MPG for Diesel Excursions ??

[Aceshigh]

Hey guys, I'm new here so I'm not too diesel savvy yet, hoping to be soon. I'm in the market for a truck to replace my 2000 GMC Jimmy Diamond Ed which I never use. It's only got 53,000 on it. I just purchased a Quad ('04 Raptor 660) and I need something that can transport this. I don't have room for a trailer at my townhouse, so the next best thing is to purchase a big truck or Excursion but I'm trying to get the most stats available on my 2 choices to decide which is best for me.

Choices
#1. 1999 and up Ford F-250 Powerstroke Diesel Crew Cab.
#2. Ford Excursion Diesel

Now I was told by some other board members here that have the Crew Cab F-250 7.3PS that you can attain 14-17mpg in the city and 18-20 on the hiway with the 3.73 gearing.

I'm curious to know what the MPG rating for city / hwy is that some of you are getting in your Excursions. Any info is greatly appreciated on the comparison as well to help me out deciding this.

[XMen]

With mods on '03 6.0psd...20-22 hwy @ 75mph, 16-17 city, 16.5 towing 7500# horse trailer.

[POS]

You'll never know until you drive it - it seem each individual truck is different. On top of that, there's the many variables that shake the tree - tire size, last filter change, 4x2/4x4, AC on/off, etc.

My 2000 F350 (7.3) cc lwb 4x4 with 3.73s never broke 15 mpg cruising at 78mph.

My 2004 F250 (6.0) cc swb 4x4 with 3.73s consistently breaks 17 cruising at 78mph.

After being around for five years, I've read enough to know that the Ex seems to do better on mpg than the pickups - regardless if it's the 7.3 or the 6.0. Also, as stated first, each truck is different. One member on here will get 19 @ 70 mph, and the other (same config) will get 16 @70 mph.

Since you're buying used, take a long test drive, set the cruise at 75 (or whatever), and reset the mpg reader. You'll need 10 mins uninterrupted to even come close to guessing what the mpg is - but you should be able to compare the two vehicles (in theory).

[RoyC]

My X is stock and MPG ...
City (all stop and go driving never on interstate or two lane HWY.) 16.5 - 17. MPG.

Interstate Driving at 70 MPG 21.5 - 22. MPG.

RoyC

[turbodave]

[ QUOTE ]
My X is stock and MPG ...
City (all stop and go driving never on interstate or two lane HWY.) 16.5 - 17. MPG.

Interstate Driving at 70 MPG 21.5 - 22. MPG.

RoyC

[/ QUOTE ]

My stock X (4x2 2001), never quite got that good (close though), but I get exactly those same numbers now that it's chipped.

[Pharmer]

Stock 7.3L 17.5 - 18.5 mpg at 75mph. All stop and go 15 - 16 mpg. Best on 2 lane roads at 60 -65 mph, 19 - 20 mpg. Before this had a V10 Ex same driving over 90K miles. 75 mph (12.5 -14), city (10) and back roads (14 - 15). So you can see I'm a pretty conservative driver.

Only three mods I'm thinking of are 203 degree thermostat, Ford AIS and Walker BTM.

[RussBarnes]

Don't know where you are getting those 20's. I've put 69,000 miles on my '04 2wd and the only place that shows in the 20's is the overhead or if I don't top off the tank. I keep a chart of every drop and mile that mine has been driven. Daily schedule is 52 miles to work, 38 of that on Interstate, 12 on secondary roads and 2 in the city. And that nets 17.5, day in day out. I just today came back from Springfield, MO and showed 19.7 on the overhead, but when I filled it the calculation was 17.8.
I drive the Interstates at 70-75, the back roads at 55-60 and city at 35-40. No jackrabbit starts, but I keep up with the flow.

[Aceshigh]

Thanks so far for the insight guys.
So far I'm seeing alot of inconsistencies with economy ratings and individual owners, and I'm guessing it might be the way the trucks are driven too. Thanks very much for your guys input so far.

