Wondering About Cutting Weight From My 60 To Improve Mpg

[HntWhtTail]

Do You Think It Would Make A Difference In Mpg If I Could Shave 500 Lbs Or More From The 60. I Do Not Know How I Would Accomplish This Just Pondering The Idea, Maybe Fiberglass Replacements Hood, Roof, Take Out The Interior Something Like That. Has Anyone Tried Maybe Somebody Who Chopped Thier 60 Could Chime In
Thanks In Advance

 

[lowtideride]

removing weight might help but i think there is money better spent in better places...


I am running a built truck and get 13mpg in town and close to 16 on the highway...

I would shoot for keeping it in tune the best you can... I just got back from a 1400 mile offroad trip and got 15-16 mpg on the highway...

thats after a tune up and par-de-smog...cap,rotor,plugs,wires,vac lines,WP,Alt, smog idler, air,fuel filters, valve adj... Now keep in mind my truck is on 37s and geared... if your truck is much smaller and does not carrie a winch,bumpers, 5 37's around at all times Im sure you would get 17mpg on the high way easy...


or maybe I just have dented my rig enough that is skinnier and has less wind resistance..

 

[HntWhtTail]

I am sitting about 2" higher than stock with the AAL's the 33 give me l little more runs good last tune up 1500 miles ago. I do have an exhaust leak and I am averaging about 13 to 13.5 if I am offroading hard, 9.0 and super easy 55mph on highway only 15mpg. The stock gears are tough with all the mountains I driver over to get where I am going. I am parts broke at the moment but think 4.11s and the 4sp would be just perfect.

 

[Heartworm]

correction factor?

Are you correcting for the oversized tires? If you are not, then I would think that you are actually getting about 15+mpg.

 

[Toadhopper]

You can shed 200lbs switching the a SBC!

 

[Mace]

You can shed 200lbs switching the a SBC!

And typically do nothing for mileage...


60's have the aerodynamics of a brick..

A Diesel and driving 55 will be the best idea to improve mileage..

 

[HntWhtTail]

Are you correcting for the oversized tires? If you are not, then I would think that you are actually getting about 15+mpg.

unfourtnatly I am , I multiply the miles x 1.15 to compinsate for tires, then divide by gals used to fill up.. maybe this is wrong but i am prety sure it is correct.

 

[jb welda]

Originally Posted by Toadhopper
You can shed 200lbs switching the a SBC!
>And typically do nothing for mileage...

thats not my experience though the 200 lbs i lost with the 350 transplant was eaten up by the 200 lbs i gained with the arb bull bar and winch...

but my mileage improved from getting 12 on a (very) good day highway to an easy and consistent 14 now on the highway and more if i use a lot of 5th gear (oh yeah forgot to mention the 5 speed).

and thats with 31 inch tires (course my I6 comparison was with same tires)

and not to mention the 100 extra hp (in lowest output form).

youre right about the aerodynamics of a brick...one of my favorite sayings.

one love
jah bill

 

[Live to Ski]

For milage gain, airdrag is the #1 culprit.

Second might be tire size/weght since a huge amount of energy is used to get the tires spinning.

I don't think freeing up 500# will do a thing. I also have a 97 astro van. It doesn't matter if that B*%#h is loaded to the gills or not, the highway milage stays the same. The trick there is that the profile doesn't change and so the air drag is relatively contant.

 

[Mace]

Originally Posted by Toadhopper
You can shed 200lbs switching the a SBC!
>And typically do nothing for mileage...

thats not my experience though the 200 lbs i lost with the 350 transplant was eaten up by the 200 lbs i gained with the arb bull bar and winch...

but my mileage improved from getting 12 on a (very) good day highway to an easy and consistent 14 now on the highway and more if i use a lot of 5th gear (oh yeah forgot to mention the 5 speed).

and thats with 31 inch tires (course my I6 comparison was with same tires)

and not to mention the 100 extra hp (in lowest output form).

youre right about the aerodynamics of a brick...one of my favorite sayings.

one love
jah bill

So you took a poor tune 2F and 4 speed and swapped a in tune V8 with an overdrive and you experienced a gain in mileage???

