Trucking: fuel economy, cummins isx, god bless israel

Question
Two ?'s please. Driving 48 states is a 450hsp Cummins ISX motor getting equal fuel economy to a 400hsp due to working less hard? And what about flat beds having less air resistance than a van?  Thanks much, cliff

Answer
Hi Cliff,

A lot a factors come in to play when trying to increase MPG. A flat bed verses a van, not much difference. To really make a difference, you need to do a few things. For starters, Cummins is a great motor. Take the truck to a dealer and tell him to tweak the computer to increase fuel mileage. If you can't discipline yourself to drive slower, then have the computer set at 70 mph. It would also help to have full fairings on the truck. Next is your driving habits. Regressive shifting is the best way to get your MPG up. Regressive shifting is shifting early, don't tach out the governor. Accelerate slow and shift around 1200 - 1400 RPMs. Coasting helps a lot, and what I mean is instead of driving up to the stop sign and stopping, let off the accelerator long before the stop sign and let it coast up to the sign. Leave it in gear, this will also help with brake ware. Don't down shift unless you really have to, if you have to slow down don't shift down until you reach 800 RPMs.One thing that really helped me to learn how to increase MPG was a meter that was installed in the truck I drove. It would light up red if I was burning a lot of fuel and green if I was getting good MPG. I would recommend having one installed. It would also keep up with the average and my average would be 7.5 - 7.8 MPG. Idling uses a lot of fuel, invest in a generator and switch the truck off if you plan to stop for more than 5 mins.

I hope this answers your question. If you need me to clear up anything you might not understand or just ask a whole new question, feel free to shoot me another line.

God Bless, Israel