Realistic Fuel Mileage with a tuner

[chrisinkanata]

I'm watching Speed TV this morning and see an ad for a Hypertech programmer. They make claims of 2-6 additional MPG for a diesel truck. I see these claims all the time, and frankly, am beyond skeptical. Lots of members here have tuners and I'm wondering if these claims are true.

I drive a bone stock 02 D/A, 100 miles per day back and forth to work at 60 mph. I tow a 12000# 5th wheel about 5 - 6K miles per year. I spend a healthy amount on Fuel!

So, the question is this...do any of you have any real world experiences in terms of fuel savings with a tuner? I don't need any performance increase, satisfied with what I have and really don't want to stress the engine. This is simply about fuel savings. Is it worth it?

Thanks very much for any thoughts.

Chris

[gimpyhauler]

I bought a tuner. I have no fuel savings. I think you'll find the same with most of them. The one exception is a reprogrammed box. That is what I'm planning on next.

[Heartbeat Hauler]

Yup, tuners are not gonna help. You're driving habits wil help more. Look into one of Kennedy's (forum vendor) EFILive econo tunes and then drive at between 1800 and 2000 RPMs.

[Mark Rinker]

Tuners had a good chance of finding mileage in the early years, specifically the 2001-2003 LB7s. GM left that gap on the table with their tuning.

After that, my experience has been that programmers are effective at adding power for specific, narrow ranges of function - i.e. towing or racing.
The stock OEM tunes address the widest range of performance and function, and deliver nearly optimal (if not the best) MPG across that wide range of function.

Now...you COULD pay someone experienced with EFI-Live to come up with a tune that would work best for people living in Boulder, Colorado that pull a 6K work trailer to and from Denver daily. However, that same tune might not work as well for the guy living at sea level, driving unloaded.

Trade-offs. Save your $$$ if you are looking for fuel savings over a range of operating parameters. However, if you have something specific that you do with your truck repeatedly that is not the norm, and want more power AND better mileage while you do it, call John Kennedy for a custom tune.