I'm not looking for power...
 

... I'm not looking for speed. I need mpg.

For every 1mpg I gain, I save somewhere between $20-25 per month. That changes with higher mpg, but I don't expect to hit 25 or anything. ;-)

Alright, besides having a light foot, keeping air in the tires... having a good tune-up, etc... what actual hard mods can be done to increase mpg?

Do CAI work? What about a custom tune? Who's recommended for a good tune? What about headers? Underdrive Pulleys?

Thanks in advance!

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

It looks like the Ultra Gauge would be a decent place to start too. An accurate, live, mpg read-out could help me adjust my driving a little more.

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

Get really skinny tires. Think of road bicycles to mnt bikes. the road bikes will coast faster becuase they have tiny little tires. Try to time your stops so that you never actually stop, rolling thru stop signs, trying to hit all green lights. Starting from a dead stop takes the most fuel. Other than that, not much you can do. I have hit 19 mpg in my expedition driving like this. Maybe try a vac/boost gauge, I guess those can be used to increase fuel mileage, the idea being to keep the vacuum as close to zero as possible. Might be cheaper than the ultra gauge

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

Yeah the decent vacuum gauges were around $50-60... and that's all they did, read vacuum. The Ultra Gauge is right around $70-80 after shipping, and it does code read-outs and much more than simple mpg calcs.

I am taking advantage of good driving habits. That makes a big difference. I've had my Ranger for about 9 months now, and with a fill-up every two days I'm averaging 19.27. I have gotten as high as 21.38, but that's hard to maintain wihtout a gauge or live readout. For a FX4 II, that's still pretty dang good.

I was hoping to find some good mods I could do to push it up a little higher even... like underdrive pulleys or CAI. I guess I'm just dreaming. :-D

Thanks for the advice!

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

Where would you hook up a vacuum gauge to a ranger, do they have any spots pre made for something like this?

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

At this point, I have no idea. Since it's just a vacuum line, a T spliced in any line closest to the engine would give the gauge the vacuum it needs to work. (Should)

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

make ur truck aerodynamic....get topper of some sort

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

I've considered that as well. A bed cover is supposed to work. Still, the less it disrupts the functionality of the truck, the better. That's why I wanted to start with hidden mods like a tuner or underdrive pulley. Based on the comments, I don't think those thinks would give me the improvements I want...

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

probably not man, best bet is mainteance and proper tires

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

there are pieces on summit look at the link one on the top is for one guage bottom link is for two guages

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ATM-15309/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ATM-15308/

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

This does not increase areodynamics much more than stock. As long as you keep the tail gate up, the air will create a "bubble" in the bed that keeps circulating in a circle and the air coming over the top of your truck will go over the top of this bubble and over the tailgate. It was on mythbusters. :cool:

If you want to get better mileage, try to cut as much weight as possible! ditch the spare if you have roadside assistance and in an area where they can be there in decent time. Take out any junk in your car you dont need. Mabye cut some speed holes lol. THINK OUNCES AND THE POUNDS WILL COME (some old racing thing i heard somewhere)

You can get a tuner and load an economy tune, but this is pricey. You could also adjust the shift points if you have an auto tranny with a tuner i think. Try reseting your computer by disconnecting the battery and drive rrrreeeeally mild so the engine and transmission learn this behavior and shift sooner.. might help.

Really youll end up spending more money than you will ever save with fuel mileage increases...:(

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

WTF! Filling up every 2 days. Seriously WTF!

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

huh?

you want him to gun it everywhere lol

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

Thanks for all the advice guys.

VegasRanger02-
Some of those hard mods can definitely cost quite a bit, but like I said, I can save somewhere in the $20-27 per month with a 1mpg save. Depending on the price, it might be worth it. $50 for every 2mpg, it would only take 8 months to fund a X3 programmer. ;-)

Odins4x4-
Every two days.... yep. I have a very long commute to work every day. I'm really racking up the miles on the FX4. Still, I tried the 'small gas saving commuter' and truck at home, and it just didn't work very well. I like having a nice truck, and a good vehicle to drive to and from work. If you're in it 3hrs per day, it should be comfortable and nice, IMO.

Thanks for the links, huskerman16.

Re: I'm not looking for power...
 

And to emphasize the importance of a single 1mpg gain even more...

When gas prices go up 10 cents, I lose $15 per month. These numbers are based on my mpg & my drive. I'm trying to balance the current gas price increase as much as possible. Summer blend gas should be coming soon, which gave me almost a 1mpg increase last year. That'll help... but almost be offset by the price jump alone.

Now, I might need to consider switching to a narrower tire. Man, I really like the BFG's AT's I have, with the offset MT wheels I have... but to be honest, other than the snow and occasional trip back on the farm, I hardly get a chance to use them to their capacity.

Appearance vs. Funcitonality... it seems discussions lead to that battle more often than not. :-D