Dweano's Maximum Mileage Mission!

[Dweano]

Hey guys, well…I’m sick of getting terrible mileage with my truck. I love it and all…but it kills me at the pumps all the time. So I’m going to try to get the best mileage I can. That being said…I’m not lowering it…and I’m sticking with big mud tires. Other than that, I would love everyone’s suggestions. I’ve already learned that changing the wiring can increase mileage. Something I would have never guessed without the help of this site.

Currently my truck has:
-33 inch Toyo M/T’s
-7-8 inches of lift
-3.73 gears
-Headers to catalytic convertor to dump…so the exhaust should be exiting more freely than stock…So I’m kinda jumping ahead of the one stage

Current Mileage
-62L/403km, 64L/403km, 58L/381km. These are what I would say is my average mileage which consists of mixed driving

Stage 1: Return to New/Stock Condition
[X] 4.56 Gearing/35 Inch Tires (Not quite my stock 3.73 and 235/75/15 combo…but close)
[] New Battery Cables (heard this can help mileage if the old wiring is rusted)
[] Clean MAF, Throttle Body, and IAC
[] Change transfer case and diff fluids (tranny, engine, and coolant has been done recently)
[] Change CTS sensor
[] Alignment
[X] Driving smart
[X] General Maintenance (tire pressure, clean filters, etc)
[] Fix brakes
Mileage after stage one:

Stage 2: Aftermarket
[x] Headers
[] Cat back (currently I have no catback haha)
[] Build Intake according to this: http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/4_0_ColdAirInduction.html
[] Underdrive pullies
[] Electric cooling fan
[] Ignition upgrades (My old stuff needs upgrading anyways)
[] Tuner
[] Bigger MAF and Throttle body (Maybe…)
[] Underbody Aerodynamics…? Think that would be worth the trouble?
[] Scangauge

Mileage after stage two:

Stage 3: Experimental
[] HHO (Yup…I know…but I wanna build it and find out for myself)
[] Fuel Heater (same as above…)
[] Fuel Additive (same as above…)
Mileage after stage three:

Please feel free to agree or disagree with anything. If you have any tips or tricks, PLEASE let me know. If such and such has worked for you to increase mileage then please let me know! Also…everything in stage three will probably start some discussions…but I’ve read lots, heard both sides…and I want to build and test these things myself to find out for myself.

Also, this whole project will take some time…I’m going to school next year and kind of tight on funds, but I will do my best…after all. The more I can do to better my MPG the more I can start saving money.

Anyways…what do y’all think. Any comments are appreciated

 

[disciplerocks]

- Underdrive pullies-Don't bother. If you really want to reduce drag, then find an aluminum flywheel. but even that really isn't worth the money.

-Bigger MAF and Throttle body-Maybe maf tube, but not maf unless you are upgrading injectors too. Your maf is calibrated for your injector flow rate. Bigger maf tube and TB will increase response nothing else.

-Ignition upgrades-MSD coil, 8mm wires minimum, copper plugs (you want coppers with any upgrades because they run colder). This will help!

-Fuel Additive-You can try this, but on high mileage vehicles, it tends to loosen crap up and clog worse. If you do this, replace the fuel filter after running a through a tank of gas. Fuel filter should be on your list either way.

-New Battery Cables-Yes this can help, mainly if you add more ground wires.

-Other things to try: replace O2 sensors, bypass egr. Edit: sorry don't know what I was thinking. Bypassing egr is better for performance, it may or may not help with mileage. Not really sure.

And always make sure you clear your ecu after making any changes so it can learn new fuel trims.

 

[Dweano]

- Underdrive pullies-Don't bother. If you really want to reduce drag, then find an aluminum flywheel. but even that really isn't worth the money.

-Bigger MAF and Throttle body-Maybe maf tube, but not maf unless you are upgrading injectors too. Your maf is calibrated for your injector flow rate. Bigger maf tube and TB will increase response nothing else.

-Ignition upgrades-MSD coil, 8mm wires minimum, copper plugs (you want coppers with any upgrades because they run colder). This will help!

-Fuel Additive-You can try this, but on high mileage vehicles, it tends to loosen crap up and clog worse. If you do this, replace the fuel filter after running a through a tank of gas. Fuel filter should be on your list either way.

-New Battery Cables-Yes this can help, mainly if you add more ground wires.

-Other things to try: replace O2 sensors, bypass egr. Edit: sorry don't know what I was thinking. Bypassing egr is better for performance, it may or may not help with mileage. Not really sure.

And always make sure you clear your ecu after making any changes so it can learn new fuel trims.

