Truck is a 94 F350 Crew Cab long bed 4x4, 5 speed and 3.55s. Tire size is 265/75/16 on aluminum wheels, tires are all season tread, E rated, and pumped to 70 psi all around, suspension is stock height, truck has a cab height bed cap. Mileage is 140k miles, and truck is completely stock, we believe.

It's a buddy's truck, he loves the truck, and 14-15 mpg is what he's shooting for. Right now it averages about 10.2 mpg, mixed city and highway driving. He's very meticulous about maintnance, and is a very light footed driver.

I've mentioned that he get a K&N or similar intake, not just a drop in filter, highflow cat and free flow 3" exhaust. Will a quality set of headers help? Cam? He isn't against pulling the motor to freshen it up either, given the miles. What would your suggestions be for him in getting the mpg stated? The 460 has never been known as an economy motor, but I dont feel 14-15 is out of line for one. Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

Well if he can get 15mpg on a 460, crew cab 4X4 with big tires he is the master.

 

Never really felt 265 tires were that large?

Are 460's that bad mpg wise? The V10's need very little coaxing to get it, my 00 got 14.7 mpg very consistently, with minor mods, 3.73s and 285's. Granted, it's less cubes, but it is more cylinders. Sorry, didn't think a big block would be that bad.

 

I think the V10 benifits from much better technology. I have an 89 SC, with 3spd auto, 4X4, and 3.55 gears, 235/85's, k&N, all synthetics, 3" cat back with hi flow muffler, timing advanced to 12*btdc, new rotor, plugs and wires and keeping it right at 60mph I can get ~13mpg if there is no head wind. General driving is 9-10mpg.

 

The 460 is a working motor, not an economy king.

In almost 40,000 miles with Clyde I think I hit 13.25 ONCE soloing at elevation in southern Colorado of all places. At that time I still had the 3.54's in back.

I worked a lot of 460's from '79 to '93 and it seemed the best mileage came from a 4X2 SC that had a C6 with 3.08's. It didn't pull worth a damn but it got halfway decent mileage (for a 460) as an empty truck. Don't think it ever hit 14-15 with any frequency though, more like 12-13.

 

FOUR WHEELER Magazine's Project M.P.G.

 

Thanks for the link to the Four Wheeler article, very informative and interesting read.

Anyways, emailed the responses of this thread to my buddy, and he has since started looking at leftover 08 trucks. He's found several left over V10's with the 6 speed manual, which dealerships are pracitcally giving away, and is heavily considering one of them. Neither one of us realized the 460 was as inefficient as it is. Thanks all for the guidance on this one.

 

I remember reading that article in the magazine. I thought the numbers were a little better than that though, but I guess not.

 

Exactly!!! That's how I can smile at 7.5 mpg. The truck is paid for!

The logic of spending $45-50,000 to get a few more mpg totally escapes me.

Imagine how much less fuel I'd be able to buy if I had $6-700/mo. truck payments for the next six years.

"practically" giving them away

and REALLY giving them away are two different realities no matter what the sales people tell you!!

 

Ok boys, we're talking $40k trucks that are going out the door for $25k, no lie. They are leftover 08's, he found a 6 speed, V10, crew cab, and so on, the replacement almost to a 'T' of his truck. 10 mpg vs 15 mpg. $360 dollar per month payment, if he finances the whole amount.

They are trying to ditch the 08's, and at almost any cost. I don't blame him. Check around, you'll find the numbers to be very true.

I wouldn't personally do it, but his house is paid for, the 94 was paid cash, so forth and so on. He's in alot better position to do it.

 

yea but when gas goes back up to $4 or more a gallon that is only 1300 or so miles a month. Nothing beats a brand new vehicle LOL. Wish I could talk my wife into letting me get one. It is pretty nice filling up with gas being $1.70 but when it was over $4 I was thinking 10mpg sucked.

 

Oh it does and it still will, but these are trucks. Imagine having a Durango and never seeing more than 12, and that (IMO) is just a sad, ugly little "oversized station wagon".

 

My 1986 F250 4x4 460 stands by ready to work when ever I call on it. It is paid for. If I want gas mileage I travel in my wife's 1993 Lumina that gets 25-30 MPG or our Blazer 4x4 that gets 18-21 MPG on the road. My opinion is if you buy a full size 4x4 then use it for work not a grocery getter. If your making payments on one even if you have the means your wasting your money. I could buy a new truck but I can think of a lot of other things I would like to have like a bunch of saving rather than a truck payment. The payment isn't the worse part then comes full coverage insurance at $700-$1000/year & license fees anywhere from $300 $800/year, so there is another $145-$180/month or so.

 

Your buddy's going to be really ticked when he discovers that he's only getting 11 MPG not 15 out of his new V10

 

Be that as it may, it's still comparable, no worse. My old V10 started out at 10.4 mpg avg when I bought it, and with a different y-pipe, cat back duals, intake, and some milder tread 285's, I was up close to 15, as previously stated.

This was never intended to be a 460 bash, or to brag up the V10. I have experience with the V10, was looking for insight on the 460 to help him out. Your experiences say the 460 won't change much, good or bad, that they pretty much stay the same economy wise. My experiences say the V10 does respond to mpg-minded improvements. He's not looking for a super economical vehicle by any means, just would like to improve on what he's got now. Buying for mpg is not what he's solely after either.

Oh, and just to throw this out there, a 10000 lb gvw pickup costs $118 per year for registration in WI, no matter what year. Flat, blanket rate for all trucks fitting that weight class.