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Old 04-17-2014, 09:33 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Question How to get the best mpg out of a 99 4 speed auto v6 Ford Ranger

Hi everyone..I'm new here. I firgured id start a thread about how to get the best mpg out of my ford ranger. Its a 4x4 4 speed automatic with the 3.0 v6. Most of what always challenges me is the method of acceleration to use..On my best day Ive actually gotten 26 mpg on a long flat stretch at 45mph. I know i cant get that consistently but id like to average 22 to 23 mpg more often. Here in Pa there's lots of hills and traffic lights that ruin everything. Ive seen so suggestions on how to drive before but mostly it regards manual trans. Id like to make the most of what i got out of my auto. : 3 thanks

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Old 04-29-2014, 01:18 PM   #2 (permalink)
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http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post379028

Welcome! have you checked this out? I have a 94 mazda b2300 (ranger clone) that I would like to Ecomod, but it is way down on the list...because I'm married.
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Old 04-29-2014, 05:14 PM   #3 (permalink)
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I had a 05 ranger with the 3.0L Vulcan motor and 6 speed automatic, it was a thirsty low hp motor , geared high it sucked gas equally bad in all gears, Owners with 4L were getting better mileage.
But there are a few tricks

A. raise your tire pressure to max sidewall psi
B. don't idle it to warm it up, put your seat belt on then start it then drive off & do not sit and idle when parked waiting for someone.
C. look ahead for traffic lights and coast to red lights in the process wasting a bit of time, it may turn green before you have to stop.

You can buy a programmer to reprogram the shift points to shift into the next gear at a lower rpm then Ford has set them at.
They also have a programmer that can change the motors fueling and timing parameters to be more fuel efficient.


A good programmer for your truck to do the economy and shift points may cost between $350 and $500 , check for good reviews on the forums.

I Imagine you could pay most shops to change your transmission shift points for about $80
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Old 04-30-2014, 12:07 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Welcome to the site!

To add to what ecomodded said, and from my driving an automatic trans vehicle, one of the most important things is to get that torque converter locked up as much as possible. You don't want the slush box stealing your efficiency, and it does... like crazy. So, figure out under what circumstances that thing locks up and drive under those circumstances as much as possible. Or, consider installing a torque converter lockup switch. There are a few guys on the forum who have done this.
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Old 06-10-2014, 12:38 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Thanks for all the comments so far guys. : 3 And yea my torque converter locks up at a minimum of 40 mph. The tires i have on the truck are not stock. The ones on there are 265/75/r15s. Stock would be 235/75/r15. The bigger ones help for cruising and i keep the psi on them high already. But i try to keep them to a reasonable point so i dont kill the life of the tire and exessively wear suspension components. Like upper control are bushings and stuff. Stock would have been 30psi in the front and 35psi in the back. But i run 35 psi in the front and 40 psi in the back with these bigger tires. Used to run 40 psi on all fours but was concerned about tire wear and damage to the front ones so i put them at 35. I had rotated the tires once and needed them all rebalanced too. Ive tried different accleration types but results differed every time. Ive gotten as high as 26 and as low as 17. I have a ecometer mpg gauge and i took the air silencer out of my airbox which helps a bit. Also added and air dam. actually 2 of them..If i can figure out how to upload pics of them to this site i will. I also though of buying a super chips tuner at Pep boys one time and it was like 300.00. Im wondering if the cost of it for the fuel savings will be justified and pay for itself in the close future.

Last edited by Whitetail Ranger; 06-10-2014 at 12:40 PM.. Reason: Response
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Old 06-10-2014, 12:49 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Welcome to the site. Once you have five posts, you can post images. Either post a few "junk" posts to get to five, or just post the URL and one of us will gladly put the image in for you.

One thing I've noticed with my 4.3L auto S10 (two wheel drive though) is to get it to shift, then barely hold the throttle enough to keep it there. On my commute, it's 25MPH, 35MPH, then 45MPH. My truck shifts to 3rd at 27MPH, and 4th at 46MPH. On the way home, the 45MPH section is slightly downhill, and traffic does 50MPH there, so I get it into 4th and let off the gas completely, coasts the entire 1/2-3/4 of a mile to the light.

If you can feel yourself pressed into the seat on acceleration, you're wasting gas. If you can feel yourself pressed against your seatbelt on deceleration, you're wasting gas.
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Old 06-10-2014, 12:51 PM   #7 (permalink)
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It would pay for itself if you kept the truck long enough / 5 years or so is my fancy estimate.

If it saved you 3 mpg ( with shift points and economy tune ) x that by 5 years of your mileage and divide it against your mpg

It might pay for itself in 1-2 years ..
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Old 06-10-2014, 01:22 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Okies and coolies. : 3 Ok..so if i save some extra money i may get the tuner. I would however hope the tuning that gets done to it doesnt hurt the reliability of the engine. I know that the 3.0 is known to be very durable so anything that's gonna put extra pressure on it or any drive line components could not help it too much.
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Old 06-10-2014, 01:27 PM   #9 (permalink)
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welcome
Not sure how you are reading miles. Bigger tires roll further than smaller ones.

There is a list of things you can do on this site.
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Old 06-10-2014, 01:29 PM   #10 (permalink)
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To respond to what you said smurf yea ive done that tactic too. It can work. I drive and hour away to and from my work. Coming across traffic lights and people making turns and others driving slow and tractor trailers mess everything up after i get to my sweet cruising speed. Sadly where i have to drive most of it doesn't contain highways with passing lanes so avoiding these obstructions doesn't workout very well. To respond to what ecomodded said yes i do plan on keeping the truck until it dies. And then who knows...Maybe even put a new motor in it at that point. So the tuner may actually justify its self as well as much as i drive. I just want to make sure the truck stays in the good sense of drive ability, durability, and emissions i guess.

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