fuel economy decresed with tires

[02 ranger]

i just recently got new tires for my truck and ever since then i have been getting about 190-210 miles to the tank. before the tires i got any where from 240-260 to a tank. sounds hard to believe but its true and its really hurting my pocket right now. I have a 2002 ranger with the 4.0l ohc xlt 4x4 4 door. everything is stock. the tires i had before where michelines ltx m/s2 i believe and now i have BFGoodrich long trails. they are the same size 245/ 75-16. I feel no lack of power, never misses, has a clean air filter, new fuel filter, clean pcv valve, fresh oil, and has about 30k on the plugs and wires. One thing i have noticed is that when i am casually accelerating, like from stop light to green light, the transition from 1st gear 2 nd gear sometimes takes about a second to get thru. all the other gears shift faster than that. and also at WOT it will down shift to 2nd, rpms go to about 5700 then drop down to 5200 when the gears "catch up". I know i got a tranny problem i just dont know how serious it is. Is this a sign i might be needing a tranny soon? And any suggestions on why my milage decreased when i got new tires? I dont drive any different.
Thanks, Abel

 

[kryptonitecb]

Some compounds in the tires will cause a slight difference. The difference is maybe less than a mpg. Same tire size should give you same mpg.

Check tire inflation, and the typical stuff just to be sure before you pull the tranny out. Could save you a couple hundred bucks if you find its a fouled spark plug.

 

[pearblossomal]

What kind of trails can a Prius make it through? What kind of boat can it pull? How much junk can it take to the dump?

What a stupid response. The guy drives a 4 wheel drive Ranger and is asking for clues as to why his mpg is 80% of what it was before he put new tires on.

I don't see anywhere that he asked for your input on stupid-looking dweeb cars.

 

[kryptonitecb]

...I said nothing about a prius. And maybe you should give some advice of your own if mine sucks so bad.
This forum is for helping people with vehicles not bashing comments. If you have a better idea than mine I'd be happy to concede to your greater wisdom.

Back to the original post, did you find the problem?

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[wahlstrom1]

He was trashing a spam post that was erased......... moving onwards...

 

[kryptonitecb]

I was wondering where that came from, still curious to know if the problem was fixed. Always good to know solutions to problems so other members with similar issues can have an idea of what to do.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[wahlstrom1]

From the sounds of it his new tire purchase happened around the time the transmission started to slip.... A slipping tranny (or converter not locking) will cause a major drop in fuel mileage.

 

[rambit]

There are many factors between tires that make them have different mileage. It is common to see up to a 20% difference in rolling reistance between tires of the same size.

I switched from a set of BFG All Terrain TA's to Michelin LTX AT2 and ended up getting 2 mpg better.

The stiffness in the sidewall plays a part, the flexibility in the tread plays a part... there are many factors to consider. Keep in mind, every revolution of your tire, the tire has to change shape, and this will use up your fuel. Rubber compounds in more some tires use less energy to do this, and thus give better fuel mileage.

Ask about rolling resistance next time you purchase tires. If your dealer says that doesnt make any difference... or cannot comment... find a dealer who does.

 

[02 ranger]

sorry for the late reply but lately ive been getting better fuel economy. I dont know whats up, i drive very consistent, i haven't done anything to my truck maintenance wise. Oh well cant complain as long as its reliable.

 

[02 ranger]

Ask about rolling resistance next time you purchase tires. If your dealer says that doesnt make any difference... or cannot comment... find a dealer who does.

sad part is that i am a mechanic at a chain of tire shops (i work at national tire and battery also known as big o tires, tire merchants and tire kingdom). lol. i put the tires on their myself and i did notice that each tire was quite a bit lighter than the old michelin ltx ms/2. i balanced them all perfectly and filled them all up too 35 psi and check that every 2 weeks.