I have a few other questions too.
I see "Diesel Cruiser" that are quite the diesel fanatic with your other transportation. So I would like to know when searching for a used Excursion with a diesel , what are some of the key things that are very important as far as maintenance is concerned.

Like those VW TDi's I've heard that the belt has to be replaced around 60-70,000 miles or it can ruin the engine. Is the PS Ford engines the same way?? What should I be on the lookout for to be sure I'm not buying a truck that's going to need an immediate $2,000 maintenance??? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[roofeditor]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't know where you are getting those 20's. I've put 69,000 miles on my '04 2wd and the only place that shows in the 20's is the overhead or if I don't top off the tank. I keep a chart of every drop and mile that mine has been driven. Daily schedule is 52 miles to work, 38 of that on Interstate, 12 on secondary roads and 2 in the city. And that nets 17.5, day in day out. I just today came back from Springfield, MO and showed 19.7 on the overhead, but when I filled it the calculation was 17.8.
I drive the Interstates at 70-75, the back roads at 55-60 and city at 35-40. No jackrabbit starts, but I keep up with the flow.

[/ QUOTE ]

My 03 with a TS box, AFE filter and a exhaust system could get about 20 mpg at 65 highway with cruise on. Real miles not the overhead thing. Mixed city/highway was about 17 pretty much all the time. The TS box was good for 1-2 mpg increase.

[Ken1]

The average for 152K is 15.2mpg. Towing, 4 wheel. snow, ice and highway speeds

Ken

[turbodave]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't know where you are getting those 20's. I've put 69,000 miles on my '04 2wd and the only place that shows in the 20's is the overhead or if I don't top off the tank. I keep a chart of every drop and mile that mine has been driven. Daily schedule is 52 miles to work, 38 of that on Interstate, 12 on secondary roads and 2 in the city. And that nets 17.5, day in day out. I just today came back from Springfield, MO and showed 19.7 on the overhead, but when I filled it the calculation was 17.8.
I drive the Interstates at 70-75, the back roads at 55-60 and city at 35-40. No jackrabbit starts, but I keep up with the flow.

[/ QUOTE ]

The key, (on mine anyway) was keeping the rpm on the highway in the sweet spot. 1900-2000 rpm seems to yield the best highway mileage. Anything over 2000 rpm and the mileage will drop a full point, and running at 2300 or higher and the mileage will drop to 17 and lower.

Many of the differences are also related to how folks are calculating their mileage. Most don't realize that if you change tire/wheel size that even using the odometer and manual method is pretty much worthless info, and forget the overhead console with many chips. The key is knowing your exact distance traveled in a given mileage test, and the only way to know that for sure is with a gps system.
Since I'm chipped and have the larger 285 tires, the only accurate method is using my gps.

[Zaphod]

[ QUOTE ]
what are some of the key things that are very important as far as maintenance is concerned.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would say that oil changes are important. If you're looking at high milage vehicles (>100k miles), then you might want to look at the full service record for all the fluid changes. There aren't many disposable parts on these heavy-duty vehicles.

[ QUOTE ]
I have a few other questions too.
Like those VW TDi's I've heard that the belt has to be replaced around 60-70,000 miles or it can ruin the engine. Is the PS Ford engines the same way?? What should I be on the lookout for to be sure I'm not buying a truck that's going to need an immediate $2,000 maintenance??? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, there arn't many disposable parts on these engines. If you go through the scheduled service booklet, it's all about changing fluids.

[krshultz]

I usually get about 19mpg in mixed driving, little over 20 on the highway if I keep the RPM down. Hand calculated, not on the overhead. I also drive it very gently. Only mod of any significance to the question is a 4" turbo back exhaust. Mine's a 7.3L.

Curiously, my MPG actually got better when I switched from Chevron Delo 400 to Shell Rotella T [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

[SMOKINROD]

My 02 X is getting 16 cityand 18 highway with a DI program,Silverline exhaust,and an AFE breather.

[AXTINC]

My third X! 14 around town 16 on the road.