Well this is a tad bit off the direction of your discussion but may be an interesting tidbit. I have a 4.6 v8 longbed at the time i had stock 255 tires and 3.55 gears!
When my mother was moving out in the boonies
i had my bed full and passanger seet full of CRAP! Well my father was towing a u-haul trailer and was not able to go over 55 mph.
I followed directly behind him at the same speed every trip.
After several trips at 45 miles back and forth including using Overdrive to get up some pretty damn steep grades after all was said and done, going only 55mph steady using overdrive about 5 minutes each trip "dont remember how many" with my truck full of weight and a full tank of 87 octane
yes now maybe you wont find this believeable but its true! 502 miles before the Fuel light binged!
So im just saying that ive learned why trucks usually stay 55-60 thats where the best mileage comes from!
So is all im saying is if its all highway i can believe it otherwise no!

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97 F150 Longbed V8 4.6
K&N air filter
K&N FIPK tech MOD & removed elbow silencer
Tires: Yokohama 265/75/16 Geolander AT+
Hyper white xenon bulbs
Bedliner and raven shell
6 disc cd changer
Oil & filter used

Gasoline used

My Truck

 

You have to remember that the same engine and gears can have different mileages. It depends on how the truck was treated when it was broke in. What type of oil you run in the differentials, transmission, etc....

 

moose-man, you're cheating. Long-beds have a 30 gallon tank. That said, I believe I could reach 500 on a tank, as I once did a trip like the one you described and got a little over 19 mpg. If I really, really tried I could get 20mpg X 25 = 500 miles.


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1999 Ford F150 Lariat RegCab shortbed 5.4L 3.55LS Towpkg Line-X
15.714@85.21

 

In the owners manual it says for every extra 300 lbs you can expect to lose 1 mpg. I get about 325 miles to a tank.

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99 F-150 Sport XLT Black supercab 4.6L auto 3.55LS
K&N filter, Velocity Tube, dual series 40 flowmasters
Ground Force 2 in. rear drop

 

You mean to tell me my wife has been costing me 1.5 MPG?

 

well it also depends on the truck, my dad has a 97 f-150 s/c lariat 4.6 3.55, and when I drove it, I would get about 400 miles on the tank, and when I got my truck, I am lucky to get 300 miles per tank, and I have the same engine and gears and mines lowered 2"?

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1998 Ford F-150 XLT S/C
KN Filter
one chamber flowmaster
Kenwood cd player
Polk speakers
pioneer amp and 10" subwoofer
3.55 gears

 

Actually raoul your completely wrong.
My take is only 25 gallons FACT
my owners manual says 25 gallons also FACT
And to prove its only 25 gallons every single time i fill up when my fuel light bings at the pump i can only pump aprox 23.50- 24.30 gallons. Its never gone over that, and ive refueled my truck say ohhh 1000000 times? so im not cheating and yes my truck is a longbed even look at my picture below.


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97 F150 Longbed V8 4.6
K&N air filter
K&N FIPK tech MOD & removed elbow silencer
Tires: Yokohama 265/75/16 Geolander AT+
Hyper white xenon bulbs
Bedliner and raven shell
6 disc cd changer
Oil & filter used

Gasoline used

My Truck

 

Hey everyone,
Got a puzzler for you? I see lots of threads about gas mileage and what can be done to improve it. My truck, the one below in the sig, averages about 14.5 in town, and has gotten as high as 19.5 on the highway. And don't let the Powerdyne blower throw you off, since I still believe it's doing almost nothing for added power (but that's another issue). I'm running 30" tires and have 3.55 gears. Lately, I'm lucky if I get 350 miles to a tank. HOWEVER, my friend has a '98 Nascar Edition F150 (reg. cab) with a 4.6 and 3.73 gears on 30" tires. I realize that he's pulling somewhat less weight than my Supercab truck (I figure that it evens us out with his 3.73's). Here's the kicker; he gets 450 miles to a tank, every time, and he is not easy on the truck at all. And I would define his routine driving as town/city, as much so as mine. That equates to an average 'in town' mileage of 18 mpg. All other factors being the same, the only major difference between our two trucks is ride height. His sits a full 2" lower than mine in the front, or maybe 3". I remember reading in another thread that the reverse is true, that 4x4's low mileage is due not so much to the extra drivetrain/equipment, but their added height. If this is true, it would be worth it to me to spend a few hundred dollars to drop my truck and gain 2.5 mpg. It's no power adder, and I'm not even that crazy about slammed trucks, but I would do it. Has anybody who has dropped your truck noticed a mileage gain? I'd sure be interested to know. Thanks.

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1997 F150 SC Lariat 4x2 Styleside
Oxford White/Prairie Tan Metallic
4.6 auto, 3.55
17" ORP wheels w/ 275/60R17 Goodyear Eagle GTII's
Extang soft tonneau cover
Kenwood 7003 CD head unit w/ remote, Sony 2x25W and Clarion 2x100W amps, Ultimate 10" pickup boxes
Powerdyne 6 psi supercharger, Autometer boost gauge

To come:
Ford Motorsports headers
Ford Motorsports 9mm plug wires w/ plugs?
Autometer fuel pressure gauge
Superchip
4.10 rear w/ 23-tooth speedo gear (gotta read right!)

