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Yeah, ok ok so I drive a pickup truck...it is what I got in highschool and it has served me well. I started hypermiling (without realizing that is what I was doing) halfway through college. A full year out of college now and I have been able to get a little over 23 mpg of mixed highway/city driving, which I think isn't too bad considering my truck used to get 17-19 mpg. It has just under 150,000 miles with a V6 - 3.0 ltr. engine (manual trans.). Back in highschool I installed a K&N air filter which I clean every ~25,000 miles and I believe it to have increased my mileage just a tad (so long as I am driving conservatively). The newest thing I have tried is inflating my tire psi to 35 from 30, the max. is 44 but I am a little concerned about how much the higher psi will wear out the center of the tread much quicker. I am not sure what else to say about my truck other than I try to keep it as empty as possible (I do have an aluminum tool box that is used too frequently to be removed). I recently had to replace the clutch, rear main seal, throw out bearing, lower swing arm ball joint, and the outer tie rod. My pads are fairly new, unfortunately when I put them on my rotors were a little warped, and now need to be resurfaced pretty soon.

Any tips on things I can do to get better mileage, besides the obvious (new car anyone?).

Anyways, Hello to everyone in this forum and thanks for the advice in advance!

Hahahah! I think your username is the best suggestion. :D

Read the articles in my signature for a start.

:D Yeah, I already have that much technique down. In fact, before I was aware that my driving would be considered hypermiling, I was keeping track of RPM's vs. Gearing, timing lights/traffic, considering terrain features and best routes, etc. Thanks for the articles.

Hello and welcome to the club.

You should start by knowing your car’s EPA rating located at FuelEconomy.gov (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm) and make sure to read the article “Beating the EPA” (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510).

Make sure you air your tires up to the maximum pressure indicated on the tire’s sidewall.

Also, consider purchasing a ScanGaugeII (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=103426). It is an invaluable source of information and will quickly pay for itself in fuel savings.

However, please be careful as hypermiling is addictive. :)

don't worry about driving a truck, we don't judge what people drive, just try to help how they drive. there are a couple of rangers on the forum, and i am sure you will hear from them, also.

welcome.

It will be pretty interesting for me to see what kind of mileage they are getting.

Slowhands is getting 36.2 so far in the 3 Month Challenge with his ranger:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG(US)&viewcar=1482

Wayne has an incredible 38.5 lifetime average in his ranger:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG(US)&viewcar=45

To see more, click the Mileage Logs link on the left, make sure you are displaying "All" instead of "Top 50", and search for "Ranger".

Kirk

The Ranger can pull some pretty good numbers. I think there is room for improvement yet in yours. Tire pressures at max sidewall will help. I've got TorqueNada's tires well up over max, not officially recommended of course, and with about 30,000 on these tires they have very even wear all across the tread... and I'm not sure how much wear because the tread is still well above the wear-indicator bars. I've got plenty of road holding in dry, wet, and snowy conditions. The only time the truck gets a little squirrelly is over rough bumps, and I mean rough, not the usual cracks, expansion joints etc.

I shift generally at 1800-2000 rpm, sometimes less if I'm only going up to about 25-30mph. ScanGauge is your friend, the feedback it provides is essential to getting the best out of your truck.

:eek::eek::eek: Wow, I was only shooting for 25-28 mpg (currently at ~21-23); I would have never imagined that a Ranger could get that type of mileage!

Keep in mind those are both 4-cyl rangers. Look at Slowhands' Truck1, which is a 6, but also an auto, and I know he doesn't drive it much.

I've personally done 37 in a v6 camry manual, the one and only time I drove it.

Keep in mind those are both 4-cyl rangers. Look at Slowhands' Truck1, which is a 6, but also an auto, and I know he doesn't drive it much.

I've personally done 37 in a v6 camry manual, the one and only time I drove it.

