thinking of Mods

[jealou5]

Hey all, i've got an 01 7.3 and I was considering doing some of the basics and wondered if anyone had any numbers regarding what some of the best power adders were. I'm really just looking to get better mileage more than anything so I'm guessing exhuast and Intake are the way to start. Anyone have any hard numbers on mileage as to how much either helped?

Is 5 or 6 inch exhaust really any better than 4"?
I've heard some intakes will hurt the turbo (K&N), so which ones are safe to use?

kinda want to get bang for my buck too.

thanks

[weweld]

Afe intake
MBRP 4" exhaust
Gauges - pyrometer
trans
boost
6 pos chip

[hotstik]

If you are looking for better mileiage, there are a variety of performance products that will improve both your fuel economy and power. I'd upgrade in this order:

1.) Intake (AFE, S&B, Volant)
2.) 4" Turbo-Back Exhaust (take your pick)
3.) Gauges - EGT, Trans Temp, and Water Temp (Autometer, Isspro, etc.)
4.) DP-Tuner Chip with 80hp econo burn
5.) Regulated Return Fuel System (Dieselsite or ITP)
6.) Turbo (Garrett BB or Turbonetics)

The intake and exhaust will give you the potential to get more air to your engine. The gauges, in particular the EGT gauge, will give you better economy, if you drive by the gauges. When cruising along, if you keep the exhaust gas temps between 600-700 degrees you will get improved fuel economy. The DP-Tuner chip with the 80hp econo tune will give you the greatest gain in mpg. Tuning is everything on these trucks.

With the above mods you should be doing pretty good. However, if you want to add more, a reg return fuel system will help route the fuel to the heads more cleanly which will make your injectors happier. And, a better turbo will move more air resulting in more power, better mpg, and lower egt's.

[jealou5]

this all looks like a great combo. any hard numbers for mileage?

[drw350fitz]

hay i was asking the same thing about mine 2000 350 drw 4x4 stocker

[hotstik]

The hard numbers on mileage are pretty subjective since everyone drives differently.

When my truck had stock injectors, I think the best mileage I ever saw was 21mpg in the DP-Tuner 80hp econo setting with mostly highway driving. However, I think the average most people get is 18mpg with this tune.

With the right gearing and a manual transmission, I know that it's possible to get 26mpg. Check out p.94 in Diesel Power magazine.

If you have an auto, a fully built trans will also get you more mpg. My John Wood trans got me an extra 1.5mpg.

Other routes that you can take are propane injection (mild amounts) or going with a taller gear ratio.

[jealou5]

right now im getting roughly 15 city and highway. i was able to clock an almost all highway run with the cruise at 65-70 and it came up as 22mpg. thats thru the auto with 3.73s. would 4.10s actually improve mileage? thought it was the other way around.

What do you guys thinks about the edge juice with attitude on a stock motor? good idea? or maybe with an exhaust? 700 bucks but then you dont need to buy gauges either.

[hotstik]

The gears I was referring to are 3.08's. They would hurt your mileage around town, but would give you awesome mileage on the highway. It really depends where you drive more. However, since you're 2wd to begin with, you're already getting better mileage than those of us with lifted 4x4's with big tires.

Personally, I wouldn't use the Edge unit on a 7.3L. There is just too much other programming available that is totally superior. A multi position chip from DP-TUner or Diesel Innovations or an SCT from John Wood are all better choices. Also, there is no substitute for a real set of gauges.

[GSXRTURBOQUAD]

I have also noticed a slight increase in mileage with Big Oil, but that's not the reason I'm running it.:D

[hotstik]

I heard that if you have dual IPR's with big oil, you'll get another seven mpg! However, you want to make sure you don't go over 3100 psi on you ICP.

:D :D :D :D

[Muley]

I am thinking on that 2000 7.3 a nice set of injectors would be better than big oil. You should have forged rods. Depending on which injectors you get, no additional oil is necessary. I like my set up. The engine is a little louder. Sounds like a truck. Lots of nice power though.
Just my thoughts. I am not the end all.
Mike

[hotstik]

The guys looking for better mpg aren't going to be very happy with a set of bigger injectors. More fuel equals less mpg.

The one exception is switching from stock AD's (which are split shot) to some sort of single shot of equal or lesser fuel flow. The singles are better able to utilize the available hpop pressure than the AD's. Thus you get better fuel atomization which translates to slightly more power and slightly better mpg.

With these trucks, higher icp pressure and plenty of oil volume is the way to get the best performance from our injectors. A modification such as the dual pump Terminator high pressure oil system is the best way to get the best performance from your mods regardless of your level of power. You will get more power, less smoke, and more mpg with duals.

Personally, I feel that the dual pumps are a priority building block if you want high performance.

[jealou5]

what is ICP?

[Muley]

I am sure you are correct. In my case I chose to get Stage II single shots, AB code which use less oil than the stock AD's. The most mpg I ever got from my truck prior to injectors and with intake, exhaust and Jody tunes upgraded was 18mpg. With my new turbo, injectors and tunes I am still getting 17mpg with no load and tons more power. From the direction I am coming from. If I wanted to get more than 400hp I could get a good set of head studs and add oil.
I understand more oil will make those injectors more effecient. Does it wear on them, running them harder all the time? I am not sure.
Doesn't oil cost around $2-3K? I got my injectors for $1,200.00. So that is why I did what I have done and really like the power.
I have another question you may be able to answer cause I am not sure but which type of injectors do they run in the T444E, or the army Navistar 7.3 vehicles?
Have a good one.
Mike

[hotstik]

what is ICP?

ICP = Injection Control Pressure

It refers to the pressure that your high pressure oil is at. High pressure oil is what runs your injectors - they are hydraulically actuated. The higher your ICP and the more hp oil volume that you have, the better they run.

The stock High Pressure Oil Pump (HPOP) has trouble supplying the necessary oil at the necessary pressure in situations of high demand - like when you really step on it. Furthermore most stock HPOP's cannot maintain high ICP (greater than 3100 psi) under any circumstances. With my Terminator setup I see over 3800psi.

With an aftermarket system (Terminator or BTS) you can crank up the ICP all the way around. It will give you more power and better performance at all rpm's. In contrast, aftermarket injectors cannot supply all the power they have to offer by themselves since high pressure oil is the limiting factor. Most often you will see a power fall off at higher rpm's.

Dual pumps will give you multiple benefits including a power increase you can feel in the seat of your pants.

*Also, the dual IPR/seven mpg comment was a joke - no truth there at all. Sorry for any confusion.