Thunderslide

having gone to the school of sarcasam:

bed cover +1-2 MPG
flowmaster muffler +1-2
CAI +1-2
programmer+1-2

I have used the search function and there is a ton of spectulative information that I couldn't wade through.

A person should see 4-8 MPG increase. Having said that I want a bed cover to hide ****z and keep the snow out and hopefully get a little better mileage. I would like a better sound without getting all wake the neighbors. occasionally I have to leave at 0400 for work. (besides the harley makes great plenty noise.) I would like a little better mileage, and thinking about a edge evelouution (mostly because of monitoring capabilities and to get a little better mileage.) I know I bought a truck, I know what the mileage expectaion was/is for the truck. What could one expect to see in gains with the bed cover (roll up) muffler and programmer. could one see 3 MPG? Oh a side note thinking about going a little bigger with tires next time I need some. I have the 255/70/17 with the 3.37 tail gears.

Mod (Ret.)

The jury is still out as to a bed cover providing better fuel mileage. MYTHBUSTERS did an episode awhile back on just this; they ran a truck with the same weight, at the same distance, and at the same speed without a bed cover, with a bed cover, without a bed cover and tailgate down, without a bed cover and a fishnet style tailgate. Their conclusions were that the only increase in mileage was with a fishnet tailgate installed, and it was a miniscual increase. The bedcover installed matched mileage of without it installed. Use it for security, but do not expect a mileage increase.

ATOM

yea the tonneau cover thing is a myth, well not really a myth, you'd need to drive 500 miles one way to save a quart of gas. as for the tuner and CAI, it all depends on the setup as well as the motor. as for exhaust on these newer trucks squeaks most of the HP possible, the catch with these is usually the increases they claim is way way outta the normal rpm range, i doubt many guys are towing with the rpm at 3500 rpms, hell i cruise on the interstate at 70 and i hit 1800 rpms. 4-8 mpgs, LOL, that is just not possible.

if you gain a solid 2 mpgs with a tuner, CAI, exhaust--consider yourself lucky. the hunt for better mpgs is just smart driving and some vehicles just get bad mileage. what's gonna kill your truck is the 3.37 gearing, regear with bigger tires and get the motor back into range and you'd be further ahead, than spend 1000-1500 bucks on aftermarket stuff IMO, if anything get a tuner 1st.

Thunderslide

OOPS I miss typed that I have the towing package with the 3.73 gears (stock) I roll about 72MPH@2000 Indicated GPS says about 70.5 I would like to go to a LT265/70/17? Something a little bigger without having to regear. Are you saying you don't believe the "up to 10% increase in fuel mileage claims" I am hopeful for not losing any with adding a cover. I figured Ford has done everything the EPA would allow to get all the mileage they can WITHOUT comprimising power. for what I use a truck for It seems to have plenty of power. I really think it is what it is. has anybody calculated the miles you would have to drive to "pay" for a programmer?

ATOM

it's alot, my truck came with the gay p255/70/17 americraps and i had lt265/70/17 put on it at the dealer, the first 2500 miles i was knocking down 17 or so on the highway with 3.55's stock, i get the same with 35's and my tuner, but the main reason is due to low rpm on the highway. the claims they make aren't lies, it can really make the power, just not where you want/need it. my truck might see 4k rpm passing a long line of cars, am i gonna feel that 10 hp that claim, probably not. for example lets say that you gain 2 mpg with an edge tuner. you paid $350 bucks for it new. now you go 60 more miles to the tank, so if you got 15 mpgs on a normal basis. so you saved 4 gallons of gas, x 2.59 is what i paid last, $10.36 total savings, 350/10.36= almost 34 tanks of gas later, 77.70 bucks a tank, 30 gallon tank. so 34 tanks of field, 15mpgs x 30 gallons= 450 miles to the tank x 34= 15,300 miles it paid for itself. now that is a constant 2 mpg increase, that isn't gonna happen. so if you don't drive your truck alot, like me, that would take over 2yrs to pay for itself. if i did the math right anyways, lol

Thunderslide

well I did the math the same way but it was 32,000 @ 1 MPG increase. but better performance and better running truck may be worth the price of admission.