Right - I don't drive it much, the wife and kids abuse the heck out of it, with the exception of 1 daughter. Its a 4.0L V6 with an automatic trans. My best trip with it was during the spring, 29.6 mpg for 182 miles, about 130 miles of that was Interstate or Tollway. There was a 43.6 mile segment that yielded 30.3 mpg, done with DWL / DWG with some P&G thrown in, speeds in that stretch were from 40-55 mph. On the interstates it was all DWL / DWB, speeds roughly 50-59 mph, targeting 55.

With your 3.0L and manual trans, I'd guess you could fall somewhere between the ranges of TorqueNada and Red 98.

Oh, BTW... the best segment (so far) in TorqueNada was 57.6 mpg for 16.6 miles :D run on the course for the WFEC.

:eek::eek::eek: Wow, I was only shooting for 25-28 mpg (currently at ~21-23); I would have never imagined that a Ranger could get that type of mileage!

Hi Slowdown--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPy56Si2Kaw

This is a video I shot of the World Fuel Economy Challenge. Pay particular attention to the parts from 7:30 to 8:10 to know what a Ford Ranger is truly capable of. :)

Press up those tires, slow down on the highway, work on DWL and DWB at first and you'll hit higher numbers in no time.

Oh, BTW... the best segment (so far) in TorqueNada was 57.6 mpg for 16.6 miles :D run on the course for the WFEC.
Which beat my 53.0 over the same course. Good job!

Wow, excellent guys! Thanks for the guidance, once I get on my lunchbreak I will take a look at the video.

It's just a video showing Slowhands reporting that same number. Not a huge bonus, unless you want to see the video of the whole WFEC anyway.

Hey, SLoooooooowwwddooowwwwn (did I spell that right?)

My Ranger is a 2002, 4 cyl manual 5 spd. My average since joining some 3000 miles ago is just a tick under 37, but my last 3 tanks have been over 37. Before getting serious, I was averaging 30. That was in this truck and the other 4cyl Ranger that I had before.

I try to drive as if I were on my bicycle- let the uphills slow me, let the downhills speed me up, avoid brakes if possible, coast wherever I can, never let the engine idle at a stop. Use as little power as I can, and when I use it, do it at the right time, using the terrain to my advantage.

The max pressure printed on the tire is perfectly safe. The mfgr applies a factor of safety to that number, so there is room to go higher, but nobody will tell you how much (though I'd feel safe at 10-12% higher, but I stick to the official max).

The automatic can limit how agressive you can get with your techniques, but I'm sure you can get 30 mpg out of that thing. Get a Scan Gage, too. I've learned a lot with mine.

Best of luck!

My 1990 Ranger 4x4 with 6" lift was pulling 28 on average before I pulled it off the streets for safety reasons. Now that I've replaced the cab and done a lot of other work to make it work better off pavement, I hope to see that 28 again. I probably won't go max pressure on the tires as it is stiffly sprung and the little truck will bounce all over the place.

This little truck is a 2.3 liter 5 speed 4x4 and 4.10 gearing. As mentioned, with 6" lift and right now will roll on 31" tires. Any taller tire and we will regear the truck to compensate.

In the 5 years I've had this beat up old truck, it has always been good on gas.

Ok, so I was finally able to finish off just about a full tank of gas with my regular commute...I was so excited to see how high my odometer had gotten (~340 miles) with just under a 1/4 tank left. I was guessing that was around 25mpg or so which is what I had been shooting for. Quick reminder here, I drive a 2000 Ranger 4X4 6 cyl. 3.0 ltr. manual with just over 145k miles. I have a tool box on the back (no tonneau as of yet) and I have the front tires at 40 psi and the rear at 38 psi. I calculated it to be 23.47 mpg...:-( needless to say I was disappointed. I actually think it was better than that though and that the pump where I filled up had overfilled my tank a little bit (it fizzed out a bit, oh and BTW I didn't double click the handle or anything)...

its alright, it'll even out next tank, just keep trying and dont give up!