I just bought a 2002 f150 7700 series and was wonder if anyone had any ideas on how to improve the gas mileage. i was thinking about putting in a performance chip. any suggestions?

 

What are you getting now?

 

How much can you spend to improve things??...I mean realistically, you might gain 2-4mpg , maybe a bit more depending on your unit and you, but you spend lots to do it.

your gears in your differential/s have some thing to say about it too....do you know what ratio you have? do you tow often?

the most economical route is to do good general maintenance, fresh spark plugs, clean that throttle body, filters etc...and watch your driving habits it is not much fun, but that right foot has more to do with it than anything

yes a tuner or chip will help things...if it was me, get one that can take in account things like tire size and gear ratio, towing and improvements like headers & CAI ,etc. Also help keep track of other vital things like trans temp and oil temp.

my list would be, not in any particular order...(others may or may not agree, but it is my list)
electric fans for the radiator
*long tube headers
*high flow cats, (you don't need 4, just 2)
tuner
synthetic oils all the way around
*= most expensive

 

I'm checking the mpg right now but it looks like i'm going to get around 9-10

 

Tires can make a big difference as well. Some low rolling resistance tires (look at Michelin LTX M/S's or M/S2's for one example) in the stock size will often make a difference. If the truck has huge tires with a deep all terrain tread, these will reduce mileage a bunch (but do be sure you adjust for tire size when calculating mileage if you do have larger tires).

George

 

you have a lead foot, or driving too much around town.. Stay at 60 MPH on the highway and you should be 15 or better. I just drove 1000 miles to texas and got 18 MPG on the way doown empty.. then drug a 12 ft U-haul loaded back and got about 12 MPG.

 

Kinda got to agree that your MPG's should be better.

But not knowing what your driving style or situation is...it's hard to say if there is a problem with your truck.

Presuming that you're trying to drive, ummm, reasonable, and or, not towing 8000 lbs or more everyday..etc. Simple maintenance things you can check /do that can work to improve things.

*change your fuel filter and Air filter
*clean your MAF sensor
*remove your throttle body housing and clean the inside of it with some carb cleaner, there is a couple of EGR ports that tend to get plugged and clean the IAC & throttle plate while it off too.
* check for vacuum leaks , exspecailly the elbow on the rear of throttle body that feed the PCV
*replace the PCV
*check for exhaust leaks
* inflate your tires to proper PSI
*Check tire for odd wear patterns

if the above does not help then & your still driving with the RPMs below 2500. Then you may have to dig deeper

change spark plugs & check compression
check fuel pressure
check for bad bearing on the wheels
check alignment

 

Here are some areas to look over.
1. Run the tire pressure on the firm side.
2. Coolant temperature should be running in the 195 to 200 degree range.
3. Run in the 55 to 60 speed range and get in the habit of letting off the throttle when not needed. It's a common bad habit.
4. Plugs if they have not been changed.
5. Gas with as little Ethonal as possible.
6. Run some injector cleaner in one tank but expect poor mileage until the next tank if there is any benifit.
7. New Ox sensors may help if the old ones are 'lazy' in responding to gas content.
8. Partial cat restrictions from age or over heating you may not know about but they don't generate an efficiency code yet.
You got it used so you don't really know what it's health is until you get to look close at these items. The last owner let it go for some reason.
Remember it's a truck that weighs between 4600 and 4800 lbs. depending on model, not a light weight smaller car.
Go top the top of this page and click on articles and spec then to specifications, then to your year.
Go down the page to find your model and all the specs for weight, GVR and GCVW for towing etc.
Good luck.

 

I agree that 9-10 sucks. Some of these suggestions and some discipline with the right foot should get you a 20-30% increase in fuel mileage.

 

My 97 with 44.6 averages 16 with a mixture of hwy and city and BY NO means am i easy on it, i got roughly 11.5-12 hauling in the 7-8000# range at 70mph

 

appreciate all the remarks and suggestions. im having the truck serviced today. getting the plugs and filters replaced, new shocks and an alignment, also i've been tryng not to drive too agressively so we'll see if any of this helps. thanks again

 

this should be a good 1st step to improvements
drive 2-3 tanks on it after you get it back from this repair and note the MPGS again, should give you some gains