How to execute efficiency mods for 2001 FORD E350 with 7.3L diesel? - Page 4 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

hayden55 · 06-06-2016, 06:10 AM

Really depends but for the most part no. Steady throttle at 70mph takes like 25-30hp to maintain. So the more you can undergear the car, the better gas mileage you can get since it takes not much power to maintain.

Ecky · 06-06-2016, 10:38 AM

You may be increasing the throttle percentage by gearing it taller, but be aware that the engine will also turning more slowly, so the pistons will wear against the sides of the cylinders fewer times. Overall, taller gearing improves economy and lengthens the life of the engine.

Regarding the Bluetooth dongle, the range is only a few feet, and it doesn't work when the van is off. Plus, most of the data from the computer is read -only, so the dongle came make any changes. The vehicles that were highjacked also had cellphone connections to the internet, which your van definitely does not.

hayden55 · 06-06-2016, 01:32 PM

How many hwy rpm's are you turning currently. My closest example are muscle cars: GT500 and the Corvette with their big motors only turn 1600rpm to go 70mph. Most chevy LS cars are double overdrive. So 4th is 1:1, 5th is something like .86, the 6th is 0.5. So everything i've seen rpm is a heavy factor. Even the 50mpg civic CX only spins 2200rpm @ 70mph while my car with the same motor but different FD gear i'm spinning right under 3000 and barely getting 40mpg.
But yeah Ford gears are the same in just about everything so you can get 2.73 3.15. 3.33 3.55 3.73 3.90 4.10 4.30 4.56. Tons of choices lol

debit.servus · 06-08-2016, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ecky

You may be increasing the throttle percentage by gearing it taller, but be aware that the engine will also turning more slowly, so the pistons will wear against the sides of the cylinders fewer times. Overall, taller gearing improves economy and lengthens the life of the engine.
...

What is throttle percentage?

My concern with taller overdrive is the strain put on the engine and transmission with the opposite of torque. It's like riding a bicycle in 3rd gear, going uphill.

Like the idea of reducing engine wear, as it will prolong the life of the engine; thus lower running costs. However; if running at super overdrive strains and wears the transmission faster, resulting in needing a rebuild in 100,000 miles; that kind of increases running costs if the transmission rebuild is more than the fuel savings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hayden55

How many hwy rpm's are you turning currently.
...
But yeah Ford gears are the same in just about everything so you can get 2.73 3.15. 3.33 3.55 3.73 3.90 4.10 4.30 4.56. Tons of choices lol

I'll keep that in mind when the van is in my name.

Well I received the bluetooth OBD2 dongle today, and eager to try it out. I see the Torque application costs $5, which brings the total cost to under $20. I can't wait to see what the most efficient speed and RPM is on the open road.

I am going to live and travel in the posh van that is a microapartment inside, including but not limited to A/C, roof vent (yes I know this will cause some drag), PC desk, kitchenette, microwave, real mattress, blacked out windows, and portable toilet with detachable holding tank (yes I know these weigh alot).

I am also going to hit the road THIS summer for my first road trip of distance, with over 1000 miles one way. I plan to take it slow and take the scenic route as I hate having to run down the interstate. Yes I know taking direct routes saves fuel, and I know not detouring saves fuel, and I know not going up and down the Moki Dugway twice saves fuel; this is what is in the itinerary for a fulfilling trip full of beautiful experiences.

Seeing my relatives in Alberta Canada during the beautiful Canadian Summer is two years overdue, sure I can save $1500 not going anywhere but is that a fulfilling life?

Traveling, living miserably, treating the van like a steel tent with minimal stuff, freezing in the dark, sweating in the heat is NOT a part of my dream life and these details are non-negotiable.

debit.servus · 06-09-2016, 04:09 PM

I bought the Torque application, and want to make the most of it; especially when it comes to fuel economy.

One of the fields to calculate fuel economy is the max RPM displayed on the gauge, which 7000 is pasted in (as an example). What is the max RPM the 7.3L diesel engine on the 2001 FORD e350 is rated for, I tried searching for it and found no answer?

Any advice, tips, tricks & warnings for a newbie to this setup?

Ecky · 06-09-2016, 04:24 PM

When I say throttle percentage, I refer (in brief) to how much you have the gas pedal pressed. Throttle works differently in gas and diesel engines:

In a gas engine, when you press the pedal down, a butterfly valve opens wider to let in more air. The computer then adds the proper amount of fuel to burn with the air you're letting in, keeping the air:fuel ratio the same.

Most diesel engines don't have a butterfly valve for throttle, because they don't need a constant air:fuel ratio. Instead, they simply take as much air in as they can, and when you press the pedal down, it adds more or less fuel.

This is how you control how much power your engine makes - by controlling the amount of air and fuel that get mixed and combusted. More air and fuel = a more powerful combustion event. As RPM goes up, you have these combustion events more often. You can increase the total power produced (and thus fuel burned) by either making each individual combustion event bigger, or raising the RPM.

Higher RPM causes more wear on the engine than adding more fuel to the cylinder.

Big Dave · 06-10-2016, 12:37 AM

My truck is the poster child for gearing-derived MPG.

With my (now unavailable) 3.08 gears, GV overdrive, and manual overdrive, I limit my RPM to 1325 @ 70MPH.

Result: A 8,000 lb truck that gets 24 MPG with an open bed (my tonneau blew off on a strong side wind) in mixed driving, all done at the posted limit. Low RPM saves energy by minimizing engine frictional HP. Like aero drag, EF HP goes up with the cube of RPM. You really don't want to rev a 444 over 2,000 RPM under any circumstance.