Fuel Mileage
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Fuel Mileage
Hello, I have a 1989 F-250 lifted 6 sitting on 36s and i am looking into how i can get better mileage, The only engine mods i have done to improve the mileage is the cold air intake, does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks Nick
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From: Western Central NV
Maybe a higher lift, bigger tires, & a 460 will help.
Craig
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From: VA
With that out of the way, I do understand the point of aiming for maximum efficiency with the setup that you have. Even if you can get only fuel mileage up 5%, it's still an improvement.
First, record your fuel mileage for a tank or two. You need to have a base point to know if any mods improve your mileage.
Try advancing your timing. That should help you a little bit. Many times, an aftermarket "cold air intake" doesn't really help you... It can actually make less power in many cases than a factory air box. Many times, a factory air box will give slightly more efficiency. Someone spent a lot of time designing it for that specific application.
Do maintenance things like fuel filter, spark plugs, plug wires, and distributor cap. Those should help it slightly, and it's good to replace those things if it's been a long time since they have been replaced.
A free flowing exhaust might help you out some too.
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From: Laramie, WY
Your not going to see great mileage, ever, with that setup. But you can try to make it as efficient as it will be by (as stated) making sure its running top notch. Really do need to have a baseline mileage though. Fill it up, reset the trip, drive it as you usually would, fill it back up. Divide miles on the trip by gallons it takes to fill it back up. Or do kilometers/liter, the conversion is simple enough. Report back with a baseline and people will be able to give you pointers. If you're getting 6mpg on the highway, you have room to improve, but if you're already at 10-11mpg I don't think I would change a thing considering your setup. BTW you probably don't have a D60 rear axle unless it was swapped in (Sterling 10.25" fullfloat is more likely).
Oh and forget in town mileage, my F150 with 351 & stock (235/75R15) tires gets into the single digits pretty easily on short trips in town. On the open road, 70mph or under, 17mpg all day. Heavier truck, bigger tires, I bet 12 is the highest you could ever hope to get (probably really optimistic).
Oh and forget in town mileage, my F150 with 351 & stock (235/75R15) tires gets into the single digits pretty easily on short trips in town. On the open road, 70mph or under, 17mpg all day. Heavier truck, bigger tires, I bet 12 is the highest you could ever hope to get (probably really optimistic).
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From: Western Central NV
When I goggled Ford F150 351, 6" lift, huge tires, unknown gear ratio, a lot of things come up but good gas mileage wasn't one of them.
Craig
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I know I am not going to get great mileage with the setup i have to everyone telling me that lol, I am just looking around for some pointers on how to improve it, I have done my plugs, plug wire, distributor cap, fuel filter and other small stuff and still I am getting terrible mileage, I have been resetting my trip meter every tank and it is coming in right around 185 km every tank. And sorry I am not a mechanic that is why I am looking for help.
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Joined: Jul 2009
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From: Des Moines
This thread should help with the cold air intake...
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...and-cheap.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...and-cheap.html
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From: VA
For the folks following this thread who measure with the standard system (like me), 4.1 km per liter is around 10MPG. That was quick math in my head, so not 100% accurate but pretty close.