how to get better gas milage? - United Bimmer Community

craig · 05-23-2007, 11:31 PM

my pickup is getting 9MPG on the freakin highway and i cant do that. i was wondering what i could do to get better? i know a 4barrel carb and headers will help alot, but what els? would a different cam help at all? any help at all would be awesome.

**Numark318i** · 05-23-2007, 11:40 PM

holy shit. I thought my 15mpg while driving like an ass was bad.

almost said fuel injector cleaner...but no.

new diff in the rear to lower RPM at highway speeds?

witeshark · 05-23-2007, 11:40 PM

I think there may be a serious gearing issue, maybe the back differential, but wow

craig · 05-23-2007, 11:55 PM

yeah but if i change the rear diff. i would have to change the front diff and maybe the fuckin transfer case so everything would be geared the same or it would be a messed up ride in 4wheel drive. i do alot of town driving anyway, thats my main worry(i think i get about 4-5 in town, havnt really figured that one up yet). it only sees a serious highway drive probably once or twice a month. what can i do to get better mpg in town?

**maximk2** · 05-24-2007, 12:11 AM

get a bmw

**RSF5** · 05-24-2007, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maximk2

get a bmw

Or he could be a total fuck nut like you.

Run it off propane?

What is the engine in the truck again?

**Dr1ve4fun** · 05-24-2007, 12:19 AM

Damn.. Our truck gets 11-13 mpg in the city and on the freeway. If you don't care too much about the truck you might try putting acetone in the gas. I don't remember how much to put per gallon, but it does work on some cars. My mom was doing it for a while in the rentals when she got a car that didn't get very good mileage.

**c1apton** · 05-24-2007, 01:36 AM

Craig - a 4bbl, headers will help but those old Fords had a head problem, the ports & passages weren't exactly smooth for flow. A cam will only open the valves more & longer (lowering your mieage) Try advancing the timing a few clicks that always helped. A high flow air cleaner, 1 step colder plugs helps, and synthetic gear lubes in both diffs & transfer case will increase the MPGs.

Re: Dyrtes" idea of acetone - it's 1oz per 5gals of fuel and that's not a guarantee but it does help on some.

**BMWLotAttendant** · 05-25-2007, 01:57 AM

Use some engine cleaner stuff that you put in your gas tank BEFORE you fill up. Should get you some better mileage.

**xsperf** · 05-25-2007, 10:49 AM

it seems that 9mpg is not normal for your truck craig, yea its an old, big engine, but 9mpg is kinda rediculous, so modding it is not necessary, the only thing is that you have some old parts in there that need to be tweaked, those are eating your gas

cliff notes: engine doesnt get 9mpg when brand new...

**Chris** · 05-26-2007, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig

my pickup is getting 9MPG on the freakin highway and i cant do that. i was wondering what i could do to get better? i know a 4barrel carb and headers will help alot, but what els? would a different cam help at all? any help at all would be awesome.

Uhmm.... you drive a big ass pickup truck built to go offroad, how much fuel economy do you really expect to get? Face the facts, that truck will never get more than 15 miles to the gallon no matter what you do to it. If money is really that tight, its time for a more sensible vehicle.

(This isn't directed at you, its directed at everyone ->) If you say money is tight and you don't know what to do, but you mod your car for performance in a day that premium gas costs almost $4.00 in some places, you deserve no pity when you are knee deep in debt. There are too many people out there that refuse to admit that at the end of the day, if money is scarce, its more important to be driving a civic with 40MPG than your ultra-modded sports car that gets less MPG than my mothers SUV

**TerryY** · 05-26-2007, 05:16 PM

My 1989 F250 2WD Supercab Long bed with the 460 CI fuel injected gas motor and non-overdrive automatic gets about 6 to 7 mpg in town and about 9 on the highway. And that is not pushing it for performance. The carburated version of a couple years earlier got about 1 MPG less.

At a very steady freeway speed with no off freeway driving it will get up to 10 MPG.

Water mist injection took it to 12 MPG overall from Portland to Tucson so you might want to try that.

BTW its designed usage was towing a 35' fifth wheel trailer thru the mountains of the western US without slowing down for those little hills in the Rockies.

It certainly didn't slow down coming up from Tucson to here packed to the top of the 2 foot high bed side rail extensions and towing a packed Jeep.

craig · 05-26-2007, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisdoesntknow

Uhmm.... you drive a big ass pickup truck built to go offroad

REALLY!?!? no shit dude. but the reason i expect it to get more is my grand parents had a 1974 f250 crewcab with a fuckin 460 in it(also had streight pipes

) that got 11 on the highway. i would expect it to get atleast that. i talked to a mechanic today about switching it to propane, he said it isnt worth a shit. he put it on his pickup(70's f100) said he got the same MPG as gas, and that the propane prices are going up just as bad now so theres no difference. and im not going to sell it and buy a civic because i use it at work all the time. im the only one that can pull the augers and the grain vac. im starting to work full time again so i can afford it and my modding. i only worked a week or week and a half a month at part time. also, my uncle is thinking of selling his GMC jimmy so if he decides to sell it i will be buying that as a cruiser car instead of riding around in my pickup(gets 15MPG in town) so i would save some gas there.

**TerryY** · 05-26-2007, 07:03 PM

the catalytic converter was the death knell for pickup gas mileage. I think '74 in California and '75 everywhere else.

I was doing odd jobs for an RV sales and repair place in California. Part of it was running out for new inventory like pick up campers and travel trailers.

I would do the run from San Bernadino to one of the manufacturers in OC, Empty down and 11 or 12 foot camper loaded on the way back.

With the '73 chevy 350 auto shop truck I would fill up the 22 gallon single tank just as I left and have a couple of gallons left when I got back.

With the brand new'74 chevy 350 auto shop truck with that new fangled catalytic converter thingy. I would fill up both tanks (I think 20 and 22 gallon) and barely made it back with both tanks on fumes. Dealer couldn't find anything wrong with it either--said they were all like that.

Never could understand how you could double fuel useage to make the exhaust cleaner.

**MTurboPower3** · 05-26-2007, 08:05 PM

I have an idea, stop driving a truck. Just kidding, I have no idea what could make the mpg better in a truck.