I went and leased a little focus to drive around while I'm at college. It's pretty much paying for itself and some. Which is great. I do miss my truck sometimes, but I don't miss filling up at nearly every gas station.
I suggest you park it. I don't care how much you love it. It's stupid to keep driving it when it's not going to get more than 15mpgs.

 

Wow but to have 3.55 gears with 35 inch tires possibly 36s, thats alot of wear and tear on the drivetrain and fuel mileage would be bad. Wouldnt it be better if i got 4.10?

 

Hell id love to get 15mpg with a 6 inch lift and 35s with a C6, id probly be getting 10 on highway

 

I'm using best case with a 351w. I'm getting 8 with 35" tires and a little more than a 6" lift. I don't think you'll do much better

 

You've got two things working against you. Not only does the C6 not have overdrive, it doesn't have a lockup torque converter either. The more load you have on the truck (lift, bigger tires, etc..) the more the converter is going to slip at cruise, and the more waste heat generated

 

Keep the truck, don't go home very often, buy a bike to get around town, and don't drive much. This keeps you healthier, avoids DUIs, and saves cash that you won't have. In my first semester of college, I spent $40 on fuel for the entire month of September because I just rode my bike around and didn't run home. I just didn't drive in college unless I had to. Now that I'm back in school again (and way more busy than college ever was), I spent $50 in fuel for September, $55 for October, and ~$150 in November. Its fantastic to not spend my hard earned cash on gasoline, instead on tasty food. Keeps me focused on studies instead of my would be empty bank account. I think I wore out a set of wheels on my bike this fall, 7 miles a day round trip to school and back. Keeps me from getting fat.

 

I understand I am hard pressed to drive anything but my F250 and believe me even with OD a 460 isn't light on fuel. But there is one option that may seem like a sin to most but makes a good of sense to me a 700r4 would be a great option for a OD auto they are cheap available have a good OD gear and a Fantastic low 1st for your Big Wheels and tires also no computer needed. Early Bronco Innovations I think is at the very least worth a thought.

 

Take the train.... Save on parking fees and you will fin friends with cars. If you need a car, buy a reliable 4 banger. Regardless, start your car a lot if its really cold

 

I will most probably take my truck for the 1st semester and see how it does in gas, if bad ill probably just buy a Ford ranger and jack er up and still get good mpg

 

Nope. The only Rangers that get good economy are the 4 cylinders, and those will not really tolerate lifts and big tires.

A lifted V6 ranger with tires could probably expect to get high teens fuel economy. Maybe, maybe 20 driving 60 MPH with cruise on.

 

Well that's the problem when you don't have a transmission with an overdrive ratio, you have to sacrifice payload/towing capacity and performance to get fuel milage, there's no way around it. Your final drive ratio with 35" tires won't be that bad, it'll be a lot better than what it is now on the highway, it's in town driving where it'll be harder on gas but these trucks don't do well there anyway so no big loss.

+1 on the Ranger comments, I've had different versions in the driveway since 1983 so I got lots of experience with them. The most common engine in 4x4s is the 4L and that thing sucks down gas like a V8 fullsize so you won't be saving any money. If you're going to buy another vehicle maximum the potential and get a 4-cyl car.. and leave it stock, then put the money you're saving on gas into building your truck the way you really want it.

 

Not sure if your wondering or not, but my 94 F250 4x4 5.8L, C-6 with 3.55's would average around 10.25 mpg doing 65 on the highway; and that was running 87 octane. When I ran 89 octane, I would get around 11-11.5 mpg same speed. Never saw much better mpg then those numbers though.
I would hold on to the truck and pick up a beater car to save money on gas!

 

High teens in a lifted Ranger is pretty good way better than the 10 i would be getting in mine. I could probly get more out of it, due to my good driving habits like slow take offs and easy on brakes

 

With a 4.0 4x4 ranger i can get 18 mpg which is not bad considered it be lifted. Im not one to drive anything else unless its a truck or muscle car

 

Well, heck then, problem solved..... Get a good job and pay out the butt for fuel and drive the biggest baddest muscle truck you can find....

All the suggestions in this thread were not what you wanted to hear, so maybe this post will help your ego!!