6 Driver Modifications For Improved Fuel Economy
Owning a Ford truck is like having a best friend that can help you tow and haul anything and everything, but it never hurts to improve the fuel economy of your closet F-series buddy. The best fuel economy modifications come from the driver, not the truck.
1. Tire Pressure
The lower your tire pressure is, the larger your tire’s footprint on the pavement is. This results in increased drag and resistance. Pump those tires up to reduce your rolling resistance. Your tires are stamped with the maximum recommended tire pressure, so use that as a guideline and try pumping your tires up 10 psi above their current levels. Every tenth counts in the MPG battle. For exact measurements grab a tire pressure gauge and get pumping.
2. Choose Your Path Wisely
Your truck is most efficient when you’re cruising in top gear, and not constantly doing stop-and-go acceleration and braking. Before you set off, check your GPS and find the route with the least amount of traffic, and possibly with the most interstate mileage. Even if your route is a mile or two longer, if it’s all interstate, you can save a considerable amount of fuel.
3. Don't Drive it Like You Stole it
The driver mod is the most crucial one you can make when it comes to improving fuel economy. Mind your throttle, it’s not an on or off switch, and there is no need to dip into the throttle incessantly. When you’re cruising in your truck, relax and actually cruise. Leave a gap in traffic, because stopping is the worst thing you can do in regards to fuel economy. Braking wastes energy used trying to get your truck up to speed. Low throttle cruising is far more efficient than stop and go madness and time spent idling.
4. Shift Sooner
If your truck has a manual transmission, then it'll be a piece of cake, move your shift points to a lower RPM. If your truck is an automatic transmission, consider working the shifter between 2-3-D, etc. Try starting your truck off the line in 2nd gear, and working your way up the gears as soon as possible, this will take some playing around to see how soon the truck will let you upshift. The goal is the lowest RPM and throttle position as well.
5. Reduce the Weight
Unless you're towing or hauling something, try to keep your Ford truck weighing as little as possible. You will be surprised at how heavy small things can get when combined, so try to do an early spring cleaning for your Ford truck, and remove anything that you don't use all the time. Reducing the weight of your truck will eventually increase the fuel economy as a whole, and even though it may not affect every single gallon, it will definitely play a role in the big picture.
6. Avoid Modifications
When Ford was designing your truck, they had to answer to a certain group that goes by the acronym of CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy). This organization's purpose was to make manufacturers squeeze every single gallon they can out of their products to give you the best possible fuel economy and standards. Modifying your truck can hurt your fuel economy, especially when you're raising your truck, replacing some suspension components, and definitely changing your tires to off-road ones. Try to stay as close as you can to stock, keep your Ford's height the way it was intended to, and try not to correct the engineers at Ford by adding your own touch to your truck.
For help with your do-it-yourself maintenance or repair project, please visit our how-to section in the forum.