Steel wheels and MPG

[dmanmccann]

Straight forward question and answer i need....I get around 250-280 a tank (depends if i fill up at different times) and i get a constant 18 MPG...When i get my 3 in BL and some 33's or 32's 15x8Crager black wheels which are steel and crank the T-bars, what is my gas mileage gonna become????/

NOTE::: I coast to lights and baby the throttle most of the time.....3.73 gears /255/75/16 AUTO

 

[BlackBII]

Will you be getting larger tires with the BL and wheels? I'd say it might go down with bigger tires (depending on your gearing) but just a BL and new wheels I doubt it will change.

 

[dmanmccann]

m

i added that..sorry

 

[reddog5]

I get 11 MPG with close to the the same setup. 1999 B-3000 4x4 , 33x12.50 General AT's on 15x8 black steel rims, 3.0 ,4.10 gears and 3 in body lift with T-bar crank. It sucked.

I used to get 18 MPG too.....

 

[fordwheelinman]

DANG DUDE.....i get 10 out of my 78 F150 with a gas guzzling 400....thats just sad there.

 

[4x4junkie]

Yeah, you got something wrong with your ride there if you're only getting 11MPG.

Better gears would help, although I doubt that's the entire problem.


Around a 2-3 MPG loss should be expected due to the increased aerodynamic drag from the lift, and the tire's higher rolling resistance. You may also lose an additional bit due to the overall gearing being affected by the larger diameter tires too (can be recovered by regearing the axles)

 

[lzarnch]

if you have 3.73's now and you put 33's or 32's your final gear ratio will actually be a higher ratio, wich would give you better mpg, right???

 

[4x4junkie]

if you have 3.73's now and you put 33's or 32's your final gear ratio will actually be a higher ratio, wich would give you better mpg, right???

No, too high gearing just results in lugging of the engine (this plays hell on the lower end bearings, not to mention creates a lot of heat in the transmission too). You need to have the engine running in it's powerband to work efficiently (2400-2700 RPM for the 4.0L, 2600-2900 for any other engine at 65 MPH cruise speed).