MPG is just another corner of the performance envelope.

Cummins guys do everything else - surely there is at least one guy out there in search of some payback on OPEC.

MPG is just another corner of the performance envelope.

Cummins guys do everything else - surely there is at least one guy out there in search of some payback on OPEC.


What I get anywhere between 21 - 23 MPG on the highway with my setup!

I take all my mileage via GPS on the dash !!!


What more needs to be said!!!

Joe G.

PM this guy

http://www.thedieselgarage.com/forums/member.php?u=60

He is the MPG naked world record holder LOL

Tim that ain't right!! your going to start a big fight on here!!!LOL LOL

Your going to get John in more trouble!!!:woot: :bow:

But that is what this ford:barf: needs! Ain't no way he's hitting 26 MPH's with a power choke!!!

Joe G.

Dont listen to those guys. They are trying to get me banned!

I use a throttle cable. When god wants to help me down a hill I let him, I dont engine brake down the hill fighting god, i let him go ahead and give me an extra 10 or 15 mph and I use that speed to climb the next hill. I have gotten a best of 26.5 empty and 21.3 with that big old Truck camper loaded for BEAR!

I am tall geared turning 4 mph/100rpm. I use GPS also to cac my odometer error which is 11% at 1500 rpm I am going 60 MPH. Typically I set my throttle at 1900 RPM which yields 55 MPH on level ground empty when driving for mileage meaning I could hit 70 down hill and slow to 40mph uphill. With Camper I set throttle at about 2300 which yiels about the same speeds.Once you get used to it it really is easy heck i set my throttle at 1300 in the city and use it driving in traffic, it is easy once you get the hang of it and it will give you incredible mileage!

You can use it in 4 wheel low and it keeps your engine of the idle limiter when creeping on bad roads. I hear jeepers use a TC also. Try it if you want max mileage. My formula for ma mileage is

1) Throttle Cable
2) Tall gearing
3) slow speed
4) Free flowing intake and exhaust

I still want to take off my radiator fan and go 45 mph to La empty and make a stab at the holy grail of 30 mpg. If I ever hid that then and only then will I run naked around the flying J screaming F with me now Saudi Arabia. I wonder if you can go to jail for that??:woot: :woot:

We need to have a sanctioning body and do mileage convoys. I know there is a truck out there that can do 30 MPG and we need to find it!

LOL :roflmao: :woot: :bow: :HappyMugs LOL :woot: :sly: :roflmao:

You goto love a man that is completely and totally lost his mind!!!!


You Go John!!!!

LOL :roflmao: :woot: :bow: :HappyMugs LOL :woot: :sly: :roflmao:

You goto love a man that is completely and totally lost his mind!!!!


You Go John!!!!

Tim, I demand that Joe be given 5 points! This is what happens when a red neck new yorker living in Mississipi loses his wife.

This is why I did not go to his house, he is getting too touchy feely. It is sexual harrassment for him to profess his love of me on a public forum, especially after hints of me being naked has been said. I dont swing that way!

What Joe does in McHenry when his wife is gone needs to stay there!

Joe, Get a sheep like Billy Goat has! You perverted dog!

No amount of your gibberish will protect you from me spanking your mileage! I think we all see your claims of mileage and HP are BS! One day you going to have to line up against the Space Shuttle and you will be wasted son!

John Those comments don't even deserve a rebuttle!!!!!!


:nunu:

I have broken the 30 mpg and evern the 40 mpg with my pickup but to bad it is a 1981 toyota diesel but it still is a pickup.

John Those comments don't even deserve a rebuttle!!!!!!


:nunu:

Mainly cuz they're true :eek: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

I get 17-18mpg rolling at 75-85mph, I'm happy.

:agreed: Thats about what I get, some times more like 20's:Thumbup: some times if all around town 15-16:barf: . But I still love the truck. Hopefully the fass will up the mileage like they say. Even my worst mielage is better then those gas burners:roflmao: LOL . See ya:popcorn:

my buddies cummins run propane 24/7 and he says he gets 29 mpg i dont know if it is true or not but that is what he claims i get 24-25 highway mpg with my 93 12v cummins

What gearing does your truck run, jponder? 3.23s? I run 3.08s and get 4.11 MPH/100RPM. 70 MPH@1700 RPM 60 MPH@1450 RPM.

Apparently I run a bit faster than you. My policy is posted limit plus 2, except in Maryland. (I have been afoul of the Yellow Jackets). Few guys have the sand to deliberately run under the limit around here without a Ma Deuce on top.

Within reason, the throttle cable idea looks to have merit. I run on the factory cruise and it does let EGT go up on hills. We have found keeping EGT under 600 degrees pre-turbo gives the best MPG. On flat terrain, I can stay around 450 degrees. By going at a constant “throttle” position you keep EGT constant. To try this I’ll have to rig something up because the PSD is “fly by wire” on the throttle.

Ever try a tonneau in your quest for 30? I find a regular hard tonneau is good for at least 1 MPG. My “fastback” prototype gets me an additional 1.25.

