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I Call BS!

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  #31  
Old 01-12-2006, 12:28 PM
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Whats the MPG on that thing

Dave P
 
  #32  
Old 01-12-2006, 12:47 PM
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Originally Posted by OTwoSuperCrew
A few things, I am feeling the same way as maticuno, I am in no way trying to deny the claims of good milage by some, but i know exactly what my truck is getting and it isnt anywhere close to 16-21 that some are claiming. I own an 02 supercrew lariat fx4 with a 5.4 and I am consistently getting 12.2. I am desperate. I have added a k&n, no change. It seems regardless of what i do there is no change. Im getting desperate.
I hear people talking about cleaning the intake, how is that performed?

How do I check what type of gear ratio I have in the rear end?

I have also thought about getting the tranny fluid changed. Does anyone know an approximate figure as to how much it cost do have this performed?

I told my wife tonight I love a ford but so dissapointed in my truck I dont know what to do. Please someone give me some direction.
Unfortunately you are driving a very large truck with the largest available V8 with 4wd. The Dodge Ram with similar equipment gets similar if not worse mileage. The Titan gets 12-15 with 2wd. The truth is, you are getting what its rated for. You can try to change some things such as a cover or "green" tires but pretty much, you have a vehicle that was designed to work. Its not the best commuter car in the world. That being said, when I was looking at trucks I was looking for the best of both worlds. I bought an F150 XL. Its lighter than the XLT or Lariet because it isn't all "Macked-Out". I have vinyl bench seats and 16" steel wheels. My tires are stock and I don't have a toolbox, running boards, push bar or other extra weight to tote around. I do have a V8 and a frame-mounted tow hitch for pulling ski boat and I am getting 20mpg. on my daily commute.
 
  #33  
Old 01-12-2006, 12:51 PM
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It holds 20 gallons, and I can burn all of that off in 1.25 hours. About 4mpg. If I stay out of the secondaries and play on the lake in a traditional fashion, which is ski, then rest, then tube, then eat, then goof off, then tour, I'll use about 8 to 10 gallons a day. This is with the 455 Olds, this year its getting a 540.
 
  #34  
Old 01-12-2006, 02:57 PM
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Dang you jbabbler. You didnt have to rub that crap in. hehe If my truck got 20 i would drive it naked.
 
  #35  
Old 01-12-2006, 03:26 PM
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12.8 mpg mostly city/little highway

15.7 mpg on highway trips.

I've been tracking this since new and it was a bit better new but has held steady for years, despite my conservative driving style.

97 F150 4x4 xl ex.cab with 4.6L. auto. - 85,000 miles.

I did notice about 1 mpg drop when I mistakenly had p245/75/r16 wrangler's put when the LT wranglers wore out. Lower tire pressure I guess.

Recenttly tuned up with plugs, fluids, cleaned MAF, throttle body, EGR port, all filters. Mileage was down 0.5 mpg compared to previous tank. Conclusion- made no difference, except to my pocketbook.

I also run midgrade gas which eliminates the pinging. Not sure if this helps or hurts mpg. Didn't seem to make a difference.

Ironically, when I pull my 2500 lb pop up trailer, I get slightly better highway mileage. That may be because I drive about 5-10 mph slower.
 
  #36  
Old 01-12-2006, 03:47 PM
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01 SeperCab 5.4L 4x4 OFFROAD 3.55LS 17" tire package 31.7" tall. K&N filter only, Flowmaster w/dual tail pipes, and Predator tuner for 87 octane. 13.5mpg average 70
5 city driving.
 
  #37  
Old 01-12-2006, 03:54 PM
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I have a 2002 F-150 4.6 V-8, 5 speed 4X4 long bed with a large heavy fiberglass cap. Driving "normally" I get 15.8 mpg overall in the warmer temps, 13.8 mpg in the winter. In the warmer temps I usually get 16 mpg with 65-70 mph on the highway. This is on NJ oxygenated gas. If I use non oxygenated gas from PA I get 21 mpg for the same type of driving. So the Government says that by burning 5 more mpg to go the same distance I'm "saving" the planet . Typical Government response to a "non problem" in this age of computer controlled engines . Unfortunately it costs us $$ out of our pockets to fund their "feel good" programs .


Whimsey
 
  #38  
Old 01-12-2006, 07:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Greg123
I did notice about 1 mpg drop when I mistakenly had p245/75/r16 wrangler's put when the LT wranglers wore out. Lower tire pressure I guess.
Could also be a different diameter (I don't know if this is your case), this throws off your mileage as well... you can't figure out the "real" mileage if the truck is actually not traveling the distance the odometer says. Different rolling resistances and weights from tire to tire as well.

