I have a 94 302 5.0 4x4 extended cab styleside with and E4OD. I have a K&N CIA, we don't run emissions where I'm at, I have a 4in exhaust from a 99 powerstroke. my cat is punched out and only the muffler from that powerstroke so if it's ment to muffle a 7.3, I'd imagine it does nothing to my 5.0. So those are my assisting add ons.
I'm running 275/75R16. So I have 32in tires and a 4in suspension lift So that's my extra resistance.
I drive my truck 70 miles almost everyday and it's quite expensive for me, I'm only 17 so I just have a little job And it takes a lot of my money to drive That much everyday.
I would like to know if there is anything I can do to help my mileage, when these tires are worn I'm gonna go down a bit but I'm interested in any good bolt ons. From what ive read on here throttle body spacers don't do much but all amazon reviews say they are good sooo Is 50$ worth it? are underdrives pulleys gonna take to much away from my alternator? I have a subwoofer and led light bars and led headlights. ive heard that ford has small stock cams, is that true and making a problem for me? I feel like my truck just doesn't have as much power as it should. Maybe it's 160 thousands miles are talking but I think that it needs a bit more.
I have a 600$ saved so that's my budget But I can get more I'd someone comes up with a really good boosters for me.

 

Do you do mainly highway driving or city you will gain a couple mpgs out of the right set of gears guaranteed

another sure fire way is driving habits keep your foot out of it we were all 17 so we know how you drive with a 4in exhaust on your truck

 

I'd probably get a torque cam, the 302 could use some help in that aspect. With a low end cam you shouldn't have to gas it as much to get it rolling/ accelerate hard and should give you a bit better mpg without losing anything, underdrive pulleys add power but personally too expensive for what they are.

 

What kind of MPGs are you getting now?

Your truck should already have a roller cam, it's much better than the older flat tappet design. A set of roller rockers would be a better bet, IMHO.

Those tires and lift are not helping anything. It's amazing how quickly the fuel mileage goes down with a small increase in tire width/height.

That K&N is also known as a hot air intake, you just wasted your money on that over-rated product.

 

Best thing to do if your driving 70 miles a day is to spend that $600 on a car that will get close to 30 MPG. It saves you $$ in the long run. Trust me, I drove 120 miles for 2 summers and didn't take me long to buy a cheap clunker to make it easier on the pocket book. I even drive 40 miles now and I rarely drive my pickup now.

 

Loose the diesel exhaust, that is hurting you.

the bigger tires is not helping either.

Slowing down to 65 will help A Lot

 

Thanks everyone. Honestly I feel like the K&N helped a little bit, not as much as I expected but I think its okay. Also why lose the exhaust? Is a diesel muffler gonna restrict than a gasser muffler? I get 14 mpg combined. I drive 44 miles highway and the rest in town. I do drive 65-70. I have no cruise control so it's hard to keep it exactly 65

 

Pulled from Bassani website.

Contrary to what you may have heard, bigger tubing Is notalways better! While big fat tubing look aggressive and allow for a high volume of exhaust flow, they can actually hurt your engine performance by reducing exhaust gas velocity, which is critical to maintain low-end/mid-range
torque and horsepower. Bassani aft-cat exhaust systems are tuned and designed for optimum flow rate for each specific application. This provides power through a broad RPM range, adds fuel economy and quality sound.

 

if I were to do cams, would I have to change valves and springs too? Also another thing us smog delete and egr delete helpful? Do you guys know if a chip is gonna be helpful or is it true that all they do is bump the timing forward? I want this engine to last me so I don't want to bump timing, its already got 160thousand, no need to shorten life. I really appreciate the help guys.

 

I'm gonna say these engines start to "Fall Apart" around the 200,000 range. They aren't as fresh as they use to be when new. So if changing the cam. I wouldn't want to throw my money away without changing the rollers and rockers, stems, springs, etc. You have to remember the new cam will have requirements that need to be met with it. Lift duration, rocker requirements, etc. Conanski will tell you want you need. I recommend doing what he says.

 

The 4 inch exhaust is just hurting the engine, you want a good flowing exhaust not something with a big old pipe, something like a 3 inch pipe or a 2.5 inch exhaust setup would do better for your engine in-terms of her breathing.

 

Hmmm, well driving as much as I do, 200000 isnt far. would it be better to save up for a new truck and just drive it till it dies? Or should I rebuild it after 200000 and keep going in it again for as long as my rebuild will last? I will get a better job when I'm 18 so I could get a diesel which stands up for many many miles, I could get my grandparents 92 7.3 after this for a good deal if I save? I'm just laying out all options and plans. I love my truck so I'm in no hurry to leave her, its my first car after all but I will have to do what's best for me financially I'd push comes to shove. having another small car doesn't work for me because I can't pay insurance for two and I have a dirtbike so it needs transportation too. I always take care of it and if it stays how it is and this is the best I'll get out of it, then that's fine with me. I started this thread just to make sure I'm not missing out on any good opportunities for a power boost.

 

Hmm thank you, it's just hard to ditch this exhaust because it was free when my dad ditched it when he upgraded to a 5in so I figured that was better than the 2in it had On it.

 

I would say if you can look around your area, find a core. And build it as to prepare for the inevitable.
This way your not down a vehicle.

 

Alright. Thank you. I'm not to worried cuz it still drives real well. In the spring I plan to dyno it so Ill have a good idea of the life it's got left.