At least I’m not the only MPG-wacko in diesel pickup land.

I’ve never bothered with propane because around here, propane is more expensive than No.2 on a $/MMBTU basis.

Got pics of your Rig Dave?

What gearing does your truck run, jponder? 3.23s? I run 3.08s and get 4.11 MPH/100RPM. 70 MPH@1700 RPM 60 MPH@1450 RPM.

Apparently I run a bit faster than you. My policy is posted limit plus 2, except in Maryland. (I have been afoul of the Yellow Jackets). Few guys have the sand to deliberately run under the limit around here without a Ma Deuce on top.

Within reason, the throttle cable idea looks to have merit. I run on the factory cruise and it does let EGT go up on hills. We have found keeping EGT under 600 degrees pre-turbo gives the best MPG. On flat terrain, I can stay around 450 degrees. By going at a constant “throttle” position you keep EGT constant. To try this I’ll have to rig something up because the PSD is “fly by wire” on the throttle.

Ever try a tonneau in your quest for 30? I find a regular hard tonneau is good for at least 1 MPG. My “fastback” prototype gets me an additional 1.25.

At least I’m not the only MPG-wacko in diesel pickup land.

I’ve never bothered with propane because around here, propane is more expensive than No.2 on a $/MMBTU basis.

You are one of the few people who are geared taller than I. I have a 3.54 rear end and 35.4 in 285R19.5 tires. Speed will mitigate a throttle cable, ie at say 90 MPH I doubt you would see any measurable gain. Tonn cover ect will probably not help me as going slow is my method for max mileage.

You can probably tell from Billygoats post that noone takes Jgendr serious, Billygoat busted him to me the first time and said he was talking smack. I'd love to line up and do a mileage run and check all our mileages, Id like to run at 60 mph or less to let the throttle cable work its magic

I'm running on OEM sized rubber in back. 235-85x16. I've found that 31.7" OD tires do the best.

I agree a tonneau has less effect running slow than fast, but I think the throttle cable would do me some good. I run 60 on two-lane roads, 70 or so on the slab and run with traffic in town. I do tend to coast up to lights. manuals are so good for that.

Don't worry about the hecklers. I hear it all the time. I call their bluff. I have tons of time off and view the couple hundred it costs to do a 1600 mile MPG test (I always do four 400 mile fillups to average out filling error) as being acceptable because shutting up a magpie is priceless. Nobody ever takes me up.

Timbeaux asks for pics. Check out

http://www.fokisd.org/Mods/WhitmerSept05.htm

This is just my prototype. I'm looking to get something a little more civilized done this summer.

OH MAN I like it. Yes that is what you need for max mileage at higher speeds. I thought about that when i first was rolling for max mileage, Thta is going to give you best drag.

You definately should give the throttle cAble a try with your setup

Yes I have been called all sorts of stuff when I post my mileage test and I have also told people, "hey maybe I am messing up my calcs lets make a run and check out mileage" Cant ever seem t get anybody interested.

John, I'd be happy to do a mileage run with you if you didn't go so slow :poke: LOL LOL

I run the posted limit. How 'bout that?

Still to slow LOL LOL posted limit plus 7 is normal for me, faster if I think i can get away with it :shrug:

i am shooting for 30 mpg myself and 11 second quarters. so far i have been in the 20 to 21mpg range.i am fixing to lower the truck, build the tranny and see how well that helps. i do plan on a slant back topper to see if i can slick it up a bit. and i may go to a set of skinny 235s to gear it up a bit. i picked up a short bed yesterday and i will have a reg cab short bed soon enough. i think the converter is killing me right now(238k on it). i timed it at 17 degrees and have installed a 215 pump. and i am holding back on the big injectors till i get the miliage up where i want it. but i think the best injector for a 12 v miliage will be a 215. right now it is on the 180's, but i do have a set of 215s ready.

I think that my trans is what is holding me back too. I still get consistant 17-18, so I'm not complaining:HappyMugs . See ya:popcorn:

I’ll say one thing for you, Gunracer. You are nothing if not adventurous. Either 11 second quarters OR 30 MPG is a tall order for these trucks but you want both simultaneously.

If you are familiar with serious racing, you know the degree of compromise you have to do to make a serious high performance machine, so none of what I have to say will give you much heartburn.

A mega-performance (11 sec quarter AND 30 MPG) truck cannot reasonably be asked to be a serious tow vehicle, so you choices in drivetrains should look into the world of high performance cars.

You 12v Cummins is a fine choice for this project, but if you want 30 MPG, I think you’ll have to lose the automatic and figure a way to put a “Viper” T-56 behind it. A stick is worth a solid 2 MPG to you. Since this truck is not asked to be a tow vehicle, the lighter tranny will work out OK. The fact that the T-56 has two overdrives allows you to stick with a moderate gearing like 3.54. That way you get the good reduction for the strip and have two gears for MPG work. You may still find you have to go 3.23 or 3.08 to get to 30MPG. The torque of the 12v makes the truck very drivable. My fairly stock PSD overcomes my 3.08s with insouciant ease and I even occasionally pull a Bobcat about.

