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crappy mpg. how to fix it?

2K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  Sader 
#1 ·
I'm new to this site and diesel's in general, i just bought an 04 cc sb, and its totally stock except for the 315/75/16's on stock wheels. I've been only getting around 10.5 mpg's!! i mean i do alot of city driving. but i would think it would get better mpg's even if it was in the city. any help? oh and i drive it like an old lady since its my dd. thanks for any help :D
 
#2 ·
City driving with lots of idling kills your mpg bad. Worse mines gotten so far was 13.8 or something but that was with several hours of idling on that tank.

I average normally 16.9. I can get 22mpg but only in areas that are pretty flat which isnt very often since the north part of alabama is nothing but hills.
 
#3 ·
Of course Ive got a 7.3 vs your 6.0. No clue what the 6.0's do for mpg.
 
#5 ·
You are pushing essentially a 35x12.50 tire. Has your speedometer been recalibrated for those tires? If not you are doing at least 10% better than you think.

Wide/tall tires like that are tough on fuel economy. As mentioned previously, idle time greatly affects your economy as well. Fore every 5 minutes of idle time I see an approximate .1 mile per gallon reduction. I generally see 14-16 mpg city in the winter and 15-18 mpg in the summer. That is with a CC LB SRW truck that weighs over 8500 as daily driven.

The usual suggestions are all I have to offer. Max tire inflation, clean air/fuel filters and weight reduction. A good cetane booster like Power Service or Stanadyne can help but it won't be drastic. If you oil is overdue for a change that can also have a mild effect on economy. A good bed cover helps as well.
 
#6 ·
thanks for the replies guys!! i don't know if the speedo has been recalibrated, since thats how i bought the truck, heck i haven't even made the first payment yet on it! lol! but i've just been reading on here about ppl getting 15-18mpg out of modded diesel's, and here mine is stock and sucks! but like you said lrtmatt, i could be getting 10% better if my speedo is not corrected. is there any formula for adding 10% more to my mpg?
 
#8 ·
I got a 4" lift and 325/65R18 tires with a crew cab long bed truck and I have been getting around 13mpg or so. Everything is stock except for the lift, I got an exhaust now but its been on for less than half a tank. Most of my driving is country roads, a few stop signs here and there and most of the time spent around 35-50mph. I also need to double check my speedo too, against GPS the speedo appears to be about 3mph off.
 
#10 ·
lol!! yeah, i'd buy a smart, but i don't think that will pull my 28 foot race trailer. i just sold my f-150 that had the same tires on it, but they were 17 inch wheels not 16's. and i'm only getting 1 mpg better with the diesel than with the f-150. granted i love my 6.0 so far!! just i thought they would get better mpg than what it is getting. maybe its the winter blend. i'll blame it on that. :smirk:
 
#11 ·
Where is your location? winter fuel I agree will definitly cut in on your fuel economy I'm at about 15.8 with my 06 CC SB in the winter in Michigan.17 to 18 in summer months so pray for warmmer weather we are getting pounded with winter storm today have to snowblow driveway AGAIN!!!
 
#12 ·
i'm in salt lake city utah, we have been getting some unusual weather here too. our high on saturday is only topping out at 15 and the low is going to be 4! so i guess the weather definately has an effect on fuel economy. i've been reading about different oil weights could have an effect on economy as well? is that true, since i'm a valvoline man (i've used nothing but in my race car for years with no problems) i'm going to be putting that in the next oil change.
 
#18 ·
Please esplain.....

My reg cab long bed, 4x4, auto idi got 17mpg on the freeway empty. And I thought that was pretty good. I got 12mpg around town empty and 12 mpg pulling 8k.

My 05 which is heavier cc, sb, 4x4, auto gets 18-19 on the freeway empty. Of course, around town empty it is 12mpg, and about 14 mpg pulling an 8k load.

By my experience they are even at best. Maybe yor experience was better?
:confused:
 
#16 ·
this is hand calculated, but the overhead says i should be getting around 11.4 mpg. but by hand its saying 10.5. my last figuring was 10.9 on my last tank of fuel.
 
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