Update since my old post doesn't make any sense.
2001 F150 Supercab OFFROAD 4x4 3.55LS 265/70/17" tires
Mods: Predator tuner 93 octane tune, Flowmaster 3" in/ dual 2.5" out under bumper, Outlaw real cold air intake sealed to febderwell

Mileage= around town 13.5 to 14mpg
Highway 16 to 16.5 mpg

Sounds like I have about the same truck except maybe rear gearing.

My mileage could be better, but I don't drive it as easy as I should all of the time. The highway mileage was at 80 to 85mph.
I would have the tranny powerflushed just to make it last longer. About $120 at the dealer.

 

the bottom line is...who really cares?? if your going to whine about mileage, don't buy a full sized truck!!! get a focus or something. ...sorry...just gets to a guy after a while.

i get 15-18 winter...18-22 summer...'02 s'crew 4.6l 2wd 3.55ls auto, SIDO thrush glasspack... i love it...mileage don't mean a row of sliced turd to me...lol

sherm

 

you ever notice it's the people saying that they get mpg over 16 that are always the first to say something like "who cares don't whine it's a big truck!"?

I'm getting average 12-13mpg mixed highway and city. I've tried both really getting on it and driving it hard and driving it with a feather touch foot. Over the course of numerous tanks I just can't get it to improve.

12-13 vs 15-18 makes a big difference when you drive over 100 miles per day, thats why people like me and the original poster of this thread "whine"

 

I have a '97 Reg. cab 4wd 5.4L, 3.55 rear, with AF1 intake, Efans, UD pulleys, Supertuner, 3" exhaust, currently running 265/70/17's. I can get 17mpg on one trip I make to 1 city every summer, other than that I get 14.6mpg averaged over 200K miles. Before I put the Efans and pulleys on I got 12.8mpg. 1 thing that changes the mileage a bit is the terrain, we have hills and mountains here I drive from 9500' to 6000' in the course of 45 miles. That said I think a lot of people who say they get 17+mpg in a 4wd with the 5.4L either got that once and accept that they get it all the time, or frankly have no idea how to calculate mileage. There is no doubt if you live where it is dead flat, the wind never blows and you never go over 50mph you could probably get 17-19mpg. But for more realistic terrain, wind and 70mph+ speeds there is just no way that will happen constantly. You also have to take into account that you have to fill the tank up to the exact same level every time or your numbers will be off, I do this by filling it up the neck and know exactly how much fuel I have in every tank and the exact miles corrected for larger tires etc etc. My mileage is calculated over every tank and I now have over 200K miles on the truck still getting 14.6mpg avg.

 

Boy - this thread got a lot of attention. It does make one wonder why almost identically equipped trucks get varied gas mileage. My '98 S-10, 4 cyl. didn't do as good as the Ford.

To add my 2 cents: I have a '99 F150 4.6 long bed. The only change I've made to the truck is a replacement K&N airfilter. I drive mostly in town (Houston) stop and go with some freeway (55 mph) thrown in. I get 16.5 when I step into it, and 18 when I drive like the old man I am.

Regardless of the mileage, I enjoy driving my truck - especially sitting above most of the traffic.

 

well, i didn't mean to tread on anyone's toes here...but the fact remains that a truck is no gas meiser so don't expect economy from it. on thing i don't fully understand is why in 20 or more years, hasn't it improved. i had an old 81 chevy( ) 350 carbed, that used to get 15-18 consistantly. with today's technology shouldn't that change a little??

sherm

 

I'll stick to my mileage claims.I get 15 city & 19 highway. I check mine almost every tank.I fill it till the gas nozzle clicks off every tank. I get 300 miles for 20 gals in city driving on most tanks. I get about 200 miles on 20 gals if I run the crap out of it. I have efans, K&N fipk. BBK throddle body,Superchip tuning, JBA headers, & true duals with series 40 flowmasters.

 

Curious what is a febderwell and what is it used for

 

I have a 2003 F-150 SC, FX4, 3.73's/with limited slip and get 12-14 "trying" to drive it right and around 10 when towing. I have duals all the way out with 40 series Original Flowmasters, 305/70/16's on alloy wheels, factory air filter set-up, with previous owner installed tornado in inlet tube. Have huge brush guard with fog lights, bug deflector on hood, side step bars and short bed with tool box and no cover. Oh and it's Silver that might make a difference?? LOL

 

I think that, as is common on these boards, too much is being generalized within this one question.

First, a bigger F-150 is obviously going to use more fuel to get around.

Second, terrain is an important factor, as is the use of air conditioning (just about required 90% of the time here).

Third, without tire and wheel size, the data is further skewed. Add to that steel vs. aluminum wheels - how much weight each of us puts on the rotational parts effectively adds to the flywheel effect.

Lastly - and very probably not last, but it's all I can think of at the moment - truck height and attack-angle will alter the aerodynamics (as will anything added to the exterior - some less than others, but I recently took off my hard mud-flaps to get rid of those mini-parachutes).

 

Mine is a 2002 supercrew with the 5.4 and fx4 package. The best I can get highway (70mph) is 16 mpg. This is with the cruise set and around 400 miles per trip all expressway. My mixed mileage is around 13-14. Pulling my trailer my milage falls to around 7 mpg.

 

That's Kentucky for fenderwell after working a 13hr shift

 

Right on, Gamma! Might add your tire tread, also. The kind of tread you are running cam make a big difference. All those do-dads you might be hanging off your truck, too. Jim

 

My truck is stock height with 3.55 gears. I'm running goodyear GT2 tires size 285-60-16 on stock aluminum wheels. These tires are stock height.

 

I think that we may all be forgeting one factor, altitude. I live in Illinois and depending on how I drive, I can get anywhere from 12 - 17 miles per gallon. I have a 98 f150 2wd 4.6l s-cab, FIPK and true duals.
When I drove out to Utah, I noticed that my milage got better. I was getting 18 - 22 miles per gallon on the highway.
Driving back, I towed a small U-Haul trailer. Starting from Utah I was getting about 18 mpg. As I got closer to Illinois i averaged about 11mpg.
I am assuming this is because the engine computer adjusts itself to the air density and O2 content. Utah is at a much higher elevation than Illinois. Higher elevation = thinner air and less O2. Lesser O2 = lesser fuel. And yes I did notice a decrease in power.
Then again, my explanation could be wrong. Just my 2 cents.