A T56 in top gear with 3.54s and OEM rubber would have you going down the road 70 MPH turning 1682 RPM where my rig turns 1700 RPM at that speed. 3.23s would get you down to 1530 RPM @ 70 MPH. Keeping engine RPM down is crucial to good MPG as it minimizes engine frictional HP loss. My gearing change (from OEM 3.73) saved me 16 HP frictional loss at 70 MPH which corresponds exactly with the 2.5 MPG increase I saw with mine. Can you get hold of a Cummins frictional HP curve?

My experience, even with my gearing is that OEM sized rubber (31.7: O.D.) is optimal for MPG. Going bigger imposes a rolling resistance penalty and increased rotational inertia and MPG suffers. Going smaller (want some 225-75x16s) hurts MPG because the engine is allowed to rev up more. The factory engineers are not complete buffoons.

You probably have to go 4x4 for strip performance. I don’t know about Dodges, but slamming a 4x4 Ford is nearly impossible. I found slamming my truck (4” in front including 225-75x16 tires and 4.5” in the rear gained me about 4% better MPG. The weight of 4x4 machinery is also not good for MPG but to achieve both goal simultaneously, you may have to stick with 4x4. I don’t see keeping all that torque under control on the strip with 4x2.

I very much recommend a “fastback” bed fairing and I don’t think you can get 30 MPG without it. Hopefully yours won’t be as bloodyawful heavy as mine is. Actually if you have access to a good body shop, I have a suggestion: Cut down the tailgate (and back of the bed height). You want the slanted top surface to not exceed 27 degrees from the horizontal. 25 degrees is a 1:2 slope so that is what I use to keep fabrication simple. My tailgate/top of bed fenders is 22” above the load deck. I actually could with my 81” bed slant down to about 7” above the load deck. This effective reduces the area of the tail by a significant margin and would reduce your aero drag. A tail cone or wedge attached to the tailgate might approximate the same thing at lower cost but it would protrude way out beyond the bumper.

Keep us up on this. If you can produce your 11 second time slip, I’ll do a road trip with you to verify MPG.

i have been looking for a set of 3.08s as we speak. and the viper 6 speed will never handle the torque of the cummins. i have all ready looked into that. and to tell you the truth i have looked into a winters quick change for the rear and i have still not thrown that idea out, but it is not rated for 1200 fpts tq either. dropping the long bed for a short box should help on the weight department. plus i have a full fab shop at my disposal, so i can make a fast back topper with out any real problems. i though about cutting the rear of the truck bed lower but have decided against it. i want to keep this truck for my daily commute which is 90 miles a day. and it still has to be able to haul a trailer when need be. but not my 36 footer. i still have my dually for the big stuff. and to get into the 11s i will have to have another set of injectors that will need to be swapped from the daily driven ones. i just don't think a set that will produce 700 plus hp will be very good in the miliage department. i will be running a wastegated hx40 on top with a 16cm exhaust housing so boost at 65 should be all but nothing. so back pressure should be very low at highway speeds. the truck is a 2wd and the main reason for the short bed it to help it launch at the strip. i have been planing this for a while and i do plan on seeing just what i can do.

i almost forgot, my truck still has the factory cat on it and after 236k miles i am pretty sure that is why i am only getting 21 when i should be in the 24 to 25 mpg range right now. but i just haven't had a chace to mess with it. but i will fix that this weekend.

Cut it off:sly: :Thumbup: . See ya:popcorn:

just found a dana 70 for 250 bucks, i figure that is cheap enough.

Well, I wish you luck Gunracer and I do think you have a formula for an 11 second truck. However, I don’t see you getting 30 MPG with an automatic. The nature of a torque converter wastes too much energy and excessive operation in TC lockup will trash to toughest of automatics.

I, too have shied away from lowering the tailgated height as I also use my truck for pickup truck missions. I have been kicking around a “tail wedge” that could be attached to the tail gate to extend the slope down another 6” (to the top of the tail light assembly), thus decreasing the drag area behind the truck.

What kind of ratios can you get for a Dana 70? Best I could do for a Sterling 10.25 was the 3.08 set from Yukon.

Unless Cummins engines are wildly different than my International, I don’t think freer-flowing exhaust will appreciably help MPG. I have a 4” system with a muffler you can drop a Mountain Dew can through and my test showed zero MPG improvement when I installed it.

Keep us apprised.

the dana 70, i picked up has 3.07 gears. it is from a early cummins without a overdrive. and if i remember right is offset 3/8ths of a inch more than a regular 70. i know the converter i am having built is not going to help miliage. i had it built to stall at 2200 to 2300, great for drag racing but terrible in town. but 90% plus of my driving is down the highway. and the auto has a 10% higher overdrive than the manual.

