Greetings
 

I am a Ford technitian {Atleast was}.
I have had my Ford Ranger STX 4.0 5speed 2wd since It was produced to my configuration in 2006.

Since then I have been doing little things to increase it performance and fuel economy. I was averaging about 17 mpg stock. With the Drop, Air filter, and tuning plus various tires {many recalibrations}. My best is about 23 mpg. I am looking to go for 27+ now. My challenge is keeping it ready for use and for practicality of a pick up truck. I use my bed for haulin and like having it.

I have seen som extreme things here, I know they have great results but as a Tech I often wonder what are the disadvantages. Like blocking a grill off, Better aerodynamics but decreased engine life. And at $2000-6000 to replace i wonder if the savings would offset the cost. On the other hand i do know what its like to get a high score at the gas station!

I decided to check a couple things out here and realized this sight is an authority on fuel economy when i started referencing some {Ebay scams} and the forum here's response to them. I like what i read here.

I may try out a couple things and put my 2 cents in.

Welcome to Ecomodder!

As with just about any modification there are ups and downs, and as such you must weigh your options. If you are worried about say grill blocking, check out some of the users working on active grill blocks that only run when the engine is below certain temps or speeds are beyond a minimum. Many of us have found the cooling systems were designed for far greater temps and loads than most of us use. So blocking some of the grill doesn't effect the cooling as much as you would think. Not only does a grill block improve aero dynamics but it also speeds up warm up time.

I get it. That is verry true, for the Extremes of vehicle use and for aero.
I hadent really checked out enough to see the grille ideas. I have been working on the same idea for a while myself. Vacuum or motor actuated or even cable actuated. {I like electronics and building the circuts} So I hope to be able to contribute towards that!
The Pros and Cons are always waiging a battle royal when i do something to my truck. {like when i did a partial block for this winter, the only problem was my coolant started to leak a bit and i had to adjust. "Theory X application + test = results}

I haven't seen any recent posts about the active grill blocks. So you may have to do some searching to find out details on those. I believe one was trying to use a door lock actuator to trigger his when temps reached a specific range. The speed controlled block simply used a spring and air pressure to trigger. As you have found when it comes down to it, testing is ultimately the only way to find out if it's going to do the job. There of course are plenty of other Aero mods that can be done that won't affect engine performance at all. Belly pans, slant backs, and wheel related.