paroxysym

i was wondering what mods you have found actually increase mpgs- when you keep your foot out of it. does an intake help? it was suggested i just do a drop in to the stock air box, since i wont be upgrading my turbo. what mods would you suggest if i wanted to get the most of a tank of fuel. these mods would pertain to a shoft bed, qc, auto. thanks guys, appreciate the help.

tesla440

It depends on how deep you want to dig into your pockets.

Free:
tone ring mod
modified stock air box (I would reference the "cool tube" design. [I have mine with a large hole in the bottom & during winter here in WI I've gotten some water into the intake. I only knew since there was dried salt marks by the silencer ring.)
cheap:
Rokktech sensor
TRM & Rokktech both advance timing about 2*

Anything that you do to make the engine breath better:
Cold air intake
aftermarket intercooler
high flowing intake horn
port & polished heads
matching low HP injectors (~50hp range)
cam (you'll need new springs)
exhaust manifold
turbo (will help with right amount of fuel, correctly size for application & free flowing intake & exhaust)
free flowing exhaust

Since you have an auto trans, a different torque converter & valve body will get more power to the ground.

Plus don't forget about synthetic fluids for everything.

Then there are the chips & programs. That's a personal preference. I went with Quad because of their EXCELLENT customer service.

Just for reference, with my mods I get 18-19 mpg city/suburbs & 23.x mpg all Hwy at 70-75mph.

I'm currently saving for my 48re before I would get a turbo & cam. That's probly where I'll stop (maybe )

Just remember parts work together in combination. You need the right combinations to everything properly. (fuel, injection pressure, valve timing, injection timing, cool air flow, etc.)

I always look for the bigs bang for my buck & start from there.

A good article to read is from Diesel power magazine, August 2007. If I remember corrently it was '97 1ton that they were able to get 30.x mpg at 60mph with some very cheap mods. Not that I would recommend blocking your air flow to the radiator. But you can see some of the easy stuff that can be done.

lowering these bricks that we drive & do aerodynamic mods will greatly improve your mileage without doing anything to the engine.

If you really want the best bang for the buck you could try diesel blending or bio-diesel. Just pour in & go & alot less cost per gallon

Good luck & have fun.

JD Dearden

I have found the very absolute best solution for this is a blindfold or just not caring like me, my truck holds 90 gallons of fuel and I top it off once every two weeks.

carharttfarmer

have to agree with jd dont look our just quite caring im happy with th 16-17 i get driving 80

cquestad

Ditto...my fat truck is not ever going to get better than 16-17.

I would rather get 13 and drive it like I stole it!

2003Ram

cover the bed with a cap or a Tonneau, run STOCK tires at max air pressure, keep boost at 10psi or less, keep highway speeds at 65mph or less.

wap

Xs 2, I didnt get this truck for the mpg, I got mine to haul heavy and go fast.

bigcat83

i just drive it and fill it up when it get below a quater lol.don't even worry bout the mpg.

Raspy

I find it interesting when someone declares they don't care what their mileage is.

There are two reasons why I do care. One is range. The more range the truck has the better. And I mean on the standard tank. Others with auxillary tanks must care too, but say they don't. Why would you go to all the trouble to increase your range with an aux tank and say you don't care about mileage? Better mileage would do the same thing for less cost and hassle.

The other reason is the cost and sending money to people who hate us. When I start throwing $100. per week into the truck for fuel you better believe I care about mileage. So for those that don't care I simply ask what it will take for you to care? Just curious. $5./gal fuel, $7./gal fuel? Why not $3./gal fuel? Maybe some of us have so much money that it doesn't matter, not me.

As far as mods go, a Smarty on a low setting with timing, tires smaller than 315s, reducing speed and no heavy acceleration. Well, at least not all the time. Another practical thing is taking the TDI when the truck is not needed. The biggest gains come from just driving it easy. I know some like to proudly say "drive it like you stole it" and that's fine, but I can tell you that if I drove mine like I stole it, it would not have lasted for one week or maybe one day. And I'm not about to get a new one every week just so I can break it.


Wetspirit

Rick D

Save yourself allot of money, just get a 1/2" piece of wood and glue it to the floor under the accelerator pedal...best MPG mod there is..

Rick

duallydave

lots of air in the tires,some say removing the fan helps{with an electric fan}some say manual hubs help{ill post soon as i removed my front d-shaft to repair a ujoint,probaly keep it off all summer}tonoue cover or remove tailgate,and let the engine breathe,muffler delete,remove air intake restrictions,bhaf,and a scangauge2 will help you change your habbits,it monitors engine load and throttle postion and shows mpg and fuel used and lots of other goodies,

t-boe

I didn't see a bit of difference in mileage when I got my cap.

I keep an eye on my mileage for two reasons: 1. Because I love the fact that such a big truck gets this kind of mileage. 2. Make sure everything is running correctly. A big drop in mileage could mean something is out of whack.

Tree DR

If you read some of the threads I've started most are about mpg improvements.

blake2500

do not remove the tailgate or let it down. all research shows that this does not help mileage, and can actually make it worse. with the tailgate up the air gets trapped in the bed making a "bubble" of stagnant air that lets the moving air flow over it.

google it for lots of answers, or watch it on mythbusters

24seven

Tailgate doesn't matter below 55mph.... Above that you notice better mileage with it OFF. Try this..... take it off for a week and run around and up, down the highway a few times... then put it on and do the same then check and see how full your tank is each time you get done.(fill it before you start each time)..There a difference, most people don't believe it but I go by what I know and have done not by what someone says.