I don't feel so bad about my milage now. I get 10-12 mpg, day in day out, all conditions.

Of course I don't have one of those fancy new fuel effecient models. I have a 1978 E250 (pathfinder Quadravan 4x4) with a 460 in it. I am looking at uncorking it with headers, decent exhaust, new manifold and carb....maybe then I can get 11-13 lol.

bob

 

Qvan the 4x4 setup is what's killing you mileage..... Thats and easy extra 1000lbs...

 

I always get just under 12mpg, no matter what I do.
I have an 88 E150 302 AOD 3.55 rear with standard headers but no cats & 2.5" pipe with glasspacks, a K&N air filter hooked up to a hood scoop, and Bosch Design Tech III injectors (same lb/hr, but 4 tiny holes instead of the OEM pintle design)

I towed another E150 on a dolly for a couple hundred miles and was giving it hell, and I still got 11.7
With another long run with the speedo needle pointed almost straight down, I got 11.2

I'm about to put a 351 in there, along with an Edelbrock Performer intake & a Holley 600 cfm 4 barrell

 

I get over 16 on the highway with my '97, 15 passenger, 5.4L. About 15 overall (quite a bit of highway - maybe 40%). When it drops to less than 15, I change the air filter or find some other problem.

 

I get about 10mpg from my '82 E350 with built 400, 3.73 diff, 31.5" tires,
curb wieght ~6500 lbs. This is up from around 8mpg since I noticed and fixed a bad plug wire arcing to the head...

 

Any Diesel users out there with mileage #s

 

yes I have a 86 e-350 & I cant say im right on the money but I suspect Im getting about 10-12 mpg (I haul a empty load one way 70 miles & a load packed to the gills with junk the way back) 90% highway & 10% city ,, it burns a quart of oil every 150 miles so maybe it isnt the most healthy engine but it runs good.

 

99 E350 V10 Quigley, 10mpg on a good day. 3.73 diff. 33 tires, weighs 10,500# . Need lower gears, probably help.

 

The 4R100 is the same tranny, with slightly different gear ratios, I have a 98 V-10 E-350 and I don't know for sure which tranny I have. I did buy a gasket/filter set to change tranny fluid. I didn't need the gasket since the original is re-usable, and the snout from the filter was too long until I sawed it off to match the old filter. And I bot a kit for a E4OD. So I still dunno. But, I get 12.5 mpg overall, just about eveywhere, can get better, like 14.5 on the freeway, and can get worse. But 12.5 seems to be my average. Ken

 

Based upon what you guys with newer "fuel efficient" engines are getting I dont feel bad.

My 79 E350 12' cube van with Dana 70 dually rear (unknown ratio) and a reman 86 351W/C6 with the 79 intake and 2bbl gets 8-10 no matter what. But this thing is always heavily loaded beyond the 10000GVW and is as aerodynamic as a barn door.

With car shows over for the winter (I sell tools there) I have time to take it off the road. Im going to improve the exhaust as well as an Edelbrock intake and carb. I can deal with the poor mileage (has dual tanks), really need more hp for the hills.

 

I have a 2005 PSD E-350 w/ 4.10 rear 3500.mi. and get 13mpg around Suburbia.

 

It's probably still too new to get the full hp and torque out of it, but how do you like it so far ? Your mileage should get better with 10-15,000 miles on it. Is it quiet ? What don't you like ? What would you like to have had that you couldn't, or didn't get accessory or option-wise? Ken

 

Ken I got just about everything. I like it. The noise isn't bad, fine with the windows closed. The heat works great. It has not bin hot enough to test the ac. The thing I would do again would to be negotiating better. I forgot about dealer prep, In the negotiation I paid approx. 400 over dealer cost. Including shipping and prep.

If I were to do it again i would do my homework as i did. Know everything including rebates. the dealer may not offer the info. Have the list of everything you want and know what packages include what. so you don't pay twice. Pay what ever service there is 25 bucks to find out the dealer cost so you can't be taken or BSed. I did not find out the dealer cost from a third party i took the dealers word. Next time I will pay the 25. I would than walk in cold with my list ready to order let then know you are serous get there price then laugh ask are you for real? Let them know you want to do buisness and your not there to waste their time or yours. offer dealer cost and tell them the dealer prep is there money. They may or may not laugh. That is how i would start. My goal on the next one will be not to pay more than 100.00 over dealer cost. Tell them you can put the hubcaps on and the antenna on yourself. The jerk that did mine chipped the paint on the rear door. The less people that touch my van the better I like it. I would also wait for the 3000. Rebate before ordering. If you can.

DO NOT FORGET WERE THE DOOR IS. THERE IS ALWAYS A NOTHER DEALER DOWN THE ROAD.

Good Luck
Rick

 

I have come up with a system, which seems to work very, very well for buying cars/trucks. After years in that business I know where dealers get you, in fact I taught that system to many young salesamn coming into the business. When you're in the showroom you are at a huge disadvantage, and you can not, will not win. So I've developed a way of dealing with those people and I buy probably 10-15 vehicles a year. Not a huge amount, but I do save people quite a bit of money, Ken

 

I would bet you that any online site that tells you what dealer cost is, is bogus. The way dealers buy their inventory is so convoluted, with so many kick-backs, rebates, volume discounts, allottment of of special models only by taking more of the slower selling models, etc, that even the dealer doesn't know what final dealer cost is. Dealers all kick into a national, regional and local advertising plan. Ford Motor Credit has kick-backs, and minimums. Dealers roll the interest rates forward and backward depending on the customer. Additional dealer mark-up, life, accident and health policies. Extended warranty policies, overallowances, underallowances, I mean the list goes on and on and on. People who swear they paid $100 over dealer invoice don't pay anywhere near that in actuality. Consumer Reports, Costco, lots of people say they'll give you dealer cost, don't believe them, trust me, I'm a car salesman (retired), Ken