Gas mileage

[iamsparticus]

So what are you driving, what gas mileage are you getting, and how or what are you doing to get better gas mileage? I'm talking about tow rigs and 4x4's not your geo metro.
Why?
Well when i was first married and very very poor i did everything in my power to get good gas mileage in my stock 4runner, and i have my own formula that i use. But Then i got a car and a motorcycle and stop caring.

Well now since may and my roll over im the proud owner of a: 1986 Ford F250 XLT lariat extended cab long bed truck:greg: It has a Carburated 460ci V8 and a 3 speed C6 tranny. Its gas mileage sucks balls, so trying to get the best gas mileage is back at the front of my mind.

I want to hear what people are doing to get better gas mileage and what they are actually getting with their rigs enjoy

 

[Chevycrew]

Use overdrive with stock tires

 

[anzenketh]

1. Drive the speed limit
2. Feather the gas petal. (Accelerate Slowly)
3. Be nice on the break. (Use friction to slow down the car when possible.)
4. Drive on the freeway when possible.

For you I would increase aerodynamics by keeping the tailgate down.

 

[iamsparticus]

Good one if only i had over drive I have tryed the tail thing and im unsure if it helped. My formula is usually
1. Accelerate slowly
2. brake slowly and coast down hills
3. slow down going up hills
4. Cold air intake and good exhaust
and pretty much drive like a 90 year old man so far though the best i have got in this truck is about 13mpgs thats almost all highway miles!
What else are people doing in general not just for my pig truck

 

[SAMI]

I get 18-20mpg in my 2006 Xterra (4.0 V6)... I was getting 16-17mpg before I installed 18" alloy wheels and 285/70-18 BFG A/T's. I try to keep the RPM's at or below 2k, which is about 75mph.. Not bad for what it is.

 

[Chevycrew]

13 Is good for a 460.

No OD was my point. Gears matched for the motor will help too. If its at 3.55 with no overdrive, 4.10 and OD would help.

 

[jackjoh]

anzenketh-Ref. tailgate down: Studies I have read show little if any improvement with tailgate down.
Sami-Changing tires: Did you check to see if your speedometer and odometer were accurate and what mileage did you get before the change? High (correct) air pressure and radials seem to help the most as far as tires are concerned if they are balanced and aligned correctly.

 

[SAMI]

Sami-Changing tires: Did you check to see if your speedometer and odometer were accurate and what mileage did you get before the change? High (correct) air pressure and radials seem to help the most as far as tires are concerned if they are balanced and aligned correctly.

Balanced and aligned.. I also calculate in the slight increase of the tire size vs the factory size tires. So yes, my calculations are as accurate as they can be without resetting the speedo.

 

[iamsparticus]

In my 4runner i got 24mpg's pretty consitently but that was 31's, 4.10's, no lift and 15 inch wheels. Thats great gas mileage for a Xterra sami most people i talked to gto more like 14 to 17

 

[iamsparticus]

13 Is good for a 460.

No OD was my point. Gears matched for the motor will help too. If its at 3.55 with no overdrive, 4.10 and OD would help.

I havent checked the axle gears and i dont have a tach so its hard to see what im cruising at rpm wise but i agree that OD would help. Like sami i try to stay in overdrive as much as possible. I think going the speed limit and being willing to go slow is a big factor

 

[sixstringsteve]

1994 toyota pickup.
22re - 190k
5-speed
5.29s
35s

17-20 MPG

 

[iamsparticus]

nice steve thats not too bad at all

 

[sixstringsteve]

I can't complain. I love my truck.

 

[thenag]

I havent checked the axle gears and i dont have a tach so its hard to see what im cruising at rpm wise but i agree that OD would help. Like sami i try to stay in overdrive as much as possible. I think going the speed limit and being willing to go slow is a big factor

Ford's are pretty good about having an axle tag on one of the diff bolts. So unless someone ditched both of them changing gear oil one of the "axles" should have one.

On my bronco I had an EFI 460 out of a 97 with a 4 speed and no over drive. with 3.55's and 37's I got about 14-15 all the time except wheeling.

The thing with a big motor like a 460 if you do a lot of hyper mileing tricks you will probably only get a very small gain. that thing burns a lot at idle and doesn't need much more gas to move a lot.

If you want to swap to a 5 speed you can get a ZF 5 speed that will bolt up to the 460, it has a granny gear and OD. as far as an auto with OD I don't know what you could do, the E4OD's are computer controlled, by the time you setup a stand alone controller it probably isn't worth it.

anything above 10-12mpg is probably pretty good for an old carb'ed 460.

nathan
just waiting to see what the xj with 37's gets...

