Yes, another poor mileage 4.0

[Mike Tonon]

Hey, I checked my fuel mileage the other day and it was a little over 15. There were times it was about 17 and times when it was about 12.5. I have 4.10 gears with limited slip in the rear. I wonder how much different it would be with 3.73 and open.

 

[RonD]

It would depend on your driving speeds
OPEN or L/S wouldn't matter

3.73 would get a little better MPG if most of your driving was on flat ground at 60-70MPH
Around town the 4.10 would do better
But the stop and go with an automatic is what lowers MPH alot
With an automatic you are burning fuel at a rate of 6-8MPH when stopped, that's the engine load when in gear, ain't alot but ain't 0 either, lol

Best MPG is with skinnier tires, and lower to the ground, reduced friction and less air resistance
Which most pickup trucks don't have

 

[Mike Tonon]

You know, I did think about putting an old set of 14x6 1980’s two-tone steelies, with the trim rings and chrome, black and red center caps. P205/75R14 tires would be a little narrower and a lot lower. A lot of those Rangers had 3.45 gears, though. 4.10 might not be good. How much would my mpg’s improve, though? Be nice to break 20!

 

[RonD]

You wanna break 20MPG with a 4.0l Ranger then drive to the top of the Grapevine in Calif, set trip odometer to 0, fill up the tank and drive down, refill at the bottom, calculate MPG

 

[Mike Tonon]

If I did several mods...

-efan
-tune
-performance exhaust system
-cold air intake
-high performance ignition system
-full synthetic fluids (and as thin of oils as I can use, like in the diffs)
-aluminum rims (which I have)
-port and polish intakes
-different gearing (I currently have 4:10’s)
-shorter/narrower tires, with smoother tread
-remove all unnecessary weight from the vehicle
-some other things I haven’t thought of yet
-and go easy on the gas pedal

...I don’t see why 20 is unattainable.

 

[RangerDanger2]

Just filled up again today and getting 14.7 in-town after a can of Sea Foam. Put another can in today, I'll see how that does.