Dub's thread made me decide to make this thread.

First off I would like to spill some facts.... kinda set the pace if you will.

our 1995 E350 which is a cube van (think u-hual) dual wheels, 8,000lbs, small block V8. 30 gallon tank. When I drive it, I average 6-7 mpg. When dad drives it (mind u, he does 10mpg BELOW speed limit, and takes a mile to go from 20mph - 55mph) he gets 10-11mpg on the same truck.

Some of you are reporting excellent gas mileage. Most of us are reporting average to crappy gas mileage. After thinking about this I have come to the following conclusions regarding gas mileage over all.

For those of you getting 350-400miles per tank. Most of you live in FLAT areas of the country, where your biggest hill is an offramp. Some of you, its warm year round. no snow for you folks.

though, then theres the odd ***** of the bunch that live in wintery areas, with hills and whatnot who are still getting excellent gas mileage. I would like to know how this is possible.

With stock crapyear tires, set at 32PSI with 'grandma' style driving, keeping rpm's UNDER 2K my BEST average was about 18mpg based on 17 gallons of fuel, since I doubt any of you are actually using up that extra 2 gallons... so that equates to roughly 300miles per tank.

Now. those of you with excellent mileage, what are you doing? Are you using ethenol free gasoline? little itty bitty tires? lost massive amount of weight so your skin and bones? Maybe your using a programmer? I would like to know.

Even on my road trips, where it was 95% highway mileage, my best mileage on a tank was only 21mpg which comes out to about 350miles, but i was running on fumes!

Now, I realise there are multiple factors here that attribute to crappy gas mileage, some but not all...

bigger over sized tires. When picking my tires. Based upon price, appearance, and weight, I feel I got the best of all those...

However, my truck is lighter than an FX4 lvl2, since the cab of my truck weighs less than a 4 door cab.. shouldnt make that big of a difference.

lift kits afect gas mileage. un needed weight in the bed... there are alot of factors.

Some things I do in the summer to increase mileage (hard to do in the winter but i try my best) I keep the truck washed waxed and clean. makes the truck glide thru the air easier.

I added that front skid plate... which was more for looks and engine protection, however being that it is slanted and smooth, i would assume allows air to flow more easily under the truck.

I change my air filter to a new one. and this year, I may do plugs and wires, along with a fuel filter..

during the summer tho, if i drive 'normal' ill average 17mpg. is i drive like nascar ill get 15. however i never come close to that 400mile mark, which is kinda of annoying when people here run it in everyones faces like 'ha ha i get 400mpt and u dont'

 

i think the loose nut between the wheel and seat is what gas millage you get...

 

i bearly get 250 now a days with my 3.0.... im gunna have to do alot of mantanence stuff in the spring

 

I get 450 Miles to a tank! Of course that's My Roady at 25 MPG and a Huge tank, I never let ot go below 1/4 either. My Ranger, the One I sold Grant and My 01, both 4.0's with 4.10's, one auto, one manual, I got 240 miles before the Gas light came on, and usually I put 15 Gallons in at that point. They were Identical in Driving distance, leading me to believe that in Rangers at least it makes no difference which stock tranny you run. Also I do my Best to use ethanol free fuel, Ethanol Runs (So say the ethanol producers) at 66% Efficiency of gas, In my experiance it is more like 33%, so that means on a 20 gallon tank you run 2 gallons of straight ethanol at the E10 levels. At Ethanols own Biased levels of .66% not using ethaol is Could for another 12 miles of Driving Roughly. now that number Doubles for my Calculations of the efficiency of Ethanol, So not using Ethanol realy will help your mileage and your budget over the long haul. It is a Hidden tax in the cost of gasoline, and that is it.

~HJ

 

Where I live, we have ALOT of hills. Normally I get around 21-22mpg with a somewhat lead foot. On the last tank of gas, I kept the rpms below 3k, sometimes even 2.5k. I kept the gas pedal steady all the time. (I didn't press the gas more going up hills inorder to maintain the same speed.....basically as if I was on the interstate). I managed to get about 26mpg, and this is in the winter, about 3 weeks ago. If you press the gas all the time going up hills, you are burning more gas than if you slowly gained speed before the hill, kept a light gas pedal pressure as you went up as if you were driving on flat ground.

 

I have a newer 06FX4, 6700miles, underdrive crank pulley, e-fan, K&N FIPK (conical), w/4.10 gears, 32psi tires, and auto tranny.

