hey guys


I have a 2002 f-150 4x4 extended cab with a 4.6. I'm getting horrible gas mileage 450km/270 miles to a tank Its been this bad since I bought it. Is this normal for these trucks?
thanx cory

 

My 2001 4x4 supercab 5.4L gets about 14.5 around town. It looks loke you are getting around 10.8. That's not very good. Jimmy

 

I have a 97 F150-4.6- This is somewhat of a common question about this truck. I bought used and had the same shock when I saw the MPG. I changed the plugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, etc and that helped slightly. I still only get 14 in the city and 17 on the HWY. Of course driving conditions have to be taken into account but I don't drive hard. Anyway I don't think there is anything wrong just not good MPG on these trucks. Of course there will be people that claim to get much better. Good luck

 

One thing I learned the hard way long ago is that any truck with a V8 is going to get horrible gas mileage. That's why I drive a Ranger now. I have almost the exact towing capacity of a F-150 4.6, but I can get 20 miles per gallon on the interstate without a load. If I go full size ever again it will probably be with a diesel.

 

WXboy, I'm curious. What is the tow capacity for your Ranger. I bought an F150 to tow my boat because my Ranger struggled to tow it. My F150's tow capacity is 6800 lbs.

 

The '97 and up's with manual transmissions have extremely low tow ratings (2000lbs). We have beat that topic around before and it seems the consensus for the low rating was the poor clutch, my personal feeling is the light duty M5OD has a small part to do with that rating. So it would appear that a properly equipped Ranger could have a larger tow rating than an F150 (check the specs on the right column here at the site). I think this is where WXboy is going.

About the gas mileage- driving habits do play a substantial part in gas mileage. Hopping on the throttle at every green light is the obvious culprit, along with city vs. highway driving. Getting away from the driving habits argument, look at what accessories you have running. One big kicker for me, was the position of my air ****. Panel and floor are the only two positons that the AC compressor will not run in. Before I was aware of this, my 5.4 was getting 12-13. Since then I have seen 14-15 mpg on my commuting trip. I think that the **** setting is a very crucial part of the fuel mileage. The maintenace also helps, tune ups, air filters... I haven't experienced the problems yet on this truck, but if I didn't change out the air fiter on my other vehicles at 10-12k mile intervals (or less--yikes!), the mileage would take a serious dive. My wife's 4 cyl dodge goes from 27 mpg to 19mpg every 5-6 months without a new air filter. My old '82 would tank it's mileage once or twice a year running on an old air filter.

Hope that helps a little....

-Kerry

 

I am the new owner of a 2003 4.6 4 X 4 5 speed manual. First couple of tank fulls I only saw about 15. I have seen one tank full (mostly all hiway driving) around 18. But the mileage seems to have settled in around 17 (combined city and hiway travel). Like one of the other responses, I have learned that only setting the heat **** to panel or floor keeps the AC from kicking in. I want the AC when I want it, not all the time.

I also try to drive conservatively but every so often I just have to use the power that lay in waiting.

Chip

 

Yeah, he's right. I'm not knocking the F-150 at all because I love them too. I'm just saying that my Ranger is rated at over 5,000 lbs. towing. That means it'll actually tow more than that. Anything the average person would want to tow is covered by that rating. But when you aren't towing, the Ranger will get much better mileage. I'm getting 17 running around town. Most people are lucky to get 17 on the interstate with a V8. 3 or 4 miles per gallon over a 20 gallon tank of fuel makes a big difference. So I'm going with the "compact" truck now. I think the original post here was like 10.8 miles per gallon...that is a little low even for an F-150 though.

 

I'm getting 17 city and 20 highway on a 2001 F150 4.2L 5 speed.

 

One quick note:

A Ranger 4 x 4 extracab curb weight is about 3,700 pounds, a F150 4 x 4 extracab is about 4,600 pounds. There has to be some penalty for pulling around an extra 900 pounds.

 

Yeah, and there is also some penalty for feeding two additional cylinders.

 

Really, it's not much differences in gas mileage between F150 and Ranger in 4x4 versions. In my opinion, F150 is better buy as it can do much more. Yet, Ranger is smaller and easier to drive, easier on payments.

According to specs: (4x4 auto)
F150 4.2 15/19 mpg
4.6 15/19 mpg
5.4 14/18 mpg
Ranger 3.0 16/20 mpg
4.0 15/18 mpg

The bottom line.... all decent (V6 and up) pickup trucks gets horrible gas mileage.

 

Well, I get 17 miles per gallon driving around town. I'll guarantee you that most 4x4 F-150 guys (which are usually V8s) are getting around 14 miles per gallon doing similar driving (That's what I always got from the one I had too). That's 3 miles per gallon difference....which doesn't sound like much. But over a tank of fuel that can mean 60+ miles. If I can drive 60 miles farther on a tank, and I fill up 4 times per month (which is my average), then that's 240 miles that I'm saving with the Ranger vs. F-150. And over a year, that can mean BIG $$$$.

We've already mentioned in this thread that towing capacities are about the same. And the Ranger is MUCH less expensive. So really, the only advantage the F-150 has is the amount of sheer space it offers. If you carry a family in your truck...then the extra space is a must. For me, I can't justify paying more to drive a F-150 right now.

 

According to 2000 mfg specs, the max towing capacities for F150 4x4 ranges from 7900-8400 lbs. On Ranger 4x4 ranges from 3660 to 5800. The numbers would vary based on engine sizes, and gear ratios. This specs show more capacities on F150 over Ranger, so it's not somewhat similiar at all. The towing capacities differ at around 30% to 45%, compared to gas mileage between both at around 2 mpg differences that would be 13% with 15mpg (as I get on my F150) versus approx 17mpg on Ranger.
IMHO, I felt that F150 have lot to offer with minimal gas mileage difference compared to Ranger. Beside that I'm a 6'5" and I love the space in the F150. I'm in the market for mid sized travel trailer, and the F150 gives me more flexibility into choosing the trailer.
Yet, F150 might not appeal to everyone as it might either be too big for Ranger guys or even too weak for those Super Duty guys.

Just my .02

 

My '01 F150 4X4 Off Road Lariat SuperCab 5.4 Auto with cat back duals and a bed cover gets 17 mpg around town and 19 on the road if I keep the top speed reasonable. Neither me or my wife baby it either. I knew the milage was not as good as my last two vehicles, 93 and 96 Cougars, and I am not complaining now. A friends '02 F150 4X2 SuperCrew 5.4 auto gets maybe .5mpg less than ours on the same trip. For me, mileage is one of the last items I look at when purchasing. Quality (Ford), and interior comfort count most because if I am uncomfortable on a trip, 50 mpg will not help...........and my wife doen't want to hear the complaints.

And yes, these figures are accurate, trip meter readings done with a GPS to compare to the truck.

As for the towing capacities, I prefer to tow in the mid ranges of a vehicle capabilities, not at the top end. Think of the stopping power with the F150 vs the Ranger. I can compare because my Dad drives a '99 Ranger. I would not want to tow some of the loads I have done with my F150 using his Ranger.

We all drive what we want to based on many factors. The main key here is that YOU are happy with what you drive. Just use it within reason and safely so we will see you here often.