Dangit...I just bought underdrive pullies. Oh well...Yeah I think I will skip the bigger intake and throttle body. Just a thought I put up there. The fuel filter I replaced...awhile ago. Less then a year. But still...maybe after I run some additive and seafoam and stuff thro it I will change it again. As far as oxygen sensors go...I replaced them less than 5000km ago...I wanna see how good of mileage I can get outta this truck!

 

[triumphrider-1]

Bumper-to-bumper belly pan!
Bed cover if you don't have one already
Loose 1 mirror if you can legally do so (or move your mirrors to inside the window).

Things I would pass on:
Intake stuff
Fuel heater

 

[feellnfroggy]

Def pass on the fuel heater, its good in winter climates with diesels and such but not so much for combustion, MOst race cars have Fuel cooler setups, A warm engine nd cold fuel is thebest combo I have been told. But as opposed to fuel injector cleaners and all that, I would actually remove your injectors and check your o rings and the little screen filters inside and give them a good cleaning that way. All the plugs for you electronics, alignment stuff like that. CLean the carbon by hand out of the sensors such as tps and egr. Clean the O2 sensor. and just do a top to bottom manual maintenance.

 

[BlackBII]

I only saw one thing in your post that was worth doing - 4.56 gearing.

Things you didn't mention:
Drive it like a grandma would
Take the lift off
Buy a Hyundai

 

[disciplerocks]

You can still put the pulleys on if it makes you feel better lol. It won't hurt anything. It just another one of those things that they make money on, like throttle body spacers, which only work on carb engines.

Bed cover if you don't have one already

Or remove the tailgate.

 

[Tony Raine]

-if you do a lot of highway driving, the underbody stuff should help a little bit. design it right, and it will double as skidplating off road. just dont make it super-heavy

-gearing will help get the engine back in its "happy place" that the factory put it at.

-i've heard good results from electric fans.

-removing the tailgate has been proven inneffective over and over. just like tailgate nets.

-when its time for new tires, look into something narrower. looks like you have 33x12.5's right now. maybe look into some 33x10.5's for a little less rolling resistance

-while driving like grandma has its benefits, i have found (through about 3 years of tracking the mpg of every tank of gas i get in 2 different rigs) that i get the best mileage from:
-moderate (not mild, but not wide open) acceleration to cruising speed.
-timing stop lights so i rarely come to a complete stop.
-choosing the most efficient routes (a longer route can sometimes be more efficient if has less stops)
-on flat ground, the most efficient speed is right after your rig shifts into its highest gear.

 

[craveman85]

seafoam the engine.

 

[strvger]

re-gearing is good. tall and more skinny tires should help. don't forget to keep your tires properly inflated. that can really cost in mileage.
i'm running 215/85x16, 31 inch tires now and hope to go to 235/85x16, 32+ inch tires next summer. E-rated so i can get them a little harder for the long road trips and better mileage without sacrificing much in the ride department. just a thought.

 

[Legend]

Instead of Lift 7 - 8 inches, DROP it 7 - 8 inches. (16 inches lower than it presently is). Then up the pressure in the tires to 5# less than exploding. Disable the brakes so you have to drive it VERY gently.

 

[-Nathan-]

You can still put the pulleys on if it makes you feel better lol. It won't hurt anything. It just another one of those things that they make money on, like throttle body spacers, which only work on carb engines.



Or remove the tailgate.

did none of you guys watch the mythbusters episode that said leaving the tailgate UP yields better fuel mileage. The close tailgate creates a pocket of air, that when driving, the rest of the air flows over, reducing drag. Putting the gate down disallows this vortex, creating more drag.

A bed cover is about the same as tailgate up, but if you REMOVE your tailgate, and put one of those mesh tailgates, it will improve your mileage some.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3aqHbD-O9E

 

[triumphrider-1]

A bed cover is a bit more efficient than just an open bed (see link). Mesh gates can increase drag over a standard tailgate.

http://www.coreymeltonmotorsports.com/Wind_Tunnel_Testing.html

 

[disciplerocks]

No sorry never heard that. I have always heard that the tailgate produces resistance, but I stand corrected.

 

[Dweano]

Haha I love all the feedback and I will address a few things:

-I'm not lowering it haha
-Tire decision is not up for debate haha
-As far as "rear aerodynamics" I think I will stick with no bed cover. Stock tailgate...I did see that Mythbusters -Nathan-...but I will stick with stock. It works just fine
-Fuel heater...still up in the air about this one...most likely will skip
-You can assume I will do the basics, such as properly inflated tires and not driving like the teenager I am

Anymore suggestions tho?