Guys... there seems to be a big fluctuation in what people get mileage wise with the 5.0. I have a 1995 F-150 w/ 302 V8 and mass air. I have the 3.08 gears, and my truck in the short bed, Flareside.. reg cab. Stock tires, etc. The only changes I have made are exhaust. I get about 12 on the highway, 10 city, and about 8 MPG if I'm really getting into it during winter months. The engine runs great... but it sure eat's fuel. What do you guys get?

------------------
1995 F-150 Regular Cab Flareside w/ 302 V8... Mods: Dual Exhaust (no mufflers), full JL/Kicker/Pionner system

 

Avg, 19.56@ 75mph
best was 22.1...

My 89 4x4 gets
14 on the hiway
6-7in town

 

Jason, I think you got a problem you need to work on, or else somebody hitched a house to it while you weren't looking. My Big Bronco 351 with speed density FI and 3.55 rear is a lot heavier, and gets lots better mileage than the numbers you quoted. Are you getting any codes? Fuel Pressure OK, or way high? If yours is 4WD, are you dragging your front shafts around?

 

Somethings up Jason, I have the 460 in a 4x4. I am getting average of 11.5. The worst I've gotten is 10.4 and the best is 13.79.

I think something has got to be wrong with your truck to average the numbers you have posted.

------------------
1997 F-250 HD (old style) Supercab 4x4 w/ 7.5l 460. Jacobs Electronics Ceramic 2000 plug wires, Side-gapped Autolite plugs,Synthetic Oil, K&N air filter,Cab/Clearence lights,Tonneau cover and bedliner are my only upgrades so far.

 

Jason, I think I'm with you kind of. I have 96F150 4x4 auto, 302,reg cab, 3.55ls, and I am only getting about 15 hmy, 12 city. I wonder what it is that we can check. I have 80k, and I was going to swap out the O2 sensors.
Rich

 

Wow guys... I knew something wasn't quite right. BTW... I have 2wd. Where should I start looking? I run premium gas most of the time, and am clueless.... I think I'm going to empty a tank, run a full tank and get EXACT averages. But mine are close. I just don't know what I'm looking for in the scheme of things?

------------------
1995 F-150 Regular Cab Flareside w/ 302 V8... Mods: Dual Exhaust (no mufflers), full JL/Kicker/Pionner system

 

Don't use high octane in a truck 302. Contrary to popular opinion, it costs you power and mileage. Higher octane fuels actually burn slower to help prevent knock in high compression engines or those with lots of ignition advance. Using it in a standard 302 just dumps otherwise useful energy out the tailpipe. Switch to 87, reset your timing and both your mileage and performance should improve

 

I got about 14-15mpg with my '91 302. This was on a 560 mile trip in mixed highway driving... 65mph, then 75mph to 80 mph in the New Mexico mountains.

I got 14mpg in the "city" with an '88 351 I test drove.

-Mike

 

I don't know about this, I have to run 91 octane in my 93, because of the aftermarket chip...When I tuned up the 89, I set the timeing above 14 Btdc,and got herendous pinging, I solved that problem by running 89 octane...

you said that it reduces mpg and performance? And he should reduce his timing, and run 87 octane...While its true that running 91 will not give you better mpgs, it willallow the motor to run smoother. You said that reducing his timeing, will boost performance, how do you figure this? The reason I/most people advance they're timing is to get better throttle responce. Resetting his timing back to 10 BTDC will only slow it down, I don't see where he would increase mpgs doing that?...?

Mike J-Remember that your 400hp 351 won't get good mpgs, factory 351's only got about 15, and built engines will get less, but on the other hand, you won't feel any strain on your motor, while pulling a large trailer...Just don't forget its there!


[This message has been edited by Pastmaster (edited 02-03-2000).]

 

I have gotton 22MPG, the guy who had it before me claims he got 24 on a trip.

(302)

 

I would bet in a tail wind, I got about 22 or soo.

 

Pastmaster,
I know it seems counter-intuitive to run lower octane, but for most engines you'll get your best gas mileage and performance on the lowest octane you can use without pinging. The high test gas burns so slowly by comparison that a lot of it is burning up in the exhaust system, which is hard on both valves and the cat and actually gives less usable power than the faster burning stuff.

Jason clearly has a problem with his engine and because of the high-test he doesn't have a baseline for comparison. His best bet is to switch back to 87 and advance the timing from stock until it pings then back off 1 or 2 degrees till it won't ping even on steep hills. At that point he'll have a baseline to work from and can find out why he's not getting the mileage he should expect. Once that's fixed he can start to play with fuel and timing and see what works.

Given the extremely mild cam in the truck 302 and the conservative computer programming, I seriously doubt there's anything that can be gained by running over 89 octane at any timing setting. In stock form my 93 Mustang ran quite well on 91 octane at 14 degrees advance and never pinged. There was no difference in 1/4 mile trap speeds between 91 and 93.

Once you start raising compression or increasing camshaft duration, you can start to need octane in a hurry but stock engines with cams factory designed for mid-range performance aren't likely to benefit much if at all.

 

I don't know about this, I bought the truck in April and started to run high octane ever since. I also ran high octane in my '87 pickup. Last June/July, I went up to Sudbury via backroads (60 km/hr), didn't take main highways (400 series). I kept track of mileage and I got around 24 mpg for the trip. Ever since Dec. 1st, my mileage has dropped to around 15 mpg on the highway (1 1/2 hour drive). BUT, I did add around 600 - 700 lbs. to the truck for the winter driving (weight & topper or cap) and at the same time changed spark plugs to Platinum +4's. Not sure if it is the winter gas or the combination of plugs & weight that has kill my gas mileage. Waiting for April when I take it all off and put the tonneau back on. Jason, you should be getting better fuel mileage than that like others have said. I have no mods. until the spark plug change and that is it so far. I want to check mileage after change and then add an K&N filter. Hopefully, mileage goes up before and after filter.

Have Fun & Keep on Truckin'
Dean

------------------
1994 F-150 XLT Supercab, Long Box, 302 EFI, Automatic, Royal Blue in and out, Captain Chairs. Chrome Rims 15x8's, Michelin LTX M/S 105S 235/75R15 (Summer), OEM Aluminum Rims 15x8's, Michelin LTX M/S 108S (Winter), Lightly Tinted, Soft Tonneau Cover, Ford Receiver Hitch Cover & Lock, Alpine CDM-7829 Head Unit, PPI 4800 Amplifier, Kicker 10" Solo Baric Sub with Custom Box and Kicker Impulse 6.5 Mid & Tweets.

 

Mmmm. Sounds like the way...I think I'll start running 87 again, and see where it leads me...After all, gas prices are high...

Besides, it doesn't cost him anything to reset his timing, and try it...

 

Hey guys... I filled my truck up with 87.. and had a long trip to go on this weekend. The terrain was mostly hi-way, with some slightly hilly passes. I averaged between 70 and 80 most of the way. Upon calculation it appears I got 14.28 MPG. I was babying the truck, gently rolling on and off the throttle most of the time. What do you guys think?

------------------
1995 F-150 Regular Cab Flareside w/ 302 V8... Mods: Dual Exhaust (no mufflers), full JL/Kicker/Pionner system