Good for you !

 

Stick to the basics for starting out such as a drop in K&N filter and a SIDO exhuast system will help out your mileage. Plus if you do alot of highway driving get a bed cover as well.

 

You have 189K miles on it? Laugh and enjoy it. Mod. it for fun if you want . I'd imagine it's paid for ( I hope), so I'd worry less about the mileage and be glad all you're paying for is gas, not the car payments too. FWIW, I had a '97 XLT w/4.6L. Usually got a little over 13mpg over the course of a tank. Got better on long freeway trips. Once you start modding., you probably won't see any mpg gains. It's funny, because when they perform better, you are apt to be in the pedal more..... How much gas can you buy for the cost of the mods?
BTW - a tonneau cover does not improve mileage. See Mythbusters or a number of threads here. Even the tailgate down doesn't actually help.

 

Keep uneeded weight out of the vehicle-in/out, including mud, snow, etc. and perform basic maintenance, tire-pressure, oil changes, air filter, clean your MAF( I do mine 2Xyear have heard of others cleaning MAF at every oil change)...and keep in mind your vehicle is a 1/2 ton truck with a V-8 that weighs around 6,000lbs. I have noticed with my truck that if I keep my speeds at <65mph and keep the engine under 3,000 rpms during acceleration up to that 65mph mark it helps keep my mileage around 16mpg-if I cruise at >65mph and ride the throttle hard around town I get knocked down to 12-13mpg, I have hard expericence also because I average 700 miles per week with my commute to work and errand running, I also agree with TNC on the tailgate issue, engineers actually design the truck box to compensate aerodynamically for the raised tailgate, the truck is actually designed to get max mpg with the tailgate up-no cover.

 

And think about this, in order to actually get a huge jump in mpg in any case(lets say 30mpg) you would have to change to a completely different type of vehicle, if you want/need a truck-drive it and do not worry about all the bs-if you have to have gobs of mpg then get a vehicle that is designed to get high mpg and do nothing else other than get you from point A to point B. I drive a truck because of the versatility it offers such as the 4-wheel drive and clearance it offers(I live and drive in and around mininum maintenance roads in the Mid-West), I NEED it for my 2nd job and I am 6'4" and 235lbs and need the size that a 1/2 ton extended-cab truck offers, I also like knowing that I have some weight around me in case of an accident.

Do the mods for fun, experimentation, hobby, personal-taste, etc.-but if you are still concerned about mpg with your truck-take the supposed mod money and do more basic maintenance and get qualtiy parts while you are at it.

Good Luck

 

You didn't really gain a thing with all you mods except self satifaction.
All you did was spend money for parts that would have been spent at the pump.
Your 'losses' came out of you wallet either way.
Prove me wrong on anything above.

 

I have nothing against the gas mileage of a truck, I was just wondering if there was an easy (relative) way to get more mileage out of it without spending a ton of money on it.

I've also heard that about that tailgate, and that putting the tailgate down actually DECREASES your mileage, because of the engineering.

Got my AF1 cold air today... sounds a lot better, but I haven't driven enough to measure mileage yet, so we'll see. Wish me luck...

 

oh look somebody that actually knows what they are talking about..
I~m suprised Marylander didn`t recommend THE TORNADO lol

 

I have an 02 Scab FX4 Lariat, installed AF1, Magnaflow SISO, electric fans, and a 93 troyer tune.

I usually average between 15-17mpg. Truck has only 30,000 miles on it, short trips only.

All mods were installed on the same day, so I can't say what helped the most.

 

Exactly...... The best way to increase fuel mileage is to put your right foot on a diet, and coast a lot.

 

If you do mods, mod it for better performance, better sound, and personalization. You MIGHT get better mileage, but the truck is going to be in the junkyard long before you pay for those mods with less fuel expense. Removing some lead from your right boot will give you a better mileage increase than any engine mod you can do.

When it's time for your next air filter change, go ahead and buy a K&N dropin - and when it's time for an exhaust system, go ahead and go low restriction. That makes good sense from a expense standpoint.

 

As mentioned above, the thing i noticed that affects mileage the most is my foot. Amazing difference it can make.

 

Get a cold air intake.

 

Well, I don't know if I agree with that. Consider this...

Lets say a hypothetical person with a hypothetical F150 gets an average of 13mpg combined city/highway. If this person were to spend about $2000 on a set of e-fans, cold-air intake, high-flow catback exhaust, and a tuner they might see something like a 4mpg increase, on average. So, now that person would get 17mpg. If this person drives the supposed average of 12000 miles per year, they would need approx. 924 gallons of fuel for the year at 13mpg. If their milege increase to 17mpg, they would only need 706 gallons of fuel. This would mean they could travel the same distance in a given year on 218 gallons less of fuel.

At that rate, figuring fuel cost at about $2.60/gal, which it is near me here in Indiana right now, it would take a little over 3.5 years to recoup the $2000 spent. Doesn't sound like a good deal, does it? Well, look a little further. Lets assume this hypothetical truck was bought brand new, and the hypothetical owner intends to drive it until it is paid off, say about 6 years is a typical note for these $30000-$35000 trucks. At the end of 6 years, this person will have saved about $1417.

So, was this a good deal? If you do the math, investing $2000 and getting about $3400 back in 6 years is equal to just shy of a 9.25% annual percentage rate. Show me a bank or online instituation that offers a savings account or bond anywhere near that rate!

Granted, investing in mutual funds might get you a similar return, but there is risk involved there too.

Sorry for digressing, I really did not intend for this to become a financial discussion. Regardless, the numbers show spending some cash to up your fuel economy is not a bad deal, at least if you intend to keep the truck for awhile.

Later,
Mike

 

i have a 97 4.6 i get around 14 mpg. we have to remember these trucks are heavy for that small v8 to be pulling around.