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Hi all, I'm new here. I've always had a mind for "ecomodding", but my horsepower dreams usually seem to be an overpowering factor for anything "eco" to happen...

Anyhow, I'll be lurking around the forums to learn some stuff. I hope to be getting an additional vehicle soon that will be my hypermiling machine. Being a truck guy, it'll probably be a Ranger with a 4 cylinder and a manual trans. Not much of a truck, but I think I'd prefer it over a car.

I drive a 1988 F-350 4x4 XLT Lariat. Specs are as follows; 1973 468c.i. (7.7l) engine, C6 3 speed auto trans, 4.56 gears, 5" lift, 37" tires. The engine has some mods and was just rebuilt about a month ago; 0.040 overbore, "RV" style cam, ported heads, high-rise intake, long tube headers, 2.5" exhaust with only Flowmaster 50 mufflers. I average about 9 MPG, up to about 11.5 MPG on the highway.

Welcome, truckfan!

Lots of crossover here between "traditional" gearheads and people interested in tinkering to improve efficiency.

I wonder, though... if you're keeping your big truck in reserve for work duty, why not go for a project platform that has a lot more potential than an additional truck? I'm sure you've seen guys around here who are getting fantastic results from their Rangers -- far above average, for a truck, that is. But you could eclipse a Ranger's numbers (for a lot less effort/resources) with a car-based platform.

cheers-
Darin

Even the F350 can already provide a decent platform for ecomodding, altough a 3-speed transmission and a big-block may not be the most effective ways to deal with that challenge.

Anyway, the first thing anyone could consider while attempting to hypermile with an old-school V8 might be trying to make it operate on the Miller-cycle, which might be not so difficult to attempt with lots of options for aftermarket superchargers and cams...

Yep, kind of interesting. I've already started to notice a bit of it reading around the forums.

I definitely think you're right. A car platform has a lot more potential as far as fuel mileage. The issue is that I need carrying capacity several days a week, and a Ranger fits that need. I don't necessarily need a big weight capacity, but the cargo room is crucial. That's why an I4 Ranger would be okay even though the V6 ones (3.0 and 4.0) have more power. I need to be able to tow about 1300 lbs max and carry up to about 600 lbs in the bed. I've heard of a lot of reports of 30+ mpg empty on the highway with stock I4 rangers, and I think I could mod it to squeeze a few more MPG out. Maybe even swap in a small diesel and break into the 40-50+ MPG range on the highway.

I appreciate the reply.
- Collin

Well then, Ranger it is! There are more than a couple of projects in the forum. Lots of examples of mods to pursue. Don't forget the driving side of the equation... enormous opportunity for gains there as well ( for most people).

I've pretty much already built it like I want it. There's not tons of MPG potential for it without a lot of $$$ which would negate itself. She puts down a ton of power, and is the most powerful thing I've driven. Probably the fastest accelerating too, when I had 33" tires on it earlier this year I could do 30 MPG rolling burnouts, haha. Puts down a lot of torque.

Your right, the 3 speed auto puts a hurting on mileage. Pretty much effects 55+ MPH highway MPGs since it doesn't have overdrive. I'd like to have a 5 speed in it for fun and for overdrive, but they were kind of rare for 460s and are hard to find in any kind of shape.

Some folks running stationary/industrial engines into Rangers and other compact trucks have been getting mileage around 40MPG quite easily. Eventually, the only problem would be to register the vehicle legally after a Diesel conversion with a non-automotive engine, but you can also consider some Mercedes-Benz engine such as the OM601.

Yep, the driver is the biggest MPG factor, haha. I'm pretty good at driving efficiently. My F-350 pretty much gets under 11.5 no matter how I drive it, so I don't worry about that too much.

Some best trips in other vehicles:
28.7 MPG for a 102 mile trip in a 2003 Suburban 4x4, 5.3l, 3.73 gears (Highway at about 55-60 MPH)
23.6 MPG for a 98 mile trip in a 2008 F-250 4x4 6.4l Diesel, 4.10 gears (60-65 MPH highway)
44.1 MPG for a 121 mile trip in a 2013 Accord Sport 2.4l, manual 6-speed, (60-80 mph highway)

My original though was a 4BT, haha. That might add a little oomph to a Ranger!

The 4BT is one of my favorite engines, but it requires major suspension, running gear and brake upgrades in a Ranger.