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  #21  
Old Wed, September 14th, 2011, 12:36 PM
ArtieWag
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OK, good info.

Yes, I find that using a higher quality fuel, BP in my case, is more cost effective than using the local Casey's fuel. There is a price I put on the quality, or lack thereof, but if it will burn, I will burn it at the right price.

As far as octane ratings, I don't have any tunes yet. And yes, when I take a long 750 mile jaunt, I do burn premium. I understand from these posts that I will even like it better than I do now after I install my tuner - Yeah!

You guessed right - shades of the 1950's - I was just a little shaver then, but I do remember the wheel skirts and something that are called 'racing disks' for wheel covers. Yes, I am not sure that I like the look, but if fuel goes higher, I am willing to skewer any sacred cow to keep my truck. (Ok, when I was in high school, I would not pay .23 for gas because I knew it would come down to .19 a gallon in a few days ) So $4.00 gas tends to raise my blood pressure. Someone can style these add-ons in a fashion I am willing to accept.

Your suggestion about getting to speed and then backing off to a feather foot. I really see that the Gotts mod helps with that, and that behavior does affect my MPG. One of the reasons I think my cruise control hurts me.

I am liking that belly fairing idea better and better.

A change of pinion gears just a single step up probably is not worth the cost, but I tend to agree about the lugging of the motor at the higher gear ratio. Just looking for any ideas that work.
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  #22  
Old Wed, September 14th, 2011, 02:53 PM
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Hajek Sets Three Production Truck Land Speed Records At Bonneville - Dragzine.com

Jack, I tend to wonder about the front dam. Every modified "production" vehicle to run at high speeds, including the F250 link I posted above and most NASCAR style race cars, put one on. The idea is to force air around the sides rather than beneath for greater handling at high speeds. NASCAR is an endurance race more than anything so every mile you can get without stopping puts you ahead. Top speed just makes the miles go by quicker. If the airdam styling had hurt mileage they would not have used them.

Artie, when you raise timing you increase mileage quite a bit. When I was running canned tunes, just a .5 degree increase gave me 1 mpg in the city.
The gotts mod increase higher flow rate efficiency (above 2100ish) but has no noticeable effect below that.

Also, I installed a vacuum guage a while back (something you may want to look into) and the cruise control will consistenly lower the vacuum a few (inches/Hg) as compared to my foot. You can get them online for around $15 and you just hook a hose up past the throttle body. My truck actually had an extra lead in the vacuum system that I plugged directly into.

I'm thinking 4wd regearing will never pay for itself.

Find that guy who turned his couger into a bugatti clone. He is pretty dang good with fiberglass and making good body stylings.
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  #23  
Old Wed, September 14th, 2011, 02:58 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ArtieWag View Post
...<snip>... As far as octane ratings, I don't have any tunes yet. And yes, when I take a long 750 mile jaunt, I do burn premium. I understand from these posts that I will even like it better than I do now after I install my tuner - Yeah! ...<snip>...
ALL RIGHT! Now I'm understanding things a bit better. By putting "premium" fuel in your truck without being able to increase the timing to compensate, you are hurting your gas mileage! So called "premium" gas has octane boosters in it that really do nothing more than inhibit ignition under conditions of pressure and temperature (what you get on the compression stroke) and, they cause the flame front to advance at a slower rate (slow down the burn).

Premium gas was developed for high compression engines that would cause the fuel/air mixture to ignite PRIOR to the spark (pre-ignition, or spark knock). Our engines are not "high" compression, so premium is not needed. But, the slower burn component of the fuel was designed to provide the greatest expansion at the optimum time in the power stroke, given an earlier (advanced spark) ignition point.

Without a tune, your ignition point is too late for that fuel. It is the same as retarding the spark using 87 octane gas. You lose power, because the burn is starting and completing too late. It's probably completing in the exhaust manifold, and possibly working against the piston during the upward part of the exhaust stroke.

I've said this before - "premium" gas is NOT "better" gas. The additives it contains do not contribute to the energy content.

- Jack
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  #24  
Old Wed, September 14th, 2011, 03:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Longshot270 View Post
Hajek Sets Three Production Truck Land Speed Records At Bonneville - Dragzine.com

Jack, I tend to wonder about the front dam. Every modified "production" vehicle to run at high speeds, including the F250 link I posted above and most NASCAR style race cars, put one on. The idea is to force air around the sides rather than beneath for greater handling at high speeds. NASCAR is an endurance race more than anything so every mile you can get without stopping puts you ahead. Top speed just makes the miles go by quicker. If the airdam styling had hurt mileage they would not have used them.

Artie, when you raise timing you increase mileage quite a bit. When I was running canned tunes, just a .5 degree increase gave me 1 mpg in the city.
The gotts mod increase higher flow rate efficiency (above 2100ish) but has no noticeable effect below that.

Also, I installed a vacuum guage a while back (something you may want to look into) and the cruise control will consistenly lower the vacuum a few (inches/Hg) as compared to my foot. You can get them online for around $15 and you just hook a hose up past the throttle body. My truck actually had an extra lead in the vacuum system that I plugged directly into.

I'm thinking 4wd regearing will never pay for itself.

Find that guy who turned his couger into a bugatti clone. He is pretty dang good with fiberglass and making good body stylings.
Longshot, I think the front air dam is there more to reduce the "lift" that airflow produces on a fast moving vehicle, rather than as a "drag reducer". As you say, this improves handling at high speeds (an absolute necessity). Other methods involve wings and spoilers that force the vehicle down onto the road. Without these devices, the vehicle can become negatively stable at high speeds, resulting in total loss of control.

And, wings and spoilers also create drag. It's a price you have to pay for control.