MAN I CANT BELEIVE YALL ARE TALKING LIKE THIS!

Gun racer and Whitmer....... YALL GET IT!

Whitmer I got to stay with tall tires so I can run my truck like a skidder when I go home to the woods but you are absolutely correct. One mitigating thing for you to PONDER(thast me:) a tire with a high moment of inertia will resist slowing just as it resist acceleration. With a cruise it will hurt you more than with a throttle cable that lets you use that moment of inertia and tranfers that energy to climbing the hill. You are on the money about gearing and alot of people dont get that! The limit of tall gearing is defined by lugging! YOU WILL NOT LUG AN ENGINE WITH A CABLE WHERE YOU WOULD WITH A CRUISE!!!!!!!!! IT WONT HAPPEN!!!!!!!

yall are getting me too excited. I just chambered a 6 shot shell in my 16 Guage and I am fixing to walk outside and put a shot up in the air in celebraTION OF THIS DIALOGUE! I cant take it no mo! IM FIXIN TO SNAP!

JPonder:

I feel your pain, bro! I, too have been a prophet without honor on the Ford board for years.

Real MPG guys are really, really rare.

I can appreciate the need for big tires if you need them. We all know a lot of the trucks sporting big tires don't go off-road unless they back into wifey's flower patch.

JPonder:

I feel your pain, bro! I, too have been a prophet without honor on the Ford board for years.

Real MPG guys are really, really rare.

I can appreciate the need for big tires if you need them. We all know a lot of the trucks sporting big tires don't go off-road unless they back into wifey's flower patch.

Dave,

I don't think anyone gets respect over on the "Ford board". We're all numbers and dollar signs over there. Do you remember when I told J he should go to charm school? My post got deleted again. :D

We went around a couple of times when I got the first H2 turbo but that's just healthy debate. IMO, your posts are always packed full of common sense and knowledge! I enjoy reading all you write.. Yes, real MPG people are very rare.

The "wifey's flower patch".. Now that was funny.LOL

--Paul

I'm thinking the Jaws soundtrack here.




.............Ponder..............P O N D E R.............


40 ............40 40 ..........................40..40 ...................






40 40 40 40 40 40























duna-duna.................. 40! got ya!





:roflmao:

you got to be ready to die for what you beleive in Rich, here is what I beleive in
http://groups.msn.com/SOUTHERNCOMFORTtruckcampers/jponderscamperphotos.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=298

Oh Lord that's funny! LOL you know.....you can put a quick-release on your system. We used them all the time do'n tricks behind the boat. You might even tie it to the brake pedal for those "Oh Shast'a" moments.

i am hoping to get the truck to weigh in at 4500 or less, yea that is a tall order. but it should help a bunch with my goals. the frame is missing 16 inches between the wheels right now, we did that saturday and it looks like i need another 3"s or so wacked off the rear for the short bed to fit. i have a bell tech 4/2 drop getting delivered to my house tonight. so that will help in the airflow department. and i have found a place with a front air dam that looks like it should help also. and when the frame got wacked the best spot to remover the 16"s was the converter on the exhaust. so by the end of the week i should have some much improved miliage figures. now if my converter would just show up i will put some fuel in this thing and have some fun.

I could be very wrong, but I think that if you are going to race it has to be like 5500 or more.

4500 pounds won’t hurt either of your goals a bit, Gunracer. Weight is a factor in road load and acceleration. All drag racers know this. A weeny engine in an ultralight vehicle may beat a monster engine in a road locomotive. Bite the bullet and yank the sound proofing. It contains lead and is a lot heavier than most people think.

The drop front will help too, but when you drop the rear, watch for exhaust clearance. Does you body shop have the sophistication to chop the top? An inch of height is one-half percent drag area.

Haz-mat:
I don’t think he is much worried about competitive restrictions. If he can make a credible and public pass in the 11s, he has proved his point in that parameter.

The best I got with my 99 2500 was 26mpg...255 rubber, 3.55 ratio, and a 215HP engine.

The best I have gotten to date with the 2004.5 600CTD is 21mpg...245 rubber, 4.10 ratio, and the 600CTD. This is with a FASS and a RockTech sensor...hopefully the dynatrac kit helps some more. And it keeps getting better with added miles...it has really gotten better with just over 60k...seems "looser" now.

steved

this will be my daily driver/ play toy, i really don't have time to run it at the strip every weekend. to many other hobbies and a wife and 3 kids fill most of my time quit well.
and it is funny you bring up chopping the top, i was looking at in the truck the other day, i could loose 3"s and not miss a thing. these dodge cabs are tall, i am 6'1" and i wouldn't have to change the seat.

10-4, I quess I thought you where going to race it for points. Sounds like a cool project:Thumbup: . See ya:popcorn:

John finally found someone to talk MPG with. :HappyMugs

I'm currently getting a half gallon per pass. Looking to go 1 gallon. LOL

Gunracer, I can't tell ya 30, but Matt Stuckey's 740hp 96 2500 4x4 on 33" Pro Comp All Terrains running a SunCoast full billet triple disk went 11.0's @ 123 mph and gets 23 mpg on the highway. Go for it. :Thumbup:

well the drop kit i was going to get fell through, so i guess i will just air bag it and be done. i just filled up this morning and i will see how well it does with the cat off.

