Increase MPG

D Team Brothers · Mar 20, 2008

OK people, diesel over $4.! What are your top suggestions for increasing your trucks MPG? Does anyone know of, or recommend a fuel additive which is designed to increase MPG? We're driving a 08 Western Star with a MBE4000-450 and a 13spd Ultrashift which on a good day gets 8.5MPG (usually 7.5).

greg334 · Mar 20, 2008

Slow Down, it is that simple.

OH and if you can, bring in the truck to get the HP pulled back some by reprogramming the ECM.

And then slow down.

redytrk · Mar 20, 2008

greg334 said:
Slow Down, it is that simple.

OH and if you can, bring in the truck to get the HP pulled back some by reprogramming the ECM.

And then slow down.

Slow down...And they push you down the highway...works great!

x06col · Mar 20, 2008

Peer pressure is a :censoredsign:

there redy. But you jes hafta get over it. Most dem push'in ain't buy'in fuel. Got it?

OntarioVanMan · Mar 20, 2008

x06col said:
Peer pressure is a there redy. But you jes hafta get over it. Most dem push'in ain't buy'in fuel. Got it?

Peer pressure for sure....came thru Chicago last night but held my ground...all the one fingered salutes....55 speed limit thats what I did....60 speed limit I did 61-63 mph ... 423 miles later I was rewarded for my patience with almost 26 mpg!!! Laughing all the way to the bank!!

dieseldiva · Mar 20, 2008

redytrk said:
Slow down...And they push you down the highway...works great!

That's right, you own that little piece of the highway where your vehicle is, if they don't like it.......well that's why most roads have more than one lane.

x06col · Mar 20, 2008

Yes it's a funny ting, many times when i'm going down a big road, little road, or a berg, I look like the pace car for the Indy 500. A big white one. I don't do it to be mean, I jes take my time and be deliberate. Ya gotta find yer driveway ya know.

Jefferson3000 · Mar 20, 2008

Airtabs are something I'm gonna try as well. I think you cn order enough to cover your box for about 200 bucks or so.

greg334 · Mar 20, 2008

Jefferson3000 said:
Airtabs are something I'm gonna try as well. I think you cn order enough to cover your box for about 200 bucks or so.

I don't know about those air tab things people say you can save fuel with them, right OVM?

OntarioVanMan · Mar 20, 2008

greg334 said:
I don't know about those air tab things people say you can save fuel with them, right OVM?

Out of the stupid gimmicks we hear of...the Airtabs work....just ask Turtle, Packmule, Teamcaffe....

www.airtab.com - The smart way to cut the cost of your highway fuel costs

Jefferson3000 · Mar 20, 2008

Yeah, I can't vouch for them (airtabs) because I've never tried them. They seem a reasonable value if they only help the maneuverability of the truck in the wind.

I've already found I saved fuel by slowing down. The two things I do want to try now are airtabs and NITROGEN in the tires.

nightcreacher · Mar 20, 2008

Its simple,just slow down,you dont have to turn your horse power back,as long as you can control your foot.Actually,if you have more H P than you need and dont use it,your MPG will increase.Ive been doing this for years,max H P and if you dont use it the mileage comes up,but if you use it,your mileage will drop like a brick.save 1/2 mpg and save 10000 bucks a year,is it worth it?

OntarioVanMan · Mar 20, 2008

Airtabs DO help stabilize in the wind....and I get about 1/2 - 3/4 mpg with them...I have nitrogen and haven't noticed any gain...other then no fluctuation in pressure which in turns help keep up the MPG's......

It is SO hard to NOT keep up with everyone else....even heartbreaking when ole JB or a Swift passes ya!!

BTW in my CDL lessons I was taught NEVER use all the pedal...always have some HP in reserve....Its hard to speed up and avoid someone when you have nothing left.

Jefferson...you gotta a sprinter? Takes about 40 airtabs.

LDB · Mar 21, 2008

D Team Brothers said:
on a good day gets 8.5MPG (usually 7.5).

What rpm are you running when getting 8.5 and also when getting 7.5? As others have said, slowing down is top of the list for many. I also think Airtabs are worth some. Another potential small savings comes with Centramatics. Every time the tire is bouncing up and down it's losing efficiency. You probably wouldn't see more than maybe 0.1mpg difference but you also benefit from the better ride.

dcalien · Mar 21, 2008

I quit running 70 except when I have little time to deliver, and when I run 55 I get several mpg more.

TeamCaffee · Mar 21, 2008

I have tracked our fuel mileage from day one on our truck of off the odometer we have found tracking the fuel off the ECM can be way off. In the past three years we have averaged 2005 - 8.8 2006 - 9.09 2007 9.15 and I hope we can do better this year. Our truck likes 58 mph to get the best fuel mileage and that is what we do. We have found running this slow, in the right lane at the end of our shift we are not as stressed as we used to be. I will add a list of everything we have done to our truck to improve fuel mileage and also wear and tear on our truck. I am sure there are lots of great ideas that you have that can add to our list.

Speed – slow down to 55 to 60 mph every mile per hour you run over 55 you lose 1/10 of a mile per gallon. If you drive 65 you lose 1 mile per gallon. If you get 9 mpg can increase that to 10 mpg you will gain 6,666.00 dollars per year in fuel savings.

APU (auxiliary power unit) – No idling less wear and tear on the motor

GPS – Dash mounted for ease of use – saves fuel by getting lost less

Low pro tires or Super Singles – less rolling resistance

Locking Fuel Caps – with the price of fuel we feel our chances of someone stealing our fuel is a high probability

Check tire pressure often – low tire pressure less fuel mileage

Aerodynamic truck – less wind resistance

Air Tabs – redirect air flow behind truck

Turbo D Vada 3000 – Makes engine run more efficiently

Synthetic engine oil, transmission, rear ends – Lower viscosity higher film strength easier to turn engine = better fuel economy

Fuel additives - raises cetane level more power in each gallon of fuel

Fuel Filters – Use Fuel Filters for the engine and made by the manufacture of your engine because of fuel flow differences

Pre-Pass system to avoid having to stop and go at scales

We not have Bug Shields – Visors – Air Cleaners on side of truck – Stacks on side of truck = less aerodynamics

OntarioVanMan · Mar 21, 2008

Gee Linda....you forget the wind sail? *LOL*

Too bad the rear view mirrows couldn't be more aerodynamic....those big flat things have to create drag?

How much of 2007 were you slowed down? Do you think you can hit 10mpg?

greg334 · Mar 21, 2008

"Turbo D Vada 3000 – Makes engine run more efficiently"

Got mine installed and it has done nothing for me, everything I am recording is like it wasn't there. I feel that it is like others things like alarms, peace of mind.

I wonder who has a FASS or pure flow system?
The former has not been tested but makes claims of better fuel mileage but the latter has been tested by different organizations.

Also how many have changed their exhaust system to better flow?

how many have added a grandrock?

jaymarquis1 · Mar 21, 2008

You should also look into an APU typicly they save 1-1.25 gallons per hour of idleing and the higher the cost of fuel the more you save. should be arround $600 to $1000 a month

jaminjim · Mar 21, 2008

Slowing down to a speed that get you into the highest gear is one of the biggest things to improve your mpg.
But when you are figuring your cost per mile, are you figuring in the extra cost of the additive that you poor into the tank? If it cost you 2 cents per mile to gain a one cent savings then it is not worth it if you are just trying to decrease your cost per mile. (not taking into account any benefit to keeping the engine in better condition.)