Mileage Improvement

[afp]

My first trip on the freeway with my truck yielded a disappointing 16.5 mpg. My last two trips yielded 18.5 and 18.6 mpg over the same stretch of road. On the first trip, I had about 1000 miles on the truck. On the second trip I had 1500 miles on it, so it isn't a matter of the truck just getting broken in. From what I've researched, it will be 10-20,000 miles before I get best mileage, based on how I'm using the truck (daily driver, minimal hauling/towing).

I changed the way I drove the truck after my first trip. I no longer drive it like a gasoline vehicle. I now only feed the truck fuel when it's ready. This is hard to describe, but easy to do. I am accelerating just as fast (probably faster), but the mileage has gone up. I also had my Magnaflow muffler installed between the first and second trips, and that must have helped a little.

I think the muffler added a little, but changing the way I drive added the most. Perhaps diesels and turboed motors are more suseptible to poor mileage with a heavy foot than gas rigs are.

Thoughts?

Blaine

[tmg115]

i feel the reason you got better millage was becuase the truck is getting more "broke in". the exhaust helped but the bigest reason is the truck is kinda broken in.

my first tank was bad but then it got better. i drive with a very heavy foot and i get way better millage than the V10 or my 350. on a 6 mile trip i got the V10 from 3/4 full of gas to 1/2 full of gas just driving the way i do with my duramax.

but now with all the add ons i have my truck runs like a hopped up gasser. i really don't push the peddel down to get it to go. i just push it a little and it takes off. i really love this truck. and i love the look on the ricers faces when i blow past them in my 6550 pound truck. lol

[afp]

TMG,

From everything I've read and been told, a diesel needs a lot more than 1500 miles on it to start breaking in well, especially one that hasn't been worked. maybe others will chime in with their experiences.

Blaine

[AKDmax]

I have been keeping records of my mileage using Idle_chatter's excel chart. Took me a while to get used to the diesel also. I'll never go back. with 5000 mile on the truck this is how my mileage has improved. first three tanks average was 15.3 on #1 diesel (yuck). After learning how to drive and break-in, it has increased to 20.6 on the last tank. I do alot of driving in 25 mph zones which kills the mileage, but highway driving yields great mileage. Towing a 7,000lb. TT I get about 14mpg. There are alot of hills here so it's on and off the pedal constantly. Don't know how that stacks up against the rest of you, but it sure is better than my 97 K1500 that got 8 towing the same trailer and 15 unloaded going downhill with a tail wind.