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Kestrel · 02-26-2015, 03:16 PM

Looking to start Ecomodding. I got rid of my previous Nissan Frontier as the sychros/tranny was going downhill rapidly. I was offered a GOOD amount by a dealer and got me a little reg cab Ranger. 2.3L Dura 5-speed manual. As it stands I average 28-29mpg per tank 65% highway driving. I commute 26 miles 1way (~50miles round trip) to work per day.

I have been reading a lot about how this ecomodding works, and I achieve the 28-29MPG through mainly driving habits.

So I want to start aero mods, mainly grill and air damn for the time being as they appear the least extensive. I am lurking other Ranger pages here and came across this craveman85's post where he blocked the grill from behind the mesh/honeycomb

Now, my question is, I want to keep my truck "stockish" looking. So the way he blocked off the grill from behind the honey comb looks better. Is this less effective?

Another issue is how often I have to travel on gravel/dirt roads and on very wet/slimey roads. I plan on increasing the size of my tire from P225/70r15 to 235/75r15. The tires weigh an extra 5lbs.. I plan on getting a topper shell for the truck as well, and figured that could potentially increase highway mpg. At the moment I have a soft tonnue which Im not sure does much.

To shorten the post: would increasing the tire size and weight by approx. 5lbs per tire, and blocking off the grill from the inside actually help, or does the grill need to be flat from the outside? Also, living in Florida where temps are hot, how much grill can I block off?

After this I plan to try and block most of the gaps in the front bumper, but I dont want the truck to overheat. Any advice?

02-26-2015, 03:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
Kestrel EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Fort Lauderdale Posts: 9 Graynger - '11 Ford Ranger XL 90 day: 31.22 mpg (US) Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	2011 Ford Ranger XL Reg cab. Looking to start Ecomodding. I got rid of my previous Nissan Frontier as the sychros/tranny was going downhill rapidly. I was offered a GOOD amount by a dealer and got me a little reg cab Ranger. 2.3L Dura 5-speed manual. As it stands I average 28-29mpg per tank 65% highway driving. I commute 26 miles 1way (~50miles round trip) to work per day. I have been reading a lot about how this ecomodding works, and I achieve the 28-29MPG through mainly driving habits. So I want to start aero mods, mainly grill and air damn for the time being as they appear the least extensive. I am lurking other Ranger pages here and came across this craveman85's post where he blocked the grill from behind the mesh/honeycomb Now, my question is, I want to keep my truck "stockish" looking. So the way he blocked off the grill from behind the honey comb looks better. Is this less effective? Another issue is how often I have to travel on gravel/dirt roads and on very wet/slimey roads. I plan on increasing the size of my tire from P225/70r15 to 235/75r15. The tires weigh an extra 5lbs.. I plan on getting a topper shell for the truck as well, and figured that could potentially increase highway mpg. At the moment I have a soft tonnue which Im not sure does much. To shorten the post: would increasing the tire size and weight by approx. 5lbs per tire, and blocking off the grill from the inside actually help, or does the grill need to be flat from the outside? Also, living in Florida where temps are hot, how much grill can I block off? After this I plan to try and block most of the gaps in the front bumper, but I dont want the truck to overheat. Any advice?