Better mileage for a big block Ford

[slasmith1]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

First year for the PowerChoke diesel with an automatic transmissions and they built a ton of those PowerChokes. Lot of truck to move there I'm guessing 4x4 and long box so yea that's about as good as it gets. A 351 in that truck would getting 10. :redface:

My '08 "power choke" gets 26mpg on the hwy!
I'll keep on choking.

 

[dolluper]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

Change your rear end gear

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

My '08 "power choke" gets 26mpg on the hwy!
I'll keep on choking.

PowerSmoker fan here but more of a 7.3 guy, your MPG's seem a bit optimistic but glad you love your truck. I know some folks had some bad luck with the 6.0 and 6.4 PowerJokes, maybe the problems were trumped up by anti Fordites ?
The upcoming 6.7 UREA gulping Scorpion diesel Ford's new in house design diesel is being picked apart as we speak.
Hope its a good one, there is a lot on the line. Nice too see the 2009 profit Ford posted. $2.7 billion, beats obama motors right ?

Change your rear end gear

Dont forget the front axle as well on a 4x4

 

[bandit86]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

the only thing you can try is look into adjusting the 02 circuit, fool it into making the truck run a little leaner. You might get 10 -20 percent mor mpgs. I know there are kits to give you more power that change your o2 readins to richen the mixture a bit and give you 15hp.. this would be the exact opposite

 

[Isaacm1986]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

I know I am pretty late in this conversation but here is the list of things i would do to get better milage.

1. fuel injectors cleaned
2. k&n air filter
3. Ams Oil full synthetics in the motor and transmission

Those are the 3 things I would do. There is something else that I have done to a little suzuki i had, and it is a hydrogen cell. some people think that these are a scam, but I built on and put it on a suzuki sidekick and i was getting 51mpg! but 3 months after putting it on the head gasket blew. I do not know if it was a coincidence or if it was because of the hydrogen cell. I have not tried one since then, cause i don't want the risk of blowing another head gasket. However, it would help a lot with the MPG's. you could see 20 MPG out of that truck with one.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

Don't know about AmZoil in particular, but there are high performance synthetic lubes for all that machinery, and I'd bet you'd recoup the cost fairly quickly in improved mileage. Bonus is you actually gain reliability going that way.

my 02
John

 

[cribber]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

I 2nd the K&N filter I use these on everything I own. The even make a nice marine spark arrestor filter.

 

[tawood]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

I've done quite a bit of my own mileage testing with a poor mileage vehicle (a 2500 Dodge with a hemi). I did it because I'm a tight wad that drives 40k a year, and also just to see how good I could get it. When I started, my 2500 was getting 12 mpg city, 14 highway...and I found I was able to get 18 highway AND city when I did the following:
#1 BIGGEST change to fuel mileage was MY DRIVING TECNIQUE!!! If you drive your truck like it literally does not have brakes, giving yourself at least 15 car lengths between you and the car in front of you, or watching waaaayyy up ahead for light changes, NEVER EVER drive over 60mph, you can make the biggest differance (but you will **** off alot of other drivers).
#2 best change for the hemi was changing the spark plugs. I found this strange because the hemi has 2 plugs per cylinder, and maintenance specs said to change every 60k, and I did it every 30k.
#3 getting smaller tires. The original owner of my truck put 2 size over tires, and I went back to stock size.

Things that didn't change a thing: k&n filter, synthetic oil, premium fuel. These things probably do change the fuel economy slightly, but it is so slight you normally can't see the differance.

 

[Isaacm1986]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

another thing i just thought of.

look into these, I am running them in my jeep and boy did they ever help with power and fuel economy. they are however almost $20 a plug.

http://www.pulstar.com/fuel-econ.htm

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

Now that it's been mentioned, I'm curious about having the fuel injectors cleaned. I've heard quite a bit of hype from the shops but wondering if there's a real difference. If we're running fuel with alcohol, doesn't that act like a full time fuel system cleaner?

Sorry guys, I'm not buying the Amsoil thing. I thought that myth was busted back in the 80's!

I did talk him into getting a less agressive tire tread when he replaced the rears this summer. When it's time for the fronts. I'll try to have him go the same route.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

The tread style style isn't going to make a measurable difference, it's when you step up from a 29" tire to a 31"-33" will absolutely effect performace economy.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

By high performance synthetics, I was thinking Alisyn Aerospace. They have a 0 weight gear lube that has film strength like 90W high performance gear lube, for instance. It's run frequently in high performance (racing) outboards.

I know they have a 10 or 20 weight EP lube that would definitely save a lot of heat (fuel) in the gear boxes, and would be stronger in the lubrication department than GL5.

Similarly, the lighter oil you can run in the engine, the easier it'll spin. You can go lighter with synthetics because you won't lose the film strength when it gets real hot. The main reason auto manufacturers have gone to the real light synthetics is for fuel economy.

my 02
John

 

[Isaacm1986]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

mY wife drives a 1999 Explorer. When we bought it it was getting 16mpg. I had the injectors cleaned and replaced the fuel filter, 21mpg after that. It does help.

 

[And-Con]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

Different truck, but spike powerblock is doing something about boosting mileage in a dodge something; their goal is 20 from a base of 8 or 9

It could be worth seeing, they're doing everything one step at a time then testing. The idea being that each change can have its results noted, instead of doing everything at once and guessing which changes were most effective.

 

[mkast]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

A million years ago I replaced the stock cam in a F-350 4X4 400 cu in engine with a Crane Economaster cam an installed an Offenhauser SP2P intake manifold.
Original MPG was 8+ whether on the floor or raw egg method.
I did notice going up a decent hill, the engine RPM would rise maybe 100 RPM without a downshift, accelerator on the floor.
ON straight level new blacktop over one mile long, stock top speed was 76 MPH.
After installation, MPG was 14.5.
Going up the same hill, engine would downshift and really climb the hill.
On the level road, top speed was roughly one inch past the 85 MPH speedometer.
Install bed cap, if I drove lightly on the accelerator regularly 15+

 

[robert graham]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

You could have the old manually operated exhaust pipe cut-outs installed after the cataytic converters but before the mufflers for when you're on the open highway,open those suckers up!, a bit noisy, but would for sure help with back pressure/gas mileage. You could even add some flame throwers to the exhaust tips like in "Grease" to impress your friends, neighbors, the law! Good Luck!

 

[pac city]

Re: Better mileage for a big block Ford

cam timing, they choked them down for emisions. adjustable chain&gearset and degree wheel,. you will be suprised in milage and and pwr. did it to a few 85 /91 460's ,. double check eng temp and maf snsr for dirt and oil, if you go k&n don't over oil it.