I have a 97 Expedition with the 5.4 engine. I spend $300 a month on gas. I am looking for some ways to save money on gas. I cannot afford to spend the money on a stage 1 kit so I need to prioritize and start with what will save me the most money. This is the order that it looks like to me.

1: Magnaflow cat back system
2: Airforce One intake system
3: Superchip

I have seen dyno tests showing that the Magnaflow produces the most horsepower gain compared to other systems. I assume that this will equate to saving money on gas.

I have seen dyno tests showing the most horsepower gain for the K&N intake system. It sounds like the Airforce One system might be better but I have not seen any dyno tests confirming it. Has anyone else seen one?

Why did I put the Superchip last? Because I am not going to switch to super gas and it looks like the gain with 87 gas will be minor. I would love to see a dyno test with the Superchip and 87 gas, has anyone seen one?

Thanks for your input.

 

I was having the same issue with my truck. I have kept fuel records since it was new. Before my mods I was getting about 11.5-12 MPG. The first mod I did was the exhaust and it went to about 14...then I did the chip and it went to about 15 (and might get a little better as soon as I get done with the newness of the chip!)...anyway I plan on doing Mike's fan kit next and hopefully that will help a bit more. I'm waiting on the AF one till last....

Hope this helps...

 

Since installing the chip what gas are you running 87 or 91?

 

Hi Cool,

You'll probably see a small gain in fuel mileage from a cat-back exhaust system, but it's rarely going to be any 2 mpg, at least in our experience - you'll be lucky to see anything more than about a 0.5 mpg gain - a half a mile per gallon is what we've seen from testing exhausts & intakes.

We too have seen posts from time to time with some people who felt they got 2+ mpg gains from an intake kit or a cat-back exhaust - maybe *they* did, but we never have among the many times we've tested those same parts for fuel mileage results. We've never seen a 2 mpg gain from an intake or an exhaust system - in fact, with many exhaust systems, the mpg actually *drops* in these trucks, due to lower velocity of the exhaust gases and a corresponding reduction in the scavenging effect which results in a loss of torque, especially below 3000 rpm on part-throttle. The only exhaust systems we've seen solid repeatable mpg gains with in these heavy trucks & SUV's were Borla and Magnaflow, with Magnaflow getting the better result and not droning inside the cabin on the V8's like the Borla can.

Same thing goes for an intake kit - we've never seen a 2 mpg gain from any intake kit on any 1997-2003 Ford F-150, Expedition, etc., though we have seen some people here post that they did get that kind of result - we haven't, not from any intake kit. Again, we figure about 0.5 mpg on average - a half a mile per gallon, that's about what we see with just about any good intake kit.

So I'd say the net end result from the combination of both intake kit & cat-back exhaust is more like 1.0 mpg - which is certainly worthwhile as a secondary benefit to their actual design purpose, which is to raise power - but I don't know if that is enough to make anyone buy those parts *strictly* for gas mileage, as any real ROI (return on investment) would take a very long time.

K&N's FIPK kit does not make "the most power" - it's a good kit (for a cheap plastic intake), and does make nice power gains, to be sure - but it doesn't make quite the power the AF1 does, nor does it's appearance or the quality of the raw materials even begin to compare to AF1 - and they're about the same price, so it's no contest, the AF1 wins hands down. For example, on a 5.4 F-150, AF1 gains just under 18 HP as compared to a 15 HP gain for either a K&N FIPK or the Airaid kit. So the K&N and the Airaid (and others) certainly work, and provide nice power gains, to be sure - but as to "the best," that's AF1.

I would not get too hung up on dyno charts - they can mean very little. Many people who want to see them really don't know what they're looking at, as they don't know anything about the test conditions, the vehicle's configuration, the type & brand of chassis dyno used or the test methodology, etc. - they just see a dyno plot & automatically think it must be correct and factual, when the reality is many times far from that - dynos aren't some mythically accurate machines, they vary widely, as do the operators & methods, etc. Heck, most of them don't even start until well over 3000 rpm. I can make a chassis dyno say anything I want it to, as can many others. And, with each successive dyno pull, you'll make less and less power (even with no changes whatsoever) as more and more heat is in the powertrain. So there's a lot more to it than just the raw dyno plot. We do our own testing, and overall, "dyno testing" ranks relatively low on the rung with us - what matters far more are the actual results in the vehicle's *performance*. In these heavy vehicles, the actual load on the road is significantly higher than it is on the dyno, and this skews everything - timing, A/F ratios, etc., are all variable based on *load* and numerous other factors. So for us, it's the actual vehicle *performance* that counts, not a dyno chart - a dyno is not much more than a tuning platform to us.

