Fuel prices are rising, which means plenty of custom truck and SUV owners want to know how to get the best 4x4 mpg from their off-road vehicles. While the idea of worrying about how to improve gas mileage might seem counterintuitive, we’re not wheeling all the time (as much as we want to), and better fuel economy on the road means more money for gas to go have some fun with on the next outing. The good news is that, while you may not get Prius levels of efficiency, you can get the power you need while making sure your vehicle is working as efficiently as possible to deliver it. All it takes is the right parts and some fuel-saving habits to make it happen.

More Power Takes More Gas

As your RPMs ramp up to give you the power to move through, around, and over obstacles, your engine needs more fuel and air for combustion. While your truck is working harder, it’s not moving further. You’re using more fuel for fewer miles, and that’s the whole conundrum that leads to the cash pinch at your local gas pump when prices start to rise. In order to save more money, that means knowing when and how to reduce that consumption while still getting the power you need when you want to get off the road and into some dirt and mud. 

Upgrade Your MPG

If you want better gas mileage, you need your truck to use your fuel more efficiently. While that may seem like a tall order, the right upgrades put you in control of how your vehicle uses its fuel.

• Air Up Tires When You Hit the Road - When it’s time to hit the trail, off-roaders air down their tires, creating a softer contact point with the ground to gain traction and manage uneven terrain. This softer, flatter tire takes more power per revolution, but it’s better at transferring that power to the ground to keep you moving. If you hit the road like that, though, you may be sacrificing both safety and your gas mileage.
  
  Airing up your tires is one of the best 4x4 mpg hacks because you likely already have the basic equipment needed to get the job done. A powerful ARB twin air compressor gets your tires re-inflated fast after a run. This stiffer tire holds its shape better at highway speeds–a large, round shape that chews up the miles and not your gas tank. If you’re not ready for an onboard compressor, an air tank and an ARB Digital Gauge will have you ready to go wheel by wheel.

• Use Your Electronic Efficiency Settings - Many modern off-roaders have a setting that increases their fuel efficiency by adjusting the shift points of your transmission, suspension, and steering response, or even the fuel system itself. These represent your manufacturer’s engineer’s attempts to get the best mpg from the stock vehicle that rolled off the factory assembly line. While it can help, your truck isn’t stock.
  
  An ECU flash or tuner can help you push your unique customized vehicle to its limit with both more power and more fuel economy. Devices like the COBB AccessPort V3.0 with TCM give you complete control over the fuel and transmission system, with integral storage for multiple fuel modes that let you change your vehicle settings as needed. These give you more horses for the trail, improved gas mileage on the highway, and a host of other unlockable features depending on the vehicle and its configuration. 

• More Air Means More Power and Efficiency - Your vehicle likes big breaths of cool air to mix with fuel for combustion. Cool air is denser, packing in more oxygen for a cleaner, more efficient burn. This is true for any internal combustion engine, but it’s doubly true for supercharged and turbocharged motors that feed mechanically compressed air to their engines.

• Most vehicles can enjoy a power and efficiency boost that comes with upgrading their cold air intake. Larger high-flow air filters or redesigned intakes that increase the surface area of your filter and, therefore, the amount of air that can pass through it are easy upgrades that off-roaders of almost any experience level can accomplish. The S&B Cold Air Intake with high-flow filter is available for several different popular off-road platforms in both a washable cotton and oil filter format to let you pick the best option for your truck. Increasing the amount of air and moving it through the system faster keeps it cooler for higher oxygen concentrations when you need them. 

Intercoolers are especially important to turbocharged and supercharged motors. After the air is compressed by your charger, it enters the intercooler and is routed through a series of fins, cooling the air further by radiating heat out of it, further compressing it before it reaches your intake manifold. Upgraded intercoolers, like this COBB Front Mount Intercooler, can have more surface area for heat radiation or internal tubing that offers less restriction to airflow as it moves through the system.

• Don’t Let Pressure Exhaust Your MPG - Your motor runs on a carefully balanced formula of fuel, air, and pressure, which includes the back pressure from your exhaust system. Stock exhausts are designed to channel your motor’s gas output through the catalytic converter for better air quality and the muffler to manage sound levels, and in the process, these gasses are restricted. Too much back pressure can choke out your vehicle’s power and limit your mileage.
  
  You can upgrade your exhaust to a high-flow cat-back system that is still street-legal but lets these exhaust gasses flow more freely. The Corsa Performance 3” Cat-Back system for the Raptor is a great example of applied engineering from one of the top brands in aftermarket exhaust systems. When paired with a tuner, this gives you the best 4x4 mpg possible by tuning the system to make better use of the new high-flow capabilities of your custom exhaust.

Get the Upgrades You Need For Better Gas Mileage

We’re proud to offer quality products that are in stock and ready to ship from our US-based warehouses. Call and talk to one of our pros if you need more information about any products or build guidance for making the most of your existing performance upgrades. Old school service is ready days, nights, and weekends. Improve your gas mileage with custom parts from Offroad Alliance today.