[TheTechChik]

I was told by several owners that the Turbo Diesel gets 22mpg but I didn't experience anything close to that on a 600 mile trip. Computer says 13.5. Are they imagining their 22mpg or am I missing something? Is it perhaps the 6.0 diesel that gets that? I was driving the 7.3. If I where going to buy a used truck with a Turbo Diesel, would I be better off with the 7.3 or 6.0 and why?

 

[gregrob]

Welcome to the forum, TechChik.

22 mpg may have been seen by a handful of people under the perfect conditions, but is not at all common. I think 18 mpg's is very generous. The overhead computers have a tendency to be off, so don't trust it either.
The 6.0, in my experience, gets worse mileage loaded, but maybe the same or a tiny, tiny bit better than the 7.3, nowhere near 22.

Here is some good reading about MPG's, Mileage Faq

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[NCHornet]

It alldepends on the truck you are talking about. Fill out your signature so we know what you have.
If you have a 4x4 CC, LB, DRW with 4:10 like me 18 maybe a dream world!!!
Very few 7.3's are going to get 20+mpg and those that do are usually 2 wheel drive, reg cab with 3:73 gears SRW.
I average 15 around town and 17 highway and that is pretty good for my truck. Many are reporting low mileage right now, including me. Some say it is because the refineries are draining their tanks getting ready for the new low su;phur diesel, some say the new fuel is already out and that is what we have to look forward to. Many are seeing 2-3 mpg less than normal. I saw this my last two tanks, but this tank I am up at 16 just around town so go figure.
You have to do hand calculations as the computer is known to be off, and if you have changed tire sizes this will change everything as well. For best mileage keep rpm's under 2,000 .
Good luck.

 

[NCHornet]

It all depends on the truck you are talking about. Fill out your signature so we know what you have.
If you have a 4x4 CC, LB, DRW with 4:10 like me 18 maybe a dream world!!!
Very few 7.3's are going to get 20+mpg and those that do are usually 2 wheel drive, reg cab with 3:73 gears SRW.
I average 15 around town and 17 highway and that is pretty good for my truck. Many are reporting low mileage right now, including me. Some say it is because the refineries are draining their tanks getting ready for the new low sulphur diesel, some say the new fuel is already out and that is what we have to look forward to. Many are seeing 2-3 mpg less than normal. I saw this my last two tanks, but this tank I am up at 16 just around town so go figure.
You have to do hand calculations as the computer is known to be off, and if you have changed tire sizes this will change everything as well. For best mileage keep rpm's under 2,000 .
Good luck.

 

[Tina]

These trucks can get 22mpg, some actually do. Some do better than that. Mine has, but never consistantly!!! And lately my milage has gone down, just like most others. Milage will depend on the truck, how you drive it and how much weight or a load you have. Also, the manual will usually get you better milage figures than the automatic. Always figure milage by hand calculations. I haven't seen comparsums between the 6.0 & 7.3 for milage, may be on this board somewhere??? Post what kind of truck you're looking at and folks here can at least compare it with something they have and give you their figures for their milage. At least it would give you a ballpark figure to go by.

 

[HenryJ]

techchick

You must be listening to the dodge boys, the bigger load they pull the better mileage they get LMAO.

I got an ole bone stock early 99 3/4 2wd that normally gets 17.5 empty and 10 pulling the 10000 lb 5th wheel on the road. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif

Since I don't like to ruin my days, I never check the mileage when putting around /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/vomit.gif

 

[Flat_Panel]

I constantly get 20+ mpg in my truck unloaded freeway driving. Ease on and off the throttle and keep your top speeds down.

 

[pferguson]

[ QUOTE ]
I constantly get 20+ mpg in my truck unloaded freeway driving. Ease on and off the throttle and keep your top speeds down.

[/ QUOTE ]

I second that. I'm getting around 20, sometimes as good as 21 or 22 when I'm not loaded down. Closer to 15 or 16 when I'm dragging the horse trailer. Tires make a difference, too. I went to a more off-road friendly tire and it cost me a couple MPG. I also find that anything over 2K on the tach torpedoes my fuel economy. I have a 3:73 rear end on a SRW F350 and 2K on the tach has me just a shade over 70mph which, in Texas, is the posted speed limit anyway.

 

[stackedpsd99]

On my last trip to Florida, I reported 22-23 mpg. 620lbs of people and gear total. I have 285's, for every 300 miles my truck shows, I've really gone 320. I got 535 miles on one tank according to my odometer so that is = to 300/320=1.066 so 535x1.066 = about 571. I believe I have a 26 gallon fuel tank, I filled up on empty and put 25 in it till there was diesel in the filler neck. I ran 535 miles (571) miles and pulled over about 15 miles after the low fuel light came on. So I used roughly 24 gallons. 571/24 = 23.79. Since I might be slightly off I just said 23. For this tank I kept the speedo between 65-70(just under 2000 rpms, not adjusted for speedo correction). For the next one, I got 21.86 mpg at 70-75 mph (just over 2000 rpms, not adjusted for speedo correction).

