Basicly I saw alot of comercials on tv and TV shows talking about this topic and come to 2 conclusions: #1 they're either full of shit or they're uneducated trying to gain some knowledge and have been mislead. here's what you can do to help optimize your MPG's no matter what you drive. I will also dispell any myths concerning any products out there to the best of my abilities.

#1: Check your tires and make sure that they're properly infalted. Bigger tires also tend to use more fuel because you're increasing the rolling resistance more than your stock tiresize.

Myth: Advertised fuelsaver tires save you money at the pump.
Facts: this is a YES and NO answer. YES if your tires are worn and have basicly little or no traction. NO if you're replacing them based on the claims.Here's why: Goodyear advertises their fuel max tires during Nascar races. But people FAIL TO LISTEN TO THE CLAIM. They specificly state that the tire does save you fuel "OVER THE LIFE OF THE TIRE".

#2: Drive slower and avoid high winds and interstates as much as possible. By taking local highways instead of interstates your not putting a much stress on the engine and your cruisng at lower rpms so your fuel consumption is therefore less than normal.

Myth:dropping the tailgate helps with mpgs.

Fact: I use to believe this until I saw the Mythbusters episode concerning this. You LOSE MPG'S BY DOING THIS. The only time that lowering the tailgate really helps is if you have to drive in EXTREMELY HIGH WIND GUSTS OF 40 MPH'S OR MORE. The only thing you can do is invest in a fiberglass toneau cover to help reduce drag.

The Ultimate fuel saver is : WEIGHT REDUCTION BY OVER 1/2 AND BETTER AREODYNAMICS.

Cold air kits: some work and most don't. yes colder and denser air helps but what good will it do you if the engine draws the air from the engine bay only? you need to "reroute it" to draw in colder air. The reason I say that most don't is because of the reason stated earlier and the materials used in these kits. the composite tube is heated pretty quickly. So you go to aluminum. Well guess what? you just defeated the purpose. Aluminum will heat up just as fast if not faster than composite will. The reason: Composite is an INSULATOR TYPE MATERIAL. ALUMINUM IS A CONDUCTOR TYPE MATERIAL. That means it will conduct heat faster. here's the only thing about CAI's that are useful. They flow better and that's it. here's another thing that you can do if you have installed a CAI kit: PURCHASE A HEATSHEILD FOR YOUR INTAKE TUBE. that will be a big help because your CAI system is pretty close to components that produce extreme amounts of heat. and basicly with no where for the heat to go, naturally that CAI tube will get hot. The heatsheild will block the heat and thus making your intake charge kooler. Now there are some manufacturers out there that do realize and test their products for this paticular purpose so please look at the types of materials before you purchase a CAI kit.

Also stay away from products that make outrageous claims for fuel savings. "If it's too good to be true, then it isn't". A prime example: The Tornado(Or what ever it's called now). For awhile people fell for this scam many times over. That list includes techs, car gurus, fleet owners etc. It's about 2 zillion miles long. I myself fell victim to this. Then I watched dateline concerning the fuel crisis in 2007 and 2008. They investigated all products and found 3 out of hundreds that actually work: Lucas Upper Cylinder lube, Seafoam, Stabil Fuel Stabilizer. That's all that lived up to the advertising.

#3:Change or clean your airfilter at reguarly scheduled interavbles. By letting your engine breathe better you'll optimize your vehicles mpg's and performance.

K&N Air Filters:
they're good and have an excellent warranty but tend to be expensive. I would recomend using Speed by spectre performance. The warranty isn't quite as extensive as K&N's but they're cheaper. $25 bucks for a nearly Identical air filter that costs twice as much.

#3: Exhaust and retuning: This will generate debate but oh well. by changing your exhaust and retuning it for reduced back pressures you'll also see an increase in mpgs because yet again you're letting your engine breathe better.

And for those who doubt my skills or knowledge here's a photo for you:

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SOLD: 2004 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0 V6 5 speed



www.knightmare1015.blogspot.com

I have seen that commercial for I think goodyear. The new gas saver tire.

I noticed better mpg with ny fiberglass cover vs. the roll up style.

The roll up one I had caught a lot of air.

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Whenever fuel prices go up you see alot of adverts for fuel saving devices that can get you an extra few miles per gallon, if they actually worked and you bought them all then you should be making more fuel than your using.

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Sold my Ranger, looking for another.

I need to retune my truck since the MAC Performance intake and custom exhaust went in. When I got my undercover cap I gained 1 mpg on the highway. Im expecting another mgp or 2 on the highway when I put the UD pullies in.

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2003 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0L Vulcan Auto Tranny
MAC Performance Ram Air Intake
Flowmaster Super 44 w/ tailpipe before the wheel
Interior and Exterior LED w/ music interface
Ford Racing front and rear Sway Bars
Limited Slip with 4.10 gears

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3114321

I disagree with the larger tire achieves worse gas mileage claim in some situations. If you are doing mostly city driving, then yes, bigger tires will suck more gas. But if you do mostly highway driving, larger tires will help mileage as long as they are not excessively larger tires. They lower the cruising RPM so you use less gas.

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1996 Ford Ranger STX 4x4 4.0L
1983 Honda Shadow VT750C

Yes the larger tires will higher the gearing and it make it cruise better at higher speeds. (thats what I'm hoping whn I get new tires my ranger is too low geared)

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Sold my Ranger, looking for another.

Tons of good info, knightmare. Thanks.

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1993 Ford Ranger XLT, 4.0, auto, 4x4
No mods yet...

I recently bought an 07 HD Street Bob (EFI) with only 6k miles on it - that's an average of about 40 miles per week. Not enough to keep things running right, IMO. On the advice of a great wrench I know, I poured a mixture of 2 oz MMO and 2 oz Berryman's Carb Cleaner into a full tank (4.5 gal) and ran it through.