Generally I drive pretty easy and do a genuine 50/50 driving. 50% is on the freeway at 65-70mph And the other 1/2 is 50mph and below with about 20 stops each day. I accelerate moderately IMO. Usually seeing between 2k and 2,5k rpms on the shifts.

So far my running average is in the mid 17s. My best has been a 19.6mpg and my worst has been a 14.8mpg. (I'm and engineer and love to collect data. )

I will say that there are three areas where I have found to make a significant difference.
1) Cold morning warm up / idle. (More than 2 minutes and I can tell)
2) Tire pressures below 32-33 shows a measureable change
3) 93 Shell "V power" gasoline vs 87 el cheapo gas (my milage is about 1.5mpg better)

Rich

 

4X2XLT you have a 3.0... and SouthernMudSlinger, you have a 4 banger... i think he's asking about the 4.0's since that's what he has, and since that's what section this thread is in..


but to add to the list...

i have a 4.0 SOHC..

i went up one step from 245s to 265s.

i have a K&N FIPK intake (hurts mpg, right?)

i have about 200lbs of audio behind my seats

I DO NOT drive like some ******* kid who thinks he's in a rocket or something and has to race everyone at every intersection because it's "cool."

around town i do the speed limit, if that... and don't bother rushing to get to the speed limit right away... on the highways, i'm constantly on the left set to my own pace passing people.

i do about 75% city, 25% highway

lately, my average has been right around 13.4 mpg.

 

How I envy you. I never have seen above 17.5 and that was when I was breaking in my new gears... cruise control @ 55 MPH for about 150 miles, and the most gentle city driving in my life.

 

I have a 4.0 and slightly wider than stock tires (but same diameter)
I've managed to get as high as 23mpg on a long trip (about 600 miles, only stopped for gas once). It was during the summer and I had the cruise set at 75mph and wasn't running the A/C as it wasn't that hot out.
Most of the time with daily driving I average about 18 - 20 mpg depending on how hard I drive.
I have no performance mods done, the only thing I can think of that may be helping get good mileage is that I change my air filter twice a year and I run some fuel injector cleaner in a tank of gas every few months.

 

Its all basically the same though......If you have big monster truck tires, you can't expect to get the same gas mileage as someone with stock tires, it just wont happen. I was just showing my increase just by staying out of the gas as much as I possibly could.

Also, do you let it warm up in the mornings? In the winter, I let mine warm up for about 5-10 mins, and by the end of the tank of gas, my gas mileage droped 2-3 #'s from about 22 to 19mpg.

 

I thought you got better fuel economy in the winter....

The cooler air entering the engine = more oxygenated. I dunno...maybe I'm just tired. I know the engine sounds meaner and even feels stronger with the cold air.

I calculated on my (infamous)trip to Nashville, 12.8 mpg. 5" RCD Lift, 33" tires, 89 octane, very light on the pedal. My old truck averaged 14 mpg on 265's.

 

gas companies add alcohol to the gas so that it doesnt freeze or for w/e reason which lower the millage...

yet gas prices are going up and were actually getting diluted gas...

 

The local station that I fill up at has ethanol in their 89 and 93 grade year round. It's even advertised on the pump, I forget the percentage.

 

bingo - same exact figures here....
it's a truck damn it, if you want better MPG drive a car!!!

 

i get about 15mpg... consistantly, i get 20 on the highway, doing between 70-80

 

i usually get 300 miles on a 20.5 gallon tank......in the winter.....in the summer i get suspect with my current setup i will get better than that, around 16 in the city and 18 on the highway at 80mph.....since now i get 16.5 mpg at 80 mph on the highway with winter gas....

and were i live it is hilly!

 

i get about 325 befor the low fuel light comes on.... truck is stock except for headers... and i usually drive 70-80 on the highway. but take it easy in the city unless im pissed off about something.. then i jus floor it everywhere ha.
what i do, i dont know if it helps with MPG or not, but since i have mild case of OCD ill turn the heater on low just so (in my mind) it helps keep the temp cooler.. ill leave it on the floor vents and i always drive with windows open, or cracked to let the heat escape...
i drive a xtd cab xlt 4.0 3.55 gears on the stock 15" rims with whatever tires it may be

 

04 Edge 4.0/4x4/4:10 rears

only deviations from stock are:
Magnaflow custom cat-back exhaust
285/75/16 ProComp ATs

tire pressure is set between 32-35 psi
run 87 octane
various climates from 0-90 degrees
minimal idle time
hills, flat land, stop n go, etc...
60 highway/40 town

i have no idea what the average cruise speed is...usually between 65-75. fairly easy pulling out and otherwise normal driving. average works out to be 16.4 mpg. that is with milage correction for the larger tires...this has been averaged since mid 2005 (i keep detailed gas milage records).

