How to get better gas mileage from the 7.3?

[oops]

Price of crude since the election:
View attachment 27799

The President of the United States doesn’t control the price of crude oil.

And if they did, one would have to wonder what Trump was up to between November and February…

 

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FWIW, back on topic, I don’t perceive most people here complaining about the impact of the 7.3’s fuel economy on their wallet.

It’s more about range. Which is barely tolerable when towing.

Same reason nobody here bought an EV yet.

 

[Dutch061]

@MoKan, not sure why you spread false information about the cost being $1300.00 but I will let you address that.

Here is a link to SPE Performance that lists all of the kits for the CP4 and PSD. All of them are less than $400.00 and take minimal mechanical abilities to install. This is the Kit that was specifically used in the video in my previous post.

If you watched the video (which obviously you didn't) you would also know that the truck in the video has 85K miles and Corey specifically addresses the root causes of CP4 Failure. You can blame it on the pump but in the end it is caused by "dirty contaminated fuel or water in the fuel" which will not be an issue with proper maintenance.

So, for less than the cost of a tuner I can add peace of mind and have 2 x the torque and 50% better fuel economy. It's not hard math where I went to school.

Oh, and don't forget about resale value, the PSD will ALWAYS have a higher resale value.

P.S. I had a 2011 6.7 PSD that had 130K miles on it when I traded it. Not once did I ever use a lubricity additive during those miles. Not once did I ever have a fuel system issue because I changed the fuel filters at 15K just like FMC recommended.

 

[MoKan]

I didn't watch the video as it did not discuss the CP4 design, but their system, which I have no interest.

Their first link is to a tuner, which was my mistake. You are correct, $400 for the "bulletproof". I will update my other post to reflect that.

But another $400 on top of everything else is still expensive when the fuel system should be robust enough to handle fuel contamination that will cause damage - using more substantial filtration system and subsequent lift pump. I know, I developed and tuned these for other applications. It is not difficult to do, but it costs money and development time, which Ford and Bosch decided they did not need. This is a result of that.

It is a fragile system. hence the need to "bulletproof" it. You don't see this with the CP3 as it is a more robust design, and it can obviously meet the high rail pressure and fuel flow requirements as Cummins and GM now use them.

This is just pointing out the reality of the design and its limitations. Many of us (myself included) do not want to deal with the complexity and additional maintenance of the diesel. There are trade-offs for everything, and what works for you won't for others.

 

[Dutch061]

Understood and agreed, since I do my own maintenance it is of zero consequence. I can maintain the PSD for less than people pay to have their gas equipped SD's serviced.

Back to the "fragile system", I believe that if you do the maintenance properly and buy fuel from reputable sources (IE higher volume) that it will never be an issue. There are thousands of these out there with a very low percentage of failure. What would be interesting to know is how many failures occurred because of improper or poor maintenance.

Actually GM is using a Denso Pump as of 2021 MY. I didn't really look at Dodge, because there isn't much chance for one in my driveway, LOL.

 

[Sherk1]

Other than an occasional K&N filter change I’ve always left my trucks stock. I’ve also only had F150’s.
Any ideas on how to improve gas mileage on the 7.3? I know it’s a super duty and you don’t buy them for the gas efficiency. I’m just looking for a few suggestions that may allow me to squeeze out a couple more MPG’s (other than driving in ECO below 65mph!)

Why would anybody be asking about better gas mileage when the buy a 7.3 engine with 4.3 gears?

 

[MoKan]

I hear you there... also do most of my own maintenance, and with a background in diesel engine development, I knew I didn't want to deal with all the systems.

True about the Denso HP pump... forgot they used them for injectors for a long time. The more severe service RAM has the CP3 (as do ISB in MD trucks)

 

[ccw]

Why would anybody be asking about better gas mileage when the buy a 7.3 engine with 4.3 gears?