Around town, 16-18mpg but key is slow take offs, keep it under 2000rpms, let it get above 40 if your on secondary roads before giving it more throttle (once it drops into od I guess). You will get passed off the line, but you usually catch up with in a few hundred feet. It's hard to see that new civic leave you lol but in order to get better mpg its a small price to pay when diesel prices are at or above $3.00! I bolded the only thing you need to read lol.

 

[Riggodeaux]

Pat probably benefits from the 6 spd manny tranny and his driving habits; NChornet is probably closer to the norm for his set up. With mine [2wd, SRW, good 'on road' tires], and conservative driving habits, I'll get 16-17 mpg in mixed city driving and might exceed 19 on the highway, unloaded [though I have a toolbox in the bed I need to clean out and, even "empty," are carrying over 400 lbs of adults & dogs ....], with a light foot on the pedal but running 63-75 mph, depending on the speed limit and traffic conditions. Loaded - with 8-10k of trailer and horses - I'm lucky to be in the 14s, and less than that at speed. Pre-chip, I seem to recall getting around 12-13s on a long, loaded, high-speed highway run out west on summer fuel. In a nutshell, its tough to get 20 mpg in these trucks if, even part-time, you are using them for their design purpose - loaded with, or hauling, stuff ....

 

[TheTechChik]

Wow! This IS an active forum. Thanks everyone for your input.

The trip I was referring to was in a 2002 Excursion 4x4 with a 7.3. I don't know what the rear end is, but I can look it up if anyone knows how. I really wasn't watching the rpm's but I definately wasn't trying to keep them low. I probably averaged 75 mph but I was also driving through the hills of Tennessee and Kentucky so I'm sure that didn't help.

I just did a manual calculation and if the dealer did in fact fill up the tank to the top (the gauge showed full) then the actual mileage was 15.26 mpg.

All of this is more to make a decision on another Excursion though since this one is going back tommorow. I found a thin coat of mud under the dash and under the trim panels all around the interior which would seem to indicate that this truck went swimming at some point. That's not to mention the 23 engine and electrical repairs that my local dealer found in the Ford system for that VIN #. The selling dealer kept pointing out that it was such a clean vehicle "Look, the carfax shows that there's never been a problem with this vehicle!", Yeah right! At least they're taking it back.

So now I need to be a little more careful and also decide if I want to buy one with at 7.3 or a 6.0. I'll be using it as my daily driver as well as pulling a 10,000 GVW trailer for work and a large travel trailer this coming winter for about 4 months. I don't know how much the travel trailer weighs yet since I haven't bought one yet but it will probably be around 35 feet long and approx 9000 lbs.

Any recommendations on which model years or options to avoid and which to choose would be greatly appreciated. It's better to avoid problems before the fact rather than after.

 

[Cool_Canuck]

[ QUOTE ]
I was told by several owners that the Turbo Diesel gets 22mpg but I didn't experience anything close to that on a 600 mile trip. Computer says 13.5. Are they imagining their 22mpg or am I missing something? Is it perhaps the 6.0 diesel that gets that? I was driving the 7.3. If I where going to buy a used truck with a Turbo Diesel, would I be better off with the 7.3 or 6.0 and why?

[/ QUOTE ]
You ain't missing a thing. I doubt that anyone consistantly gets 20mpg. Way too many variables for someone to proclaim 20+ mpg on one or two tanks of fuel. Once or twice going down hill with a tail wind maybe but on average you'll be doing good to see 18 mpg. Around town, something like 12-13 mpg. Towing a high fiver 9-10 mpg, somewhat better with a lower profile horse trailer.

I have a spreadsheet with every drop of fuel through my truck. It is less than 13 mpg over three years.

 

[ACD2]

I get 15 average, mixed 60 and 30 if lucky daily. Depends on traffic and how many morons are on the road. On the highway I can get 22 on a certain stretch of tollway, then its about 18 everywhere else. My overhead if off by 6 MPG consistant, so I can see ballpark when I am getting my best MPG. My last tank I got 14.879 MPG filled to the neck. The tank before I got 15.378 to the neck. Not too shabby for an 8000 pound six wheeled beast. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[gregrob]

[ QUOTE ]
Wow! This IS an active forum. Thanks everyone for your input.

The trip I was referring to was in a 2002 Excursion 4x4 with a 7.3. I don't know what the rear end is, but I can look it up if anyone knows how.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm willing to bet you have 3:73 rear gear ratio...

