virtual build up- maximum MPG Ranger

[john112deere]

So I saw a truck a lot like mine for sale yesterday, and it got me thinking. Don't have the cash to actually do it right now, but we can talk about it:

Building a Ranger for maximum MPG, without sacrificing it's usefulness as a dependable commuter/lightweight hauler, or spending much money on mods.

I'd start with a '97 single-cab, 2.3 Lima, 5-speed. 2wd, of course. Not sure if the flareside (fiberglass fenders) or styleside (steel fenders) is lighter, but that's the one I'd go with.

3.73 gears (put the powerband in a useful spot), hard fiberglass tonneau, stock-size all-season tires on aluminum rims. Power steering delete, good tune-up, all synthetic fluids (engine, transmission, rear end).

Comments?

 

[Skandocious]

Isnt that almost exactly what you have now, minus the gears and the power steering delete?

 

[LEB Paul]

what's our budget?

 

[john112deere]

Isnt that almost exactly what you have now, minus the gears and the power steering delete?

Pretty close.

Biggest difference from an MPG standpoint would be the topper to a hard tonneau. This topper costs me about 3 mpg over having nothing...back when I had a soft tonneau, I could see upper 20s without much trouble. From experience, I know that the 2.5 Lima is less efficient than the 2.3...I don't have much knowledge or experience with the new DOHC 2.3; I know they're supposed to make more power, but I'm not sure if they burn much less gas. Enough newer to cost more, for sure...but if anybody knows the difference between the two from a mileage standpoint, I'd be curious to know.

Budget would be...maybe $3-4,000, including buying the truck. But I was basically thinking "budget build" done in stages.

 

[tomtoc]

Can someone not on a phone google something about an older little yota truck that with a few body mods/pieces of cardboard go like 80+ mpg

 

[LEB Paul]

4bt and zf-5 speed!

 

[Skandocious]

Can someone not on a phone google something about an older little yota truck that with a few body mods/pieces of cardboard go like 80+ mpg

I just tried Tom-- couldn't find what you're talking about.

 

[Skandocious]

Can someone not on a phone google something about an older little yota truck that with a few body mods/pieces of cardboard go like 80+ mpg

Found it Tom:

http://tinyurl.com/bej9sr

I think you confused the 80+ mpg with another related article. Looks like he boosted from 25mpg to 32mpg just by utilizing aerodynamics.

 

[racsan]

what about rebuilding a 2.3 ranger diesel? that should add to the mpg, i dont know if it would bolt to the M5OD though. ive wanted to build a diesel BII and put a M5OD and 4.10's in it, or use the turbo 2.3 from a thunderbird. hard to find BII's in my area that arent complete rust-buckets though. i had a '88 supercab 2wd with the 2.3 , 5-speed & 3.73's would get 23 city, 29 highway (at very best, when it got hilly, you started going down in the gears and up in the rpm's, kinda killing milage. i flat-towed a dead chevy astro van 10 miles with it before, motor spiked real bad until you got above 1,500 rpm when you would start out, but it did do the job. had 205/75-14 ties on it, here's a old picture, was took in about 1992.

 

[big5oh]

3.73 gears (put the powerband in a useful spot), hard fiberglass tonneau, stock-size all-season tires on aluminum rims. Power steering delete, good tune-up, all synthetic fluids (engine, transmission, rear end).

Comments?

............e-fan, AC delete, aluminum radiator, MSD, insulated long tube header with a well tuned full exhaust system with high velocity and no back pressure, fully insulated true cold air intake, aluminum driveshaft, undredrive the pullies as much as possible, fiberglass hood...............

 

[89frankenford]

if you REALLY wanted to go all out, carbon fiber hood, fenders, tailgate, aluminum wheels(or something lighter), engine upgrade of course to make it breathe better and run more efficiently, i wonder if a cap or a cover would get better mileage. body kit(aerodynamics so the air has somewhere to go besides under the vehicle) also lower the truck an inch or so so its tucked a bit more to the ground.

 

[john112deere]

... AC delete ... MSD

A/C delete? Mine's got a factory original A/C delete. Kinda forgot about that.

I'd like to learn some more, though, about the MSD- what sort of gains would you expect to see from something like that on a vehicle that's already equipped with EDIS? I'm sure the factory setup isn't perfect, but I'd be surprised if Ford left a whole lot on the table as far as ignition- dual-plug head kinda seems like a last-ditch effort to me. But I'm not that knowledgeable about engine theory, either.

 

[big5oh]

A/C delete? Mine's got a factory original A/C delete. Kinda forgot about that.

I'd like to learn some more, though, about the MSD- what sort of gains would you expect to see from something like that on a vehicle that's already equipped with EDIS? I'm sure the factory setup isn't perfect, but I'd be surprised if Ford left a whole lot on the table as far as ignition- dual-plug head kinda seems like a last-ditch effort to me. But I'm not that knowledgeable about engine theory, either.

Multiple spark ingnition = more complete combustion

So, per a given amount of AF mixture there will be less that goes to waste and more that gets used up in combustion to generate HP. Less wasted fuel and more HP means better economy. This is the idea behind using MSD for economy, wether or not the difference is enough to warrent the cost depends on who you talk to.