To my amazement, that one treatment definitely improved the way the engine ran (lower rpm's at the same speed) and increased mileage - by about 5-7 mpg or 12-17%.

During the same ride we did the same thing to my s/o's 2000 Lowrider (carbed). She bought that bike about 6 months ago with 9k miles - an average of 20 mi/week over it's life! It had just received it's 10k service before she picked it up and we've done nothing else (mechanically) since. Her mileage improved more than mine (but she started out worse - low to mid 30s to my high 30 to low 40).

I'm sold on this snakeoil and plan to drop some into my Ranger, which has 137k on the clock and I have no doubt has not been maintained the way it should have been by the po.

Will this help a new, well-tuned, maintained vehicle? Probably not. But if you have reason to suspect shellac and gunk in your system it's a cheap way to clean it out.

That's the point I was trying to make. Most people who do get bigger tires usually go with the 31/10/50's or bigger. But for city driving the bigger tires suck. But for interstates and things like that, it might help then again it might not. It really depends on the situation and driving conditions.

It balances out. Keep in mind that you're also doing 70 MPH's over 55 MPH's too. The faster you the more fuel you burn.

No problem my man. I just wish the photo of my Ford Technician Certificate would show up. You see I'm still using Windows ME on my computer. That's way before Windows XP which is now out of date itself. My computer is 9 years old and I am indeed having alot of problems. 2 days ago I couldn't get online but could check email. Now I can get online and surf the web but can't even open my own email.

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SOLD: 2004 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0 V6 5 speed



www.knightmare1015.blogspot.com

The roll up version still alows air to enter the bed and hold your truck back. Goodyear does make some good tires but people who hear fuel savings usually run to the store or shop and purchase it without doing research or anything. Those people are the ones that really get ripped off in a big way. I just hate to see people waste their hard earned money on crap that doesn't even remotely work in any way and then they get laughed at while they're getting ripped off.

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SOLD: 2004 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0 V6 5 speed



www.knightmare1015.blogspot.com

Also it would be a good idea to change your oil on a frequent basis too. My truck calls for 5W20. I use Ford Motorcraft synthetic blend 10W30. here's how to read the oil viscosity. 10w30, the 10 is how much the oil flows when the engine is cold. the 30 is the flow rate of when your engine is at normal operating temperatures. 5W20 is a pretty thin, weak oil. The shit is almost like water. so if you do go to a thicker oil you'll notice that your engine takes alot longer to reach operating temps. ***WARNING: DON'T GO TOO CRAZY ON THICKER OIL PLEASE!****
the reason I say this is because some people will go and put in somethig like 20W50. That's way TOO THICK and it won't flow. The reason Ford Motor Co. goes with thinner oil is because THE MACHINING CLEARANCES FOR YOUR RODS,PISTONS,CRANKSHAFT,CAM(S), AND VALVES ARE EXTREMELY TIGHT. I'm talking within TENTH THOUSAND'S OR TENTH'S ON AN INCH (.0000). so the thinner oil would lube a bit better due to the tight clearances BUT THEY AINT THAT TIGHT. the "W" DOESN'T STAND FOR WEIGHT EITHER. IT STANDS FOR WINTER ADDITIVE. The 10w30 won't hurt the engine at all. In fact it will indeed help it by lubricating vital engine parts better than the 5W20 will. BUT PLEASE DON'T GO HIGHER THAN 10W30. Any thicker it will be like sludge and your engine will go KABOOM.

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SOLD: 2004 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0 V6 5 speed



www.knightmare1015.blogspot.com

I read a lot online about people using 10w30 when their manuals recommend 5w20, and it's always made me curious. I haven't really read much opposition about doing this, except for a few people saying something along the lines of 'engine startup is when a significant amount of engine wear occurs, using oils like 0w20 and 5w20 allows the oil to reach the engine parts faster and reduce some of that wear'. Would using the thicker oil have any benefit with the 4cyl 2.3L Dura?

you mean my "Tornado" fuel saver doesn't work??
ok i don't have a "tornado".

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2001 Ranger Edge 4x4 (sold)
2006 F150 Lariat 4x4 (sold)
2007 Explorer XLT (Destroyed by Deer on highway)
2014 Explorer XLT (inherited from parents)

Well in some cases it is true. like when you first get a brand new engine or truck. Then you'd have to break it in first. But after that, then you'd use thicker oil because over time the engine will eventually wear out which is certain. What oil does your engine require and how many miles are on it?


Nope it doesn't. Dateline's lab proved that. you go from 22 mpg's to 19 mpgs. and it also causes your intake to heat up pretty significally. Here's what I noticed when I first started using it. The water temp guage went from 1/4 to a shade over 1/2 on heat. and it also had a hard time starting in colder weather and also alot of refueling more frequently in fact than I should've been. After I removed it and drove for a week (my own little test). My truck ran alot better without it than it did with it. If you do own one then there's no shame in admitting it because like I said earlier, alot of people fell for this scam which included myself, and some pretty heavy hitters in the automotive industry. Fiatt,the itallian car maker fell for it too. Hell Carrol Shelby himself endorses zmax. So he's in it deep too. The guys that come up with this shit are pretty damn clever because they're "CON ARTISTS" and above all else: GREEDY. If they actually came up with something that works chances are they'll throw it away because THEY WANT YOU TO KEEP COMING BACK FOR MORE. That's how they make their money.

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SOLD: 2004 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0 V6 5 speed



www.knightmare1015.blogspot.com

It's not the fact that you're running Windows ME. It's probably that you're linking it to your PhotoBucket account that isn't shared publicly.

Upload it to www.imageshack.us or some similar free site if you don't wanna share you whole PB account.

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