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Its a good deal more power from this diesel than with gasser straight sixes of yore.
As to modding, basics first:
1). Garaged. Full enclosure.
2). Use of block heater year-round.
3). Every trip planned in advance. “Warm-up” is about travelling to farthest point first (as possible). Choose steady-state longer routes over shorter stop & go routes. IOW, instead going across-town, I’d head away from town to an outer freeway loop and use it. Metro highway average mph is 35. Surface streets is 15-mph.
Planning also means EVERY stop. Not just fuel. No random choices to whip into convenience stores. Part of planning is supplies. An ARB or Engels or Dometic “off-road” refrigerator. Your helper “forgot” food/drink? Tough. You pay him, you don’t sudsidise behavior that costs you time & money. Vehicle wear.
Planning is also investigating ingress & egress. A sat map photo beforehand. Fewest number of steering wheel turns to arrive and depart. (It’s not just parking). As to parking, backing in only. Don’t care how many times you’ve been there start fresh.
Use MalQuest to see Best Order Routing. (No left turns, period).
4). Eliminate idling. Not ever necessary. Kills mpg rapidly (pretty well nothing worse).
5). Posture and mirrors. One never has to reach or lean if it’s correct. Same for exterior glass treated with RainX or Aquapel. Mirrors and side glass matter, windshield not so much.
6). Use Blue Beacon at least monthly for washes. Other, for weekly maintenance.
7). Be adamant about vehicle TIME and miles service intervals. Have appointments set in advance. Unbreakable.
8). As to stunts like being out of gear downhill, don’t. Ever.
9). Tires, shock absorbers and anti-roll bar bushings can all be upgraded. See what the local ambulance companies are running for tires and inquire (Michelin should be first choice). Bilstein shocks if available. Polyurethane bushings. Now, not some day.
10). Record all miles and all gallons. Your “mark” is Average Miles Per Hour, so you’ll also want to be able to read Engine Hours. If you can keep average MPH above 27 you’re doing well for metro work. MPG will fall into place by routing, timing (never stopping) and shutting off engine when parked (never idling). No exceptions.
Again, it’s MPH Average, not MPG that should concern the FE conscious truck driver. The latter follows the former.
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