Hey everybody,
Recently got myself an 08 2500 srw cummins 4x4 with auto 68fre tranny.
Was all stock when I purchased it. Only thing is it has a 2" leveling spacer in the front and 285/75/17 tires. Was getting average 12mpg based on hand calculations. I drive mainly highway around 60-65mph.


Shortly after I heard about unplugging the EGR system to get a little better mpg's, which I did and averaged about 14mpg.


Since then I got EFI live tunes from PPE and did a 5" tbe and deleted the DPF system. The egr system still being unplugged right now until I get around to deleting it next.


Now I'm still averaging 14mpg.. I mean I love the added power, sound of the exhaust, specially with the exhaust brake on, but I don't get how others are getting closer to 20mpg with the deletes??? Any help or tips would gladly be appreciated!

 

Check the operator that is loving that new power and sound :-). Sounds like to be able to get those benefits mentioned and still achieve the same MPG you had is a pretty good gain...

 

They're not getting close to 20mpg. They are reading the overhead or flat out lying.

 

That overhead reading is most commonly called the "lie-o--meter".

 

I usually don't contribute to mpg conversations, but I gotta speak up. When I worked offshore in the GOM, I was driving from western Colorado to southern Louisiana. My first stop for diesel would be in Amarillo Texas. That's 640 miles from my home. I have a 34gallon tank. Works out to be 18.82mpg. Drove conservatively, setting the cruise @ 68 in 65mph zones, 77 in 75 mph zones. That's also going over 3 mountain passes and some canyon driving before reaching the flat lands.
Mods are in my sig.

 

Coming from a second gen perspective and yes not a complete apples comparison BUT....I've found the best mpg are when I'm running 1900 rpms. i focused on upgrades which "help" with increased mpg and it has worked. Yes, the added power is great to! 22mpg on my last hwy trip. Open up your air flow in/out, add quality injectors, a programmer to help with timing and reasonably conservative driving all adds up. It's not just one component that'll get you improved mpg.

 

You must not have lived in Grand Junction at the time? GJ to Amarillo is 567 miles.

Do you top off? Keep pumping until you see Diesel at the neck? That would be 40 gallons. Although the tank is rated at 34 gallons, it actually holds 40 if you top off.

 

It is true like high bid said that one can achieve the numbers and above the Kerri mentioned. It takes the right combination of vehicle hardware and driving style though. Also, accurate way of calculating in the first place. The overhead is the last item to go by and just gives you a feel if you are getting better or worse... Not to be used for a nominal number.

 

Thanks for the reply. Your right but I feel I'm missing something. Even if I drive nice I achieve the same mpg. What do you average on yours? similar setup I see

 

Yes I know that, All my MPG averages are hand calculated based off trip divided by gallons I fill up in the tank, since I always fill it every time I stop for fuel.


My last truck was an 03 duramax with 6" lift and 37's. Had EFI live with intake & exhaust. The lie o meter always seemed to be in the mid 20's although hand calculations were 14-16mpg

 

BTW, Thank you all for your replies, both the helpful and not so helpful. At the end of the day I'm just trying to get any sort of tips. Basically any experience you all might already have. I'm currently using this truck as my DD since my rock crawler I tow is stuck in another state. I just want to try and get a bit more MPG so I can show my wife that the additions to this truck are beneficial not just for personal happiness.

 

When towing, my MPG pretty much sucks... Like about 11. When driving nice and on the road, I get about 15 to 16, so I'm pretty much in the same range... I'm still braking mine in lol.

 

Thanks Mega for some support. People are so fast to argue and call bullsh*t when someone with a 6.7 gets decent mpg. I was on a pretty tight budget when I worked in the Gom as my company didn't pay travel expenses when working stateside. So I drove pretty conservative. Gave myself plenty of time to make the trip so I wouldn't have to push and spend more money on fuel.
And I don't know if this makes a difference, but I would run a can of the BG diesel treatment through about every 3rd or 4th trip. I fell like it helps when you can run it through a whole tank in a long trip.

 

Steelblitzkrieg, the route I took doesn't pop up on google maps immediately. Drag the line down a touch. I ran HWY 287 off of 50 east of gunnison to saguache, to alamosa. Picked up 160 to I-25 North of trinidad co. It's longer, but cuts out Monarch pass and the traffic through the canyon on HWY 50. Lots of RV traffic through there. If you look at that route, google says 639 miles. I wish I could recall what fuel station I stopped at, then you could google the exact mileage from my house to the pump if you wanted.

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude.

I get tired of seeing people talking about 20mpg as if they are achieving it all the time. I know in my experience and I am on the higher end of MPG's compared to most and 20mpg is darn hard to accomplish. Even 19 is a rare event. I've hit 20mpg once and it was perfect conditions before my lift and 35's. I came from 7k (Echo Summit/Tahoe) to sea level (San Fran) while drafting a semi at 60mph with no head/cross winds. I could frequently average 16-17mpg commuting, but breaking 19 isn't easy even on long trips. Now with my lift I'm around 15.5 commuting and very very rarely 17+ on long trips.