That thing is SWEET gunracer!

well i just cut one full coil off the front, looks like it dropped it 2.5''s. i wish i had cut another half a coil. but i did have to cut half the snubber away to give it some play. i will drop the rear 6''s or so in the next couple of days and see how it sits.

I don't know about quarter-mile performance, but I suspect you'll get a least one MPG improvement from slamming the truck.

I slammed mine 3" + 1" from a smaller front tire and got a 1.5 MPG improvement.

well i have put one tank through it since i wacked the frame[and lost the converter] and it is right at 22mpg. which is great because this is mostly driving back and forth to work and i run 75 to 80 with traffic half the time. i still haven't picked up the 3.07 rearend, i will try to get that this week.

John finally found someone to talk MPG with. :HappyMugs

I'm currently getting a half gallon per pass. Looking to go 1 gallon. LOL

Gunracer, I can't tell ya 30, but Matt Stuckey's 740hp 96 2500 4x4 on 33" Pro Comp All Terrains running a SunCoast full billet triple disk went 11.0's @ 123 mph and gets 23 mpg on the highway. Go for it. :Thumbup:

David, man i rolled down to that JGENDRS house the other day HOT! Man i made it from Atlanta to Joes house in less than 5 hours. My Mileage plumeted!
Then when i got there i put the MOLLYWHOP on that suncoast tranny and
spanked the boy a bunch of times. That boy is in awe of the 6 speed.

I figure that boy has about 220hp, then he kept dragging me around town trying to find stuff to make crystal Meth, Lowes threw us out and said they dont support that sort of thing- Joe kept saying he wanted to make Biodiesel but them guys saw right through it!

When i left Joe said he was selling that slush box and getting a real tranny!

David, man i rolled down to that JGENDRS house the other day HOT! Man i made it from Atlanta to Joes house in less than 5 hours. My Mileage plumeted!
Then when i got there i put the MOLLYWHOP on that suncoast tranny and
spanked the boy a bunch of times. That boy is in awe of the 6 speed.

I figure that boy has about 220hp, then he kept dragging me around town trying to find stuff to make crystal Meth, Lowes threw us out and said they dont support that sort of thing- Joe kept saying he wanted to make Biodiesel but them guys saw right through it!

When i left Joe said he was selling that slush box and getting a real tranny!

John, I know you are slightly warped in the head, but Joe, making Meth??? C'mon, even Joe ain't THAT stupid LOL LOL

I'll bet it was nice to run down the interstate without getting honked at and getting the one fingered salute though :roflmao: :roflmao:

John, I know you are slightly warped in the head, but Joe, making Meth??? C'mon, even Joe ain't THAT stupid LOL LOL

I'll bet it was nice to run down the interstate without getting honked at and getting the one fingered salute though :roflmao: :roflmao:

Billy I stand by my position that you help traffic when you go slow with a cable. Traffic flows nicely around you and it breaks up two people side by side one going 65 and one going 65.001 and blocking both lanes for miles and miles.

What i found is that rolling hot like that i pissed more people off and i got aggressive. One guy P'oed me and i let him hear that straight pipe when i went by him at about 90 mph. I noticed that rolling hot like that I was super aggresive and would mash the pedal to the floor which is wrong man.

When i roll slow i help the common man, because i bust the order of traffic up. I must now repent for doing 100 mph on that trip and stand by my assertion that 50 mph is the correct speed to go on the interstate and that it helps traffic flow

I am certain that that i help people by going slow

I would be happy getting 20MPG! 19MPG is the best I've gotten. But the road to work is a windy, hilly, curvy road that is one of the worst highways in Canada!

I've been experimenting with doing the same thing manually, trying to hold a constant 500 degree on the EGT. I'm not consistent yet and it isn't testing season anyway. In this weather I'm running about 24.5 MPG but it will probably drop off with the temperature.

I'm looking into that power front spoiler. My current Excursion spoiler clears grade by 7.5". If I could find a practical way to cut the gap to 2 inches or less and not beat itself to bits, I think a full MPG (tough to get when you are at my MPG) might be in the cards.

I think Gun's lightweight truck might get fabulous city MPG. Weight matters in stop-and-go traffic.

I've been experimenting with doing the same thing manually, trying to hold a constant 500 degree on the EGT. I'm not consistent yet and it isn't testing season anyway. In this weather I'm running about 24.5 MPG but it will probably drop off with the temperature.

I'm looking into that power front spoiler. My current Excursion spoiler clears grade by 7.5". If I could find a practical way to cut the gap to 2 inches or less and not beat itself to bits, I think a full MPG (tough to get when you are at my MPG) might be in the cards.

