerating their mpg claims, but I do think their methodologies for mpg measurement may be suspect....


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Dropping RPM's through gearing is the best way to get better mpg but it lowers your tow rating. The factory speedo setting is usually 3mph(ish) fast, in my experience. (Ie: when it shows 63 you will be going 60) Being that far off calibration makes the mpg show worse than it is. A 235/85r16 or 265/75r16 make the speedo nearly right but I wouldnt worry about it until you wear the current set out.

I understand the tail gating problem, I cant get on Highway 412 with out some one sniffing my @$$. There have been 5 wrecks since the new year in the 30mile stretch of 412 i normally drive, i dont want to be the idiot driving slow causing wrecks.If my cruise isnt atleast on 72 I get a pile up behind me.
 
I average 13.5.

Summer, winter, highway city.

It just doesn't care.

Heck, 8500 lb 9' tall travel trailer only dropped it to around 11- 12 mpg.

4:10 final gears and the truck is definitely not "stock" anymore. But, it's not radically modified either.

I don't think people are "dishonest" or exaggerating their mpg claims, but I do think their methodologies for mpg measurement may be suspect....


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I use the average on my phone app and then have the high and low mpg showed
 
I just modified my drac/vssb with dip switches and then adjusted it to match gps speed. You can do the same thing with moving jumpers, but its a serious pita....plus, if you're a klutz with a soldering iron you can "f" the board.

I could personally care less about tailgaters. I get in the right lane, set the cruise at the speed limit and ignore them. If it's two lane and I'm doing the limit, I ignore them.

They hit me, they're in the wrong (no defense to rear ending someone) and paying to fix it....


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My belief is the reaason my truck only averages 13mpg to 14 mpg is because of 4.10 gears and u.l.s.d. Im sure glad other guys with 4.10 gears are getting 13 also. However if i had 3.73, or 4.10 and slowed down would i not get 17 like other guys do? Plus if i drive slower the wind resistence would be less and i would get better mileage? Why does it not work for me. 27 months of driving slow fast ,winter summer, with additive, or with out. the same mileage. Ive only had diesel trucks for 12 years and this has never happend before. It must be my pump. It runs excellent and plenty of power . just bad m.p.g.s
 
I'd just stop worrying about it if the truck does what you need, you're happy with it and the mpg is consistent.

Besides, 13-14 mpg for a vehicle this big is not too bad.

My wife used to have a cc Dakota with a 318. That dirty little biotch got under 10 mpg almost all the time. Hilly terrain could drop it to 6-7 mpg. You could tickle 12- ish if you were on the highway and a couple kms under the limit....but boy oh boy would it ever move for a truck...


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