Better MPG for 98 ranger with 4.0L...

[wnl25]

Anyone out there have any working solutions with aftermarket parts that actually improved gas mileage on 98 ranger with 4.0L?

[greaseyfingers]

Originally Posted by wnl25

Anyone out there have any working solutions with aftermarket parts that actually improved gas mileage on 98 ranger with 4.0L?

the air hogg and the k-n air filters are less restrictive, for giving better air flow to the engine for increasing power and fuel mileage... also, advancing the the engine base timing more than stock timing specs, just to the point of where your engine won't ping, will increase your power, acceleration, and gas mileage, substantially, more than you can imagine, just for doing something so simple...

[e_powers]

properly inflated stock tires, and a fabric tanouel would help. one of those redneck nets instead of a tailgate will help a little.

any thing like the tornado or any additive will hurt gas mileage or your engine. do not try them.

to advance timing on your truck you will need a quality chip to program, and if not maintained properly k&n and air hogg airfilters will hurt gas mileage and add wear to your truck. so keep an eye on them.

[DonSor]

I have a '99 Ranger 4.0L and I have given upon the tweaks that could significantly improve performance. I found nothing that is cost effective. Remember it's always the HP/weight ratio. Furthermore, trucks have lousy coefficient of resistance. Keep your vehicle well maintained, remove unnecessary load, tires properly inflated, easy on the acceleration, less idling, etc. could improve overall performance. No difference in pressure drop through the elements of an Air Hog or K&N and a regular filter. Afterall, the engine only uses a set amount of air for the size of the throttle thus fancy filters seemed a waste. By the way I got suckered into buying K&N air filters also plus I had to buy the cleaning kit, The return on investment was not too good.

[e_powers]

Originally Posted by DonSor

I have a '99 Ranger 4.0L and I have given upon the tweaks that could significantly improve performance. I found nothing that is cost effective. Remember it's always the HP/weight ratio. Furthermore, trucks have lousy coefficient of resistance. Keep your vehicle well maintained, remove unnecessary load, tires properly inflated, easy on the acceleration, less idling, etc. could improve overall performance. No difference in pressure drop through the elements of an Air Hog or K&N and a regular filter. Afterall, the engine only uses a set amount of air for the size of the throttle thus fancy filters seemed a waste. By the way I got suckered into buying K&N air filters also plus I had to buy the cleaning kit, The return on investment was not too good.

true. and to add the myth busters once did a show where they drove with a tailgate down and one with the gate up and the gate up got better gas milage.

they revisited the truck tailgate/gas mileage issue.

The results indicated that the mesh tailgate was the mileage winner (by a small margin) over a truck with a tonneau cover or a truck with the tailgate up.

However (and Jamie mentioned this in the program), replacing the truck tailgate with a mesh tailgate removed weight from the truck.

Could the removed weight of the tailgate account for the difference in mileage? This would be easy to check by adding the same amount of weight to the truck (at the rear - to have the truck be at the same level as a truck with a tailgate). It could easily be accomplished by adding lead weight under the back end of the truck bed).

[DonSor]

I researched this "tailgate bit" via the Talk to Expert website and the technical explanation why a raised tail gate results in a better gas mileage was because when it is up, the air is trapped in the compartment forming much like a solide block - air not weighing much. Of course this phenomenon is in effect only at high speeds. On the other hand, with the tailgate down, air pocket forms right behind the cab creating a drag, much like tailgating a large rig whereby the low pressure created draws your vehicle (but a dangerous practice). Two major factors that affect mileage are SPEED and WEIGHT referencing the aerodynamic formula for speed coefficient A+Bc+Cc. That's primarily why aircraft are designed the way they are. I believe that driving an extra hundred pounds decrease you gas mileage by one mile per gallon while increasing your speed from sixty to seventy miles per hour decreased your gas mileage by as much as fifteen percent.