93 X Cab 4.0 5spd mileage woes

[85spraybomb]

Truck is a 1993 Ranger Ext Cab 4.0 4WD 5spd with a 21 gallon tank,3 inch body lift running 235/75/15s,axle code is R6 IIRC.
Just picked this truck about a month ago. When i purchased the truck it was getting 12mpg and had a HORRIBLE misfire..it literally ran like it was running on 5 cylinders. At that time it was getting about 250 to a tank of gas.
I ordered a set of OEM Motorcraft platinum plugs and wires and gapped them correctly and installed them. After this my misfire went away completely and my mileage has increased slightly.My last tank of gas i got 320 miles EXACTLY before it ran out of gas(gas gauge doesn't work so i had to run it out to find out my mileage). That's about 15.2 miles to a gallon. I am currently at the end of my current tank of gas so i will report back with the mileage this week. But what else can i do to improve my mileage?
im planning on replacing the coil pack,new pcv valve,either gutting the cats or putting a high flow cat in with a full 2.5" exhaust to a thrush welded and POSSIBLY getting a set of headers.

 

[Brownie Mobile]

Truck is a 1993 Ranger Ext Cab 4.0 4WD 5spd with a 21 gallon tank,3 inch body lift running 235/75/15s,axle code is R6 IIRC.
Just picked this truck about a month ago. When i purchased the truck it was getting 12mpg and had a HORRIBLE misfire..it literally ran like it was running on 5 cylinders. At that time it was getting about 250 to a tank of gas.
I ordered a set of OEM Motorcraft platinum plugs and wires and gapped them correctly and installed them. After this my misfire went away completely and my mileage has increased slightly.My last tank of gas i got 320 miles EXACTLY before it ran out of gas(gas gauge doesn't work so i had to run it out to find out my mileage). That's about 15.2 miles to a gallon. I am currently at the end of my current tank of gas so i will report back with the mileage this week. But what else can i do to improve my mileage?
im planning on replacing the coil pack,new pcv valve,either gutting the cats or putting a high flow cat in with a full 2.5" exhaust to a thrush welded and POSSIBLY getting a set of headers.

Well its an old truck so your only option is to get a prius

 

[kryptonitecb]

#1 gutting the cat or messing with the stock exhaust will NOT improve mileage.

It gets the best mpg in stock form, so your best option is to put it back the way it was. Or do the regular maintenance and keep it running as best as possible.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[Redneckryder]

Keep running it out of gas, and your mileage will suffer....Better way to find mileage is Fill it, run it 200 miles, and fill it again. Saves the fuel pump some wear and tear, ans well as the injectors and filter.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

For a 4wd 4.0 running on the ethanol blend they give us at the pump anymore, 15 mpg is about normal.

Gutting the cats is a major no-no, it will get you in trouble with the Feds (and the management of this site).

High-performance exhaust will likely not net you any gains.

The best around-town fuel economy you can hope for is probably around 17 mpg. But do not expect it.

 

[kryptonitecb]

Management aside it is an urban legend that the cats will net you better mpg. I can tell you from experience after I had my cat installed it improved my mileage by 2 mpg. Your truck uses the back pressure or some other mumbo jumbo to make it run efficiently.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[armadillon]

My mpg always comes down to driving style. I'm a grandma when driving. Not mashing the pedals and getting in a high gear asap always helps, and also not giving a crap about everyone else racing around me. My trick is making sure it becomes habit :/

 

[94 lngbd]

#1 gutting the cat or messing with the stock exhaust will NOT improve mileage.

It gets the best mpg in stock form, so your best option is to put it back the way it was. Or do the regular maintenance and keep it running as best as possible.



My neighbor has gutted several cats on different vehicle's & usaully see's 3-5 mpg difference

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Your neighbor is a moron.

It does not, unless they were so plugged up inside they were causing a restriction. At that point the vehicle would barely be drivable.