Ron Paull

I just bought a 2003 3500 quad cab with 80000 miles on it in real nice shape. The seller made no inflated claims about fuel mileage stating that 18 mpg unladen, over the road was about the best he got.
The truck sports an AFE free flow intake and exhaust but no other mods to the engine. Stock size tires, automatic transmission, 4X4.
My question is this: Is there a sub $100 performance chip that can safely improve my mileage to 20 or more mpg?
I rarely drive much over 65 mph.
Or do I need to consider a programer like an Edge or Smarty.
Finally what's the best combination of 'gadgets' to improve fuel economy if price were no object?
I have no experience with the later generations. I have had and will continue to use my old trusty 92 Dodge with Banks Power pack for the past 300,000 miles. The o3 is a real change for me.
Thanks
Ron

C Schomer

Good luck on finding a power mod that actually increases mpg like advertised. Have you put on enough miles to tell what you are getting. I think 18 is about right for a 4wd. My worst unloaded mpg is 18.3, summer and AC always on. Winter is 19.8. I had Diablo stuff and it didn't help but it didn't hurt either if I drove right. Now I have TST but it's too early to tell. Craig

Danderson

Your WORST unladen mileage is 18.3 out of a dually? Keep that truck.

Ron Paull

Sorry, forgot to mention the truck was NOT a dually and the 18 mpg figure mentioned was the best mileage he got but was pretty consistent.

I'm mostly wondering if any of those cheap chips advertising modest HP gains and up to 8 mpgs are a bunch of hokum or if there's any truth to it. They are not adjustable, there's no fancy gages, zip. Just a plug in chip that overrides the ECM as I understand it.

Spooler

What gears do you have? A Smarty Jr. or Sr. is the best for MPG, it's not 8 mpg though, it more around 2-3 mpg and driving sensibly. It's not under $100 bucks though.

KKB

Ron Paull, I know about the chip you are talking about and you need to stay away. They do nothing. Stick with the proven ones like Smarty, Edge, Bullydog, Quadzilla, and Tst. The best mileage I have seen on mine was with the Smarty beta 4.4 good luck but stay away from the cheap crap. Do some searches on that chip and with the better business bureau to see for yourself if you do not believe me.

.boB

In recent years, manufacturers have gotten pretty smart about fuel mileage. That is a real key selling point for most buyers. So the engineers spend a lot of time making the vehicles as efficient as possible.

When it comes to computer programs, you get what you pay for. That's not a slam, just a point of fact. A $70 "chip" contains a canned tune, that may or may not meet your needs. If it doesn't, spend another $70 and try again.

The next step up is find a custom tuner who can build you a tune to meet your needs exactly. More money, but more likely to give you what you need.

A smarty Jr (or similar) allows you to adjust the tune to your liking, to get what you want. And you can make changes as conditions change. I use the smarty Jr. to turn the power down most of the time, I set PoD on 75. Saves fuel, and takes some strain off the rest of the drive line. I don't really need 650 ft/lbs to get to work. When I tow, I turn PoD up to 100.

Yesterday I loaded up the truck with a bunch of car parts. Crammed as much as I could get into the back. I drove up to Bennett, CO, for a swap meet and car show - about 90 miles. I drove 75-80 mph most of the way. Sometimes as fast as 90. I averaged 19.5 mpg round trip - hand calculated.

Other changes lie air cleaners, intake horns, exhaust changes, etc, really don't seem to improve mileage any. You spend a lot of money and time, can make the truck louder and/or less reliable, and don't gain any benefit.

I don't plan on making any under hood changes. Simple maintenance only, check tire pressure, easy driving techniques, etc. That's as good as it gets.

Ron Paull

Thanks guys! That's the kind of help I needed.
I have the 3.73 gears. Sure wish those programmers were not so expensive though -
Guess I'll just have to save my pennies for a while.

C Schomer

Yep, I calc every tank and 18.3 minimum is with a 4.10. I believe the guys who claim 22 with a 3.73. I did some arithmetic. I already had gauges from my previous truck and I put them in my 03. Then I spent $344 for the Pred. w/power supply and rs 232 cable. Then $75 for a boost fooler. Then $165 for the Puck. This was spread out over 2 yrs so it didn't hurt so bad. So, with the gauges, I had about $800 in that setup. Now I just spent $800 for the PMCR to have everything in one unit (boost fooler, gauges, adj. on the fly, rail psi, turbo timer, and better control of the tuning parameters) plus better overall driving quality. I wish I would have bought the second $800 setup, first. Pay now or pay later! Craig