 

[iamsparticus]

The truck is 2 wheel drive and i didnt see a axle tag on the rear axle but i need to go look a little better. I have thought of swapping in a E40D but like you said it most likley won't be worth it. I have heard of C6 Trannies built with a OD but im unsure what they came out of, either that or it was another hydralically operated tranny. If i can get 14 all the time i would be happy with this 460

 

[Stephen]

1995 Pathfinder with stock tires and gears: 18-20mpg
1986 Suzuki Samurai, EFI, 235/75's, 4:1 T-Case: 22-25mpg (with no roof rack. With Rack, I don't want to talk about it.)

 

[anzenketh]

anzenketh-Ref. tailgate down: Studies I have read show little if any improvement with tailgate down.

I have herd mixed results. I think about it I could see it having a effect on a longer bed not enough for me to worry about.

 

[larrybenny]

I used to have a 79 F250 crew cab, with a 460 and C-6 trans. 410 gears. I only got 10 mph., and 6 mpg towing a big boat. At the time we were going to Lake Powell twice a month. I found that when I bought my 1997 Dodge diesel pickup to replace the Ford, my mileage was 16 towing an 8500 lb boat and 19 not towing. Driving this much almost paid the payment with the fuel savings. The only thing you could do if you can't buy a Diesel powered truck is add a gear vendors 2-speed box behind the trans. But they are pricey as well, around $2000.00. The other comments about converting to the overdrive E4OD trans is true, it's electronic and not cost effective to install.

 

[LT.]

You are fighting an uphill battle here. The Ford 460 is a thirsty sucker and I fear you are already near the top for mileage on the truck. A good air filter or a cold air intake would help but, I doubt that you will see more than .25 mpg with that. The Fords always did have a lousy exhaust system. Small pipes and sharp, crimped bends does not help. You could easily go to a full mandrel bent 2 1/4" system and see some gains. Again I think you will only see about .25 - .30 increase in mileage. Use some highway tires, E range and have them inflated up to max pressure. Perhaps a good tune up, plugs, wires, fluid changes, and the like may get you a bit more. I doubt you would even see mid teens with everything done. But, I think that you maybe able to pull 13 mpg with the right combo of driving habits and a proper running 460, especially since you are dealing with a 2wd. Otherwise I think the other option would be to fuel inject the motor. I am again not sure what would be gained for mileage but, it may be worth checking out some junk yards to see if you can source one.

I think the best option you have is either an overdrive tranny or a bolt on unit like the gear vendors over drive system. How much more I really don't have a clue.

LT.

 

[iamsparticus]

I have herd mixed results. I think about it I could see it having a effect on a longer bed not enough for me to worry about.

They did a myth busters on the tailgate thing and the only way they got better gas mileage was with a air gate so i want to build a custom tailgate with horizontial tubes so its like a air gate but better

You are fighting an uphill battle here. The Ford 460 is a thirsty sucker and I fear you are already near the top for mileage on the truck. A good air filter or a cold air intake would help but, I doubt that you will see more than .25 mpg with that. The Fords always did have a lousy exhaust system. Small pipes and sharp, crimped bends does not help. You could easily go to a full mandrel bent 2 1/4" system and see some gains. Again I think you will only see about .25 - .30 increase in mileage. Use some highway tires, E range and have them inflated up to max pressure. Perhaps a good tune up, plugs, wires, fluid changes, and the like may get you a bit more. I doubt you would even see mid teens with everything done. But, I think that you maybe able to pull 13 mpg with the right combo of driving habits and a proper running 460, especially since you are dealing with a 2wd. Otherwise I think the other option would be to fuel inject the motor. I am again not sure what would be gained for mileage but, it may be worth checking out some junk yards to see if you can source one.

I think the best option you have is either an overdrive tranny or a bolt on unit like the gear vendors over drive system. How much more I really don't have a clue.

LT.

As far as stuff i have done to the 460, it looks to have a aftermarket exhaust but i could be wrong. This is the most smogged up year they made and the last year for the carb. I changed the:cap, rotor, plugs, wires and air filter as well as flushing the coolant system. if someone on here has swapped a junkyard efi system on to a older 460 before and would be willing to help me i would do it but i have never done a EFI swap on to a older engine:-\ I havent been checking the air pressure but i will i forgot about doing it, they are currently load range E tires