If you want to save gas, then do mods that have more potential for saving gas - convert to electric fans and install a set of underdrive pulleys. That'll really knock down a significant percentage of the parasitic losses, & you'll pick up upwards of 30 HP to the rear wheels, and anywhere from 1 to 3+ mpg overall.

Trying to increase mileage by chips, intakes & exhausts is not going to be nearly as cost-effective - though it'll be great for the performance of the vehicle!

If you want to increase the *performance* of your vehicle, fine, do the Top 3 best bang for the buck mods in whatever order your budget & desires dictate - the Superchip, the AF1 intake & the Magnaflow exhaust is the order of bang for the buck in that regard. But if you're looking for fuel mileage instead of performance, do the electric fans & underdrive pulleys is what I would suggest, as that will be far more productive in terms of improving fuel mileage and will still improve performance nicely, too.

I hope that info helps a bit & best of luck whatever you decide!

 

Think about trading it in for something more mild? That'd be the best way to save on gas. Like Mike's post infers, there isn't some super gas-saving mod, or else everyone would be doing it.

I don't know how you drive, but I drive fairly midly, and averaged about 15 with my truck stock, down to about 13+ now. I think the best way to save on gas with what you have is not to put too much foot into it off the line.

Mike

 

Hey guys, new poster here. Where do I find more info about the electric fans and underdrive pulleys for my 2001 F250SD?

Any help appreciated.

brash

 

Use the search engine on this site. It'll give you hours of reading and info on all the mods. Or, you can call Mike at Troyer performance for even more info. He'll talk your ear off, though....Be forwarned, hide your credit card before talkin' to him....He's good!!

 

Try increasing the tire pressure to whatever the max is on the sidewall, keep the tach under 2000 whenever possible, and use cruise control whenever possible......I'm getting 16.3 mpg right now

 

driving style and speed will have MUCH more effect than any mods. accelerate moderately, coast up to red lights, maintain a reason speed, drive to maintain your momentum. starts and stops are killers when there is a 5,000 pound vehicle.

 

Hi Brash Boy,

Welcome to F-150 Online!

Yes, we carry those parts, and you can take a look at our web saite, over at www.TroyerPerformance.com - click on "Shop" once the home page loads, & you'll see all the individual sections, Intake, Exhaust, Fans, Pulleys, etc.

As 69ShelbyGT-350 mentioned (good to see him again!), you might want to give us a call so we can go over this with you in proper detail - our info is listed just below for your convenience.

Best of luck with your truck, & we hope you'll hang out here with us in your spare time!

 

Hi, I am new to this site and was reading up on the Superchips and potential gas saving caught my eye. I have a question about the recommendations made regarding the conversion to electric fans and underdrive pulleys. (Forgive my ignorance here, I am new to this and have never heard of underdrive pulleys before).

It was mentioned that the underdrive pulleys and elec fans could increase gas mileage by 1-3 mpg and increase the hp to the rear wheels by 30HP.

Is this modification something that can be done in addition to the Stage 1 (Superchip, intake and cat-bak)? Or are they mutually exclusive?

Also, it seems like that would be a no brainer, increased mileage and a significant increase to HP, is there a draw back to the underdrive pulleys and elec fan?

Thanks in advance for any information you guys can provide.

 

Hi mhilmen,

Yes, you *can* do those mods in addition to our Stage 1 package, no problem!

In fact, if you'll take a look on our web site at www.TroyerPerformance.com, you can read all about this in great detail. Click on "Shop" once the home page loads, and then take a look on our Fans & Pulleys sections - there you'll find all the info 0- it sounds like you have maybe already read up on our eletric fan kit, you can also find detailed info on the underdrive pulleys specifically, too.

Briefly, yes, you can get those kinds of power gains, and there is no real "downside" - unless you are running thousands of watts of stereo amps, or are running say, 35" or taller tires *and* you have to parallel park frequently. Those are basically the only times we do not recommend doing the underdrive pulleys - the electric fans we almost always recommend.

This is a win-win situation - as you said, those kinds of results make it a "no-brainer," and they are among our most popular modifications because of that fact. You also do not need any programming/tuning changes from either of those mods, as they simply reduce parasitic losses.

Please feel free to give us a call if you would like to go over any of this in more detail, we'll be happy to help.

Best of luck with your truck,