Parts, mods, hacks for MPG boost?

[Fabster]

Just got a 2024 Black Diamond 2.3L and am wondering what simple performance hacks can be done to boost MPG and get a little mor HP
Do plug and play chips work?
Is the ford calibration pack worth the money?
Planning on a K&N filter swap at a minimum, does the cold air Roush or K&N system make a big difference?

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[Brian_B]

Tuners can help - if you can keep your driving habits in check. It’s hard not to abuse the boost in hp with the tuners. Higher octane fuel helps as well - but not enough to offset the additional cost

Air intakes haven’t seem to have done too much. Neither for exhaust

Really the best things you can do are
1) trade it in for a hybrid sedan or Prius
Or
2) run the smallest tires, overinflated, no lift, and highest gear ratio

Basically the opposite of anything you would do to take it off road

 

[contented]

Just got a 2024 Black Diamond 2.3L and am wondering what simple performance hacks can be done to boost MPG and get a little mor HP
Do plug and play chips work?
Is the ford calibration pack worth the money?
Planning on a K&N filter swap at a minimum, does the cold air Roush or K&N system make a big difference?

Welcome to the forum. Lots of knowledgeable folks here.

About the only advice I can give you for better mpg is stay with the stock lightweight tires, use cruise control as much as possible and go easy on the skinny pedal. A lot of guys add one of the various tuning products out there. I read they get a little better mileage, but not enough to offset the cost of premium gas. Note that the onboard mpg calculator notoriously over estimates mpg. I recently replaced my stock Goodyear territory tires with BFG KO2’s, a heavier tire, and lost nearly 1 mpg.

Re: air filter swaps, many do it, but I don’t see many describing a noticeable mpg increase.

Re: Ford “calibration pack”, many report improved engine performance and auto transmission operation. But it requires premium gas.

What’s the old saying about having your cake and eating it too? I’m certain others will chime in.

 

[brkdncr]

Leave the spare tire at home.

 

[Fabster]

Yeah I figured the trade offs weren’t worth it. The extra HP isn’t a must for me so I’ll stick with the K&N drop in air filter for now. Appreciate the input. I have my Tank and eat it on gas cost too lol

 

[Brian_B]

The basic Ford Performance tune actually does extremely well on the 2.3, but it does require premium fuel full time. It won’t save you money but it does make that 7MT way more fun to drive and brings that little four banger almost equal to the dual turbo V6

Some people get a very small MPG bump in Eco mode (mostly in city traffic), others report a small bump in Sport mode - and I’ve seen more with Sport than Eco if you can believe that. Also 6th gear may or may not save you on gas - depending on your tire size and gear ratio.

Most people kill their mileage with lifts, bigger tires, and lots of weight in armor and winches and bumpers though.

 

[GroovyGeek]

A few surefire ways to get an MPG boost

1. Run it only downhill
2. Put smallest possible passenger tires on it
3. Never do 0-60 in less than 60 seconds
4. Don't take it offroad

4x4s are synonymous with shitty mileage regardless of the brand. In order to increase visibility out of the cabin the 4x4s have poor aerodynamics by design, and often mpg drops when you exceed 60 mpg. When you look at the F-150 2.7 mpg you see numbers like 20 city and 25 highway. My 2.7L BD does around 18.5 city and 19.5 highway, 14-ish mpg on trail, on 33" tires without any heavy addons, roof racks, or other mpg killing mods. A 2" lift did not change my mpg one way or another.

 

[Fabster]

Yeah not planning on a lift and the stock AT tires are fine for my needs. Mostly light to medium off-roading for camping adventures and performance in the snow. Wife had the sport, but now she’s having a baby so we upgraded to the tank and I think I’m giving her my Silverado and steeling the Bronco lol. Performance ford tune may be necessary for that power boost to have more fun.

 

[BigBend530]

I would ask myself if I've driven it enough to get a good understanding of the mpg I get with normal driving, including when using different grades of gas.

My window sticker said 17 city / 17 hwy. I rarely see 17 mpg in city or hwy. I average 18 to 19 mpg around town with 87, 90, 91 octanes. On a trip from Northern California to Moab, two days of trail (and Arches NP and Canyonlands NP), and back to Northern California I averaged 21mpg over the entire trip using premium gas. Tried ECO mode but pretty sure it was getting better in Normal. Also got better w/o cruise control. Stock 2 dr. Big Bend Squatch 2.7L with RCI sliders and added factory skid plates.

Having a twin turbo v6, nearly 35's, and 4.7+ gearing I'm happy with the mpg.

 

[Silver-Bolt]

Only drive it downhill. Switch to 135 width tires. It's a tall 5000+ LB rig with the aerodynamics of a brick. If it were easy to squeeze more MPG's, the factory would have done it to improve their CAFE numbers. Not really any low hanging fruit. Save your money on the K&N drop in. Zero gains and they do not filter as well.

 

[Kevin Scarbel]

Just got a 2024 Black Diamond 2.3L and am wondering what simple performance hacks can be done to boost MPG and get a little mor HP
Do plug and play chips work?
Is the ford calibration pack worth the money?
Planning on a K&N filter swap at a minimum, does the cold air Roush or K&N system make a big difference?

The single most effective mod resulting in optimized fuel efficiency relates to how your right foot actuates the vertical pedal on the right.

 

[lat2801]

This is my 24 2.7. Keep in mind, I’ve done 2 800 mile round trip drives so the miles per day are skewed

 

[bravely]

Just got a 2024 Black Diamond 2.3L and am wondering what simple performance hacks can be done to boost MPG and get a little mor HP
Do plug and play chips work?
Is the ford calibration pack worth the money?
Planning on a K&N filter swap at a minimum, does the cold air Roush or K&N system make a big difference?

Do a lot of research before changing the intakes. I seriously doubt any change from factory would be beneficial and could cause damage. things that effect mpg: extra weight (IE tool boxes & added accessories), tire pressure, tire type, fuel octane, quality of fuel, ambient temperature, elevation, type of terrain, type of road, gas pedal pressure (easy or hard), speeds, braking habits

 

[bravely]

Do a lot of research before changing the intakes. I seriously doubt any change from factory would be beneficial and could cause damage. things that effect mpg: extra weight (IE tool boxes & added accessories), tire pressure, tire type, fuel octane, quality of fuel, ambient temperature, elevation, type of terrain, type of road, gas pedal pressure (easy or hard), speeds, braking habits

HP & torque are plenty adequate (2.7 is better). You can spend a lot of money for little gain, usually not noticeable for the average driver.

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