I know there are some threads out there about what mods are better for gas mileage. But I wanted to know what everyone has / wants to do. Like brands, etc.

I bought a used FX4 and it already had an exhaust on it. I noticed it was loud, very loud so I checked underneith and there is no muffler on it , haha. Just a cat and straight pipes from there. So tomorrow I'm going to get a muffler put on it. That should help on the tone and the guy said it would even help out on gas mileage?? I don't know, it would be cool if he is right.

Other than that I just ordered an AF1 intake. I know most people say they don't really help because you always floor it to hear it. But I don't really think I'll be like that.

What are other things you can do?

I saw in other posts people say they have tuners. What exactly do they do? I am not real familiar with stuff like that, I just drive em, don't work on em, haha. Would it be better to stay away from something like that if I have no clue as to what they do?

But like I said, I was just seeing what other people are doing and what they can recommend me to do.

Thanks everyone!

 

Custom tuning for fuel economy will be the best thing to do.

www.troyerperformance.com

 

This is an incredibly overlooked item but...change your fuel filter. I gained a couple tenths of fuel economy after I changed mine. Not much but every little bit helps now. I was pretty amazed at all the rust/dirt particles that flowed out of my old filter when I turned it upside down and drained it back. It was pretty "sludgy".

Be aware though...on my '06 XLT there were two filters available from the dealer. Apparently at the end of the model year there was a filter change to a slightly larger line diameter. Have your dealer look up the part number by build date of your truck. It will save you a trip back into the dealer for a "swap". My dealership was kind enough to say, "oops, my bad. We'll just swap the part and not worry about the cost difference if there is one".

 

the only thing that really helps, is to keep ur foot out of it, other than that it would take years before those products tuner exhaust intake etc....
actually saved you money on fuel. i mean ur gunna spend $300 on intake couple hundred for a muffler, $400 for a tuner. ur gunna spend over 1k for wat a few extra Mpg's.
Its cool though, we all have bought those goodies including myself, in hope that we could get more than 14 mpg

 

Yeah, I said that too. Didn't quite work out that way though...

Make sure your tires are aired up accordingly. This help, I am told.

 

Yeah, if you inflate your tires to the max allowable pressure (documented on the side of your tires) you are supposed to be able to get a bit better fuel economy as well. This is what hypermilers do.

I've done this but all I can say that I've noticed is that I have a slightly stiffer ride (no surprise there). I haven't noticed any gains in fuel economy. However, I could see this as theoretically possibly extending the life of the tires (ever so slightly if at all).

I'm hoping that if I do enough little things (oil and other fluids, tires, etc.) they will add up to another mile per gallon. If nothing else it gives me a chance to fiddle with the truck a bit.

 

I ordered a Hypertech Max Energy programmer today. It's supposed to give you more horsepower and torque and 2-6 miles per gallon more fuel economy. I'm getting close to 20 mpg now, but 26 would be
I know others prefer different programmers, but, I'll let you know how it does.

 

There are no mods really that will help get you more MPG.

The best things you can do is the good olé standbys

Keep your tires inflated properly
Keep your vehicle in it peak running condition this would include fuel filter mentioned above
Keep you foot out of the gas pedal and let the vehicle shift between gears before 2k RPM's

Electric Fans might gain you a little however the extra electrical load might negate that.

Add tonnuea cover, although a heavy fiberglass one might also negate any gains you made

 

a significant drop might help

 

i disagree with the efan statement. regardless of whether or not the clutch is engaged on the OEM fan, it's still being turned by the engine at all times. the efan only runs when it needs to and once the truck is moving, it won't be running at all. the efan only runs when you're in stop and go traffic, or extremely hot conditions. the amount of time you're not turning the OEM fan vs. the amount of time you would be without an efan still out weighs any losses you incur from current draw.

 

The things I did to bring my MPG up are...

#1. Beat the twerp at the oil change center when he gets near my tires. Those idiots ALWAYS want to set my pressure to 35psi. My load range E BFGs, according to BFG should be set at 40psi unloaded, 45 loaded. I keep them at 42 and my MPG jumped 3 mpg.
#2. Royal Purple motor oil.
#3. Seafoam every 4th or so fill up. I buy it by the gallon now, and transfer the stuff to the pint cans to carry and drop in the fuel tank.
#4. Replace the fuel filter.
#5. Keep my K&N clean. Clean it every 20K miles or so.
#6. Clear the junk out of the bed of the truck. You would be amazed at how much junk accumulates back there.

Things I want to do to improve MPG.
#1. Repalce the window regulators, and fix the A/C in my Focus and stop driving the truck for a while. (With city MPG in the 27-28mpg range, this will yield my biggest improvement).
#2. Yank the cats, swap in dual instead of quad, high flow cats. Keep the pipe length the same, probably use heat shields from an '05.
#3. Magnaflow dual rear exit exhaust.
#4. E-fans.
#5. CAI. Probably a Fram Boost, or K&N FIPK.
#6. Full Royal Purple treatment. Transmission, Transfer case, Diffs.

Not sure what else to look at, but I am sure I can come up with something.

 

After all these mods and additives, I'd like to see exactly how much MPG you gain, and then after how many miles you break even. There is well over a grand in #2 through#6 of "things I want to do". If you could gain 3mpg, which I think is probably a far stretch, it's gonna take you at least two years at 15k/year. If you are driving your Focus, even longer if based upon the savings of driving only the truck because you will be driving it less... unless you try to count the Focus in, which isn't fair.

 

does it tell you all this on the side of the tire? my OEM goodyears only say 35psi cold and that's where they are now.

 

Keep the RPM's below 2-grand when accelerating, coast between lights and before you turn, pump tires to max pressure, and remove as much weight from the truck as you can (tool box, nerf bars, tonneau, mother-in-law, etc...).

 

Where did you get Load range E tires that only require 45 PSI loaded? My Cooper load range E tires are 80 PSI. I run 55 PSI when not towing and 70 when I am towing. P range tires are good for 35 PSI, C is good for 40-50, D is good for 60-65. You can also get an extra load tire that will handle 40-45PSI.