I think Gun's lightweight truck might get fabulous city MPG. Weight matters in stop-and-go traffic.

That may actually be slightly better than constant throttle, you will get greater speed swings though

the latest bunch of mods, i cut one full coil off the front and i dearched the rear springs till they were flat. that was too much, i have to raise the rear, it is on the cut down bump stops. and god it rides bad in the rear, the front feels stock as far as ride quality go's.

I’ve had similar experience, Gun. Fortunately there were drop I-beams for my Ford, so the front was a snap although I had to go to a smaller OD tire to avoid rubbing the fenders after a 3” slam. That didn’t hurt my feelings as I had some 225-75x16Es on hand. They are two inches less in diameter than the 235s on the rear. No big deal on a 4x2.

The rear was a different matter. Due to clearance problems, I couldn’t slam the rear more than 4.5” although I really wanted 6”. As is, I occasionally bang the axle into my 4” exhaust. So far, all the fixes are even worse, so I live with the occasional rattle. I also lost some capacity and I’m gonna have to cough up some bucks for air bags, I reckon. 3000 pounds of block in the bed and she is down by the stern which makes for interesting night driving.

I have a bunch of undercarriage work looking at me this year.

Nice stance Gunracer!

well i tried to get out of the work and put a set of airshocks on the rear. helped alittle bit but not enough. i have another set of spring in the back that i will rearch today to see if i can get it where i want it. i don't mind "C"ing the frame to get a better ride. i do plan on doing a complete back half with a 4 link set up but i am trying to hold onto money right now. and for what air bags cost, it should be done by summer anyway.

well i did put the street wheels and tires on it.

That is ******.... Looks awesome man :Thumbup:

That does look cool!:rockon:

It does look good, gun. Run a couple tanks through it and let us know how it does.

well the miliage has not gone up like i had hoped it would. i put in a set of lennys stage 4 injectors, and man these things rock. i have blown up one hx 35 already with them and i am trying to take it easy, but i am failing at it. still 21 mpg or so but running like a scalded dog. i hope to have a set of twins on it this weekend. so maybe i will get my foot out of it long enough to get some good mpg #S. mike

I've seen 25 MPG w/ Winter Fuel
I'd think after..........
-Injectors
-Waterless Coolant?
-Taller gears
-Better Torque Converter
-Less meaty tires
-sane driving
and probably other MPG helpers.
I should be at 30MPG in the summer.

And as for the Propane MPG boost, done right any Cummins should be over 30MPG

well the miliage has not gone up like i had hoped it would. i put in a set of lennys stage 4 injectors, and man these things rock. i have blown up one hx 35 already with them and i am trying to take it easy, but i am failing at it. still 21 mpg or so but running like a scalded dog. i hope to have a set of twins on it this weekend. so maybe i will get my foot out of it long enough to get some good mpg #S. mike

You do realize that D70 you bought was termed a D71 right? Same animal, different skin...the D71 is designed for those 3.08s (and even lower IIRC). They also have a D61F that is like a D60F, but again, has the 3.08s.

steved

i am aware of the 61 and 71 rear ends, and the 61 front ends. the pinion gear is off set more to clear the bigger pinion gear. i didn't get to get the 71 that i thought was mine. but i will get one soon enough. but not in time for the texasmile.com. i will be running a set of 3.54s for that, i still think i should hit 160.
now back to miliage, i have the hx40/16 and bht3e with a 27 ex housing mounted on it and running well. it boosts more than i need right now with lennys sticks and 181 delivery valves. but it goes down the interstate at 500 degrees and 0 boost at 70 mph. so i do belive it will get some great milage if i can keep my foot out of it. i have pop off valves that are keeping boost at 55 or so. it is a blast to drive right now, but the tires are going to have a short life.

well i have the will power of a dog in heat. i have not been able to run one tank through the truck with out flogging on it. this tank has been the best so far and i have still hit it at least 10 times. i have a fuel delivery problem, it goes to 0 psi at full boost, but runs fine at part throttle and has good pressure. but i can get 25mpg out of it even with the ocasional flog. i need to get the new power to wear off and see what it will do on a road trip. i did 493 on the dyno the other day and it was still climbing hp wise at 120. mike

Worked up any will power yet, Guns? How's that MPG?

I haven't done jack all year. Too many distractions.

I got an 03 CTD 4 door shortbox gettin 21-23 with stock exhaust and intake all i have is a TS Ramifier....

I changed the settings on the system, and just took a short trip, saw as high as 26.7 propane on !!:woot: :woot: and went a little over 100 miles on less than 1/8 tank!!:Thumbup: This is up from 17.4 with just the intake and exhaust! Now while I've used a small amount of propane (keyword small) to get acheive that, I probably still picked up a "net" savings of about 3-4!!! It cost me $13 to fill my 8 gallon tank and the gauge there did not move!!

I also noticed that if I crept above 75:eek: LOL , it dropped down to 23.7-24.2, so in looking for mileage...........even though we hate to admit it, keeping it 65-70 will get you the best results.

