Just got a 2006 3.0 sport, want to boost mpg.

I just got a 2006 ranger sport 2wd with the 3.0. Wanted to know what mods y'all recommend to get better mpg. I have a couple of ideas but want y'all's opinion on what is best to do so that I can save money. Thank you in advance for your input.

Removing the belt driven fan and putting in an E-fan frees up horse power AND gets better MPG, one of the few changes that helps both.

An OBD II live scanner will show you your fuel trims, there are Bluetooth units that work with most Smartphones, under $40
This will help show if your engine is running correctly, so best MPG

Good spark plugs and running a can of Seafoam in the gas tank once a year will help keep performance and MPG up.

Rangers have the aerodynamics of a brick, and no, running with tail gate down doesn't help.
Thinner tires help with MPG, less friction, but also lower traction.

Depending on your use changing the rear end gearing to match your use will help longterm.
Look here to see what gearing you have now: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/axle_codes.shtml

4.10 gear is best for pulling and hauling, but RPMs are high at highway speeds so MPG would be lower than other gearing.
3.45 gear would have lower RPMs at highway speeds so best MPG but wouldn't be good for hauling, and slower acceleration from stop.

The sad news is that gasoline engines are only about 25% efficient in converting gasoline into power that turns the wheels.
75% goes to heating up the air around the vehicle
So from a $4 gallon of gas $1 dollar spins the wheels, $3 heats the air.

Diesels can get near 40% efficiency

The two biggest factors for mpg are vehicle maintenance and driving style.
I'd start by running some SeaFoam through the tank and the brake booster vacuum hose to clean out any carbon buildup. Then I'd change the plugs. If there are any other obvious mechanical issues (bad sensors, noisy wheel bearings, clogged fuel filter, dragging brakes etc), get those fixed. And make sure all of your tires are properly inflated.

Driving style is actually the most critcal component for improving fuel economy. Rangers are extremely un-aerodynamic, so the faster you go, the worse your fuel economy will be. Watch your speeds, don't accelerate like every stop is a drag race, and don't be afraid to coast if you know you'll have to slow down or stop soon. Driving for fuel economy is all about conserving momentum. Don't go any faster than you have to, and don't race up to an intersection just to sit at a red light. Avoid using the brake pedal as much as you can and you'll be surprised with the fuel economy you can generate. (I get 31-32mpgs in my daily driver 2wd 4cyl truck).

Once the two previous things have been tackled you can address mechanical mods or aerodynamic changes if you want.

Mechanical mods can be things that reduce parasitic loss on the engine like the E-fan that RonD mentioned, or an underdrive pulley for the crankshaft if you can find them. An open intake air filter can increase fuel economy as well, but it's difficult to find stuff for an 06. A less restrictive exhaust may help as long as you're not tempted to push the pedal down more becasue of the increased noise. Or you could buy an aftermarket tuner from SCT and have a custom fuel economy tune written. Mechanical mods are great becasue they're always there, and many of them result in a bit more power in addition to the mpgs but they take a very long time to pay for themselves from a fuel economy point of view. For example, every 1 mpg I gain on my daily driver saves me about $70 a year, so if a new part costs $100 dollars, and gains 1 mpg for me, it's going to take over a year to pay for itself in savings. Your math will vary depending on yourfuel economy and how many miles you drive.

Aerodynamic changes like lowering the vehicle, adding an air dam for the front and/or side skirts, making a smooth underbody "belly pan" often have a larger effect on mpgs than mechanical mods, and they can be pretty cheap but they may not work for trucks that get used as trucks a lot, and some people consider them to look kind of goofy.

stmitch said:

Driving style is actually the most critcal component for improving fuel economy.

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^^^^^ Save your money on "mods" and just slow down - or buy a sub compact.

I installed an e-fan in my ranger....not because I wanted better fuel mileage, but to get rid of the "roar" of the stock clutch fan.

I sold my scanguage II a few years back, and now I wish I had it, as it was decent in providing an active real time fuel economy reading. As RonD pointed out, making a brick get better fuel economy gets down to basics as have been mentioned in the above threads.

RonD said:

Rangers have the aerodynamics of a brick, and no, running with tail gate down doesn't help.

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I did notice about +10% mpg after installing a tonneau cover... I'd get a tri-fold over a roll-up if I had it to do over. still, for $50 used, its already paid for itself.

Driving style. Nothing you do modification wise, ie. Electric fan will pay off.

Its a 3.slow. It sucks gas and has no power. Should of got the 4 banger if you needed fuel economy.


Or, do what I did and buy a small car to use commuting.

Yup, if you have a pickup and you want better fuel economy you can do one of two things.

1) You can suck it up, accept that you bought a work vehicle, not a commuter, and that you will never get huge MPG numbers.

2) Buy a Prius.

6.2 said:

Driving style. Nothing you do modification wise, ie. Electric fan will pay off.

