What is Answerbag?

Ask questions and share your knowledge with the world here on Answerbag. Get the best answers where there are no duplicate questions and questions are always open - our community of over 1,142,000 will find your answer!

Join For Free!
 

What Causes the Ford Ranger to Have Poor Gas Mileage?

Thursday, April 30, 2009
Related Tags: mileage | ford | fuel | gas | economy
 

Instructions

Trucks and 4X4's Have Poor Gas Mileage

  • Step 1:
    The Ford Ranger is a small-sized pickup truck that Ford Motor Company began to produce in 1983. While the Ranger is smaller than a full-sized truck, it carries certain characteristics of a truck that tend to inhibit fuel economy. For one, bed and tail gate of pickup trucks are optimized for storage and hauling loads at the cost of increased wind resistance, especially at higher speeds. Therefore, a Ford Ranger hard top is likely to get somewhat better gas mileage than a pickup. Also, cars with four-wheel drive have lower gas mileage than those with two-wheel drive. Since trucks are often used for their all-terrain and load-bearing ability, many prefer the 4X4 version of the Ranger. All but the earliest Rangers use V6 engines, which provide the additional power that trucks need to haul their heavier mass and loads at the cost of fuel economy.

Failure to Maintain a Vehicle can Harm Gas Mileage

  • Step 1:
    While the Ford Ranger will normally get poor gas mileage compared to a normal sedan, it should perform better than larger trucks produced around the same time, as long as it is maintained properly. The first thing to check is the air filter: a clogged air filter can drastically reduce fuel economy, and Rangers may tend to get things caught in the filter more than other vehicles. Old spark plugs and plug wires can also reduce fuel economy. As with any vehicle, keeping tires inflated to their maximum recommended level will improve gas mileage. Any modifications made to the exhaust system of the Ranger will likely reduce fuel economy, as will any leaks in the system. Taking a car into a mechanic for a tune-up can get pricey, but the cost can often be made up in increased performance.

Vehicle Size and Power Compromise Fuel Economy

  • Step 1:
    In general, as a vehicle model is updated over time, the size of the vehicle and power of the engine are increased to make it more attractive than previous models. More massive trucks with larger engines will use more fuel, so even though engines have become more efficient over time, the tendency to upgrade to bigger engines dampens any increases in efficiency. Still, the 2009 model of the Ford Ranger has been tested by the EPA to get 21 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the freeway, which is a considerable improvement over earlier models. As increasing focus is placed on gas prices, cars makers are likely to focus more on increasing fuel economy than power and performance.

Resources


Related Content
How to Improve Gas Mileage for Ford Ranger Trucks
Newer Ford Rangers get around 24 miles per gallon on the highway. While this number is relatively impressive--particularly for a truck and for any vehicle with such impressive performance--there is...
How to Get Better Gas Mileage on Ford 2.9 L
The Ford 2.9L engine is a V6 and evolved from the Ford Cologne cast iron engine that was originally made in Cologne, Germany. The 2.9L engine can be found on cars such as the Ford Ranger, the Ford...
How to Make a Ford Ranger Get Better Fuel Mileage
Fuel mileage for Ford Rangers varies greatly depending on the year and the model of Ford Ranger that you have. Newer Ford Rangers get as much as 24 miles per gallon on the highway, while fuel...
How Does Weight Affect Gas Mileage?
The average car weighs more than 2 tons, which is a lot of weight for your engine to be pulling around. With all that weight, you might think a few extra lbs. wouldn't make any difference in fuel...
What Ford Cars Can Use E85 Gas?
The Ford Motor Company has offered over the years a long line of cars, trucks and SUVs that are equipped with engines using flexible fuel. Flexible fuel, also called flex-fuel or E85, contains 85...