Now, if you were able to create an air dam that looked a bit like the "cow catcher" on the old steam engines (only solid) then you might reduce drag a bit by moving the air aside in a less violent manner than the flat front of our trucks. We actually develop a "stagnation area" at the front where there is very little air movement. At the boundaries of this area, the air flow is very turbulent.

We also, of course, have a big stagnation area behind the truck, due to the "vertical" planes there. I think we could improve fuel economy by creating a bed cap that would taper from the cab down past the current tailgate to a "point". Kind of a "teardrop" back end. It would look absolutely horrible, the truck would lose most of its utility, and it would be far too long to fit in any parking space.

- Jack
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  #25  
Old Thu, September 15th, 2011, 09:46 PM
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Clap Ah, sooo

I see the front air dam and the 'racing disks' wheel covers on the Oklahoma truck. I have a similar front air dam on my Diesel Pusher RV, and it improves my MPG in that 'Brick' 10 - 15%. I have, of course, torn it off at least once, expensive to repair. I think it would help with the MPG, but it would diminish my f150 utility personally.

Where can I get those racing disk wheel covers?? I would try those! Oh, I might get heckled, but I would just be smiling.. Looks like he did not need fender skirts though.

OK, here is what I have learned about tuned exhaust systems, specifically headers - There are 'short tube' headers and 'long tube' headers. Short tubes tend to help out in the high RPM range, and Long tube headers tend to broaden out the torque curve, which will tend to push the torque into the lower RPM ranges. However, if it is only going to give me a 1.0 MPG advantage, for $1,400.00 I would have to drive 100K miles to break even. I will only do that before I go buy an Eco-Boost, but not before.

Looks like the eco-boost f150's are using 3.15 pinion gears in 4x4s, but they do have that 6 speed transmission - with what looks like a granny gear and a great granny gear.

If I drive stop and go, I think I like my 3.73 gears. Heavy truck, easier to move with lower gears. If I could just grab a cruise gear....
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  #26  
Old Fri, September 16th, 2011, 06:32 AM
ArtieWag
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Default Air dam mpg

Everything old is new again: Car and Driver magazine modifies an econobox to improve MPG - MetroMPG.com

They did this to a Pin toad.

I don't think this will work for off road, do deep snow, but highway driving might help.
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  #27  
Old Fri, September 16th, 2011, 07:39 AM
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If you want to build a dam yourself there is a material I know that works very well. It is tough and flexible and designed to last long. Look for hay baler belting or repair belting. To attach it to anything for this purpose you would use a small metal bolt with a wide waster and crank the bolt down tight. You could probably put it on the bumper since you can get it up to 10 (maybe 12) inches wide. It is made of a very tough rubber with 1+ nylon ply. I'm building a rudder system for my kayak out of it so after much exploring different materials I picked it as being the cheapest/most effective/longest lasting alternative. You may want to look into it for repairing your RV.

Here is a link. I found it at Tractor Supply Co just because I used to work there so I know what they have. Any co-op or ranch supply store should have it.
Replacement Baler Belting, 10 in. Wide-2 Ply-210# Nylon/ft. - 1420017 | Tractor Supply Company

I suspect that if you put it on the bumper in one piece will angle it towards the truck and make it more rigid so going over stuff forwards shouldn't be too bad. Backing over obstructions, however, will. If you do strips hanging from the bumper there shouldn't be an issue but it will probably not be as effective.

As for the rims, see if those cheapo clip on rims from walmart will work. Most of them are designed to look like dinner plate wheel covers and they will at least have openings for air circulation.
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  #28  
Old Sun, September 18th, 2011, 07:58 PM
ArtieWag
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Default It's already been done,

Here is a link to Phil Knox, of Texas, and what he did to a half ton pickup.

EV WORLD: Free Fuel Riding on the Wind

Some I like, but some I'm just not ready for yet. The wheel disks look like the easy and cool thing to do.

By the way, the baler belting is too soft, too pliable. I took 72 inches of it and put in on my 06. Dropped my mpg by .6 over a 75 mile round trip, avg speed of 65 mph indicated.

I'll keep trying, I think 8 inches of something rigid would do.
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  #29  
Old Sun, September 18th, 2011, 09:49 PM
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Interesting, the stuff I have is stiffer than the actual plastic under my front bumper. It could be that I got it from a store that is too far out of the way for any baler to go to for repairs. I'm willing to bet that the stuff I got is over 5 years old and has been sitting inside for that time. If you got some that was newer it would make sense to be more flexible.

Also, 75 miles is not very far to calculate average fuel usage. That is the distance I usually use to confirm that my tire size is dialed in. What method are you using?
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  #30  
Old Mon, October 10th, 2011, 08:52 AM
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You beat me to it on the air dam drag- Pinto story. Wouldn't work for me unless it had a Batmobile drop/retract capability for offroad use. I do think fiberglass is the only practical material for that amount of surface area. Even then it would need some bracing at the bottom edges. Profile drag is the greatest issue affecting truck mpg, and the one we can realistically change the least.

My experiments agree on the accelleration theory...slower accelleratin to cruise speed is less efficient than moderate. I have found 55-65 mph to be the most fuel efficient speed for my truck; 2006 4x4, S-CAB, 6 1/2' bed, 4.6L, and stock size 17" tires. At that speed I get about 18-19 mpg on county and state roads with occasional town traffic (a 50/50 mix of rolling hills and flat ground). My only mods are the Gryphon w/base 87 tow setting and the gotts mod. Also, I admit I buy the cheapest gas all the time. I still haven't made an "interstate trip" since installing the Gryphon.

For some reason the Gryphon consistantly indicates 2 mpg better than my pencil and paper calculations. I actually got a momentary Ave Mpg reading of 22.1 once. I'm likely going to install an e-fan in the near future, then get a custom tune.
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