 

I would check on cleanmpg.com they have many gas saving solutions. Hypermiling is another extreme solution.

 

I'm far from living in a flat area. Almost all stretches of highway and street roads here have some degree of incline or decline to them.

I shift around 2.5k to 3k rpm and like to get up to posted speed fast (not lead footed fast) so that I can maintain that speed in a higher gear equating to less rpms and assumingly less fuel burn. My best mileage was 21.6 when I made a trip from Las Cruces, NM to Del Rio, TX. My second best trip was 21.5 going from Phoenix, AZ back to Las Cruces, NM. These trips were with my former 31x10.50x15 BFG ATs. With my 33x10.50x15 BFG MT My best has been 19.6 and that is taking into consideration the difference between 33s and 31s (33/31 = 1.064516). I calculate mileage using the tripometer and not the odometer, as this gives me a reading in the 1/10th mile. I use 87 octane from Diamond Shamrock (Valero) and I don't recall if they put ethanol in or not. Winter temps....we got snow 5 times between Dec 18th and Jan 27th and night temps in the teens, 20s, and 30s up until last month where we are now in the 30s and 40s.

Going off of the gas needle, the first 1/4 tank I usually get 100 miles in. By the time I hit 3/4 tank or less I'm around 300-350 and that's with the 33s.

When I first had the truck, not even a week owning it I took it to Phoenix, AZ. From Las Cruces to PHX, according to mapquest.com, is about 388.67 miles. However, I did not take their directions, but took a slightly longer scenic route. The trip, taking this route, was slightly over 400 miles. I filled up at 1/4 tank left about 60-70 miles outside of Phoenix. Back then I was on 31s and averaging between 115-120 miles per first 1/4 tank.

Maybe it's the higher altitude and thinner air here (which fire/combustion speaking doesn't make sense) as to why I get the mileage I do. I dunno. Maybe it's the eat me (spelled out a 3AT M3 and reversed) decal on my windshield, or the italy boot, line-x decal, or braves logo on my rear windows. Or maybe it's the ORR stickers on the "3rd and 4th" door windows.

All I know is, ha ha, I use to get 400mpt with my 31s.

 

You get worse milage in the winter. The computer reads the denser air and cooler engine temps. That requires more fuel than hotter weather.

Also, with oxygenated fuels you have 10% less actual fuel to burn in a given gallon. That means you have to flow more fluid/gas to make the power demanded by the driver.

E85 is even worse. Using that stuff you'll see up to a 30% drop in milage!

Oh and btw: I think I'm in the middle of my best tank ever. The weather has gotten a bit warmer up into the 30s-40s. My guage is slightly below 1/2 and it's at 215miles so far.
Next weekend I'm going up north on a 300 mile road trip. I'm very curious as to what it'll do. I should have a free and clear drive with the cruise on and no stops.

Oh and btw2:
I have data logged that it does require more torque on average to maintain 70mph than it does 65mph. So that ought to increase milage a bit. (my caddy shows no power difference at both those speeds)

Rich

 

LMAO!!! I get what your saying, but I only average around 16mpg in my ranger and my roomate who owns a F-150 Fx4 with 5.4l averages around 19. It seems to me that there is a problem with 4.0 rangers getting any decent milage.

 

Right now running 255/70/16 Michelin M/S tires (Stock ones were 235/70/16) with Amsoil, K&N FIPK, and flowmaster exhaust, with my taller tires I have figured that my gear is now a 3.42. I have 300 miles this tank so far and the gauge is on a quarter.......

Going up north in the summer time with an average speed of 58mph over the whole 280 mile trip I averaged 24.9 towing my 14ft aluminum fishing boat and all my gear plus the GF and the dog..... Oh and there are hills. Not like some states have, but it wasn't flat.....

 

The majority of my driving is 50/50, and I guess I drive "average". I cruise around 70-75 on the interstate, and usually keep the revs in the 2500-3000 range off the line. Central Va isn't mountainous, but it certainly isn't flat either. During the summer, I average 19 mpg, during the winter 15 mpg. We have ethanol blend, just about year round now, plus the winter mix fuel. When I had the e-fan on, my mileage was about 20-21 mpg during the summer. The absolute best I have ever gotten with this truck was 24 mpg (with about 300lbs in the bed)-- during the summer, all highway, and the e-fan.