highmileage

Well since I sold my Cherokee I am now the proud owner of a 97 F-150.
Does anyone out there have any ideas on a fix for the poor gas mileage? All of the ford forums I have been to say good luck with that.
Bone stock 4.6 (do not currently know if windsor or the other)
203k
heads re-done at 197k, due to head gasket leak.
runs strong w/o issue minus the switching from vent to defrost under "light" acceleration. Cannot locate any vac leaks.
gas mileage is 10-13 in town and 17-19 on the hwy, would like to get that to about 22 on the hwy.
any suggestions?
Ford sites said intake, cold air, and inj. swaps are no help, neither are headers. Chipping helps but by 1mi.

crabmushrooms5

fueleconomy.gov says 14/20 2wd and 13/17 4wd both automatic

any mods to it?

highmileage

No mods.

crabmushrooms5

time for new 02 sensors?

andrewmp6

Is your truck 2wd or a 4x4?My brother has a 01 f150 4x4 bone stock and he gets 14mpg highway and like 8 or 9 mpg city.They are gas hogs from the factory not really much you can do to make them any better on fuel.

Scott M

to be honest what your getting doesnt sound horrible for a v8 truck...I would suggest not putting a KNN air filter just stock, no what they say it will help every vechicle we have put one in the gas mileage goes down sometimes significantly I guess getting more air the motor thinks needs needs more fuel but thats just my experience, I know no one mentioned one but Im just saying

highmileage

It just seems disappointing that a carbed 77 K5(HD, 6800lb+) I had got the same mileage as this 97 ford I am currently driving.
Gotta be something that can be done to improve it?

Codenamefa

Not really those trucks weren't designed for fuel economy, they are designed for power at the tip of your fingers.

andrewmp6

Your new truck depending on if its 4x4 and which cab it can weight almost 2k more then your old truck.A 97 f150 short bed standard cab v6 truck weights 6k they are heavier then they look.And your new truck might even make more power then your old truck did.Look up the power your truck makes and it makes a lot of torque down low.

s346k

name one ford truck motor that got good mileage. ever.

mentalbreakdown00

Look at your O2's as coolant poisons them, and clean your MAF sensor with MAF cleaner only..

Scott'sXJ

Here's a trick that netted me 2-5 mpg on my 4.9 F150 a few years ago.

E-Fan swap. Get rid of the heavy a$$ fan and clutch on the front of your motor, and it won't have to work as hard to make power. Your butt dyno will see an improvement on power as well.

The fan and shroud from a Dodge Magnum wagon, or a Ford Taurus will just about fit perfectly, and a fan controller can be found new at Advance or Autozone for under $20 bucks.

93_xjcherokee

Tune up, proper air pressure in tires, keep your foot off the throttle

Gary Briggs

Drive slower!

Works on literally every vehicle.

CobraMarty

I have a '99 F150 4.6L auto ext cab 4x4 on 31" BFG all terrains, bigger injectors and powerdyne supercharger and get about the same, low teens around town, high teens on the highway. Bed cover helps.


Driving 65mph vs. 55mph uses 12% more fuel and 75mph vs. 55mph uses 25% fuel.