Two reasons I can think of that are pretty logical:

1. Range. Using less fuel means getting more range. Gas trucks have a small tank and there’s currently no larger replacements on the market.
2. Save some money. Sure, if you’ve spent this kind of money on a new truck and opted for the 7.3 and 4:30 gears you shouldn’t need to save the money on fuel. But if there’s relatively easy savings to be had, why not? Savings on gas means more money for literally anything else - including modifications for the truck.

 

[oops]

Two reasons I can think of that are pretty logical:

1. Range. Using less fuel means getting more range. Gas trucks have a small tank and there’s currently no larger replacements on the market.
2. Save some money. Sure, if you’ve spent this kind of money on a new truck and opted for the 7.3 and 4:30 gears you shouldn’t need to save the money on fuel. But if there’s relatively easy savings to be had, why not? Savings on gas means more money for literally anything else - including modifications for the truck.

???

I don't understand the weird macho thing here shaming people for wanting to improve gas mileage.

It's comical that these same people will jump through all sorts of hoops and research here endlessly to save a few bucks on the price of their truck at the time of purchase but then shame others for looking into ways to save a couple thousand every year on gas.

ESPECIALLY when there's an even more practical reason to want to improve fuel economy than just saving money: The 7.3 has abhorrent range if you actually use it like the truck it's supposed to be and tow near capacity. Even casual, intra-county heavy towing means stopping at the gas station at least once.

If our short-range truck had an electric drive chain these same machismos would be calling it the Sally Duty.

 

[Tuxedomouse]

Range with my longbed with a full tank currently shows 730mi.

 

[Ried]

This was my post on another forums a couple of weeks ago...


Ok so I just did a mpg test on the new Tremor with 7.3L engine. Keep in mind these are on aggressive A/T tires. Mud terrains would yield worse results and road tires better. We drove two 50 mile stretches in Florida so no real hills and with minimal wind. First 50 miles cruise was set at 70mph. Second set of 50 miles was at 76mph. We stopped and filled up between and after each segment to get an accurate reading. This is an F350.

At 70mph we got 14.6mpg
At 76mph we got 13.5mpg

Hope this helps!

C

I also found that 70 and under is the sweet spot. And if you can get behind a semi, it's amazing what drafting can do.

 

[DL64]

Had 14.3 but my lead foot changed that

 

[Mountainman3]

Why would anybody be asking about better gas mileage when the buy a 7.3 engine with 4.3 gears?

Well if you read all the posts in this thread you’d understand. Some truckers chimed in with some great info. I just drove cross country pulling a trailer. Averaged 7.8mpg. Yea, I’d like to improve upon that and the wisdom provided by professional truckers is beneficial.

 

[Longrangehunter]

I also found that 70 and under is the sweet spot. And if you can get behind a semi, it's amazing what drafting can do.

Yeah, until you score a rock chip!

 

[GaryDE]

???

I don't understand the weird macho thing here shaming people for wanting to improve gas mileage.

It's comical that these same people will jump through all sorts of hoops and research here endlessly to save a few bucks on the price of their truck at the time of purchase but then shame others for looking into ways to save a couple thousand every year on gas.

ESPECIALLY when there's an even more practical reason to want to improve fuel economy than just saving money: The 7.3 has abhorrent range if you actually use it like the truck it's supposed to be and tow near capacity. Even casual, intra-county heavy towing means stopping at the gas station at least once.

If our short-range truck had an electric drive chain these same machismos would be calling it the Sally Duty.

What is even more comical is those that outfit the truck with a lift kit, bigger (heavier) mudder tires, big steel bumpers and a endless array of huge lights and then complain about the fuel mileage or lack therof.

 

[TremorGuest6137]

Other than an occasional K&N filter change I’ve always left my trucks stock. I’ve also only had F150’s.
Any ideas on how to improve gas mileage on the 7.3? I know it’s a super duty and you don’t buy them for the gas efficiency. I’m just looking for a few suggestions that may allow me to squeeze out a couple more MPG’s (other than driving in ECO below 65mph!)

Okay this will open a can of worms but it worked for me in my company F150 and my M3. Just my 2 cents. Do Your Own Research

My personal techniques...

