Hwy driving in the HOT tunes

I have heard on several sites that you can get better mpg by driving in your highest HP tune. Well I decided to try it out. I go to my brothers house a couple time a week, around the same time of day each trip. I have DP-Tuner with 6 settings stock, 60 tow, 80 econ, 100 perform, 120 race, 140 extreme. I just use the lie-o-meter for my numbers. I know that is not actual MPGs but it should give different #'s on different tunes. GPS speed at 70mph 20 mile all hwy.

80 econ got 25 mpg
120 race got 26.3 mpg
140 extreme got 27.4mpg I know these #'s translate to maybe 20-22.5 mpg hand calculated.

That is a pretty big difference especially on a long trip. I make a 2400 mile round trip twice a year so this could make a difference in fuel cost.
I have only one question. Is it OK (safe)to run my truck on these race, extreme tunes for 12 to 13 hours at 70-75mph on my trips. Im not towing just my wife and 2 year old and clothes.(luggage)

Anybody else tried the hot tunes/mpg challenge?

The lie-o-meter still won't give you an indication of better mileage. The chip is changing all of the parameters that the lie-o-meter uses to determine MPG. I tried this with my old truck and nothing changed on long runs. Short runs or stop and go, the hotter programs yielded poorer mileage.

My hand calculated numbers indicate just the opposite.


Lance

Yea, unfortunantly even if you are looking at relative changes in the lie-o-meter, it is still not a good indicator of fuel mileage.

What you have to realize is that even if you "drive it the same," anytime you puch it (however frequent/infrequent it may be) you are using more fuel on a higher setting than on a lower one. Anytime you climb a hill, you'll be using more fuel because the tune is hotter. There's a point of diminishing returns when it comes to adding fuel, boost etc. for fuel mileage. Thats what the designers of the chips/tuners have spent the time and money to figure out (some better than others).

My advice would be set and forget it. The biggest factor affecting mileage is, and will always be, your right foot.

What Jourdan jus said

Joe

My hand calculated numbers running from Aiken to Nashville ( including Monteagle Pass ) prove what TBAR said. On those runs ( 6 times a year ) I set it and forget it.

And what JR said. The FOOT tells the tell. HAHAHA

I have only one question. Is it OK (safe)to run my truck on these race, extreme tunes for long periods of time in overdrive so I can hand calculate.

you can run it in any program you wish.wont hurt it.

on my chip i have an economy,extreme and insane extreme.on the highway and in town i get better mileage in the extreme settings.the economy program is useless.i can watch my fuel gauge drop in that program.

02Oilburner said:

I have only one question. Is it OK (safe)to run my truck on these race, extreme tunes for long periods of time in overdrive so I can hand calculate.

Click to expand...

If you watch your EGT's, Boost, RPM's and Tranny temps... and use the gears to keep those things under control, and within limits.. yul be good.

(I ran my 2K in the 120hp mode, for years. Towing and daily driving. Drove by my gauges... Never had a problem)

02Oilburner said:

I have only one question. Is it OK (safe)to run my truck on these race, extreme tunes for long periods of time in overdrive so I can hand calculate.

Click to expand...

yes, for years all I had was a single chip and it had a very hot program on it that maxed my stage 1 injectors. I used it for daily driving and light to moderate towing and pulled the chip when I hooked to anything over 6k, It took diligent monitoring of the gauges when there was a trailer hooked, even my little utility trailer that is 1k empty.

As far as mileage goes, I can say that i was getting the same mileage with the chip as I am stock and with economy setting.