Diesel Power Fuel Mileage Tips Continued

So the suspense has built up long enough, its time we finally give you the rest of the secret diesel fuel mileage tips  that Diesel Power Magazine ran in their October 2008 issue.  Over the next couple of days we will cover some of our own diesel performance centered fuel mileage increasing methods as well, so be sure to check back for them. Let’s get on with the tips to increase your diesel fuel mileage!

23.  Don’t Keep Tank Full: Remember that diesel fuel weighs about 7 pounds per gallon.  Vehicles have a tendency to nickel and dime their owners to get some revenge make every pound count.  Remember the straw that broke the camel’s back.

24.  Remove Front Drive shaft: This easy modification drops the vehicle’s weight.  It also makes for one less moving part on vehicles without lockouts.  When winter comes or if fuel prices drop, put it back on.

25.  Locking Hubs: Disconnecting the wheel from the axle with lockouts will improve .4 mpg.

26.  Live on the edge and ditch the spare: This option will come more real once run-flat tires become an option for consumers.  Still, tires today are so good the spare rarely gets used.  We would guess that 3 times out of 10, the vehicle’s spare tire doesn’t have air in it anyway.  In its place, have a few plugs and an old-fashioned hand pump.  Craftsman came out with a 19.2 volt hand-held air pump that inflates low-volume tires up to 200 psi.  As for plus, the ones from Napa are much better than the cheap ones.  there is a big difference.

27.  Look to racing: Now is the perfect time to upgrade to fiberglass fenders.  Why stop there when you can spring for a carbon fiber hood?  With fuel at the prices they are, one can’t afford not to.

28.  Lexan:  Replace as much glass as possible, although be sure to leave the windshield alone.  Imagine what would happen in every pickup and SUV would replace just one piece of glass with this welterweight material.

29:  Aerodynamic Tricks: Air dams and tire skirts push air away from un-aerodynamic areas.  Early Broncos and many other cars from the ’50’s and ’60’s used tire skirts.  With everyone’s attention focused on fuel consumption, we might see this retro styling return.

30. Manual Trans Swap: When shopping for a used truck, avoid three and four-speed automatic transmissions and seek out five and six-speed manuals, so your engine can stay in its torque peak.

31.  Radiator Relocation: The mud bogging crowd has done this trick.  With the radiator by the tailgate, the front could be totally blocked off.

32.  Diesel Reinforcements: Propane, compressed natural gas (CNG), and hydrogen are alternatives in supplementing diesel.

33.  Remove all traces of the air conditioner: This will make it cleaner under the hood and crate less load on your engine.  Many serpentine belt systems can be routed with the compressor removed; all that is needed is a shorter belt.

34.  Lower the truck: If you want big tires, get out the saw and cut the sheet metal.  Don’t lift your truck anymore than you have to.

35.  Fuel Connoisseur: Don’t fill up when the tankers are filling the tanks.  Let the fuel settle before putting it in your truck.

Alright, now I am just going to come out and say that the bulk of these tips are just flat-out retarded, if you are so concerned about increasing your diesel fuel mileage that you are willing to remove your A/C and cut your sheet metal instead of lifting your truck you should be driving a ’95 civic and definitely not a diesel.  Have any input? we would love to hear it.

Visit Parley’s Diesel Performance for all your diesel performance upgrades that will help you improve your diesel fuel mileage.

More Steps to Increase Diesel Fuel Mileage

Alright, so once you have gained some self-control and begun to strictly check your tire pressure and speed, you are now ready for some more tips to help you increase diesel fuel mileage.  (If you are too into diesel performance and can’t seem to lay off the pedal, we know how you feel; maybe increasing fuel mileage just isn’t for you!)

6.  The most efficient drivers get about 30% better fuel economy than the least efficient drivers.

7.  Aerodynamic treatments can reduce the horsepower required to move the truck by 30 to 35 hp.

8. Every truck does not have to be fitted with all the aerodynamic features available.  For example, if the vehicle is only used for local deliveries, it does need air dams designed for highway use.

