Hey guys,
I'm a mechanically inclined 16 year old with a new truck.
It's a 02 F-150 FX4 Some of you may already know by my previous posts.

Here are some stats on the truck:
2002 F-150 SuperCab
5.4 V8
22,800 Miles (estimate, Its somewhere in the 22k range)

I was running octane 89 last fill up; I received...
11MGP (mostly stop and go to school during week/ light highway on weekends)
Total of 235mi on a tank

This time I filled up with Octane 93 just curious to compare/contrast with previous tank.(It was only $0.10 more than midgrade)

I want to add a K&N drop in filter and have some exhaust work done in a couple months and I'd like to see it's effect also.

I have open ears for any and all tips, tricks, and comments and greatly appreciated!

 

11mpg? ouch. What is done to the truck now? Does it have over size tires? 11mpg seems really low even for city driving and getting your foot into it. Other then that, sounds like a sweet truck with low miles. I would just be concerned about that gas mileage but maybe I'm over reacting.

 

ChrisT,
That was my reaction.. Dad has an 06 Screw with the 5.4 and he accelerates HARD and gets better milage than I.
I've been taking it extremely easy.. I drive 2mi both ways to school and its solid stop signs but I really ease on and off the petal easy.
It has the FX4 17's and factory tires. Everything is all factory. I rarely use any heat/air coditioning... Just drive with the windows down. On cold mornings I will crank my truck 2 minutes before driving off. Or 1-2 minutes on the warmer days (55+ F)

Let me know what you think!
-Tanner

 

Hmm, that' really odd man. Do you know if your truck has had a tune up recently? If not, I would start there. I'm no mechanic by any means so hopefully some one else will chime in and give you some pointers. You might also try posting your mpg numbers along with your truck configuration up in the engine section. I'm sure you will get some good information there as well. Good luck man.

 

1.) It's a 5.4
+
2.) Its a FORD
+
3.) Winter fuel
=
Bad Mileage

When i was in school last year driving around town in the winter I got 10 mpg, I like many others expected better but if you want mileage buy a chevy, hate to say it but IMO its the truth

 

I think part of your problem is the truck never warms up. You say you only drive 2 miles to school and depending on the temp where you live, that is not even close to getting it all the way warm. Cold engines use a lot more fuel.

 

The truck is all tuned up, Especially for 22k miles. Engine oil was just changed before I bought it.

Your right about the warm up.. I usually try to let it idle for several minutes... but it only takes me 5 minutes to get to school.

I also wanted to add that I've been running 6oz of Lucas Fuel Injector Cleaner in each tank..

Thanks, and keep em coming!
-Tanner

 

im really not sure because i dont know to much about engines but i cant imagine that the only driving you do is on a cold engine can be very good for the engine. this might be the problem but like i said im not positive

 

he pry warms it up on the weekend either pickin up chicks or road trippin haha

 

If you ususlly let it warm up before you drive it, that can really kill your gas mileage. Still, 11 mpg

 

11 miles to the gal is du to your driving pattern.
Try taking a long trip and see how you do.
With 22,000 miles you have no need for a tune up or high octane fuel. And no way should you be putting that lucas crap in your fuel ether!!!
The truck is tuned for 87 octane and that's all you should run unless you get a tuner and set it for 93.

If it makes you feel any better,,,I have the same driving pattern and only get 5 MPG

Phil

 

My truck is very similar to yours, except it's an '03 with 38,000 on the clock. If you look at my signature you'll see what I did to improve it. If I drive short trips like your's I do about 14-15 and on long freeway trips with the cruise set I do around 17-18. The best I ever did was around 20 in Colo. between Boulder and Pueblo, but I had a shell on it then, So I'm not sure if that made a difference or not.

 

Fill it up/Clean the MAF sensor/Reboot. -(fill it first)

There's a few bolt ons that help, but you should be avareaging atleast 14mpg or there's a problem. Could be fuel type, try a different station. -Bp/Sunoco.

But yea, with those miles, driving habits w/5.4L plays a big role. They'll drink up what you give it, not shy there.

I pretty much averaged 16/360 miles per gallon/tank. But I'm @ 258,000 miles - It's broke in

I did go down to 9 mpg at one time, but that was because I installed Borg/Warner upstreams. - Stick with OEM when it comes to O2's (NOT Motorcraft - OEM = Bosch)

 

Thanks for all the suggestions..
I would really like to fully warm up my truck but like i said I let it idle several minutes before taking off... but It only takes me 3-5 minutes to get to school.. I guess I should get a bike

I am definantly looking into buying a K&N drop in filter and a Cat-Back exhaust as soon as I make my mind up.

I have been grandmawing it... Very easy on acceleration and such.. Id say I never top 1500RPM's until the engine is fully warmed up.

Thanks for all the tips!
-Tanner

 

im in the same situation, i get about 12 doing fairly short trips, but when i drive longer trips in the same pattern, i get better mileage.