Mod (Ret.)

Then you have your answer.

Atom's logic is why I never bought a tuner....the $$$ did not pan out to fuel savings for my driving. My truck already gets 17 to 21 mpg (I have the 4.2 V6), and a tuner was not going to pay fo itself for at least a couple of years. And I also realize a 4.2 is not going to get any "seat of the pants" performance out of a tuner.

I installed a bed cover last year when I hauled some boxes from Dallas to Orlando; wanted them to stay dry in case of rain. Once back in Dallas, I removed the cover. It made it a pain in my backside to remove the cover and rails whenever I wanted to haul something bigger. Plus, I did not see any improvement in mileage show up on my SCANGUAGE II with the bed cover on. The SCANGUAGE II was a good purchase; I use it to monitor my transmission temps, plus it gives me instant MPG, GPH, and other good trip information. Since I also don't have that data on my information center in the cluster (I have the STX package), this device has educated me on improving my driving habits. That's where you'll see MPG improvemets, as folks that install CAI, exhaust kits, and the like usually see lower MPG because they can't keep their foot out of the gas pedal due to some new found HP or sound!

IMO, I'd spend the cost of a bed cover on something else.

ATOM

well i bought my edge for $200, so that ability to adjust my speedometer, have better shifts, digital readouts, ability to clear CEL's--made it worth it to me, but if you have a stock truck and buy a tuner to save mileage, you better plan on keeping the truck for quite a while to make it worth it.

Thunderslide

Bucko,

I don't want the bed cover for the mileage I want it for the looks and storage capacity. I want it for out of sight out of mind type of security. I was hopeful for a little gain in mileage. I was/am not expecting to see significant gains in mileage but would not be dissappointed if I saw a MPG. I have gone back and forth on the tuner thing VS a scangauge II I like the pod and the readout, I also noticed that EDGE sells insight , which (I think) does the same things the scangauge does only IMO with a better looking unit. (I need to further research the products.) additionally I have been reading conflicting information about the edge. Some say 4 levels, most show 3, Troyer web site

"Edge's latest programmer for the 2004 & up F-150 features three "canned" performance tunes you can choose from - the first is a transmission change ONLY type of program that is compatible with 87 octane fuel, the second is a towing-compatible program that can still be used with 87 octane fuel, and then last, a performance program that requires the use of premium fuels (91 octane or higher). Note: While Edge claims this tune can be used with lower octane levels, you do run the risk of detonation when doing so, thus we advise following the design recommendations and use program 3, the performance tune, only with premium fuels of at least 91 octane.

So that is a little confusing to me too. I Probably am reading too much into this but I can't afford to make mistakes in purchasing things. So I am doing due dilligance in making a decision. I really do appreciate the all the information.

Atom,

When you changed the tire size with the edge did that correct the truck spedo or just the edge spedo?

Mod (Ret.)

I salute you for doing the research!

Finally, someone comes forth with good information and research pertaining to the purchase of a tuner and/or bed cover (or any purchase for that matter). Refreshing to say the least.

I went with a SCANGUAGE II for a couple of reasons: I did not have a need to increase performance from a 4.2 V6 (can't get much more out of it), I did want to be able to read and clear diag codes (SCANGUAGE can do), and I wanted to be able to get additional information such as temp readings from the tranny. Plus, I have an aftermarket radio; it uses a single DIN, and the second part of the Ford's stock double DIN radio hole was filled with a shelf. The SCANGUAGE II fit absolutely perfect in that second DIN shelf!!! Nice clean install, and ran the cable inside the dash to the OBD II connector.

Like you, I did not buy a bed cover for MPG reasons, as I knew that just was not going to happen. I bought it to protect some cargo I was hauling from Texas to Florida, in case of rain. If Money were no object to me, I'd buy a hard type cover, and paint it the color of my truck. But I do not have that kind of spare cash. Plus, I do haul larger stuff, and removing a hard style cover would be difficult.

Thanks for posting the information on your research so far. That's good stuff for future searches, provided folks take the time to use the tool, which they don't. I'll bet we see another "who makes the best tuner" post by months end.