I have about a 20 mile commute to work. It's all highway and usually it's smooth rolling with no traffic. As most of you know, I'm reletively impatient and don't like waiting for anything. It's one of my downfalls but I've always been that way. I would always have the cruise control set for 75 in the left lane. The limit is 65 and the flow in the left lane is usually always around 75 so I'm not going crazy or anything. (The looney toons are the ones going 90+). I'd been driving like that for a good 3 years. I got around 16 MPG regularly.

One day, I was going to work for a night shift and I was sick as a dog. I wanted to just roll over and die but I refused to call in sick because it would leave them short. I was so sick, I couldn't go as fast as I normally do or it would make me feel worse. I ended up in the right lane and only going about 60-65 tops. Other than being sick, it felt really odd going that slow too. However, after I arrived at work it also occured to me that it only set me back a few minutes. It wasn't a substantial time difference and certainly not one that had any effect on my punching in on time. This was around the same time as gas being over $3/gal post Katrina. I had the motivation to not use as much gas so I decided to do a tank or two slowed down and see what happned.

By going along at 60-65 instead of 75 (~2100RPM vs ~2600+RPM), my MPG went from 16 to 18+. I was happy, I could see it made a positive difference in milage and no effect on my time table. I felt much less stressed after the commute as well since I wasn't always swearing to myself about the people in the left lane going too slow. I wish I figured this all out years ago.

I recently did the E-Fan mod. Took the load off the engine which I'm pretty sure I can feel to begin with. It isn't a monumental difference but it's a small improvement. I've been calculating fuel use after the fan and I gained another 2mpg. I'm now up to 20mpg.

Net gain, 4mpg or 80 miles per tank. That's 2 more days without filling up (+/- days off). If I was independently wealthy, I wouldn't care. But when you're on a budget, that kicks ***.

 

Yeah the speed limit is always good! It was decreased to 55 to save gas, then they upped it (thank god!) I will have to get a e-fan

 

Sweet if I didnt have to buy a lift and bigger tires I would have one!

 

Man, i think if i had an e-fan, my mileage would be easily in the 20's, its at 17-18 right now..

Sweet... And yea, i stay in the 60-70 speed anyway.

 

thats sweet another good experince with an e-fan, ive been wanting to get one for so long i just keep putting it off. i just need to break down and get one.

i tried that speed thing too but it really doesnt help my mileage. if i go 65-70 or 80-85 its not even a notice able change. same with long distance trips, not much change if any at all. i ran 85-90 al the way to michigan last time and got 17mpg which is better than usual.

 

Has anyone noticed an increase in MPG "in city driving" with an E-fan

 

I plan on buying one soon I just don't know who makes a sweet setup for the Ranger. I don't want the generic one that fits on everything I'd prefer to have one that had a shroud that went all the way around the radiator. Maybe then I could just get back to 17 mpg.

=john=

 

im sure there are many topics on this..but is an e-fan ridiculously hard to put in and wire?

 

67cobain, I have a black magic150, just haven't installed it yet. It's about $200 but it has the shroud as well as a built in thermostat and it bolts to the radiator, not throught it. I don't think it fully covers the radiator, though. I'd have to take some measurements and get back with you.
I would think that the fan that sound4performance has would allow the stock shroud to be used.

 

Try going a lot easier on the throttle when leaving traffic lights too. A few months ago I got into a discussion w/ 'Dave & Julie' over on ORR. He told me that he was nipping at 20 MPG in his truck, which is virtually identical to mine. I thought he was full of it, and asked what his secret was. He told me: He keeps the engine below 2000 RPMs, shifting early.

I tried it, it's true, it helps a lot. I can run 18-19 MPG if I do this. Of course it's going absurdly slow. My truck really doesn't seem to get out of it's own way until it breaks 2500 RPM.. so keeping the tach below 2k hurts. But that's the price you pay to save at the pump.

On the highway I've knocked myself down to 70 MPH. I try to keep it at 65, but it's just so difficult when you're being passed by EVERYONE on the road, even the cement trucks and wide-load haulers! 70 doesn't kill things for me, yet still keeps up w/ traffic. Over the last few months I've been able to boost my average from 16-17 to 18-19 MPG. Dave says he doesn't Interstate much in his truck, which means he doesn't have that problem, and it probably explains why he can consistantly see 19 and I can't..

 

I've been doing that little by little. It's hard because I really like get-up-and-go (goes back to the impatient thing). I'm sure it will help, it's just going to take me a while to get to that point.

 

I hear you, honestly I do.. My GF's editorial comments about what a 'granny driver' I am have started getting louder and louder.

And I must confess that a lot of this has gone out the window now that gas is somewhat more affordable now. I've been leaving stop-lights and toll-booths and dipping well into the 4k RPM range. Just this morning I hauled *** down the alley behind my apartment w/ the rear end spinning left and right.. just because I could!

But if you watch your shift points, you CAN get a pretty sizable improvement in MPGs!

 

i gained 2 mpg on the highway with my 5.4 an efan. I havent tried installing one of my fans with a factory shroud, but a full shroud isnt really necessary, i run 2 14 inch fans on my F150, and they are the same self shrouded ones i sell. They are very easy to install and wire.

I was never into the efan mod until i got one myself, now its one of the first mods i reccommend, and one of the only mods you REALLY SEE an MPG difference.

 

I did gain a few mpg's in the city too, I get at least +2 from what it was city or hwy. It's an awesome mod, gives power and more response too.

 

when i go 55, i get pretty good mileage (~18). When i go 85, i get awesome mileage (~19). Normally, i average 14.5 for city driving (not lead foot).. When i go ~70, 75, i get ~16.5...

go figure

 

Black magic 150 isnt real hard to install, it's just the instructions that suck. We drilled our own mounting holes and such, but in the end it was worth it. I get about 28 Highway/23 city now compared to the 25 HW/22City Of course the under drive pulley helped with this a bit