best mileage yet - Montana Owners Club

stiles watson · 10-02-2008, 02:12 PM

On a 450 mile trip I got 14.2 mpg. That is after 29,000 miles on the odometer. That beats the 12.5 mpg I was getting in the beginning. Not great, but better. Filled up at $3.779 per gal. in Buffalo, TX on US79 at Shell.

sailer · 10-02-2008, 03:07 PM

Were you always going down hill or was the truck behind you pushing sailer

Steve and Brenda · 10-02-2008, 05:03 PM

WOW!!! Did you have a tail wind? Best I got was 11 MPG on flat road after 40,000 miles on the Diesel. Congrats!!

stiles watson · 10-02-2008, 06:26 PM

From the tone of your responses, I think you may have thought I was towing. I was not. At this point I am happy to get that mileage when not towing. When I start towing again, I will be happy to get 9-10 mpg.

This 450 miles included a 300 mile round trip from central Texas to Houston. There is little up or down hill involved.

ole dude · 10-03-2008, 03:08 AM

Good to hear of the improvement. It seems Buffalo is always a good fuel stop.

David and Jo-Anna · 10-03-2008, 06:26 AM

Stiles--you are a hoot!!! I too thought you were claiming to get 14 mpg while towing.

I've been driving in lots of hilly terrain over the last year, so tough to get a fair mpg figure. But yesterday I drove a long, flat stretch on the Indiana and Ohio turnpike coming back from the Rally without our rig--which is sitting back at the Service Center in Goshen. Once I got up to speed, I hit the reset button on the little mpg counter in the truck. One hundred miles later it was showing that I'd been averaging 19+ mpg on that stretch, which made me a happy camper compared to what I used to get in the hills back west.

Steve and Brenda · 10-03-2008, 09:41 AM

Good grief!! I thought it was a towing miracle. My Duramax frequently goes over 20 MPG on long hauls. On a recent trip to Georgia I got 21 MPG but Hurricane Ike was giving me a little push from Shreveport to Dallas

After 40,000 miles and 2267 gallons of Diesel I've averaged 15.044 MPG under all driving conditions.

Okie Guy · 10-03-2008, 03:48 PM

Stiles I think your engine is just starting to break in. I just turned over 60,000 last week. I filled up and traveled 369 miles. I finally got 18.9 miles per gallon on this highway trip. I did have hills but not massive ones. Give yourself about 30,000 miles and you will see a huge difference.

ols1932 · 10-04-2008, 05:12 AM

Stiles,
That's about what I get with my '95 Ford F-250. Before I had the Banks Power Pack installed in January 2002, I got between 7 and 9 mpg towing. After the installation I have been getting your mileage, 9 to 11 mpg. I'm happy with that when I consider what some of the motorhomes my friends have are getting -- 5 to 7 mpg. The mileage I get is actual, not computerized readout.

Orv

TLightning · 10-04-2008, 05:39 AM

Like the others, at first I thought that was mpg while towing...and I thought that's great. But since it is empty, my opinion has changed...that's pretty bad!!

jjackflash · 10-04-2008, 05:45 AM

I just took a 300 mile trip with the Monty and averaged 12 Mpg and that's with only 4600 miles on the truck. I am happier than hell!
Jack

stiles watson · 10-04-2008, 01:05 PM

We make a mistake when we compare 2008 models, any brand, with previous year models. The new emission standards have changed the game. Also when comparing 3/4-ton SRW to a 1-ton DRW, which weighs 9500 lbs, is an apples and oranges comparison.

I also got mileage like the 2007 and earlier models on the old 2003 F250. 17-18 all around, 20-21 on the road, and 9-11 towing were common, but not so on a 2008 F350 DRW with a 4:33 rear end. Better mileage will be reported from a 4:10 or a 3:73 rear end. The one thing I did not do when I bought was to check out the gear ratio. That cost 2-3 MPG. On the other hand, I have no problem with power.

sreigle · 10-13-2008, 07:54 AM

Stiles, you have a beautiful truck but I just couldn't deal with that mileage. I love the Fords and have long been a Ford truck guy. I came very close to buying a new 2008 Ford with the 6.4L but just didn't want to risk a brand new engine and, so, went with a different brand. That 6.4 I think is proving to be a strong hauler. If they just got better mileage. Still, it's a gorgeous truck.

My 2007, by the way, has all the new emissions equipment including the DPF, etc. It also meets the 2010 standards.

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