Better MPG Mods

[danny ferreira]

hey guys.



bought a 04 Sports trac 4x4 with 34k miles. great truck, crappy mpg. i know its probably due to the winter months, steel winter wheels, etc.



i would like to do some modifications as soon as the weather improves.



heres what i was thinking:



-Electric 3.8 Taurus Fan

-Custom CAI with cone filter

-Dynomax Super Turbo muffler with dual outs



any other mods worth doing to bump up my MPG?



thanks

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

Dan, the only real mod that will get you better MPG's is removing the lead from your foot. Those you list will get a few minimal MPG's and the XCal will get some also. But unfortuantely, there really isn't much you can do.

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

First, Dan welcome you to the site; and to hide you pocket book. I agree with what Stonmiser said above with the addition of putting a good synthetic oil in the engine, transmision & differential. :banana:

 

[bob k 2]

I have the same year,at the end of last summer i was getting 16-17mpg, winter came along and it dropped to 13-14 mpg i added a heartthrob duel exhaust and im close to 15-16. not much of a increase but ill take it.

 

[Jeff Jolley]

Welcome to the site and as you've already been informed you don't buy trucks for mpg. The mods you mentioned will get you a couple mpg over time but don't expect huge gains.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Dan 95...



Send me $500 and I will send you a pamphlet describing how to get better gas mileage. If followed that $500 investment will pay back better increased MPG than any other mod you can install for the same money.



TJR

 

[danny ferreira]

obvioulsy those mods wont wont give me an extra 20mpg :lol:



every little bit would make a difference for me.



bob k- thats what i'm getting about now between 14-16mpg. not bad but i want to squeeze some more



I love my truck and a little help performance wise for some better gas milage would be a good thing.



a tuner would be great especially to change the shitty shift points but thats too much coin. I use a Tweecer R/T for my mustang

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Dan95,



Of course, I was just joking. My point, most mods I have seen save little, and take years to recoupe their cost. Just let off the lead foot, take fewer trips, no jack rabbit starts, coast to a stop...all these and you will increase your gas mileage a few MPG, all at no cost.



TJR

 

[TrainTrac]

A ScanGauge II is the best mod for improving MPG. It gives real-time MPG feedback, thus allowing you to adjust your driving habits to obtain the best MPG.



Or so I've been told, because I don't have one yet. I've done many other mods, hoping for improved MPG, but all they've seemed to do is make my right foot heavier, 'cause I love the improved performance!:banana:

 

[Gavin Allan]

If you want to save gas money, trade your truck for a Focus.



Even if you could do some mods to save a MPG or two, there would be no payback after factoring the cost of doing the mods.



Seriously, people who buy a truck and then complain about the gas mileage make me wonder...

 

[A Morrow]

gavin i traded my focus for my truck is that bad for improving mpg? :banana:

 

[Richard L]

The money you spend for those mods will buy you a lot of extra gas when compared to the meger amount of gas they will save you.



When you are driving a vehicle as heavy as the Sport Trac, an driving in stop and go traffic in the city, there isn't anything that is going to make any significant difference except for altering your driving habits.



A software Tune or Xcal can give you a little bit better mileage, but at $300+ it will take a long time and a lot of miles until you break even. Even if it saved you one gallon of gas per tankfull (that would be generous) it would still take most people 3 or more years to break even. You could put that money in a savings account and make nearly as much money as the gas savings you would be getting and you saved yourself $300 immediately.



...Rich

 

[Les]

Mods are for performance, not for better gas milage...

 

[danny ferreira]

i bought a truck because i wanted a truck. if i wanted the best MPG i would of bought a smart car.



thinking i would get my money back after performing these mods would be pretty crazy. that would be like adding a bodylift and wheels thinking one day i will get that money back when i one day sell it.



i put this thread in the Performace section because i wanted some more power out of my truck and hopefully a few more MPG's

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

I feel that with what stonemiser & I suggested you will get pretty much what you are asking.



Here is a list of my mods:

AirAid Cold Air Intake (I now recommend the no oil AEM or AFE filters)

Royal Purple: 5w-30 engine oil, Syncromax tranny fluid, power steering fluid, Purple Ice radiator additive, & MaxGear in the differential

SCT XCalibrator II w/ programs for 87 octane economy & towing

Trick Flow differential cover w/ Royal Purple MaxGear oil

Flex-a-lite 180 Extreme electric fan, off w/ engine

Taylor Vertex spark plug wires & new OEM plugs

Flowmaster 70 Big Block single-in / duel-out muffler (because I wanted the quietest one on the market)

ZabTek throttle body

ZabTek 'C&L' Mass Air Flow Sensor housing

Accel Coil Pack (get the Scream'n Demon coil from ZabTek)

 

[Richard L]

I guess the real question here is why do you want to get better gas mileage?? Is it because you are an environmentalist and want to leave a smaller carbon foot print on the planet? Or do you just want to spend less money on gas?



If you want to leave a smaller carbon foot print, then buy a smaller vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, or don't drive the Sport Trac as much.



If you don't want to spend so much money on gas, then adjust your driving habits to get better gas mileage because all the stuff that Rodge has suggested will set you back several thousand dollars and the return in gas savings will be very minimal. It will take years to recoop your investment for the small savingings in gas mileage you will get. And that assumes you will not be temped to stomp on the gas the see how those 25-30 extra HP can get your blood flowing.



Unfortunately it is not economically practical to convert a sows ear into a silk purse and that applies to converting a 4000+ lbs Sport Trac into an economy vehicle. If you want better gas mileage buy a vehicle designed and engineered to give you better gas mileage and don't think you make a Sport Trac into a Prius Hybrid.



...Rich