HOLY s***!!!!!

 

[pvidrummer]

If you want fuel economy, get a honda fit!

 

[HntWhtTail]

Fuel economy is not really my concerne, just trying to find something to do. Not that there are no other projects that need done....

 

[lunyou]

i would say that even though the "experts" say that removing extra weight will improve gas mileage, which is true, you couldn't remove enough weight in the proverbial brick that we know as the FJ-60/62. Drag is the worst thing for MPG>

The best thing you could do would be to

1) Remove any roof racks on the LC(last serious one)

2) Take a body hammer to the hood and give it a better slope and then do the same for the roof line.

lunyou

 

[Dynosoar]

You can always lower it put some chrome 22" inch rims, big whale tail spoiler, a six way hydraulics kit, and a funkadelic paint job. Better arodynamics and you would have the biggest and baddest rice burner this side of Alondra Blvd.

Dynosoar


P.S. kick out the pod of fat chicks, you can cut an easy 600-800 lbs that way!

 

[jb welda]

>So you took a poor tune 2F and 4 speed and swapped a in tune
>V8 with an overdrive and you experienced a gain in mileage???

yep essentially thats correct. V8 with semi-modern tbi...

is that strange? i thought it was the case in most cases. my stock six had over 200k on it and as far as i could tell had never so much as had the valve cover (might be a cam cover?) off...maintenance didnt seem a priority for the previous owner. so i think "poor tune 2F" is pretty much on the mark.

i think i will wait a bit before i lower it and put bling rims though. just got through raising it!

oh and the 14 mpg has been with a roof rack with spare and fuel cans on it, over 8000 foot passes etc. i was pretty amazed and it consistenly gets that or better mileage.

one love
jah bill

 

[Mace]

>So you took a poor tune 2F and 4 speed and swapped a in tune
>V8 with an overdrive and you experienced a gain in mileage???

yep essentially thats correct. V8 with semi-modern tbi...

is that strange? i thought it was the case in most cases. my stock six had over 200k on it and as far as i could tell had never so much as had the valve cover (might be a cam cover?) off...maintenance didnt seem a priority for the previous owner. so i think "poor tune 2F" is pretty much on the mark.

i think i will wait a bit before i lower it and put bling rims though. just got through raising it!

oh and the 14 mpg has been with a roof rack with spare and fuel cans on it, over 8000 foot passes etc. i was pretty amazed and it consistenly gets that or better mileage.

one love
jah bill

That was kinda my point..

Most improvments in mileage when doing engine swaps or "perforamnce" gains are more about getting the truck running well as opposed to an actual improvment. If you compare a well adjusted 2F to a well adjusted V8 the mielage increase is minimal..

 

[Cruzerman]

I think a diesel swap is the only way to get a significant mpg increase. That being said, I got a 1-2 MPG increase by taking off my roof rack that had a second spare in it.

 

[mac]

Get yourself a large pickaxe and put some "speedholes" in the mutha'.


Or just swap in a diesel....

 

[-VSG-]

Think of how much you would actually save.

Unless you drive over 15,000 miles a year, the saving's you'd get would not be very much unless you're talking about a 5 mpg increase. If the truck is running well, I highly doubt you could get more than 2.

As someone mentioned the biggest factor is air resistance. These things are bricks.

 

[meatloaf]

i would say that even though the "experts" say that removing extra weight will improve gas mileage, which is true, you couldn't remove enough weight in the proverbial brick that we know as the FJ-60/62. Drag is the worst thing for MPG>

The best thing you could do would be to

1) Remove any roof racks on the LC(last serious one)
2) Take a body hammer to the hood and give it a better slope and then do the same for the roof line.

lunyou

On the roof rack issue, would having an air dam in the front (like Yakima racks) help deflect any air or would this not make a difference?