Gas Mileage

[Little_blue_B2]

Hey, I've got a 85' B2 with a 2.8L V-6. She is all stock and i was wondering what the gas mileage would be if i put about a 4" suspension lift and 32" all-terrians on her. I still use my truck as a daily driver and with the price of gas I don't know if i can afford the gas right now. I was wondering if anyone else had a truck like mine and had done this before. I would appreciate any comments/help provided.

 

[Hahnsb2]

I would bet around 13-15mpg on average.

 

[LittleBigFoot]

I think the gearing could make a bit of a difference in mpg. There's a chart in the tech library that will tell you the gear ratios to use for most power and best mpg and what not.

I clocked the last tank and I'm in the low twentys with my 3.0L and 33"ers and 3.73s

 

[Bent Bolt]

If you have to ask...............

 

[Will]

It will be worse wether you are on the highway or in town most of the time.

Once someone gets in their mind they want a higher truck and bigger tires, you can't talk them out of it. I've been on this site for 6 years and never once saw someone with s Lifting Jones back away from it.

The usual course of events is they lift it cheaply. It steers bad, the suspension is bad the tires get eaten or something with the body lift doesn't work out. Then their love for their truck quickly evaporates, they sell it for $40 and are in an old VW Golf or something.

For christ sake, leave the goddam truck alone if it's your daily. it's a good truck as it is. You could slap in a simple Lockright locker for $250 and be massively more capable offraod than any show boater. And it won't hurt your mileage, eat your tires or ruin your nice truck.

 

[Bent Bolt]

It will be worse wether you are on the highway or in town most of the time.

Once someone gets in their mind they want a higher truck and bigger tires, you can't talk them out of it. I've been on this site for 6 years and never once saw someone with s Lifting Jones back away from it.

The usual course of events is they lift it cheaply. It steers bad, the suspension is bad the tires get eaten or something with the body lift doesn't work out. Then their love for their truck quickly evaporates, they sell it for $40 and are in an old VW Golf or something.

For christ sake, leave the goddam truck alone if it's your daily. it's a good truck as it is. You could slap in a simple Lockright locker for $250 and be massively more capable offraod than any show boater. And it won't hurt your mileage, eat your tires or ruin your nice truck.

Bravo!!! Bravo !!! Well said and true.

 

[Little_blue_B2]

Yea I know it would mess me up to lift it the wrong way but i hate to have these tires sitting in my garage and not use them. I'm looking for some little beat up car that gets good gas mileage to drive around and have my truck for fun on the weekends. If I am going to lift it I want it done right the first time not wasting a lot of time and money fixing something that could have been avoided.

 

[rickcdewitt]

Hey, I've got a 85' B2 with a 2.8L V-6. She is all stock and i was wondering what the gas mileage would be if i put about a 4" suspension lift and 32" all-terrians on her. I still use my truck as a daily driver and with the price of gas I don't know if i can afford the gas right now. I was wondering if anyone else had a truck like mine and had done this before. I would appreciate any comments/help provided.

my 2.9l ranger gets 15-17 with 4"s and 33's with 4.10s and i dont drive it slow.it got 19-20 stock

 

[Hahnsb2]

my 2.9l ranger gets 15-17 with 4"s and 33's with 4.10s and i dont drive it slow.it got 19-20 stock

He has a manual, so you can pretty much bet on him having 3.45s... 2.8+32s+3.45s=Very slow b2 that gets crap milage.

 

[rickcdewitt]

He has a manual, so you can pretty much bet on him having 3.45s... 2.8+32s+3.45s=Very slow b2 that gets crap milage.

i had 32's with the 3.55's in my truck and it was way too tall geared.my mileage wasen't too bad though,but its not a 2.8.if i went wheeling much in it i'de gear it down with junk yard axles or new gears.anyway lift+mud tires=2-4 less mpg.

 

[RobbieD]

Yea I know it would mess me up to lift it the wrong way but i hate to have these tires sitting in my garage and not use them.

Well, you could always surprise your wife, girlfriend or mom with some nice automotive-motif ,durable, and low-maintenance planters. Perfect for flowers or vegetables. If you're so inclined (or lucky, rather), a set of four could cover you for the wife, the mom and two girlfriends at the same time.

 

[86ford]

cut till the 32's fit and put a locker in the rear or just weld it. you would be much better off cutting and re-gearing than lifting since the price will come out to about the same and you wont have a slow ass b2 that eats clutches for lunch.

86

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

While I agree with what Will said...

If you really can't be talked out of wanting to use those tires, here's how to handle it....

Your stock front axle will NOT like those tires. Sure it may last awhile, but trust me, it will go. I toasted the front axle in my choptop on 33's in soupy mud. Loud POP and suddenly I had three spinning an one dragging cuz the YOKE detonated on the shaft (not the new joint, it still had all the caps) and the splines twisted off in the diff. Not pretty.

So, you can either do a bodylift (not the way I'd go because you still really should change axles), or you can go another route....which will leave you better off down the road....

Swap axles, at least the front axle. You'll want a D-35 front from a 4.0L Ranger or from an Explorer. Try for 3.73 or 4.10 gears. Snag a set of springs from a 4-door Explorer, coils and leafs. Put the springs in with the axle(s). Trim fenders for remainder of clearance and get an alignment.

If you take your time looking, this could easily be done for less than $400 at most, if you try to rush it, it's gonna cost more.

But the real problem is that it's your DD, which means that if you tear the suspension apart, and something goes wrong on gettin it back together (as anyone will tell you often happens, nothin like the 10pm sunday night "OH FAWK!! NOW how do I get to work??"), then you're in trouble.

 

[Little_blue_B2]

yea if i do it right it will take awhile and i am still looking for an old beater car to drive around for gas mileage. thanks for the input. by the way has anyone installed a spare tire rack on their trucks? mine had the donut spare in the back of the truck and it won't even fit with the tires i have now. i've got one from the junk yard that i can put on. By the looks of it i will have to do a little cutting on the inside and outside metal around the door. this will give me a lot more room in the truck.(currently the full sized spare is sitting in the back floodboard) thanks again