I just drove back down to Los Angeles from up in southeastern Washington. I have a 1993 non-turbo F250 4x4. I used to average around 17-18 mpg, but the whole trip I stopped twice for fuel on the way down and I averaged 16.2 and then 15 mpg. I got the 16.2 going 65-70 mpg on highway 97 through the middle of Oregon without the AC on. The 15 mpg came between Klamath Falls, OR and Buttonwillow, CA--about 70 mph with the AC on. It was miserable. I had myself conviced for a while that I was going to sell it off and get an F350 with a 460 in it if my mileage was going to be that bad. With prices hoving around $3 a gallon for diesel here in LA it almost negates the advatages to having a diesel. Anybody have any ideas to get better mileage? Or am I getting about what's run of the mill for my rig?
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1993 F250 4x4 supercab, 7.3 NA, E40D, 3.55s---now deceased, mashed and totalled by a drunk driver---much cheaper to just "run what ya brung" than to buy new.
I'm assuming that you have an E4OD with 3.55 ratio rear. I have the same trans., but with 4.10 ratio. I get an average of 11.7 city and highway combined. In the last couple of weeks, I've been doing a lot of highway driving and my mileage has gone up to 14.4 MPG. I also had the A/C on all of the time. If you feel that a gasser will be better for you, than that's what you should do. But, I'm hoping the price of diesel will come down. Good luck in whatever you decide. Tim
This may sound dumb but about 4 different people I know with gas pickups, whether it be a small or pullsize truck, told me they get 2-3 mpg better because they installed a soft tonneau cover on their bed. I know some of you guys tow with a 5th wheel so it's out of the question but for someone that doesn't tow like me, it may be worth a shot.
Any opinions about this out there?
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1993 F350 7.3 IDI, auto, crew cab, 8' bed, 260,xxx miles, 4" lift, 315x16 BFG mud terrain. Speedo recalibrated by dealer for tires. Banks trans command. floor-master(flowmaster) exhaust, just installed banks sidewinder kit, pyro, and boost installed. Still working on trans temp guage.
03 LTZ400 atv
1985 Honda V30 magna
Sounds right to me. Whenever I'm truckin' on the highway, I drop the tailgate. I haven't done any tests or research on it, but I'm sure it helps with the MPG.
an F350 with a 460 gasser your looking at way lower mileage than with the diesel. Try doing 55-60mph to see if it improves.
__________________ 1991 Ford PL Custom Ambulance Type III 7.3L Diesel. Photo Here Pioneer AM/FM/XM/CD Stereo. Code 3 lightbar, Whelen Strobes and flasher lights. Whelen flood lights on front, rear and sides. There bright enough to turn darkness into daylight. Siren with several tones plus electronic airhorn and PA. Custom 3" exhaust from manifolds back with a Gibson Superflow Muffler [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]. Dual alternators and dual sets of batteries. If I need a jumpstart all I do is push a button. On spot tire chains that install and de-install themselves at the flip of a switch. Also has air compressor on board along with suction unit and O2 system.
1972 Cadillac Hightop Ambulance by Superior Lucky if I get 10MPG
I don't run with a tailgate. As posted, try running with your gate down. Its free and can't hurt anything..... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smokin.gif[/img]
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89 7.3 crewcab w/ Banks Sidewinder Wastegated Turbo. 4 inch straight piped. BTS E4OD trans with 2 extra gallons of ATF in a Mag Hy-Tec pan. Gear Vendors. Rodney Red custom aluminum radiator. Moose Pump with "G' injectors. Motor rebuilt with new after market ported heads. Mahle low comp pistons milled 12 thousands. Balanced to 1/4 to 1/3 gram. Lined bored. Block decked and sleeved on all 8. Shimed oil pump for higher pressure. Intake and exhaust logs ported too. Hypermax in shop waiting to be installed later....
If your fuel system is getting dated or has over 80K on it, that could be a major reason why your fuel mileage is dropping off. Also, for a cheap, and very easy way to check to make sure everything is still within specs, get it TIMED. 8.5BTDC, cause even if it is off 0ne degree, that will have a decent effect on your mileage. Scotty
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