Boost Guage = Fuel Milage

that is where you learn to control your boost. those little hills it will increase a little but drop off on the down side. gravity is your friend then. (with a little of momentum thrown in the mix)

 

Doesn't really work with the new trucks and turbos - they are computer controlled to add or lower boost so it is hard to drive by the gauge any more. Today sitting in a 2015 Western Star (ISX I think 500 hp) waiting for the guard to let me in, the turbo would wind up and the boost gauge would go to 15 psi - that's just idling.

 

If it is a short incline, you'll save fuel by not trying to maintain speed. Let the uphill slow you down, then let the downhill speed you back up. Might cost you 15 minutes time by the end of the day, but you'll save gallons of diesel...

 

Life is about compromises. Taken to the extreme you could gear down to 1st gear and idle up the hill but economy must be balanced with what is practical. If you decide to go that route, please use your 4 ways!

 

The mack I used to drive did the same....just sitting idling the gauge would climb to 5-10# boost for a few seconds, then drop back off....

 

When you approach that small incline if you can get a bit more speed at a low boost before you start the pull you can give up a bit going up and still top it at a reasonable road speed ... It only works if you have enough speed available or no limiter.. When I took the limiter off my truck my mpg's improved because I went back to lightly rolling the hills at a lower boost ..

 

Be careful. Smokey sitting at the bottom of the hill don't care about your fuel mileage.

 

I think the boost gauge gained fame with the movie "Fast and Furious". I've driven plenty of trucks without a boost gauge, and found fuel economy is directly related to your right foot. Like others have said, if you are staring at your boost gauge, you'll end up going 35 mph on the interstate.

 

Have you looked at the Kevin Rutherford Scan Gauge? Several of my drivers have these and love them.

 

I run the northeast,so for me the biggest thing is how you take off from a stop. If you can stay below half throttle it helps a lot. Normally I'm only 5-7 seconds behind the guys jerking gears this way.