First Mod for Mileage?

**Dirtbikindad393** · 10-28-2008, 10:08 AM

Pretty new here and trying to soak up as much as I can. I will bet this has been asked many times before and I should probably do a search but I will just ask again.

I want to get more mileage out of my truck towing as well as daily driving. I had to quit driving my truck to work because its an 80 mile one way trip for me. I now drive my wifes Honda Civic and she drives the truck 19 miles one way to her work. I tow a 29 ft toyhauler when loaded I am guessing its 11k lbs.

Should my first mod be an exhaust system, the Killer Bee overhaul kit, a Kodiak mouthpiece or a chip/tuner thing. It seems that PPE is very popular and gets pretty good reviews.

How would you go about getting the extra mileage out of it?

Thank you in advance for all the help & suggestions.

Dane

**DSTRBD** · 10-28-2008, 10:22 AM

The biggest bang for the buck is going to be a chip. Exhaust and intake mods will also help get the air moving more quickly therefore increasing efficiency. I suggest going with a programmer like the PPE Economy or Standard. They have several different settings to try so you can find out which one gives you the best mileage gain. Some people get the best in the top setting, others the lowest setting.

**Dirtbikindad393** · 10-28-2008, 10:45 AM

I try to use the cruise control alot. In the city I am not aggressive. I drive about 70 on the frwy and between 60-65 towing. I am sure thats the hardest part on my drivetrain is the 60-65 towing.

A couple of months ago I had to drive about 200 miles around socal in the same day empty. I set the cruise at 62-65 and reset the fuel economy in the DIC. at the end of the day I was at 19.8. The best reading during the day was 23.7.

When I run empty at 70 I get about 15-17 mpg in the DIC.

When I tow I get from 6 to 9 in the DIC. Trailer is about 10.5K lbs and its all up hill from my house to the racing areas that we race in.

**Meyerperformance** · 10-28-2008, 10:54 AM

If i can help please let me know.

Tyler

**Dirtbikindad393** · 10-28-2008, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4x4Fantasy

the DIC is not an accurate tool for measurement. hand calculating is always better!!

While towing, I would not go over level 2 on the PPE, unless you have supporting transmission mods. While empty, you can go to level 3 if you wish and you will see a nice increase in power AND mpg. If you wanted to get the tuner, exhaust and gauges, I can give you a killer package deal.

My ears are always open, pm me if you like and lets talk about the package.

**n0useforaname** · 10-28-2008, 01:21 PM

Before you get a tuner....get yourself a 4 inch exhaust and some gauges. Tunes add higher EGTs...and if you are going to tow....you need them. They can raise pretty darn quick. After you get an exhaust and gauges...(EGT and Boost)....then look at a programmer. PPE is a good one for mileage and de-fuels during shifts....but personally....I wouldn't tow with a tuner you can't change power on the fly with...that might just be me....but what's going to stop your tranny from slipping? I know my Banks setup will cut all extra HP when it senses a 3% slip. At 5%...you go into limp home mode. With the programmers.....you just hit 5% and get stuck in 4th gear. You can probably get a PPE and set a small tune and be fine....but a tranny fix isn't cheap. Just do your research...

**Dirtbikindad393** · 10-28-2008, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by n0useforaname

Before you get a tuner....get yourself a 4 inch exhaust and some gauges. Tunes add higher EGTs...and if you are going to tow....you need them. They can raise pretty darn quick. After you get an exhaust and gauges...(EGT and Boost)....then look at a programmer. PPE is a good one for mileage and de-fuels during shifts....but personally....I wouldn't tow with a tuner you can't change power on the fly with...that might just be me....but what's going to stop your tranny from slipping? I know my Banks setup will cut all extra HP when it senses a 3% slip. At 5%...you go into limp home mode. With the programmers.....you just hit 5% and get stuck in 4th gear. You can probably get a PPE and set a small tune and be fine....but a tranny fix isn't cheap. Just do your research...

So adding power makes the tranny slip if its too much power?

I am trying to do my research by asking questions and reading around this site.

**Killerbee** · 11-03-2008, 06:35 AM

Dane. The best way to improve economy is adjusting your expectations, and attending to your driving style. Programmers are very misleading. They can help quite a bit, but most let the DIC be their metric, and they are simply misleading when the tune is downloaded. I'd say this is intentional deception. Only one tuner permits you to remove that deception and correct the DIC...EFILive, though it can be frustrating for some, requires patience to learn.

**Dirtbikindad393** · 11-04-2008, 08:39 PM

Well My first two mods will be a BD Manifold and the KB IOH kit.

They are both ordered and I might be ordering an exhaust and gauges in the next week or so. I feel like these mods are good money spent towards lower EGTs and better induction flow. I should get some better mileage with that.

I do have one question though. Should I get a Trans temp gauge when I get gauges? Since I do a lot of towing I was thinking that maybe it would be a good thing to have. I don't trust the factory gauge in the cluster.

Tuner might have to wait for a couple months due to lack o funds.

**BigRedChevy** · 11-04-2008, 11:08 PM

A tranny temp guage would be fine, but you have one in the dash cluster.