The stock fan does the same. Unless your comparing it to the non-clutch fan like found in my 78!

I am thinking you must have had something wrong with your stock fan clutch to notice a solid 1mpg or more gain by going electric. I took off my stock fan altogether and ran a few tanks fo gas with no fan at all. I didnt notice any gain.

After my move to my current location I drive 40 mi each way to work, hwy/country rd. With 145k on the clock, 285/75/16 mudders, and a cap (actually gets slightly worse mpg with cap), I get mid-17's pretty consistant and have been able to get into 18's if a try hard. Not to bad for an overworked 4.2L with oversized tires and 3.55's. Wish I could say the same for the 350 but cant complain, its about 50% heavier and about 400% the towing and 300% the hauling capability, all for about 20-30% less gas.

 

If I understand the fan issue correctly - the fan is supposed to disingage when your rpms reach a certain level. Since you are driving mostly highway/country rd your fan clutch is disingaged most of the time. Reason I saw an increase was due to being in town more and when your setting at redlights - the fan is turning.

Lots of people have done the electric fan thing and saw an increase in gas mileage.

 

I've had the truck since new (10 yrs) and only have 95k on it but I like the idea of the programmer.

 

I've got a 2002 Supercrew 2WD 4.6 automatic. Stoc except Gotts intake mod. I drive 25 miles to work, and it's mostly rural highway and I go about 60mph. I started out at 16mpg. After the intake mod, it crept up to about 17-18. My last tank involved a highway trip plus a couple drives to work and back, and I averaged 18.7mpg. My tires are worn, and I've read where new tires usually drop your mileage a couple mpgs. I've got a list by consumer reports about the lowest roll resistance tires. I'm going to factor that in with winter traction in my choice of tires.
I'm thinking about a programmer also.
Plan on a cap at some time when I find a deal.

 

The difference between old tires and new tires may just be in the fact that the tire diameter is increased with new tires due to more tread. Therefore the odometer will read less miles traveled than actual (odomater is just reading revolutions of the tires and has no real idea how far you have gone). If you check the mileage with a GPS before and then after new tires - my guess is you will see the same mpg or very close unless you go with a very sticky and/or wider tire.

 

It has to do with the diameter to a small extent, but more to do with the roll resistance. Deeper tread = more roll resistance. Shallow tread and harder/older tire = less. Similar to street tires compared to mud tires with deeper tread. Best mpg would be driving around on old hard slicks, but that wouldn't be too practical, huh?
There's been some pretty extensive studies on this. I've seen it in consumer reports magazine, but haven't been able to find the hard numbers online.
Basically, new tires of the same type, vs. worn tires = 1-2mpg difference.

 

milage has more to do with ambient temp, what type gas you use (ethanol?) and your lead foot than anything else. I get over 17.5 MPG with a 5.4 - 4 x 4 STOCK. What would i get with a programmer, K&N, worn out tires, dual exhausts, electric fans, and all the other toys?????

 

Steve(ill):
20.5 to 21.0 would be my guess. You obviously drive more open road than around town.

 

i was joking. 18.5 - 19 is about as good as you can do with a 4 x 4 if you take it easy and stay on the highway. My point is im pushing that in the summer, warm weather, straight gas, and stock motor. Most of the add ons dont add much if anything. A lot of poeple take it easy on the foot after they install a mod. thats whad helps it look better.

 

My numbers are based on actual data - driving same conditions and same roads.
Do you speak from actual experience or based on what others have told you?

The superchips programmer comes with a 30 day money back if not satisfied. Suggest you try it and see for yourself.

 

I think the chip can change the timing and have a small effect. I can see it paying off for me. The K&N filter is a joke. Motor is running 1700 RMP down the road at 60 MPH. If dont need any "more" air. Factory filter is actually a better filter for dirt and dust. Electric fan coupld possibly do something, but the factory fan is controlled by temp, not speed and dont run when on the open road so i think its more of a mind game than an actual savings. Does anyone really think a 4 x 4 truck will get over 19 MPG with the mods?

 

I ment so say i "cant" see the programmer paying off for me. If i got 1 mpg out of 18 thats maybe 6% increase, wont pay off.

 

The concept behind the filter is the fact that it will allow easier flow of air into the cylinder. Therefore it takes less power on the down stroke to draw air into the cylinder. Yes, the amount of air will not change. Just the amount of power required to draw the air in.
Same is true with the exhaust mods. Amount of air does not change. But the power required to push the air out of the cylinder goes down due to less restriction.
Fan, real benefit is in town driving. At slow speeds and acceleration that fan and clutch assembly is a lot of weight to turn. Weight equates to hp to turn it.
I saw a 2 mpg increase with the programmer as indicated above.
If you go from 17 mpg to 19 mpg and gas is $2.50 per gallon you will save $350.00 over the next 23000 miles. If on the other hand gas goes back to $3.50 per gallon it will pay for itself in 16000 miles.
If you do any other mods that say will increase you to 20 mpg then at $3.50 per gallon it will pay for itself in about 12000 miles.
How long do you plan on keeping the truck?

And your basing your info on assumptions. Mine is based on actual experience of doing it. Others on here that have done mods will tell you they work as well.

 

I was not driving hwy/country road when I tried the fan test. i was living in columbus ohio and working downtown. The stock fan should not be engaged even when your sitting at a red light unless you motor is hot or your runnign AC, etc. I dont know what the cutoff RPM is exactly, but you can hear after idling for a long time or using AC when the fan will lock up and rev up to speed.

Yes alot of people claim the electric fan gives them better mpg. There are also lots of people that say that a K&N filter gives them a gain, both also have more folks saying thats BS, especially for econo driving. There are plenty of threads about those. If that was really true just about any mnufacturer would be using them, but instead you typically only see electric fans on vehicles that cant have mechanical ones (sideways motors, not enough room, etc). I'd wager that a good portion of the folks that report better mpg with either probably had something wrong with there previous setup and/or are being more conciensus of the driving habits now that they are trying to improve there mpg.

 

the electric fan draws more power and makes the alternator demand higher, thus using more fuel. that dont work either. As i said, these are all gimics. If they really worked FORD would have installed at the factory. What do you think it would be worth to FORD to get 1 mile per gallon better on EVERY truck they sell????
This is a free country and its your money, waste it anyway you please. As i said, i get close to 18 MPG on a 4 x 4 by wathching how i drive. You can not get 19 MPG on this truck consistantly , no matter what mods you use.