I have a 3.0 2wd. and the gas mileage is horrible about 13 to 14 around town, but up to about 18 on the freeway. what would be the first or best thing to do? Ive replaced the fuel filter, the spark plugs, and wires, the air filter. but im thinking the O2 sensors or a cat replacement. Any suggestions?

 

alingment and propper tire pressure

 

You are getting slightly lower than you should... dont expect too much more though...

I agree with making sure you have the correct tire pressure. It really makes a difference!

 

I too have a 3.0 2wd automatic, and I average about 16 mpg. however I'm pretty sure my speedometer is off some due to tire size I suppose.

 

My 92 on average gets right around 16mpg in town.

 

will new O2 sensors help? or maybe new Cats?

 

I would bet the O2 sensors are ok if you're not getting a chack engine light. Not sure about the cats. Unless you have super high mileage, I would think it would be OK. I use to have a 3.0 4x4 Ranger, now I have a 4.0 4x4.... The 4.0 gets better mileage than my 3.0 did. Also remember, one of the(if not the biggest) ways to alter mileage is to alter driving.

 

My 2004 3.0 gets 21-22mpg combined driving about 2/3rd highway, 1/3rd city. The truck is manual transmission / rear wheel drive and rarely above 3000rpm.

 

If the catalysts are plugged causing excessive backpressure from burning extra fuel than you should correct the condition causing rich conditions before you replace them. Having one or more plugged catalysts will cause poor mileage, overheating and difficulty getting to highway speeds.

 

There are several things you can do to help improve MPG's. The first is invest in a tonneau cover. It reduces drag and improves the areodynamics of your truck causing an increase in MPG's. The second is make sure that your tires are properly inflated. The 3rd thing you can do is switch from interstate to highway driving where the speeds are alot slower and your truck is running at lower RPM's. I finally saw the mythbusters episode about the tailgate senario and was amazed. lowering the tailgate doesn't help at all, infact you lose MPG's instead of gaining them. The other thing you can do is upgrade to a high performance air filter and exhaust and alow the engine to breathe better. Also change your oil and airfilter (or clean your air filter, which ever applies) every 3,000 miles. The ultimate secret is weight reduction. If you're running a V6 or an inline 4 cylinder, how much weight is that engine pushing for you to move? think about it for a moment.

 

Not much hope with a 3.0. They just require you to put your foot in it to much to get around. Mine did. The new truck has a 4.0, gets around alot better. Smokes my old mans 2.3 5spd truck. lol.

 

well it also depends on what rear gears you're running too. I have had 3 rangers. the 3.0 isn't too hot yes. The 4.0 OHV stayed in the shop after so many miles. but it had 3.73:1 rear gears and I don't like them after having the 4.10:1 rear gears is alot better with highway driving than interstate. easier on the gas tank and wallet. I figure if you shaved around 1,800 Lbs off the ranger it would probably get nearly double of what it gets now.

 

Yea. I had 4.10's with the 3.0. It got around well for a 3.0. This truck has 3.73s and 31's, for now. 4.56's and 33's to come soon

 

Shame on you. L.O.L. I plan on doing alot to my truck here before alond unless another disaster happens with my money situation.

 

buy a smart car for gas miliage not a ranger

 

My 4.0 gets 15-16 around town and around 19-20 on the highway so I would do what the above posters suggest because there is something that is a little off with your truck.

 

No, and No.

 

In that episode didn't they prove that tonneau covers do nothing? Or is my memory failing me

 

I think I remember it, and yeah, your basically right.

I have a hard top on one of my rangers and I don't really see any difference in personal data.

 

I can't even get in one of those so why would I buy it.

Excuse me but I did gain 4 MPG's by doing just that. A direct oem replacement high performance filter was what I was suggesting. Like K&N or AEM.

I was talking about LOWERING the tailgate. I mentioned the Toneau cover because everyone that I have seen for sale anywhere claims that it does. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you have to prove claims like that before you advertise it?

 

Unless youre a lardass thats a lie, Im 6'3" and have plenty of room inside of them

 

You can spend some more dough and get an exhaust system and a K&N intake.

I get 20 in town and 26-27 on the highway in my 2000 3.slow.

02 sensors helped alot for me as well.

 

Cheap tires can hurt mileage also - lost 3mpg on my SVT Contour when I replaced the OEM tires with Kumho. Perhaps it wasn't just because they were cheap, but some research will show what type of tire will help or hurt fuel economy. Something like the Goodyear Max Fuel tire or some of the Michelin tires claim improved fuel economy.

 

Our family's second Ranger is a 99 3.0 auto 2wd. It gets 20 around town. She's going on 180K now, bone stock. Ever since I've had the truck she has always got 20mpg.

 

You are not going to see any difference in gas mileage by adding a tonneau cover. I remember Popular Mechanics did a test on this. I will try and find it.