We all hate that bull of drivin slow but we have to admit it helps mileage!! I need to get my exhaust done and a new intake and im lookin at another 3 miles to the gallon or so but my old truck a 2000 dodge ext. cab shortbox use to get 25 average!!:Thumbup:

man i am guilty of having way to much fun, i have worn out 2 sets of rear tires and i have still not made it to 30 miles to the gallon. i am sure the truck will do it if i just keep my foot out of it. i have gone 250 miles for the first quarter tank a couple of times but then i get weak and i end up taking someone for a ride. i still have not geared it up yet either, i am running the 3.54s in a dana 80 rear. and i have been working on my dually instead of the little truck. but i did get the switches for my add on fuel system. it will come on at 25#s of boost and shut off at 10#s of boost. so it is happening but money is tight.

I hear you about the money.

So that 30 number is still thumbing its nose at you, eh?

Weather here is getting cooler and I notice my MPG starting to roll off. So much for another testing season.

i still have not been able to get a good tank without me putting my foot in it. but i have been working on my shop. i hope to have it in the dry in a week or two. then o can get serious about setting my truck up like i want.

Maybe you need to loan it to jponder for a couple weeks! LOL.

Congratulations on the write up in Diesel Power, Dave.

After years of studing the diesel engine I finally found the answer to our MPG problem. I've developed this device that will allow all of us Cummins owners to get 30 MPG. Easy install, easy to afford. Email me at phily911@gmail.com and I can sell them for 50 dollars a piece. All you need to do simple put this under your gas pedal.

Here she is boys...................


http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j54/Phily911Wahoo/the-brick.jpg


For a extra 25 dollars I'll give you two !

..........................lol

I finally got a copy of the magazine.

The guy is a pretty good photographer. He made my daily driver look pretty good. I didn't even wax it.

Sometimes the guy on a different path gets noticed.

Gun needs to get that 11-30 truck over the goal line. That'll get some attention!

I'm running on OEM sized rubber in back. 235-85x16. I've found that 31.7" OD tires do the best.

I agree a tonneau has less effect running slow than fast, but I think the throttle cable would do me some good. I run 60 on two-lane roads, 70 or so on the slab and run with traffic in town. I do tend to coast up to lights. manuals are so good for that.

Don't worry about the hecklers. I hear it all the time. I call their bluff. I have tons of time off and view the couple hundred it costs to do a 1600 mile MPG test (I always do four 400 mile fillups to average out filling error) as being acceptable because shutting up a magpie is priceless. Nobody ever takes me up.

Timbeaux asks for pics. Check out

http://www.fokisd.org/Mods/WhitmerSept05.htm

This is just my prototype. I'm looking to get something a little more civilized done this summer.
Dave- I really like the prototype work-good job; just like mythbusters!! I thought about doing the same thing when pulling a gooseneck enclosed trailer with the big flat front part pushing all that resistance, but I figured I would be just laughed right out of town, but it would be a great test though. Glad to see other guys as crazy as me. Scott:Thumbup:

Man,
I had a bad twisted ankle the other day and could not use my right foot at all. Man Thank god i can set my throttle at 1600 and walk through the gears. Its tough driving a Manual when you only have one foot!

Rolled Hot to Louisiana the other day like 65 mph+ got 18 with camper on and got 23 empty coming back

Roll'n Crazy maybe but Hot........ :umno: LOL

jponder: You need to borrow gun's truck and post a 30 MPG run and get him off the hook.

hey dave why do you get less milage in winter?
i get better in winter here cause the air is denser in the colder months .
im getting 24mpg hauling 15000lbs all up on average now and thats after turning up my fuel pump getting more power and using a manual boost control valve on my turbo .
unlaoded i get 27.5mpg now

hey i am still in the hunt, but a wife and 3 kids come first. i got the slicks for the truck, took it for a test run. they made the trannys slip bad. so th 11 second part is stil on hold. i do need to make a run and bust the 30 mpg deal. but i want to do it at 65 or so mph. i sucked up a bunch of water a couple weeks ago and i have some fuel pump issues since. i will end up replacing my injection pump. and i had to send my ddp 4s back to dynomite diesel to get them gone through. and my shop is still not dried in, some day i will get it all in order.

hey dave why do you get less milage in winter?
i get better in winter here cause the air is denser in the colder months .
im getting 24mpg hauling 15000lbs all up on average now and thats after turning up my fuel pump getting more power and using a manual boost control valve on my turbo .
unlaoded i get 27.5mpg now
We have winter diesel up here because of the temps. Diesel is a parafin based fuel, the parafin crystalizes when it gets really cold, formiing big crystals that won't pass through the fuel filter and clog up other parts of the fuel system as well. The fuel manufacturers produce a winter blend with less parafin in it, so that it is less likely to bond with eachother. Since parafin is what burns, with less of it, your power will drop a little, and so will your milage. Other than that, the cooler air is probably what is making a bigger difference than the air being more dense. A turbo charger takes care of the density issue. You guys might not have winter fuel down there. What kind of ambient air temps are you seeing?
Sean

