Need a few more MPG

[Beef52751]

I got a 99 Ranger Stepside with a 3.0 and an auto tranny. I run E85 and i realize that i will get worse milage with this but i am only getting 12 MPG. Yes I also know that my driving habits are a big part but are there any after market parts to get a bit better milage??? Intake??? Exhuast???
Thanks For The Help
Beef

 

[kunar]

the first thing i would suggest is just a regular tune up. also pull codes and see if you get anything. you should be getting more like 18-20 mpg i would think, even with e85

 

[Robin Hood]

Air intake might help a little bit but driving habits are the main thing.

I know how you feel with the 3 liter. If you wanna go you gotta gun it and it just eats the gas like no other.

 

[Capt Jay]

When did they start making rangers run with E85?

 

[Apollo]

When did they start making rangers run with E85?

When the price of a barrel of oil rose to $93. get ready for a major hike in gas prices.

 

[LittleBigFoot]

Didn't Ford start to offer the flex-fule option around the time the electric cars had their run? Like the EV1 and Electric Rav4?

 

[thegoat4]

I got a 99 Ranger Stepside with a 3.0 and an auto tranny. I run E85 and i realize that i will get worse milage with this but i am only getting 12 MPG. Yes I also know that my driving habits are a big part but are there any after market parts to get a bit better milage??? Intake??? Exhuast???
Thanks For The Help
Beef

I had the same problem when I got mine. I found the big three contributers were loose wheel bearings in the front, sludge in the cooling system, and a bad belt tensioner. Fixing those three plus a general tune-up got my mileage from about 13 to about 20. Since then fixing more crap and adjusting my driving gets me 22-27 most of the time. 50/50 city/highway driving.

Sometimes you'll have one specific problem that kills your mileage, but it's usually death by 1,000 cuts.

Change all of your fluids, flush your brake system, check your battery, clean off your radiator, fix all squeaks and vibrations, air up your tires, shut your tailgate, make sure your hood's adjusted properly. Fix any CEL. If you have anything like a brush bumper or spot lights you're thinking about removing, go ahead and do it.

Mine's a '98 3.0 with a 5-speed.

As a general rule, any mods will burn more gas. Mexichrome slows you down.

 

[AllanD]

The (sometimes) cheaper E85 is not actually cheaper.

Recalculate your mileage in terms of DOLLARS/mile

And compare to regular unleaded.

I know with my '93 4.0 engine that the loss in mileage just running one tank
of E10 driving across Iowa on my way home from wyoming was greater than
the alleged cost savings.

I.E. if it saves me $0.10/gallon less ($2/tank) but I get 5% worse mileage
and thus BURN an extra gallon per tankful I'm losing about a dollar on every
tank of it I buy.

So how much are you paying for your E85?

Unless it's under $1.50/gallon you are getting fukt and you
are spreading your cheeks for them to do it to you.

Ethanol is NOT the energy solution.
they should not be making Ethanol fuel from edible corn
they should be making butanol from the corn stalks and feeding
the corn to peopl and animals.

It's a consipracy of stupid people I tell ya!

AD

I will cheerfully pay a dime more per gallon for the LOWER octane E0

 

[Beef52751]

E85 is $2.05 last time i filled up and regular ethanol was $3.05 and im only losing like 3MPG

 

[kunar]

E85 is $2.05 last time i filled up and regular ethanol was $3.05 and im only losing like 3MPG

not to mention you are helping provide american jobs by using an american made, fully renewable resource

 

[JFA_Spyderman]

Yo,
IIRC, Ford's flex fuel option started in 98'.

 

[Ozwynn]

not to mention you are helping provide american jobs by using an american made, fully renewable resource

this is not entirely true. we buy most of our ethanol from brazil with a .54cent a gallon tax.

Allen is right. Ethanol is a big scam and it takes more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than a gallon of gas. Now Bio Diesel is another story. I get 2/10 better MPG with B10 Bio diesel than with regular dino diesel......... I spent $70,000 on fuel last year, 2/10 mpg is a huge savings.