Originally Posted by Greg123
Ironically, when I pull my 2500 lb pop up trailer, I get slightly better highway mileage. That may be because I drive about 5-10 mph slower.
Driving slower is a strong part to good hiway mileage. When I drove 300 hiway miles at 70-80mph I got 15mpg... driving 300 hiway miles at 65mph I got 17.2mpg (and got passed by many big rigs and motor homes ). So there's the problem... when to go with the flow and eat gas or just say "bite me" and take your time.

-Kerry
 
  #39  
Old 01-13-2006, 08:44 AM
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Originally Posted by OTwoSuperCrew
Dang you jbabbler. You didnt have to rub that crap in. hehe If my truck got 20 i would drive it naked.
No complaints here. I drove a Jetta Diesel for a year and got used to the 47mpg I was getting with that. It was hard to drop to less than half of that but I don't think the Jetta would have liked pulling my #3200 boat out of Lake Allatoona 15-20 times a year.
 
  #40  
Old 01-13-2006, 03:11 PM
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I'll add the specs I can on mine. I have 1997 F-150 Lariat 4.6L 4x4. K&N filter, no computer programmers, stock exhaust, goodyear wrangler rt/s tires, 3.55 open rear end, tonneau cover.

Winter milage around town is 14.
Summer milage around town is about 15-16.
Get about 18-20 on highway during summer cruising at 60-65.
 
  #41  
Old 01-13-2006, 03:32 PM
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1997 F150 XLT 4.6L 4x4 Automatic:

3.55LS gears, 32" tires, everything else is stock. (not for long...muhahaha!)

Im getting about 16-18 mpg with a combination of city/country

Country driving includes steep hills, windy curves, a couple stop signs, and an average of 40-45 mph.
City driving (on my way to classes) includes everything in "Country driving" plus hills, 8 traffic lights, 2 miles on the highway, and a couple of really steep hills near my destination.
 
  #42  
Old 01-02-2007, 04:00 PM
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Originally Posted by maticuno
I call BS on anyone who claims to get 16MPG with a truck identically equiped as mine. I've seen some people make the claim and I just don't see how it's possible. I've gone back to stock tire size (and recal'd the speedo), replaced the spark plugs and the fuel filter. I've cleaned the EGR and the MAF. And what kind of improvement do I get? None! I'm still getting the exact same mileage I was before I did all that. 12.7MPG. And it's consistent. Multiple tanks, varied driving style, everything. This last tank I thought for sure would show an improvement because I drove exactly how you should to get best mileage. Accelerate slowly, stay under 55, brake earlier. I knew what I was getting into with buying a gas hog...that isn't my complaint. I just can't believe someone with the exact same truck can get 16MPG or better. Is there something wrong with my truck? Or are they just lying?
I get 17 on the highway all the time.
 
  #43  
Old 01-02-2007, 04:25 PM
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Originally Posted by maticuno
Last time I checked the clutch felt free. I am running a pretty big amp for the subs, but I'm not even running the amp at half what it is capable of. I do know the alternator will eat some power, but 3-4MPG worth? That seems a bit extreme. I swear I hear an exhaust leak somewhere, but neither I nor my mechanic can find one. We'll see what happens when I get those Edelbrock shorties come tax return time.
Check your exhaust manifolds and see if any nuts or stud bolts have broken off..i experienced the exact symptoms that you have describe and my mpg went from about 15 city to 12. and it was driving my nuts..replaced MAF sensor, plugs, air filters, and i had a very annoying idling problem.. so i replaced the stud bolt on the manifold and put a new gasket on it and the idling is as smooth as i can ever remember and my mpg's are back to where the used to be...i could always hear the leak like you are describing but it took me a while to find it... i got to looking and say that the manifold was missing a nut on the driver side...so i fixed it and is much better now...i hope that this is helpful to you..
 
  #44  
Old 01-02-2007, 05:06 PM
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When I was running my k&N air filter i was getting about 300 miles to a tank which was around 14 to 14.5 mpg, but the filter was a few years old and nasty from several cleanings so i replaced it with a stock filter. To my surprise i dropped 20 to 25 miles on a tank after a few months. Now im waiting on my new one to come in. Guess they really do make a diff. All in all i say it made around 1-2 mpg diff. All mostly highway driving 60 miles round trip to work.
 
  #45  
Old 01-02-2007, 05:31 PM
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I get 15 city & up to 20 highway with a 97 F150 with a 5.4 & 3.55 limited slip 4x2.
 

Last edited by lariat97; 01-02-2007 at 05:34 PM.


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