Just picked up my '05 5.4 FX4 Screw on Monday. Love it but already thinking increaing gas milage is up there on my list. I've heard tonneaus, Filters, tunes etc. can all help a little. I'm driving ~100 a day, mostly cruise control freeway driving and would appreciate some suggestions. 1 extra mile per gallon = 150 extra miles (or 25 bucks) a month!

BTW: The only extra I've bought so far is a Truxedo Lo-Pro.

 

Put a thumbtack in your right shoe, pointed toward your foot.

Dave

 

You my friend....are awesome....



As for the original question....
if you are really worried about saving $25 a month...you should have bought a small vehicle...sorry dude...trucks are not the ideal commuter vehicle...

 

haha, a thumbtack would most definitely work...
give it a few tanks before you start really concerning yourself with mpg... mine was horrific the first couple tanks (oh about 11 mpg first tank got it in may...) the truck is still breaking in, learning your style ... its now gradually getting better each and every time (up to 14 now with 3k on it)
btw, welcome, good luck!

 

Getting more MPG from these trucks, I have found, is like getting blood from a turnip. You are doing right by using cruise, that seems to make a noticeable difference with the 5.4 drive-by-wire system for some reason. I paid $50.00 for a K&N air filter a few months ago, and the MPG increase has been negligible at best. Keeping my tire pressure up seems to help more than anything (at least 40 PSI). I have driven like a grandma for a tank or two, and I have driven my "normal" driving style. My truck gets about 16 MPG in 80% hwy, 20 % city, and driving style so far has not seemed to make too much difference.
It took a while for this to sink in on me too, but drive it how you want to, and love it. An extra $25/month is not really worth it if you have to baby your truck around all the time. You are driving the baddest 1/2 ton on the road today, just drive it, love it, and put the calculator away.

Best of luck with your new ride.

 

Just the same 'ol same 'ol. Tonneau cover is probably the largest immediate thing you can do (anywhere from .8mpg to 2mpg increase if you are taking a road trip), new performance (K&N) air filter might help a little, basic upkeep of your vehicle (oil changes, tire pressure etc.) will all aid mpg.

What most effects your MPG though is the way you drive. Try not to go over 65mph on the freeway, and try not to go over 2,000RPM anytime. It is hard to do, and you will most always be last off the line, but if it is that much of a concern to you, give it a try.

I am up to a constant 17mpg in my 4.2 V6 with about 85%/15% highway/city driving. I would say about 80% of the time I drive smooth but sometimes you just need to punch it.

 

Had to go with the truck man. Baby on the way and need a four door. My mustangs just won't work with a car seat and it will be a cold day in .... before I go mini-van. This keeps the wife off my back and my testosterone levels where they should be.

 

Congrats on the kid...

My truck is damn-near stock...I only have a LOW-PRO tonneau on it and I will average 15-16 MPG with 60/40 driving (highway/city)...on my long trips that are nothing but interstate, I will get up to 19MPG...

 

I know I will most likely be broiled alive for this but oh well. I just put on a cherry bomb glass pack and a side dump pipe in front of my rear tire and my mileage has gone from 16.3mpg to 18mpg. I know this is absurd (sp?) and is incredibly high but it was the first whole tank I went through and was eager to show to my surprise an increase in gas mileage which I did not expect! I did the same kind of driving and the outdoor temps are around the same ( HOT!). I will post the further mileage numbers, up or down. Just some info for anyone interested!

 

3 things you can do to make a solid impact on MPG: Replace the stock muffler with a Magnaflow, Replace the intake tube with an Airraid tube (no real need to go to aftermarket "oil up" type filter), and tonnu cover. Upfront cost will be depending on which cover you pick but with the miles you drive you'll save in the long run.

 

My cover has done nothing for my mileage.

 

Mine neither. Want to buy a fiberglass cover for a Crew Cab?

Speed kills MPG's, plain and simple. Put on all the bolt on stuff you want, but I have found that the cost to benefit ratio just isn't there, unless you are driving the truck 150-200K miles before you sell it.

If simple upgrades increased the MPG's, then Ford would be doing that on factory trucks. Anything they can do to improve the CAFE numbers would be done. Just keep it at or near the speed limit, and work with the weight of the truck. Don't try to beat people up hills or out of stop lights. Keeping the RPM's down below 2K as much as you can really helps.

 

You are dead wrong. I put a new muffler in and the Airraid tube. Went from 15.2 MPG up to 16.4 MPG city driving. Much better on highway. Tonnu cover would also help long term. Less drag. Why do you think peeps out there drive with their tailgates down??? For looks??? This guy drives a lot, thus over the long haul he will see the benefits.

 

I still think mods for the sake of saving money is a farce. If you want to put on a bed cover so you can tell people I get 16 mpg, rather than 15, that's fine. Plus they look good, and have other added benefits.
There is a definite grey area, because most mods that help with MPG have other benefits, such as cosmetics or funtionality. At $2.25/gal, getting an extra 1 mpg will save you $1874.00 over 200k miles, or $937 over 100k miles. I think it becomes comical when you hear folks speaking in fuel savings terms say "I added a Troyer ($500), a tonno cover ($500) an Air Raid ($300) and a Magna Flow Exhaust ($400) and I went from 15.5 to 16.5 mpg, think of the money I will save!" If they plan to drive that truck 3-400k miles, sure.
You have a better looking, better sounding, better performing truck, which are all good things, but I can get one more mpg by laying off the go pedal a little. If you pay close attention to the threads here, things like exhaust, chips and intakes usually make gas mileage go south, because they make the right foot so happy.

 

I have the AF1 intake and magnaflow SIDO exaust on my 4.6L 2WD SCAB. When I first put them on I lost mileage, but I realized that I was trying to beat everyone off the line and get everywhere as fast as I could. I drive like a granny around town now, and I'm getting an average of 21 MPG.