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On my 3.0, an underdrive pulley and e-fan install netted 2mpg or so, and returned some of the hp used by rotating the heavy clutch fan. Depending on how inexpensively you do the e-fan, it wouldn't take a really long time to pay for itself, and it would probably be more fun to drive in the process of paying for itself.

adsm08 said:

Yup, if you have a pickup and you want better fuel economy you can do one of two things.

1) You can suck it up, accept that you bought a work vehicle, not a commuter, and that you will never get huge MPG numbers.

2) Buy a Prius.

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I think this is the wrong attitude to have. Yes, it's a truck that was designed basically without concern for fuel economy and it will never generate especially good mpg numbers, but there's no reason to not try and get the most out of it that you can.

For example, my daily driver 01 duratec/ 5 spd Ranger gets 31-32 mpg in the warmer months, and I paid $4000 for it. Now, a Prius will certainly do better then 32 mpg on its worst days, but at a much higher initial cost, and higher cost to plate and insure each year. Let's not even mention the maintenance costs on an aging hybrid vehicle/battery system. It would take a lot of driving miles to make up the difference in purchase price, and increased annual costs, so the Ranger may actually be the more economical choice for some people and situations. And it's a truck, so I can go to the hardware store and fill the back with mulch or lumber too.

One thing that has not been mentioned is changing the O2 sensors, depending on your mileage on you truck it may be time for new ones. I know when I bought my truck it was getting around 12-13 in town, and no codes, I data logged them with the scanner, they were very slow reacting only changing 4-5 times per 15 seconds, the new 02 were changing 9-10 times in that same 15 second period and the mileage went back up to 16-ish in town.

So depending on your trucks condition, a "complete" tune up might help some. Dont expect to get 20+ mpg out of these 3.0's for town driving, 16-17 is about the best I have ever seen, 21-22 on the road, of course this also depends on your tires and gear ratio, manual or auto trans.

JP02XLT

stmitch said:

For example, my daily driver 01 duratec/ 5 spd Ranger gets 31-32 mpg in the warmer months, and I paid $4000 for it. Now, a Prius will certainly do better then 32 mpg on its worst days, but at a much higher initial cost, and higher cost to plate and insure each year. Let's not even mention the maintenance costs on an aging hybrid vehicle/battery system. It would take a lot of driving miles to make up the difference in purchase price, and increased annual costs, so the Ranger may actually be the more economical choice for some people and situations. And it's a truck, so I can go to the hardware store and fill the back with mulch or lumber too.

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Now see, here is the part that most people skip over when they get all worked up about MPG. They don't look at total operating cost, including purchase.

It's cheaper, over 10 years to run an older vehicle at 15 MPG than to buy a newer one that gets 30 or 40, with tax, tags, etc. Fuel makes up such a small amount of the average yearly operating cost, once you figure in purchase price, because you should only be looking at the difference in fuel costs, that it's almost the last thing you want to look at. People obsess about fuel because it's the only cost they see week to week.


Also, if you take a vehicle from 17 MPG to 22, to save that same amount of fuel again you have to get to 55.

Unless you drive a lot.... Lol.

My truck gets 15 mpg.
Let's use a new car at 40 mpg, costing 15 grand.

140 miles a day, 5 days a week, at 52 weeks. Is 36,500 miles.

That's just commuting. Not counting all the other driving I do.

Ok, so gas is $4.50/gal here.

@ 15 mpg and 4.50, I'd spend $10,900 on gas

@ 40 mpg and 4.50 I'd spend $4,100 on gas.

$6800 is savings. Now, a brand new vehicle will last many years, after 2 years that vehicle brand new car has paid for itself. And after that its all pure savings. So financially it makes sense.



However, what makes even more sense into buy a cheap used car that gets 30+ mpg and save even more lol.

6.2 said:

Unless you drive a lot.... Lol.

My truck gets 15 mpg.
Let's use a new car at 40 mpg, costing 15 grand.

140 miles a day, 5 days a week, at 52 weeks. Is 36,500 miles.

That's just commuting. Not counting all the other driving I do.

Ok, so gas is $4.50/gal here.

@ 15 mpg and 4.50, I'd spend $10,900 on gas

@ 40 mpg and 4.50 I'd spend $4,100 on gas.

$6800 is savings. Now, a brand new vehicle will last many years, after 2 years that vehicle brand new car has paid for itself. And after that its all pure savings.

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How much more does it cost to insure your new car, or keep it registered? Obviously, with as much driving as you do, and going from 15mpg up to 40, it will pay for itself eventually, but dont forget to add in the increased costs to insure and stay legal in the new car.

Also, gas is $4.50/ gallon by you?! That's pretty rough!

Insurance on both the truck and a brand new car would be about the same. But, with having the car I change my truck over to pleasure rather than all purpose, and it reduces the cost.

Yes a new car wouldnt pay itself off as fast, bit it still would, and would save $$ week by week.

I bought a used car for $4 grand and its almost paid for itself already.