Ford 7.3 mileage, pure highway.. experience?

[NCPirate]

I have a stock 2000 7.3 Excursion, automatic 6" lift and 36" tires and I get 17 hwy and 15 city. I will be adding an intake,exhaust and chip soon, hoping to see 20 mpg

 

[greasyfingers]

There is something wrong if you are getting mileage like that on the highway even with the leveling kit and tires. I have a 2000 CCSB 4wd 7.3 SD with a leveling kit and 285/27/16 and I get 21mpg hand calculated on the highway during road trips and mid 17s to 18 mpg on an average tank of mixed driving. And yes the speedo has been adjusted. I lost a hair over 1MPG with the lift and tires on the highway and notice almost no change in mixed driving. I would first make sure your speedo is accurate, then look into your brakes and see if your caliper slide pins are moving smoothly. This is a big issue with SD's and it is best if you clean and grease the pins once or twice a year depending how much you drive. Then check for boost leaks, make sure your CAC boots are in good shape. One way to do it if you have an air compressor is to get a 4" piece of PVC and with a cap cemented in place. Then drill a hole for a quick coupler, the coupler will cut its own threads, and then take a piece of 4" exhaust tubing and hammer it in to the open end of the PVC. Once the cement is set clamp it to the air intake duct that goes to the turbo and slowly pressurize it to about 20-25psi. Listen and feel for leaks around the CAC tube boots. You also need to check for trouble codes, and makes sure you EBPV is working properly even though it's summer if it malfunctions it will eat a few mpg's.

 

[random]

I have an IDI 7.3, so I don't know how much my experience would apply to your situation. I found that in the 1850-2000 RPM range I get better mileage than at 1700-1850. So, you might want to vary your speed a little and see if you can find a sweet spot. Also, if the cruise control on your truck is anything like the system in my wife's Escape of the same year, you're better off without it, mileage wise.

 

[brussum]

I have a 2002 F350 with 7.3, AT, 2" lift, 35" tires (speedo was adjusted), 4.10 gears, cab-height canopy, TJM bullbar, and Banks exhaust. I'm usually getting in the 15-16 mpg range with mixed driving. I'm easy on the gas pedal and keep highway speeds low enough so the turbo's barely running (~65mph). Once that thing starts to whistle on the highway, my mileage goes into the toilet.

 

[jturkey69]

FWIW...I tried canned tunes (factory SCT Tuner) and didnt get the mileage I expected with our old 7.3 Excursion 4x4...but when I decided to run a DPTuner flip chip, we gained almost 3mpg with me driving...solid 3mpg+ with wife driving. Only mods were open element air filter with a hole cut next to radiator, and straight pipe exhaust. I will second the EBPV, and CAC tubes and boots...make sure those are good, and not wore out..I replced ours with Samco I think..been awhile.
my personal point is, Banks makes good stuff, just not for the Powerstroke, In my opinion...they may have gotten better? I had awesome results with DP (Jody Tipton)...forgot to mention the SCT tuner wasted one turbo, and possibly a HPOP but the latter will never be known as we lost the truck

 

[jamoffroad]

my late 99 ccsb 4x4 with 315 tires ,4 inch exhaust,and sb air filter ,no chip gets 16.5-16.8 every tank in town and a couple weeks ago did 60 freway with curise 1700 rpms about 68 miles a hour got 22.6 hand cal . the key is rpms never over 1850 rpms get good milage . next for mine will be gages and chip. my truck has 255,000 miles . BANKS IS JUNK pull that chip and get real progam from jody or tony wildman...

 

[Buliwyf]

My former, bone stock, 2000 7.3 E-350 van would average up to 19.5mpg on a long freeway trip. Don't forget the headwind/tailwind factor. Your lifted truck has as much frontal area as a van. I noticed a couple to a few mpg's loss on trips with a strong headwind.

1 wheel drive vans get better mileage and are more aerodynamic than trucks. My Chevy 3500 van gets 17mpg with a 6.0L and thousands of pounds of cargo at 67mph.

 

[Mike S]

I have a stock 2001 F350 CC short bed with automatic, 285/75 Toyo M55s and 3:73 gearing. I regularly get 18.5 to 19 MPG on the highway. This was measured at various speeds, temps, terrain. In the high mountains it drops off a bit.

 

[lllateralus]

Thanks for all the replies. Ill have to pull the Banks chip and see how that effects it.

FYI, I am very happy with my Banks exhaust (sounds awesome) and Trans Command module. (firms shifts, much less slippage during shifts)

 

[TRegasaurus]

I concur the the rest, your lift and tire option is definately taking a toll. Cruise controls are not your best option for maximizing fuel economy. Try it manual and really feather the gas. Anticipate the hill and gain a couple mph and then let it drift back down as you climb. If you have an automatic transmission, try to prevent downshifting during a hill climb. Let it work at a lower rpm. Your mpg's will drop with higher rpm's.
There are more tricks you can try, google hyper-miling for more tips.

 

[TRegasaurus]

Also do some math and figure the percentage difference between your tires and stock. Multiply the difference to your miles driven for a more accurate number.

 

[dp7197]

My 97 F-250 Supercab 4x4 with 3.55s used to get 23mpg when I traveled the interestate for long periods. Set the cruise at 1800 rpms and let it go. Have a Banks chip now and it is more fun. Best truck I have ever had and with 133k it runs better now than it ever has.

 

[datroutcrew]

I have a 97 F250CCSB with 4.10 gears and 285 BFG ATs. I just returned from the coast and we got 20-23mpg running at 70 on the interstate. I usually get about 16 in town. This is with ARE MX top, yakima basket and box. With my wife, 2 boys, and all of our gear, it feels like we're loaded for bear everywhere we go.

 

[chasespeed]

My 99 7.3 Super Duty(SC/SB) 35s, and leveling kit.... averaged 16mpg, tuner or not(Wildman Tunes), loaded or not, trying or not... that truck just was happy at the MPG... No complaints... I would give my Cummins up to have that truck back.... best overall truck I ever owned...



Chase

 

[wagoneercraig]

I dont want to be the guy who through the gas the on the fire here . Well that is kinda fun :wings: . But are you pulling you miles traveled off of the trucks odometer ? As soon as you put larger tires on you threw the it off . Hopefully you pulled your info off of a GPS unit or at least a hub mounted odometer ?