We have winter diesel up here because of the temps. Diesel is a parafin based fuel, the parafin crystalizes when it gets really cold, formiing big crystals that won't pass through the fuel filter and clog up other parts of the fuel system as well. The fuel manufacturers produce a winter blend with less parafin in it, so that it is less likely to bond with eachother. Since parafin is what burns, with less of it, your power will drop a little, and so will your milage. Other than that, the cooler air is probably what is making a bigger difference than the air being more dense. A turbo charger takes care of the density issue. You guys might not have winter fuel down there. What kind of ambient air temps are you seeing?
Sean

no winter fuel here
it doesnt get that cold here winter gets down to 0c inthe mourings sometimes

Hey Gunracer, any chance of getting that thing ready for a MPG road trip by summer of 2008? I know about family issues. Such stuff stopped me cold last year.

With a couple other guys, we are looking to have a MPG road trip say mid-summer 2008. We are thinking from some place in Texas up to the Canadian line and back. That should give us enough mileage to wash out variations in filling. Running the legal limit is the only fair way to measure. I’ve been thinking that to assure fairness, we have each vehicle ballasted up to max GVW. That’s the way aircraft are tested.

It won’t be a competition. Some VW guy will show up and throw 60s at us. But still having a verified MPG figure that nobody can call BS on would be worth a few days off and a couple hundred bucks outlay.

i doubt i would be able to make a run like that, i hoard my free time. but i did get another pump on the truck. so i will see how well it does with miliage.

well i put a 180 cali pump on the truck, power seems in the 500's and milage is just shy of 400 on a half a tank. that is the best it has every done. and this is including 10 or so 50 to 120mph blasts, and 6 or 7 funney car style burn outs. so i may have just come up with a winning package. i will fill it up and drive semi normal next week.

ok i filled up last night and i have been driving like a snane person. i can drive this truck 70 mph and never exceed 600 degrees egt. i could not do that with any of the other 3 pumps i had on the truck. so this is getting intresting.

Keep us up-to-date, gun.

Unless you are a whole bunch more fastidious in you filling procedures than I am, I find to even out variations in filling, I need about 1500 miles per test. The only time you need to "eye-dropper the tank to the top is the first fillup and the last one. Everything else averages out.

Well gang I want to jump in the boat with you all and add my little bit of information to the pile...

http://www.frontiernet.net/~mopar1973man/2002%20Dodge/2002%20CTD.htm <- My BOMB Listing and older MPG graph with notes...

http://www.frontiernet.net/~mopar1973man/pics/fuel%20graph.jpg <- Update graph without notes...

Now I'm aiming for a easy one a solid 20 MPG and I'm really close to it. But some of my wood hauling and other activities tend to pull it back down. But so far I'm better than the stock 16-17 MPG I got with the truck when I bought it...:Thumbup:

Good work Mopar1973.

You might note dates. I think that sinusoidal wave in your MPG trend might coincide with seasonal changes.

Gun:
I hear some guy on the GM board is building a MPG special. A 6.2 in an El Camino. No danger in the quarter but in a 3500 lb vehicle a 6.2 might give good MPG. whatchathink?

Gun:
I hear some guy on the GM board is building a MPG special. A 6.2 in an El Camino. No danger in the quarter but in a 3500 lb vehicle a 6.2 might give good MPG. whatchathink?


I worked for a woman with a 6.2 Jimmy...it got 26mpg on the highway with over 250k on the clock. The back gate was always black and it was about a slug, but it was about as reliable as they came...

steved

Good work Mopar1973.

You might note dates. I think that sinusoidal wave in your MPG trend might coincide with seasonal changes.

Gun:
I hear some guy on the GM board is building a MPG special. A 6.2 in an El Camino. No danger in the quarter but in a 3500 lb vehicle a 6.2 might give good MPG. whatchathink?

Yeah that is my seasonal changes... Winter fuel and summer fuel...:Thumbup:

Any joy on the big MPG, yet gun?

Testing season approaches for me.

Prolly dosen't help a whole lot:

Me 15+ MPG or so around town :smoke
Wife 17+ MPG or so around town :damnit

I guess I'm a little more agressive :sofa

Still out there, gun?

Wow, I'm in a whole different world. While I'd like to get better milage, I leke getting there more quickly. I've been averaging 15-17 around town and 16.5-18 mpg on the highway, I'm very happy with that considering that I cruise 85-95 mph on the highway(traffic conditions permitting). I made a trip w/1500lbs in the bed @ 90 mph, i was getting 15.6 mpg (long wide open turnpike w/ very little traffic). So I'm very impressed coming from a 99 7.3 superduty.

Dodges are lighter than Fords. They should get better MPG in hilly or urban terrain.

You still out there, gun? Any progress?

I've had a tough summer (again) and progress is slow. I do have an improved air dam that I can hopefully get on the truck this week.