Gas Mileage

[abarhorst]

Just bought a 2002 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4. 4 liter engine, 5-spd automatic. Everything is stock. Love the truck but I am driving pretty far to work, and gas mileage is less than stunning. (Yeah I know, it's a 4x4 what do I want....)

Anyway, does anyone know of any inexpensive ways to improve gas mileage with this model?

I don't especially want to void the warranty yet either.

Any suggestions would be great.

[Madd Hatter]

My 2000 manual 4x4 is getting 17mpg city, up 4 now that I've got stock sized tires back on it. A word to everyone, these trucks can't handle oversized tires.

I'm not sure what else can be done. What kind of mileage are you getting?

[abarhorst]

I'm still kinda averaging it out, but highly doubt that it's more than 15mpg, and that is mostly highway. Seems kind of low for a V6.

Originally Posted by Madd Hatter

My 2000 manual 4x4 is getting 17mpg city, up 4 now that I've got stock sized tires back on it. A word to everyone, these trucks can't handle oversized tires.

I'm not sure what else can be done. What kind of mileage are you getting?

[fordfury94]

Originally Posted by Madd Hatter

A word to everyone, these trucks can't handle oversized tires.

These trucks can handle almost anything you throw at them. Its youre own fault if you put bigger tires on youre truck without realizing the obvious disadvantages. Tell that^ to all the guys with jacked up rangers sittin on 33's and they'll tell you as well that youre statement is pretty much as far off as it could be. losing 4 mpg after puttin on mudders isnt bad at all.

for 1 or 2 more mpg's: run a couple bottles of fuel system/injector cleaner, change all youre filters

for a few more mpg's: put on a tonneau cover, put on an intake and/or exhaust system.

for older trucks: replace cat(s) and muffler, put in a can of "engine restore"

AC steals a couple of mpg's as well, but so does cruisin down the highway with all youre windows down.

[graphicassult]

Has anyone tried that TORNADO air thing? Supposedly it swirls the air between the intake and engine to improve MPG's horsepower and torque. But i've never tried it.

[acehardy]

the tornado is crap indepant tests show that tape works just as good. So don't waste your money.

[sp3edr4cer]

i have a 4.0L V6 94 2wd splash ed. ext cab and i run 295.50.15's all the way around the truck now to turn the tires i put a hypertech lvl2 power chip in it for low end torque. with that i get around 15 in town and 23 hwy. but if my wife drives it i get almost 19 in town and 23 hwy. (i just cannot take off with out enjoying smoke from the fenders.

[sp3edr4cer]

oh and i changed the exahust to be 2 1/2 pipe from the heads all the way to the flomaster and the outs on the flow master to dual 3 inch pips to 4 inch bells