Wishful thinking:
SVT 18" Lightning rims (painted Prairie Tan to match two-tone) w/ 285/55R18 Yokohama AVS's

 

moose-man, take it easy will you? And stop beating me over the head with those facts. If you say you have a 25 gallon tank that's fine with me. I don't see how your gas tank size is going to have any impact on World events.

Ford set the low-fuel light to come on when there is still (safely)enough fuel in the tank to protect the fuel pump from burning up. My light comes on after 20-21 gal have been used. The most I put into my tank is 22.5 gallons. If you regularly pump in 23-24 then (and that is when the light comes on) then you don't have much fuel protecting the pump and your light doesn't do you much good.

I 'suggest' that your light works fine and you have 6 or 7 gallons in the tank when your light comes on.

Again, I'm not trying to argue you, just pass along some useful info that could come in handy to you some day. I wish I had another 80-100 range in my pocket if I ever needed it.

So, let's settle this. Get a tape measure and determine the length of your tank. Then go up to any '97-'01 'Shortbed' F150 and measure the tank length.

Then get your butt back here and apologize.

 

Hey raoul/
this intriuged me so much today i went to the ford dealer im going to have my alignment re-done since i had it done last may and already went out i need to use the warranty.
And i did ask the guy to check my gas tank.
Well he got the VIN pulled up all the specs on the pc and YES its 25 gallons!
so once again its not a fuel light issue or anything your just wrong.
Im sorry for sounding like a **** but i dont like people telling me what i have when they cant even see it for themselfs !

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97 F150 Longbed V8 4.6
K&N air filter
K&N FIPK tech MOD & removed elbow silencer
Tires: Yokohama 265/75/16 Geolander AT+
Hyper white xenon bulbs
Bedliner and raven shell
6 disc cd changer
Oil & filter used

Gasoline used

My Truck

 

LOL, whatever.

I would take no pleasure in verbal fencing with you.

 

I don't know about you guys, mine has been lowered and I still get about 300-325 miles on a full tank. But before all the mods, I was only getting 325-370(once in a blue moon). It's my foot I guess, the thing just won't listen.

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98 Nascar Edition


Homepage (Needs Updating)

Powerdyne Supercharger w/9psi, Superchip, Autometer Boost Gauge and Pod, K&N Filter, TransGo Performance Shift Kit, 295/65-16 Eagle GTII Tires, Flowmaster 40 series exhaust, Taylor 8mm wires And Bosch Plantinum Spark Plugs, TPS Mod, Gutted MAF, 4.10 Rear End Gears, XTRA Bright Halogen Lights, Amsoil Series 2000 Synthetic 0w-30 Motor Oil, Tinted Windows, Belltech 2 inch rear drop, G-Tech Pro Series II, Bedliner, 100w driving lights, Aftermarket stereo stuff w/ custom bandpass box, Cobra 75WXST CB Radio, Little Wilson Antenna, and some other stuff I can’t remember



[This message has been edited by jackhel (edited 03-07-2001).]

 

- "In the owners manual it says for every extra 300 lbs you can expect to lose 1 mpg. I get about 325 miles to a tank." -

I haven't checked the manual but this doesn't sound right to me. I normaly get 18-19 mpg on the highway. Once a year I put about 1500 lbs of stuff in the truck and drive 500 miles to go camping. (It's a long story, but if you can see the tops of your tires you didn't bring enough junk.) The one time I did this with my new truck I got 19.8 mpg.

I thought it might be because the truck was riding lower but it seems to go against the weight / mpg rule.


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2000 XL 4.6 5spd 2WD reg-cab long-box 3.55 LS 235/70/16 Chestnut (not 2-tone) Raven-Cap (and a '66 GTO with a '73 455, both combined cost less than a Lightning )

 

The reason for a lowered truck to be more efficient is having less frontal area, less resistance. And maybe less weight if it is the case. But this is considering you are comparing to identical trucks. There are no identical trucks in the site since one of the variables is the owner, and we are all very different. VERY!!!

The only place we could get a fair comparison between different trucks is in a close enviroment like a laboratory and we are too uncontrolable to be submmited to this.

So the best we are going to get here is what each one of us is going to post regarding their own truck. To compare this with a truck 1000 miles away is another story.

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My Ride: 1998 F150 4x4 Lariat Supercab Flareside 5.4L in Oxford White/gold, ORP, Tow Package, 3.55 Gears.

Modifications:
Optima Red Top Battery
Split Fire Spark Plugs
K&N FIPK
Gibson Supertruck Exhaust System
Stepshield door sill protectors
Performance Accesories 3" Body Lift
Performance Accesories Lift Lips by Mountain Enterprises
Superlift 3" lift blocks
Gabriel Gas Ryder LT VST Shocks
Daystar Front Anti-sway Bar Polyurethane Bushings
Heckethorn Steering Stabilizer
35x12.5R16.5LT BFG All Terrain KO's
16.5x9.75 American Eagle 589's.
McGard Premium Wheel Locks

Photos at: http://www.communicomgroup.com/jmtruck

 

i like raoul answer to his wife taking up 1.5 mpg lol
no wonder im getting better fuel mileage i divorced mine