hey guys...first post here so wanted to get y’all a opinion. So for the first time in about 6 years I’m back to a gas motor. I’ve owned powerstokes for about 6 years and recently sold the camper and the f250 and got a 2013 F-150 Patinum...It’s got the 5.0 with 73k miles, a 4inch suspension lift on 35 inch Toyo Open County MT with 20inch Moto Metal wheels. Stock air filter and no tuning.

Since i I got the truck I noticed the MPG was pretty bad, I knew it wouldn’t be like a diesel but I figured it would be in the 14 or 15 range but I’m seeing far worse than that. Currently I’m averaging 11.2 - 12 mpg around town and about 14 hwy under 70 mph. I’m also seeing far less power than I thought I would see. I’m baring spinning tires in the rain...just no real @$$ behind it

i have no idea what gears the truck has, not sure how to find that out honestly but I know my speedometer is 5 mph off on the slow side. When it says I’m doing 65 I’m really doing 70.

Juat curious if this sounds normal or not.

Thanks in advance

 

 

You are driving a lifted F150, untuned, on 35" MTs and complaining about mileage and power? Seriously?

You're getting exactly the mileage you should be getting. I don't know what gears you have, but my tuned F150, leveled, on 295/60r20 Toyo MT w/ Fuel wheels just got 13.7mpg 95% highway on a trip I just got back from. 3.55 gears.

Want better mileage? Regear and/or tune the truck. Or return to stock. You're driving a truck with over 400 Ft/lbs less torque than your old one, and one that now has to push 83lbs tires, plus maybe 40-50 lbs of wheel. Add in rotational mass and it's a lot for the truck, of course it isn't going to haul *** or get good mileage.

Regardless, badass truck. My truck will still light up the tires no problem. Tune it, see if you're happy, if not regear it. Either way, the truck looks good and is worth the poor mileage.

 

Yes, everything you've stated seems absolutely normal. Your truck has been modified to look awesome; however, awesomeness has come at a price of poor performance.

Not to be rude but here's my guess at why your MPG's suck:

1. Your speedometer isn't calibrated correctly and is reading slow. Stock tires are 32's, you're on 35's. That's roughly 9.4% taller which throws your speedometer, odometer, transmission shift points, cruising RPM's and MPG estimates off. So, instead of 18 MPG, your truck will calculate it at about 16.3.

2. The 4 inch lift has made your truck much more resistant to wind. It takes more power (created by fuel) to move the same truck down the road.

3. I would be willing to bet that your gearing has not been changed to adjust for the taller, heavier tires and you're feeling it (or not feeling it) in the seat of your pants. The taller tires take a lot more torque (power (again, created by fuel)) to spin. Where your truck may have 3.55 gears for stock 32's, the 35's make the truck feel more like it's got 3.22 gearing. Corrective gearing (this would correct the #1 as well) would be calculated to 3.88 gears if your truck has 3.55.

If your truck has 3.31 gearing, you will likely see an amplified effect of all this because your truck naturally is geared less adequately for 35's.

You can find the gear ratios in your differentials in your door jamb sticker:



Then reference the code here:


In the end, if you want better MPG, spend the $$$$ to make it function as good as it looks.

 

I totally understand your point....Thank you for all that. What tuner would you recommend and what gears would you say would be best with my set up?

 

From a power standpoint, a tuner will help but you can't overcome the mathematical facts of tall tires without re-gearing. It's expensive up front, but the first time you drive it youll be all smiles. I'd go with 4.10's no question. As to the fuel economy, re-gearing might help a little but the poor economy is largely a product of spinning all that weight. I recently put 33.8" x 11.5" Toyo AT2 on my 13 and immediately lost about 2 mpg.

 

I agree with what the other guy said, 4.10s. It should help with mileage too. I have a SCT livewire tuner but the SCT X4 does mostly the same stuff and is a little cheaper, just nice to use it to show gauges. Still not necessary. As for tunes, I have both 5* and MPT custom tunes. I currently run MPT PR-X tunes and love it. Five star is nice too, but I gotta say overall I like the MPT a little bit better!

 

What are you seeing on the MPG side With the livewire?

 

 

I've never known a tune that was very helpful regarding gas mileage. It's not the reason you buy one.