1.Great maintenance and proper tire pressures etc then add a Catch Can.

2. TC-W3 or Archoil Fuel Treatment - slight gain mpg but mostly UCL with very high detergent pack that increases fuel burn efficiency. Effective at treating today's crappy ethanol and water attracting cheap gas and helping all seals and o rings etc. I use 1oz of TC-W3 per 5 gallons of fuel. So 5 ounces for a 25 gallon tank. I ran TC-W3 in my M3 every fill up for 50k and when I opened my engine to do valve adjustment etc it was beautiful. Cleans and lubes the entire fuel system with an ashless burn.

3. Dry Drop in air filter. I used to do CAIs but with today's engineering it's a waste and you often lose power and torque. I use a drop in because I can reuse them and gain some efficiency while maintaining great filtration. Every 10k inspect and usually before 20k clean and use CRC Mass Airflow Cleaner to hit the IAT and Mass Airflow Sensor. I've seen 5-10HP loss with dirty mass air flow. you can do nice silicone elbows or joints for your stock intake setup and also heat protect your stock box and just add a drop-in to really go for it on a stock setup or just insulate and drop-in for cheap.

4. Reducing rotational mass. Unsprung weight that rotates like tires, wheels, rotors, pulleys etc all contribute to drivetrain loss which also affects acceleration, deceleration, turn in, etc Be careful and don't sacrifice reliability on some parts but know you typically have 15% average of drivetrain power loss.

5. Exhaust - maybe a lighter more efficient higher flowing CAT back. Headers are risky theses days with weld quality so be very careful. Higher flow CATs or exhaust could help but how much gain for how much money and headache?

6. Custom, not canned Tune. Smart to do after changing intake and/or exhaust from stock. Stock computer has very limited adaptability. Common to lose power with CAI unless you tune AFRs.

Cost to HP benefit ratio and affect on reliability all matter so research carefully. 500 bucks on a CAI for less than 10hp or a loss in torque and increased heat soak??? Not for me.

Engine theory... air fuel spark and exhaust

Reduce air turbulence with silicone intake hoses. Protect stock box from heat. Increase efficiency of air filter. Good plugs/coils etc. Treat your Fuel and keep on top of all maintenance. Water wetter.

All changes have affects - know the exact gains not hearsay. Pros and Cons.

 

[TremorGuest6137]

Biden isn't innocent here, but there are other dynamics at play. There was a glut of oil a year ago.

Rig count is too low for our current consumption. They lag the market due to the time and cost to get them operational and on the patch.
HOWEVER, there are things this administration have done (illegally cancelling already sold leases, canceling the sale of new leases) that have hurt the access to the credit and capital markets for these oil companies... that makes it more difficult to get things moving.

They COULD do something about it with the money printers going full steam, but they won't. They would prefer we buy our oil from the Saudis, Russians, and Iranians. Defies logic...

$4/gallon will not play well in the midterms. So, we'll see what happens in the interim.

And, yes, if you buy a $70k truck, no one wants to hear you complain about fuel economy.

The great reset aka build back better at work. Let's Go Brandon is just a sell out puppet like most on both sides of that aisle.

 

[MoKan]

The great reset aka build back better at work. Let's Go Brandon is just a sell out puppet like most on both sides of that aisle.

Let's go Brandon is right...

But rig count is still too low. With WTI hitting $80 this week, and $100 is not unrealistic, I expect that to change, OPEC be damned. There is money to be made. We just won't see the benefits of increased production for a while. Long story short, it's going to be an expensive winter.

 

[Jericho]

I mean...

Let's go Brandon...

 

[oursomedayisnow]

Our Tremor has 38,000 miles on it, and has a 3300 Lb (with gear) Bundutec Roadrunner Truck Camper on it for over 27,000 miles. With that weight across multiple 10,000ft moutntain passes to the midwest plains. Averaging 11.5 and i typically run around 65 MPH. Getting new Duratracs today before another cross country road trip!