New wheels/tires = increase in gas mileage?

[charliewade]

So I just bought a 2005 Ranger XLT ext cab to finally replace my beloved 1988 Ranger S. But my old Ranger (2.3L 4 cyl) got better mileage than the new Ranger (3.0L V-6), which seems pretty odd to me since I was only getting 20mpg in the old Ranger and it had steel wagon wheels with 15" 60 series tires.

Anyway, my new Ranger has the standard steel wheels with P225/70/15's on them.

Would aluminum wheels with different (or same) tires make any appreciable difference in mileage?

Any other suggestions on changes/upgrades I can make to get at least a little better mileage?

TIA

 

[BlueChariot]

The weight difference for a Ranger won't change a whole lot from steel wheels or alloys, you're older Ranger got better mileage cuz it's that beauty of a 4-banger. More cylinders+more cid usually =worse feul economy (Edit- in general relation to comparing engines alone). Wheels only truly make a different if you have a skinnier tire, because of lower rolling resistance.

a few things that help-
1. It's been said to death, but check your tire presure. It IS a simple way to maintain decent economy. Don't use those shite pencil gauges though, get a proper dial gauge if you don't have one.
2. Driving style is very important, if you hammer the throttle, you burn more gas. simple as that.
3. A few uprated simple parts like a permanent air filter, spark plugs, etc, will be good for a better air flow and feul burn, and add a sliver of power. You can also fiddle with the intake, theres a few DIY things in the tech library that could help.

 

[LearjetMinako]

The only difference from the steel to alloy wheels would be weight. When I shipped my tires with steel wheels, each set weighed about 50lbs. And the alloy wheels may save you about 5~10lbs per wheel.

Now granted when I did change from steel to alloy wheels. And purchased the same size and brand tire as last time. My MPG didn't really change. Before I had the Cragar 320 wheels with 225/70R15 Michelin LTX. Now I have Ford Explorer's alloy wheels with 225/70R15 Michelin LTX.

 

[straycat]

I don't know about you, but I average right at 22 mpg in my lifted 4.0 with
33x12.5 KO tires. Around town only driving it drops a bit due to stop and go traffic. I gas up at 300 miles every two weeks and I still have about 4-5 galons left in the tank...(17 gallon tank).

You asre you talking average gas milage for both highway and city?

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

i swapped to aluminum wheels and got new tires of the exact same brand and size i had on the steel set.

only difference i noticed and expected is slightly better ride over bumps (less unsprung weight, bad shocks)

 

[trail B2]

The biggest difference with light wheels is they make a vehicle quicker.When I had a sand rail the rule of thumb was 1 pound off the wheels is like 5 off the car.Gotta remember if your having any fun driving to slow down.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

Well first things first... Your comparing a 20 year old 2wd 4 banger with small tires to a 5 year old v6 with bigger tires. A 4 cylinder will always get better mileage then a v6 provided it has the power. Also older rangers weigh less then new ones I believe.

Secondly with a different engine you have to drive it differently to get the best out of it... with a 3.0L you need to rev it up to get the power but i personally have found if you don't act like your in a hurry and drive slowly shifting and keeping it between 1500 and 2000 and shifting at 2500 you can get pretty good mileage. I pull of 25 hwy and 18 city with my 3.0L 4x4

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Tire pressure, new shocks, proper tune up wires/pcv motorcraft plugs but mostly how you drive if you have o/d just use it on freeway driving and turn it off when pulling hills. Keeping the R`s up without pushing hard on the skinny pedal is the key.

 

[press 1 for english]

So I just bought a 2005 Ranger XLT ext cab to finally replace my beloved 1988 Ranger S. But my old Ranger (2.3L 4 cyl) got better mileage than the new Ranger (3.0L V-6), which seems pretty odd to me since I was only getting 20mpg in the old Ranger and it had steel wagon wheels with 15" 60 series tires.

Anyway, my new Ranger has the standard steel wheels with P225/70/15's on them.

Would aluminum wheels with different (or same) tires make any appreciable difference in mileage?

Any other suggestions on changes/upgrades I can make to get at least a little better mileage?

TIA

Are you serious about this thread????? First of all a 3.0 Ranger is a pig as far as fuel economy goes expect 18-19 mpg and obviously a 4 banger is going to get better fuel mileage. Alloy wheels will put less stress on the suspension but most people buy them because they are pretty......better fuel economy, hell no. Larger heavier tires would drop the fuel mileage and acceleration a little.