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This past weekend I did some beach driving and fishing. I decided to see what type of mpg I was getting on the sand. So I reset the odometer, drove a little over 4 miles at maybe 15mph and got an average of around 7mpg. Does this sound about right? I didn't think it would be this low, but i'm guessing in 4x4 mode really eats up gas. No big deal, just curious if anyone else calculated their mpg while off roading.
I'm driving a 5.0 FX4, 4WD High and tires aired down to 15psi.
This past weekend I did some beach driving and fishing. I decided to see what type of mpg I was getting on the sand. So I reset the odometer, drove a little over 4 miles at maybe 15mph and got an average of around 7mpg. Does this sound about right? I didn't think it would be this low, but i'm guessing in 4x4 mode really eats up gas. No big deal, just curious if anyone else calculated their mpg while off roading. I'm driving a 5.0 FX4, 4WD High and tires aired down to 15psi.
1. Correct 4wd will eat up your gas mileage
2. Your speed puts you in 1st or second gear all the time, 3rd gear maybe. You are running a higher RPM and you only traveled 4 miles running an rpm likely close to what you would run on the highway
3. Sand is very parasitic to drive on you spend as much time slinging sand out from underneath your tires as you do propelling yourself forward.
4. Your tires were aired waaaayyy down. Helps for driving on sand but also increases the rolling resistance.
All these factors considered that sounds about right to me. People report similar things when mudding and other off-road terrains.
2. Your speed puts you in 1st or second gear all the time, 3rd gear maybe. You are running a higher RPM and you only traveled 4 miles running an rpm likely close to what you would run on the highway
3. Sand is very parasitic to drive on you spend as much time slinging sand out from underneath your tires as you do propelling yourself forward.
4. Your tires were aired waaaayyy down. Helps for driving on sand but also increases the rolling resistance.
All these factors considered that sounds about right to me. People report similar things when mudding and other off-road terrains.
thanks for that info. I have a better piece of mind now. haha
It isn't so much the 4wd as other issues (sand, slow speeds, wheel spin). I haven't done it in my F150, but in other 4wd trucks, I have driven several hundred miles at a time in 4-hi on snowy roads and while it decreases my mileage, it isn't that severe. More like 2-4 mpg.
10-13-2014, 05:38 PM
Off-Roading 4X4 mpg
