I'm looking to get better mpg out of my truck (05 level II). What would you guys recomend, and try to keep it in a reasonable price range. Thanks. I was thinking K&N to start. I've heard different things, I just want to better my truck and not lose anything.

 

intake, exhaust, tunner, pullies, some sort of bed cover,cap, tonneau cover, exct, driving habit, when your on the highway use cruise control. other than that get a honda civic if you want realy good.

 

https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...archid=1919086

 

...or theres some chips you can buy on ebay that will help.

 

I had a k&n intake and put on a gibson catback exhaust on at the same time and could tell a little better gas millage plus more power. A good set of spark plugs is a good ivestment too.

About those chips on ebays i havent heard a whole lot of good news about them and the also tend to burn out after a while and im sure if they burn out you wouldnt even know it, and you would be in the same situation.

 

those transistors off ebay are junk.

 

Driving habits will affect your MPG more than anything else. Check your tire pressure, and keep your air filter changed (using the OEM paper filter).

Not only will the K&N not make any difference to MPG, but you risk contaminating your MAF sensor, and gumming up your IAC valve, and throttle body from the dirt and oil passed with the K&N!

 

Synthetic fluids also help...

 

All of that will end up costing you 10x more than any money you ever save on fuel mileage gains. If you want power gains, fine. But if your goal is fuel economy, that would be extremely counter-productive.

^^^^ What he said ^^^

The single most effective way to increase fuel economy is your own driving habits. Don't mash it off the line when you take off from stop signs and stop lights. You don't need to grandmother it but you also don't need to floor it. On the highway, set the cruise for 65 in open traffic and enjoy the peaceful ride. Your fuel economy really starts taking a dump at 75+. On regular roads, don't be afraid to take your foot OFF the gas and let it coast a while if it will keep up a reasonable speed.

 

Driving habits, driving habits, driving habits....
Do you have brake dust on your wheels? Learn to take your foot off the gas instead of hitting the brakes at the last moment.
Do you wait in the drive thru? learn to walk inside.
Do remote start your vehicle? Learn scrape your windshield.
Do you speed cause you are always late? Learn to leave 10 minutes earlier
And the best gas saver..... learn to commute. Yeah, Americans have more excuses why they can't commute then Carters got liver pills.

Of course keep your vehicle properly maintained as stated by others.
I get the best gas mileage riding my bicycle to work. I fill up twice a month on average.

 

Well I don't see riding my bike to work when it takes an hour drive. I do have a problem speeding but I've learned to live with that. I was looking to increase my MPG with my current driving habits, I will slow down and enjoy the scenery sometimes but when you drive the same way everyday you've seen it all. Thanks for the help, I guess i was looking for some good all around perf. mods that would benifit my MPG or atleast not hurt them.

 

If you're going to drive fast, you're going to lose money. There is no other way around that. You can dump money into modifications that will only cost even more. You bought a pickup truck, if you want to go fast and not burn a lot of gas, buy a honda.

 

+1 i had to drive my girls sister honda this morning so i could get it serviced and that thing will get up when you want it to and i the gas hand didn't move the whole time on my for mile trip to work

 

sell your Ranger and buy a Honda Civic, or Toyota Prius......that is the only way to increase milage....

 

maybe a geo metro?

 

gas mileage and truck dont go together

 

I have my truck because I like my truck and I use my truck as a truck, I also drive faster then 65 on the interstate not 100mph but faster than 65. Lets try again.

If you were to take driving habits out of the question, what would be some recomended improvements to boost fuel economy, and maybe add some power or better performance?

Maybe if I reword it like that it will make it easier to understand. I know I can save money by driving differently but thats not all that I want to accomplish. If its too big of a deal I will just delete this post. Thanks guys

 

And thats been answered. Driving habit modification is the only way to increase fuel economy. Any modification that increases MPG and performance will cost more than any fuel cost savings, therefore is not positively effecting fuel economy.

You can get better economy or you can get better performance. Not both.

 

look at downeys post on here its not going to help you alot and you won't really notice it

 

raise the gear ratio...maybe 3.73 or 3.55 if u wanted to go that far...lower rpm at high spd but suck in town

 

that depends on where he drives.....higher ratio (lower numerically) gears will be good on the highway, but not so great in the city......lower ratio (higher numerically) gears will do better in the city, but not so good on the highway....

 

yeah i want 3.55s or 3.73s but im guna start driving home from harrisburg every weekend and back down and its like a 200 mile trip and with my 3.27s i get 20mpg on the highway but i only get 15 in the city.

 

Just mail me the money, and you will get the same affect as buying performance mods!!

 

Sorry, there is no magic beyond possibly a tonneau on the bed that will ever possibly recover the cash outlay. The previous owner of my truck put a K&N airfilter in my truck. I've already removed and junked that pos and gone back to a paper airfilter, alas, though, too late. I now get to pop $80 bucks for a new MAF sensor. So where are the savings gained from a reusable airfilter? Start driving smarter, timing lights, reading traffic, and being gentle on the gas peddle. Only by changing your driving habits will you see any real gains in fuel economy.
I make a game/challange out of getting the best fuel economy I can, such as counting the number of times I have to apply my brakes [less=better milage]. It also means less wear and tear on the truck [fewer repairs=more money in your pocket].
It hit -17* here last Friday night and not living in a big city, certainly not a night to break down, and I had to drive home from work at midnight.
Mileage suck? Try burning our 'winter blend' fuel, then you will see crappy milage.

 

I do the same thing Bazzman does. Brakes last forever. Gas mileage is much better.