MPGs Suck
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MPGs Suck
I have a 93 f150 with a 6" lift and 35" tires. I'm getting about 11.5 mpg. It's getting to the point where I can barely afford to drive it. I don't wan to sell it because I'll never find another truck like it. I've got the stock 3.55s in the axles. I've heard that putting in 4.10s will give me a boost in the go juice. Can anyone confirm this? If so, how much of a boost could I expect to see? Any input would be great. Thanks in advance.
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Joined: Apr 2011
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From: Hartland, WI
Return it to stock height with stock sized tires to get decent MPG. A truck with a 6" lift on heavy 35's will never get good fuel economy. 4.10's will help acceleration, however if you have 4wd you MUST re-gear the front and rear otherwise you will bind it up.
Simple solution is find a cheap saturn, honda, etc to drive daily.
Simple solution is find a cheap saturn, honda, etc to drive daily.
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Freshman User
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returning it to stock would cost more than the gears. I wasn't the owner that put the lift on the truck, so the spare parts are not available. I know I'd have to swap both. I'd be starting with the rear. I need to rebuild the t-case so the front isn't getting used right now anyway.
More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2011
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From: Heber, UT
drop down to 33's. A lighter tire with a smaller diameter will help out greatly. My truck is a 94 excab short bed with the E4OD, 5.8L engine, and 3.55 gears, 6" lift and 33's and I pull low to mid 13's in the mpg department
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Rapid City, SoDak
I have a 93 f150 with a 6" lift and 35" tires. I'm getting about 11.5 mpg. It's getting to the point where I can barely afford to drive it. I don't wan to sell it because I'll never find another truck like it. I've got the stock 3.55s in the axles. I've heard that putting in 4.10s will give me a boost in the go juice. Can anyone confirm this? If so, how much of a boost could I expect to see? Any input would be great. Thanks in advance.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 793
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From: Lincoln, Ne
with your lift and tires yes a 4.10 would help some with mileage and alot with your engine. its harder on the engine turning them tires with the stock gearing. im running a 5.8 with E4od and 32" tires and i get 12 to 14 in town with mine with 3.55 gearing. i really hate when someone asks a question and then people tell you that you need to change it back to stock when that wasnt what you were asking
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Stock 302 with AOD trans. I did a Mas Air flow conversion on it last year with a 93 Mustang GT computer.
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
35" tires are a LOT bigger than stock and if the speedo hasn't been recalibrated you're actually getting better milage than you think. Follow the procedure in the link to calibrate the PSOM in your truck to these tires and you could see a 3-4mpg improvement right there.
HOW TO RECALIBRATE THE SPEEDOMETER ON 92-96 FORD F-SERIES AND BRONCO .: Articles
HOW TO RECALIBRATE THE SPEEDOMETER ON 92-96 FORD F-SERIES AND BRONCO .: Articles
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Mi'kma'ki
build a custom front air dam/and or belly pan.focus on aero mods.it's the most important factor for trucks.
(i do agree though,lifts and large tires = what do you expect.
)
to help ya get the idea;
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...l#post10608863
results;
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...l#post10637561
(i do agree though,lifts and large tires = what do you expect.
)to help ya get the idea;
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...l#post10608863
results;
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...l#post10637561
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Freshman User
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The speedo has been recalibrated. Those are the numbers I'm getting. Guys, I appreciate the ideas, but all I wanted to know was if gears would give me an improvement. The truck in question is the one in the picture. I'm not returning it to stock, and I don't think I'll be putting an air dam on it, although it is a good idea. I may do a belly pan or something next spring. Again thanks for the ideas, but I just want to know if I'll get an improvement from the gears and what I should expect.
New User
Joined: Aug 2009
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yes if i were you i would re gear it sooner than later. it is putting a bigger strain on the motor. 4.10s should give you better power but idk how much better your mpg is going to get. maybe 13-14? thats my opinion but i would at least re gear it so it didnt put a strain on the motor even if it didnt give much better mpgs
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Mi'kma'ki
around town city,probably would get better fuel economy with some 4.10's rather than the 3.55's with them massive meats yeah.hwy economy will likely just go down though.
gearing at this point,will not make your truck that is "barley affordable" much more affordable no.
this is why people are suggesting you return it to stock,so you can afford to drive it.
you want your cake and be able to eat it too.but i guess, who doesn't?
it takes a lot of work to just recover FE from a hard hitting modification that lowers FE.a large lift with big tires for you,SRW to DRW for me,and iv done a lot,and still not quite recovered from the alternation yet.with these fuel prices,i couldn't image going to DRW just because i wanted to.id be in the same boat,a truck id have a hard time affording to drive.luckily the DRW saves trips,which trumps and then some,the FE hit.
gearing at this point,will not make your truck that is "barley affordable" much more affordable no.
this is why people are suggesting you return it to stock,so you can afford to drive it.
you want your cake and be able to eat it too.but i guess, who doesn't?
it takes a lot of work to just recover FE from a hard hitting modification that lowers FE.a large lift with big tires for you,SRW to DRW for me,and iv done a lot,and still not quite recovered from the alternation yet.with these fuel prices,i couldn't image going to DRW just because i wanted to.id be in the same boat,a truck id have a hard time affording to drive.luckily the DRW saves trips,which trumps and then some,the FE hit.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 20,789
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From: Kentucky
The speedo has been recalibrated. Those are the numbers I'm getting. Guys, I appreciate the ideas, but all I wanted to know was if gears would give me an improvement. The truck in question is the one in the picture. I'm not returning it to stock, and I don't think I'll be putting an air dam on it, although it is a good idea. I may do a belly pan or something next spring. Again thanks for the ideas, but I just want to know if I'll get an improvement from the gears and what I should expect.
Maybe I missed it somewhere, but do you have the stock y-pipe and converters? If you do, start there. Get an aftermarket y-pipe with a single high flow converter. That is THE single biggest bang for your buck on a 5.0L truck. Same can be said for the 5.8L version as well. Others will suggest long tube headers and custom exhaust, it's your call. For me shorties and an off-the-shelf y-pipe with high flow converter is the ticket.
Yes I agree those gears are a huge disadvantage with those 35" tires, but start with the exhaust, if required, then move onto gears. Just to get back to where the engine is running close to the same RPM as you were with the factory tires and 3.55 gears you need somewhere around 4.10 to 4.30. For a small performance boost I would seriously consider 4.56.
When I swapped gears in our old 1997 Mustang GT from 2.73 to 3.73 I picked up 2 MPG city driving and lost 1 MPG on the highway. The fun factor went up 300%. Never fear the gear. There are many reasons why a manufacturer selects a standard gear ratio. Some of the factors are noise to the passenger, pollutants per mile. etc. It's not necessarily MPGs back in those days. That 5.0L needs to turn some RPM to get into it's efficiency range.