Well, I've got an 07 Ranger, 2wd, auto, reg cab. Its plain, white, but has cloth seats (my 97s had vinyl, yuck) The mileage is a little dismal... 18 city/21 hwy. This isn't any better than a 07 F150 4.2/5 speed also on our fleet. Both have 4.10LS rears. My ranger has almost 30K on it now (29,7xx) and the mileage has never changed.

 

What engine? If it's the 3.0 and alot of city driving sounds about right. If you have a duratec that mileage is a bit low.

 

yea its the 2.3 4cyl. the build sheet rated it at 21/26

 

I have the same engine with a 4.10 rear and I am getting 26 mpg steady. It may drop one or two based on driving conditions with the Air Cond. on, but it's all good. The engine has plenty of pep and I cruise at 75 on the Hwy. and get good mileage. It's the same around town also.

 

A higher rear gear would probably help. My 86 got 32 mpg, best case, 27mpg average with a 3:08. So the newer engine should do as well if not better. jd

 

I'll probably get a new one next year anyway, so I shouldn't worry too much. I don't have to pay for the fuel on it, but it would be nice to see if I could help out the environment a little...

I can't re-gear the truck, I drive it way too much to have it down for any reason.

 

bigger tires are basically the same as regearing in your case. You will need to make the odo correction (by dealer or by calculator), but you will effectively change your final gear ratio. (yes there are some drawbacks, also)

I had a 99 with the 2.5- awesome engine, and I got the same mileage as you. If I drove 55, for long spells i could get 27+, but that was rare. Last summer during the last price hike, I could get 25 if I kept it under 65 at all times and was extremely light on the gas, but I almost always got 300 miles on 15 gallons of gas (20mpg)

I moved up to an 04 Screw (4.6l) this summer. I am getting between 17 and 18mpg- Hwy miles, light on gas. @ 110K, I need a tune up and some regular maintenance. If I get a 10% improvement in mileage afterwords, I will near the Ranger's mileage.

I blamed the ranger's mileage on the 70 MPH driving.. At 55 it was great, but was a bit underpowered to drive economically at 70 MPH. If you think you could give up some power at your driving speeds, I would go with bigger tires.

good luck -jim

 

Being 4 cylinders, that rev higher, maybe this situation holds true....

On my Cougar, 2.5 liter, 24-valve, it revs like a four cylinder, but has more torque. Power curve really kicks in at 3000 up to 6300 rpms. Cruising at 70, its over 3000. at 80 its around 4000. The stock intake port on the air filter box isn't big enough to allow the engine to lean out at highway cruising speed. Without enough air, it tends to run richer to compensate.

In actual numbers, i would get 26-27 mpg at 70 mph avg. on a highway trip. 31.0+ at 55. With an aftermarket shortram (not true cold air) intake I am between 28.5 and 30 consistantly on the same trip. 33-34 at 55. (Springfield, MA-Old Orchard Beach, ME) It's a possibilty with the higher revving 4-cyl.

 

I do need to get some new tires for the winter... the stock ones are about worn out, I might see if they will put on some slightly larger tires, with a 4.10 rear it should have enough power to turn them.

Around town I drive the limit, but I tend to idle at jobsites for as much as 45 minutes, but usually 5 minutes or less, on the interstate, I usually do about 80-85 depending on the flow of traffic. So maybe the solution is to slow down and not let the truck sit and idle.

 

The duratec 2.3 takes about 5,000 miles to break in at least it did on my focus, My son has ab 04 xlt reg cab, short bed, 2.3, auto and 3:73 gears and he gets 25/30 right a long.

 

I have an 2005 B2300 with same engine tranny and rear end ratio. I'm averaging right around 26 with a 60/40 highway/city split. It has 13k miles.

 

I filled up today at 17.8 MPG, mostly city... I've already got 30,000 miles on this truck, it was new last June. They told me today I would have a new F150 next March, I requested a manual tranny. We shall see... but that usually means they will try to squeak 15K more miles out of these bald tires...

 

The lots of idling and 85mph might be the cause!!!!!! That would be the simplest and cheapest thing right now. I'm getting 18/20 mpg(US) on my 4.0L SOHC with 4.10 rear end for pete sake doing 65-70 on the highway with some city. Try changing those habits and let us know how it goes so we have a better comparison to how we drive.

Fred

 

I would like to not idle so much, but I have to keep my sensitive electronics cool in the 90+ degree heat. They also give me specific travel times to destinations, like tomorrow, I have to leave for Sheridan, WY at 8 and be at our office there by 10, its 139 miles. Even at 80 mph, I am usually a few minutes behind.

 

Leave at 7 in order to drop the speed down.