The older (pre-99) PowerStrokes were available with a 'higher' 3:55 gear ratio, we had one that consistently got 19 mpg, trade that one for a super duty with 3:73 gear ratio, and it will get 17 at best.

 

[FarmallBobM]

As others point out there's a MULTITUDE of variables that effect fuel economy. And the fuel mileage computers are notoriously inaccurate - good only for stuff like instantaneous relative comparisions of different driving techniques (ie. not determining absolute long term mileage figures.)

I've kept track of every drop of fuel that's gone into my '99 PSD (regular cab 2x4, 3.73 gears). Lightly driven on a long trip (highway @ 60 mph max, no load) it'll get an honest 21 mpg in summer. For general driving around (commuting, etc.) it runs closer to 18 or so. Mileage drops off 2 or 3 mpg in the winter months.

Incidentally mine also has yet to return to it's "summer" mileage performance yet this spring - I presume because we're still using up winter blend diesel here in rural upstate NY...

 

[optipop]

My wife's X is consitently getting 17.5 mpg with both hwy and in town driving.
44 gallon fuel tank it gets 700+ miles on a tank. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif
you will see around 9 or 10 mpg towing.

the dually is consitently getting 16.5 mpg both hwy and in town driving (not towing). the dually is a bad mama jama /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smokin.gif

good luck with your decision...... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Riggodeaux]

Wow! good thing you caught the 'swim' indications and the seller is taking it back; that, plus the VIN search, tells me this X was one to avoid. On model years: if you have time to figure out how to search the forums [not as easy as we would like] and archives, you'll see that the 'model year' concerns are for the first year + of the 6.0 PSD. Ford had significant warranty problems with them, though some members here have had good luck and few problems with the rookie 6.0s. With that in mind, the 'newest' or 'last' PSD Excursions - or the 02-03, or earlier, 7.3L versions - will likely be your best bet [if you can find 'em]. Cruise the Excursion and 6.0 forums for lots more info. Also check the towing forum [and Smokey Wrenn's posts, in particular] for great info on towing - including gross combined vehicle weight [e.g., how much travel trailer you should really tow], suspension enhancements, and use of weight distribution hitches. Beware - the diesel stop is addictive! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[short_stuff]

[ QUOTE ]

I just did a manual calculation and if the dealer did in fact fill up the tank to the top (the gauge showed full) then the actual mileage was 15.26 mpg.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can guarantee you that the dealer porter did not take the time to fill the tank all the way to the filler tube. My truck will still hold 4 gallons or more after the pump automatically stops because of the sudsing that diesel does. And it will read at the Full mark whether I add that extra 4 gallons or not. In fact, when I top off the tank, my gauge will stay on the right side of Full for 100 miles before it even touches the F mark. Sorry to burst your bubble, but unless you saw fuel spilling out the filler tube, I doubt that you even got the 15.26 mpg that you calculated. Probably closer to 14.5 or so.
But like others, I've noticed my mileage decreasing the past few months. At first, I attributed it to the normal winter blend (even though I'm told we don't get that down here). But the normal blend should've brought my mileage back up, and it is still running around 1.5 to 2.0 mpg lower than it has in the past. Is it crappy fuel? Who knows? But I think it is a sign of the times to come.

 

[Dave Whitmer]

Welcome to the forum, TheTechChik.

23 MPG is entirely doable, and I view 23 as the crummy MPG I get in the winter due to the dense air. Like any other type of performance (pulling, quarter-mile, dyno) you gotta work at it.

Over 20 MPG is probably asking too much from a 4x4 Ex. The Ex has van-like (brick-like) aerodynamics due to its squared-off tail. 4x4 costs you a couple MPG and the automatic costs you a couple of MPG.

With OEM rubber and the stock 3.73s on an Ex, 2000 RPM is just under 70 MPH. Forget what the overhead display says. There are (a few) politicians more honest than that piece of eye-candy.

If MPG is REALLY important to you, get a 4x2, six-speed, stock rubber. Put a tonneau (hard or soft) on it. Get an pyrometer installed and learn to drive keeping EGT under 600 degrees (pre). You'll get over 21, easy.

 

[Snowwolfe]

I own a 2002 7.3 Lariot diesel crew cab, long bed, 4 wheel drive. Around town on summer fuel I get 14.8-15.5 in the summer carrying about 800 pounds of gear in the bed. On a trip I can manage 18.
Hauling my 8500 pound boat I get 11.5 to 12. In the winter I average 12 around town, less if the trips are short.
I drove my truck from Alaska to Washington last spring to haul back my boat and on the drive down I averaged 20 mpg for the last three tanks but I was babying it and never going over 65.
I have found the best mileage I can get is usally associated with hot running. If you live in a warmer climate you mileage may be even better. My trip computer is very accurate and will give me readings with 1/10 of a mpg when compared to my calculator.