9.  Every 2% reduction in aerodynamic drag results in approximately 1% improvement in fuel economy.

10. The rpm level where the engine cruises can provide critical fine-tuning of fuel economy.  To do this, you can spec the axle gearing so that the engine runs at its torque peak.

11.  All oil thickens at low temperatures, causing increased fuel consumption.  Synthetic oil is less affected by temperature, thus making it more fuel-efficient.

12.  Tires flex more at higher speeds.  This leads to more friction, higher tire temperatures, and reduced fuel economy.

13.  Rolling resistance results from the internal friction of a tire as it deflects (flexes) during motion.  Energy spent generating heat in the tires is energy that does not contribute to moving the vehicle.  Cooler running tires are more fuel-inefficient than tries that run hotter.

14.  Air conditioner power demands are relatively small compared to the cooling fan, but every little bit helps so driver with the A/C off.

15.  Exceeding the recommended engine oil levels can lead to significant oil churning.spin losses, resulting in reduced engine efficiency and mpg.

16.  It takes between 10 and 70 hp to driver the cooling fan so cooling system maintenance can have a significant effect on fuel economy.

17.  A tire that is misaligned only 1/4-Degree from straight will try to travel 10-15 feet sideways for each mile, resulting in lower fuel economy.

18.  Selection of the appropriate drive train components is critical to achieving driveability and mpg goals.  Direct-drive transmissions can yield a +2% advantage in mpg from lower-gear mesh losses and lower spin/oil losses.

19.  Road roughness can increase rolling resistance up to 20% due to energy dissipation in the tires and suspension (10% loss in mpg).  The best surface for fuel efficiency is polished concrete.

20.  For every 10 mph of headwind or crosswind, mpg is reduced by nearly 13%.  You cannot escape increasing wind resistance.

21.  A list of behaviors exhibited by drivers that consistently obtain good fuel economy:

• High percentage of trip distance in top gear (90+% recommended)
• High percentage of distance in cruise control
• Minimum service brake activity
• Minimum percent idle/PTO operation

22.  Michelin is offering a new X one tire for tractor trailer rigs.  Replacing the dual-tire setup with one extra wide tire is said to increase fuel efficiency 5%.  A tractor with dual wheels has a total wheel and tire weight of 2,704 pounds, whereas when fitted with the wide X Ones, the total weight is only 1,963 pounds.  The X One tires turn much easier than a set of dual wheels because the dual wheels are fighting each other anytime they are not going perfectly straight.

Well we’re almost there, you now have 22 out of over 35 ways to increase your diesel fuel mileage.  If you have any of your own please be sure to let us know.

35+ Ways To Increase Diesel Fuel Mileage

Whether you are into Cummings performance, Duramax performance or Powerstroke performance or just diesel performance in general, with the economy and fuel prices the way they are we are all looking to save a little money at the pump.  Diesel Power Magazine recently ran an interesting article talking about 35 ways that International recommends to increase diesel fuel mileage.

1. Break In Those Tires – A worn tire is about 7% more efficient than a new tire.  The break-in period for tires is between 35,000 and 50,000 miles.
2. Check Your PSI – Every 10 PSI that a tire is under inflated reduces fuel economy by 1%.
3. Know Your Tire Facts – Tires make the biggest difference in mpg below 50 mph.  Aerodynamics is the most important factor over 50 mph.
4. An Idle Mind – idle time is costly.  Every hour of idle time in a long-haul operation can decrease fuel efficiency by 1%.
5. Check Your Speed – Above 55 mph, each 1-mph increase in vehicle speed decreases economy by 0.1 mpg.

Now, you didn’t think we would give you all of these fuel saving tips all at once did you?   You might notice we didn’t try to sell you on any of our diesel performance products in this first post, that is because these first tips can be performed with things that you already have, minus the discipline to drive 55 everywhere you go.  So your homework assignment over the next few days is to apply these principles and check your increase.  Then come back for more tips.