Best way to get more Miles per Gallon on a 5.4?

Question

Hello,

Okay I got a 2002 supercrew and I dont want to get rid of it but right now its wasting too much gas maybe 16-17 MPG which sucks I want to maybe get atleast 20 MPG what would be the best way to reach that?

The truck is 4x4 lift kit and big tires I dont know if that has something to do with it. SO please let me know what things I can buy and what I can do to get better gas mileage thanks a lot and have a nice day

But my dad has a same truck 4x4 2001 5.4 super crew STOCK and he is getting atleast 20-21 miles per gallon it has very good MPG

Answer 1

5.4 > 16-17mpg sounds about right really - I have 6.7 that does double figures if I am very gentle.

If you have an engine with this sort of capacity, you cannot really expect 20 mpg unless you are driving at 40mph on flat roads in a tail wind.

Adding about 1% by volume of acetone to the fuel tank (WAAAAY to little to cause any harm before all the panic merchents get excited) will help the fuel to atomise better as it greatly reduces the surface tension - in turn you get a little more power, slightly better emissions and use a little less fuel.

Some folks would have you beleive you cvan get 15-20% better economy, no you can't. But you might get 5% especially if your carb / injectors are a little gummy and could benefit from a mild cleaning that the 1% acetone will also give.

you can buy this in the chemist as "nail varnish remover" - check it is pure acetone - or you can buy it in larger amounts much cheaper - Ebay might be of use

I would be VERY impressed if you got 20mpg though unless you start driving like a little old lady.

Mark


* Additional Comment *

The fact that your dad has different figures to you is not surprising - the chances of two people with the same vehicle getting the same results from different journeys and different driving styles WOULD be surprising.

It might be possible that your dad drives with a slightly lighter foot - and perhaps with less load in the vehicle? If you drive with a fairly full fuel tank and a load of stuff in the boot and a a couple of well built adults in the car - you will use more fuel than a car that usually has half a tank of fuel or less, an empty boot and a single, light weight adult driving gently.

About the only practical things you can really do are:-

Make sure engine serviced well - inefficient combusion WILL result in poorer economy. Plugs, air filter, timing etc

Tyres need to be properly inflated - and ideally STOCK - using oversize chunky tyres will ALWAYS cost you fuel.

Boot should be empty of all but NEED items - minimized dead weight

Drive like there is an egg between the throttle and your foot.

Anticipate stops and turns so you hardly ever have to use the brake.

Ensure tyre pressure is optimum - if you the manual suggests you can pick one of two pressures (firm ride etc) then the higher pressure setting is likely to give you SLIGHTLY more MPG than the softer ride. Again though aftermarket tyres WILL have a negative effect on your perofrmance anyway.

Avoid short journeys (!), go REALLY gentle on long ones

As you can see, there are an almost unlimited number of things you can do which WILL make a difference - but if you need to have 50Kg of toold in the boot and you need to make 2 mile journeys four times a day, cannot afford to dawdle and often have two or more adults in the vehicel,. then with the best will in the world, you truly WILL NOT get the best economy.

Did someone mislead you into thinking that this machine would acheive 20mpg with a typical driver doing typical journeys?

Out of interest, if you dad was up for the experiment, how about swapping vehicles for a whole month - driving them just as you would your own, with as much - or as little stuff in the boot (trunk) as normal. To make the test utterly fair, you would really need to swap the tyres around - though I suspect that might be an hours work that you may not want to do.

My guess is that you would get about the same MPG as you do now - and your dad would get about the same MPG as HE does now - driving each others vehicles.

Mark

Answer 2

I would have to agree with what the others have said about going back to stock tire size. Some other things to look into would be a tune up (depending on mileage), maybe also look at you gear ratio. Your truck and your Dad's truck might have different gear ratios, this will show different MPG. One last thought if you have to do a lot of stop and go driving, this will effect you MPG also. I would have to say 16-17 for a full size truck like that is pretty good.

Answer 3

You answered your own question. Your Dad's truck is completely stock equipped and not modified. Put you truck back to stock OEM and your mileage will jump. Modifications look really cool but if you don't reprogram the CPU for the changes, you loose MPG...most folks modify and skip the CPU part. The more non stock you go with lift kits, large tires and such the less efficient the engine is with gas. One tip that will help quick and pretty cheap...get your self an airgate so you have no drag from the tail gate....and then start saving to go back to OEM if you really want to boost your MPG.

Answer 4

YES!!! The tires do have something to do with it and your lift kit. I just got BF Goodrich 33" Mud Terrains and my MPG has gone down dramatically. Like from 18MPG to about 14-15. Its ridiculous and your lift just puts more air resistance on your truck so when you go at high speeds it uses more gas to keep your truck at your designated speed. Also, the engine is a V-8 5.4L same one as me....and you have to realize that those engines will use a butt load of fuel in the first place because they are so big. Nothing you can really do, beside get rid of the tires and lift. That's more money though.

Answer 5

well id say the best thing to do if you want to keep it would be to lower it back to its original ground clearance or lower and put away the big off road tires and put the stock tires back on. Dont leave things in the bed of your truck or inside that you dont need it adds unnecessary weight which burns more gas. Use the cruise control more and drive the speed limit. Dont jump on the gas for quick acceleration ease it up. If you dont have a bed cover leave your tailgate down it doesn't cause more drag helping your gas mileage.

you my want to buy a bed cover a light weight one.

Answer 6

The lift kit increases wind drag which decreases mpg. The big tires, particularly if they are all terrain type, reduce mpg. The 5.4 wasn't designed to maximize mileage anyway, it was designed for torque and towing capability.

Answer 7

Lose the lift and return the truck to factory wheels and tires. Those two modifications make a huge difference

Drive light, don't carry any unnecessary cargo, consider a tonneau cover, new air filter, fuel filter, and properly inflated tires.

Answer 8

I'd say you are doing pretty good with it now.

The tires will cut your mileage, they have more drag than the stock tires. You can try driving with the AC off. Make sure that your tires are up to pressure to help with drag. Drive a little smoother, a little slower, and try to avoid rapid starts, and keep the filters clean on the engine. good luck.

Answer 9

I gained almost 2mpg when I installed the 93 octane tune from my Diablosport Predator. The extra $0.20 a gallon is well worth the 2mpg, plus it has more power as a bonus.

Answer 10

The lift might have something to do with it...because of drag.

You could try Nitrofill for your tires. It is more stable and helps improve gas mileage.