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- Joined
- Sep 21, 2007
- Messages
- 1,738
- City
- Wa, Bremerton 98310
- Vehicle Year
- 1987
- Total Lift
- Ranger 5" (1½" Hiryder/3" body), BII 4" Procomp
- Total Drop
- Ranger 5sp, BII A4LD
- Tire Size
- Ranger 32"/4:10LS, BII 33"/3:73LS
- My credo
- Deengineer until it is how Blue Oval should have sold it!!
Hello,
I have a 1987 Ford Ranger standard cab, long bed (listed as an “S” model on the dealer sheet) with a 2.9l 60 degree V6 and manual 4 wheel drive. I have spent the last 22 years working on this truck/engine. I couldn't always afford to run out and buy a set of triple nickel plated headers; because of that very point, I did everything else that might help, even a little bit, to regain my mileage loss after changing from the stock 25" tires to the 30.5's, without correcting the gear ratio, which is what killed my mileage (20/25 to 15/18).
I didn’t know about how gears worked but I had a buddy that did. He suggested that I take the information (engine RPM at a given speed) from the stock tires and apply it to the desired tire size. So I did. I had a tachometer with the stock tires and new the engine RPM at the speed at 60 in 5 gear. So I took that information and used 33" instead of 25" to find out what gears I would need to have the same engine speed at 60mph; the result was to incorporate 4:10’s and remove the stock 3:43 gears. So that was one the next things I did. Over the next few years I performed/installed the following changes in the order listed:
-Using only Premium gasoline
-K+N air filter
-Synthetic oil, gear lube and transmission gear oil
-NGK “V” power plugs one heat range hotter
-Accell 8.0mm silicon suppression plug wires
-Accell cap/rotor with copper contacts
-Trailmaster 3” body lift
-30.5x90.5-15, Firestone ATX tires (32 psi in the cold [<50F], 30 psi when it is warm) on 15x8 steel wheels
-Installed a Canopy
-2.25” exhaust with a turbo muffler
-Oil cooler with a thermo controlled proportioning valve
-Thermostat controlled electric engine fan/with new water pump
-180 degree thermostat
-Installed a Sun visor on cab
-Hypertech computer module
-Corrected the gear ratio with Ford 4:10LS gears
-Stainless Steel (SS) 2.25” exhaust
-Borla SS turbo muffler with intercooled tip
-Ford 2” HI-Rider suspension lift
-Bushwacker Cutout fender extensions
-Road handler APT 32.5x11.5-15 tires (made for Sears by Pirelli) on 15x8 steel wheels
-Explorer Captain’s chairs with lumbar and junk, gray perforated pleather (the Ford Recaro’s)
-JBA headers with Cooltech header jackets + stage 8 bolts
-Accell 300+ digital multi-spark with HI power coil
-Mickey Thompson Baja Belted 33.5x14.5-15 on 15x10 Al wheels
It may not make sense to everyone and may just not be believable to all. It is true. I took 22 years, turning every nut, bolt and fastener on this rig but it is my truck and it is my favorite vehicle.
The "best" highway mileage I have obtained with this rig is 28 mpg, it only gets 24 in town. It was accomplished with this set up from Seattle Wa. to Orange County Ca. with a completely stock engine, loaded truck and the above list of Bolt-on components. All highway, all a very constant 60 on premium gas.
Kevin
I have a 1987 Ford Ranger standard cab, long bed (listed as an “S” model on the dealer sheet) with a 2.9l 60 degree V6 and manual 4 wheel drive. I have spent the last 22 years working on this truck/engine. I couldn't always afford to run out and buy a set of triple nickel plated headers; because of that very point, I did everything else that might help, even a little bit, to regain my mileage loss after changing from the stock 25" tires to the 30.5's, without correcting the gear ratio, which is what killed my mileage (20/25 to 15/18).
I didn’t know about how gears worked but I had a buddy that did. He suggested that I take the information (engine RPM at a given speed) from the stock tires and apply it to the desired tire size. So I did. I had a tachometer with the stock tires and new the engine RPM at the speed at 60 in 5 gear. So I took that information and used 33" instead of 25" to find out what gears I would need to have the same engine speed at 60mph; the result was to incorporate 4:10’s and remove the stock 3:43 gears. So that was one the next things I did. Over the next few years I performed/installed the following changes in the order listed:
-Using only Premium gasoline
-K+N air filter
-Synthetic oil, gear lube and transmission gear oil
-NGK “V” power plugs one heat range hotter
-Accell 8.0mm silicon suppression plug wires
-Accell cap/rotor with copper contacts
-Trailmaster 3” body lift
-30.5x90.5-15, Firestone ATX tires (32 psi in the cold [<50F], 30 psi when it is warm) on 15x8 steel wheels
-Installed a Canopy
-2.25” exhaust with a turbo muffler
-Oil cooler with a thermo controlled proportioning valve
-Thermostat controlled electric engine fan/with new water pump
-180 degree thermostat
-Installed a Sun visor on cab
-Hypertech computer module
-Corrected the gear ratio with Ford 4:10LS gears
-Stainless Steel (SS) 2.25” exhaust
-Borla SS turbo muffler with intercooled tip
-Ford 2” HI-Rider suspension lift
-Bushwacker Cutout fender extensions
-Road handler APT 32.5x11.5-15 tires (made for Sears by Pirelli) on 15x8 steel wheels
-Explorer Captain’s chairs with lumbar and junk, gray perforated pleather (the Ford Recaro’s)
-JBA headers with Cooltech header jackets + stage 8 bolts
-Accell 300+ digital multi-spark with HI power coil
-Mickey Thompson Baja Belted 33.5x14.5-15 on 15x10 Al wheels
It may not make sense to everyone and may just not be believable to all. It is true. I took 22 years, turning every nut, bolt and fastener on this rig but it is my truck and it is my favorite vehicle.
The "best" highway mileage I have obtained with this rig is 28 mpg, it only gets 24 in town. It was accomplished with this set up from Seattle Wa. to Orange County Ca. with a completely stock engine, loaded truck and the above list of Bolt-on components. All highway, all a very constant 60 on premium gas.
Kevin
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