-
Series 60 12.7 L
Has anybody used Charlie Ball in Berryville VA to recalibrate the ECM and Trans?
Safely, what can the horse power be increased to and increase MPG. I have recorded the fuel consumption for the passed 100,000 miles, and it goes for 4.8 to 8.1 MPG. it all deepens on the terrine i now.
The Engine is set at 500 HP now.
2001 XLII Single Slide Total Weight 53,800 lb Water, Fuel and all other item including my wife shoes, as we travel, does not include the 3,200 lb tow in the above weight.
Larry Nelson
Hurricane, Ut
-
5 Replies
-
Got a good laugh out of your wife’s shoes. Brings back memories of my childhood, when my dad took us camping my mother was always collecting ROCKS to bring home. As an adult it reminiscent of the old movie (The Long Long Trailer with Lucille Ball).
Chuck
-
Mileage numbers as given are wrong. They represent a range but there are so many factors included in why mileage varies the only valid mileage is based on a high number of miles.
Factors that screw up calculations on mileage range from speeds driven, headwinds, hills, weight, how level the fuel island is, when the pump shuts off, idling time, generator usage, fuel composition, outside temperature and elevation.
Having said that if the total fuel used over a mileage of at least 5000 miles is calculated and it is done every 5000 miles the true mileage will not vary from mileage segment to mileage segment by more than a tenth of a mile. I have a log book with about 500,000 miles of coach driving over 34 years. My 1997 12.7L over 8 years started at 8.0 MPG initially, and by the time they screwed with low sulfur fuel and other fuel changes it went down to 7.5. My driving is consistent. I drive at 62 MPH (1500 RPM) and only vary from that when not on an interstate. I do drive hills like I stole the bus, very aggressively.
My 14.0L started out at 5.9 MPG, and after the EGR function ceased working it has been consistently 6.4 to 6.5. Same speeds.
Mileage is unaffected by available HP, but is seriously impacted by HP used. For example if you push X amount of wind at 50 MPH, you are going to push a whole lot more at 70 MPH and use a serious amount of additional fuel. Even if you do not increase your steady rate flat ground speed, more HP used to climb hills faster than with less HP is going to eat fuel. Before you make any changes however you need to know facts so calculate mileage over a great deal of miles, record hill climbing speeds on elevation changes before making changes so you have a solid basis for comparison. At least that way you can measure the true changes if your coach is modified.
2000 Featherlite H3-45
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Leesburg, FL -
Jon,
thank you for insite on fuel mileage.
I have gone back 15,000 miles and the average is 6.5 MPG. We have mainly traveled in the western US. The only relativity flat ground was I-80 in Wyo and northern NV across 50. I am like you in the 1500 – 1600 RPM.
We do boon docking when travelling. rest areas, parking lots and where ever so jenny is running when warm and Aqua Hot when cool.
When fueling, I lower the passenger side of the coach so fueling is equal all the time.
I hope there some other comment.
Larry and Miriam Nelson
2002 XLII Vision single slide
Hurricane, Utah
-
Jon:
Some years ago you started a test on a fuel system add on. Do you have any results from that?
Chuck
-
I’ve run two fuel system checks. The first was on an additive sold by Parliament coach that claimed a 15% improvement in fuel economy as well as removal of algae, and water from the fuel tank. My fuel was polished before the test was run and there was no evidence of moisture or algae so that part of the test was not needed. I added the prescribed amount of additive with each refueling and at the end of about 10,000 miles my MPG had not changed. The company dropped the mileage improvement claims.
The second was a test of a fuel system device intended to remove entrained air from fuel. The claim was also a gain in mileage and power. With Tom as a timer we did a series of 0 to 60 acceleration runs, with and without the device. There was a very modest increase in power seen as reduced time with the device functioning. It was in fractions of a second, but was measurable.
I also ran almost a year evaluating mileage and there was no change from with or without the device.
The system remains in place on my coach because if I ever screw up and run out of fuel that device has a pump that will draw fuel from the tank, pass it through the air separator and return it to the tank so I in essence now have a way to prime the engine just by turning on the key.
Log in to reply.