I have a 97 Ford F-250 HD with a 5.8L, 5 spd. I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions as to what would help me increase my fuel mileage.

 

Here are some tips for improving your gas mileage.

Driving Habits

Drive slower. In general, the faster you drive, the more fuel you use per mile. For example, driving at 65 miles per hour (mph), rather than 55 mph, may increases your vehicle's fuel consumption per mile by 20%. This is a result of air resistance, which increases as your speed increases, requiring more power output from your engine. However, engines and transmissions do not have linear efficiencies. Rather, they have complex power curves which can work against increases in air resistance over certain speed ranges. Most modern cars are designed for 65 mph, and will actually attain better fuel economy at 65 than at 55, but this is not a universal rule. When testing your vehicle's mileage against speed, measure your vehicle's fuel use over a week or longer. Below 45 mph, air resistance is not substantial, and this general rule doesn't apply. (It actually works to drive at about 55 because your vehicle probably just went into the next gear. When driving at higher speeds, keep the rpm low to use minimal power, increasing fuel economy.)

Drive at a consistent speed. Every time you slow down, your vehicle looses kinetic energy. Every time you accelerate, your vehicle uses extra fuel to gain kinetic energy. A [sporadic] cycle of speeding-up and slowing-down simply wastes fuel. To maintain a consistent speed, you should:

Use cruise control. Using cruise control on highway trips can help you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, reduce your fuel consumption. You should only use cruise control on nearly-level roads that are open and non-congested. Avoid using cruise control in mountainous or hilly terrain, in adverse weather, or in congested conditions.

Anticipate driving situations. If you anticipate traffic conditions and don't tailgate, you can avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration, and improve your fuel economy by 5 to 10 percent.

In city driving, nearly 50 percent of the energy needed to power your car goes to acceleration. Go easy on the gas pedal and brakes. Avoid "Jack-rabbit" starts and sudden stops, which are wasteful. There is no need to race up to stop light. By slowly breaking up to a red light, you may even avoid making a full stop. Rapidly accelerating to the next red light is also a waste.

On congested highways, try to travel at the average speed of the highway. Accelerate slowly and resist the urge to fill-in the gap between you and the vehicle in front of you. Estimate enough of a gap so that when the person in front of you stops again, they will have started again before you reach them. Not only does this allow you to travel at a consistent speed (thereby saving fuel), it also helps the jam to clear up faster for the people behind you.

Travel with the other traffic. Weaving in an out of lanes to avoid other motorists is a good indication that you are breaking and accelerating unnecessarily. It is also an indication that you are traveling with excessive speed. On a multi-lane highway, find the lane that is traveling nearest to your desired speed, and stick with it, but keep as far right as possible, others may want to pass you. On a two-lane highway keep right except to pass.

Avoid talking on your cell phone. Apart from the potential safety hazards, people on cell phones also tend to drive at erratic speeds. They tend to not pay attention to their foot or their speedometer. People on cell phones have even been pulled over under suspicion of D.W.I. due to their highly erratic speed and lane usage.

Use overdrive gears. Overdrive gears improve the fuel economy of your car during highway driving. Your car's engine speed decreases when you use overdrive. This reduces both fuel consumption and engine wear.

Avoid unnecessary idling. Turn off the engine if you anticipate a lengthy wait without moving (longer than 5 minutes, e.g. a freight train). No matter how efficient your car is, unnecessary idling wastes some fuel, costing you money.

Warning! Avoid frequently shutting down and restarting your engine (e.g. at a long light with a long queue). Engine starts drain a lot of energy from the battery. Frequently restarting your engine can drain your battery down and cause its premature replacement. Starts also cause additional wear on your engine.

Do more in a single car trip.

Car engines do not operate at peak efficiency until they have "warmed up". This usually takes about 5 minutes if the engine has been off for several hours. By performing multiple driving tasks consecutively, you can operate your vehicle at its optimum longer than if you had done the tasks individually.

Combine multiple errands into a single trip, and plan that trip so that you can accomplish your errands in the shortest distance with the most economical use of roadways. As an example of the economical use of roadways; it might be beneficial to go an extra mile or two out of your way to avoid a congested city street in favor of an expressway. Effective trip planning will often involve delaying an errand so that you can combine errands from several days into a single day. For example, do all of your shopping on Saturday. If you need something immediately, buy it along or near your normal commuting route, or obtain it close to home or work.

Remove excess weight from the trunk. Avoid carrying unneeded items, especially heavy ones. F=m*a. More weight (mass) means more force is needed to accelerate, which means more power is needed from your engine. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk reduces a typical car's fuel economy by one to two percent.

Maintenance

Perform vehicle maintenance according to the manufacturer's recommended time table. Some driving conditions are harder on your vehicle, and may necessitate the replacement of certain parts prematurely (e.g. air filters, engine oil, transmission oil, coolant).

Keep your engine tuned. Studies have shown that a poorly tuned engine can increase fuel consumption by as much as 10 to 20 percent depending on a car's condition. Follow the recommended maintenance schedule in your owner's manual; you'll save fuel and your car will run better and last longer. For purposes of fuel economy, your mechanic should periodically inspect your spark plugs to determine if your engine has been running properly. Proper tune-ups should include the replacement of the spark plug wires with the spark plugs.

Keep your tires properly inflated and aligned. Car manufacturers must place a label in the car stating the correct tire pressure. The label usually is on the edge of the door or door jamb, in the glove box, or on the inside of the gas cap cover. If the label lists a psi (pounds per square inch) range, inflate to the middle of the range. If you are carrying a heavy load, inflate your tires to the maximum. Under-inflated tires can cause fuel consumption to increase by up to six percent, as well as enhance tire wear. Over-inflating tires causes uneven wear leading to early replacement.

Change your oil. Clean oil reduces wear caused by friction between moving parts and removes harmful substances from the engine. Change your oil as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.

Some say synthetic oil improves gas milg.

Check and replace air filters regularly. Your car's air filters keep impurities in the air from damaging internal engine components. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter improve your fuel economy, it also will protect your engine. Clogged filters can cause up to a 10 percent increase in fuel consumption.
Use fuel additives to keep your fuel system and valves clean. Gasoline and diesel fuels [may] pick up contaminants during transport and storage, and naturally contain compounds that can varnish (clog) fuel system parts. Some premium gasolines contain additives to remove the varnish, but even with premium gasolines it is sometimes necessary to use an extra additive. Additives may also contain chemicals to help remove the carbon that builds up on the intake and exhaust valves during normal operation. These carbon deposits can act as heat sources for premature ignition, robbing your engine of power. Injector or carburetor cleaners remove the varnish, while valve cleaners will remove carbon build-up. Frequently, these are available as a combined product.


Use a low-cost injector cleaner, FUEL FIX accomplishes this as well as other benefits.

Put a K&N air filter on your car. They cost about $40 and have a million mile warranty. They need to be cleaned every 30,000 - 50,000 miles. The best part is that they really increase your performance and gas mileage.

Avoid using the air conditioner whenever possible. Try using just the cold air vent or, if you are driving below 50 mph, trying rolling down your car windows (if driving at faster freeway speeds the additional drag on the car that results from having a window open is equally detrimental to your purpose).

Make sure the spark plug gap is correct! Check to see if they are fouled, you may have to clean or replace. The gapper that looks like a wheel works the best.

A start from a complete stop will cost more gas, it happens mostly when you start over at a stoplight. Let's say, you got a red light, and you have choice to reach the stopping position and wait for the green light, or you can drag slowly for the chance to get the green light to come up. The latter will improve your gas miles if you are a city traveler.