⛽️ Real-world MPG Stats for Maverick FX4 4K TOW Lifted w/ 2" inch Eibach Springs and 245/70/17 AT Tires

[pa-outdoorsman]

TLDR: A 2-Inch Lift and Oversizes All-Terrain Tires will Cost You Roughly 2 mpg vs. Stock. Read on for full details...

OK, since I installed 2-inch Eibach lift springs and Firestone Destination AT 245/70/17 tires on my 2022 XLT FX4 4K Tow, lots of folks have asked about real-world fuel economy. However, I needed to wait until I had a chance to do some significant highway driving in order to calculate it accurately. This week, I'm on a college tour with my 11th-grade son. So, I've had the chance to do long stretches of Interstate on relatively flat ground at various speeds. What follows is an in-depth explanation of my findings, starting with a VERY IMPORTANT note.

NOTE: Due to the oversized tires, both the speedometer and odometer on the truck are not accurate. The speedo reads roughly 2 mph slow at highway speeds, while I measured the odometer reading roughly 18.8-18.9 miles traveled over 20 miles of measured mile on the Interstate. This measurement is EXTREMELY important when calculating fuel economy, since there is a 5.5-6% discrepancy between how far I've actually driven and how far the truck thinks I've driven. In other words, fuel economy displayed by the on-board computer is going to be 5.5-6% lower than actual fuel economy (and that's assuming all else is properly calibrated).

Anyway, with that important explanation given, here's what I've come up with.

LEGAL HIGHWAY SPEED: 28.5 mpg actual
With my cruise control set at 60 mph, the truck computer gives me a fuel economy of 27 mpg. Factoring in the discrepancy for the speedometer and odometer, this results in actual fuel economy of roughly 28.5 mpg at 62 mph.

SPEEDING HIGHWAY SPEED: 23 mpg actual
I typically cruise at 75 mph on trips such as this, and one thing I noticed is that you really give us A LOT of fuel economy as your speed increases from 60 to 70 mph. RPMs on my engine go from about 1,500 to 2,000 during that 10 mph increase, and displayed fuel economy drops from 27 mpg to less than 21 mpg. Factoring in the odometer discrepancy, and also using my manual calculations from 300+ miles of driving, I come up with an actual fuel economy at these speeds of roughly 23 mpg.

So, the bottom line is this: If you drive very conservatively (I added Eco mode to my FX4 with Forscan and used it during this testing) at highway speeds, it appears you can approach the EPA rated 29 mpg highway even with a lift kit and oversized tires. However, mileage drops off considerably as you increase speed between 60 and 70 mph, and you'll likely give up 5-7 mpg over just a 10 mph speed difference. My guess is this is where the lessened aerodynamics of the lifted truck and wider road contact patch of the tires really start to take a toll.

Interestingly, it's worth noting that from 70-80 mph, I did not see nearly as much of a dropoff in fuel economy as I did between 60 and 70 mph. So, perhaps the moral of the story is if you're going to speed, don't sweat it over a few extra mph! LOL

Hope that proves helpful/informative to others who may have lifted trucks or considering doing so. Personally, I'd say the loss is well worth it for my personal taste in aesthetics and plans to use the truck for hunting, camping, etc. Still a heck of a lot better than V8 Escalade I was driving before the Maverick, and a heck of a lot better looking too!

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[Big Kahuna]

Great post on this subject! I have found the same results in the 60-70 range with the FX4/Tow package. I see a lot of AWD users posting up their MPG and they tend to do 1-2 better than the FX4/Tow overall it seems.

I have found at that 70-75 MPH you'll be right in that 1800-2000 RPM range and gas mileage with stock tires is around 26-27. So 23-25 MPG with larger tires and a lift sounds spot on.

I added bed racks and a travel box on top and I lost 1 MPG on average at all speeds

 

[Pickles]

TLDR: A 2-Inch Lift and Oversizes All-Terrain Tires will Cost You Roughly 2 mpg vs. Stock. Read on for full details...

OK, since I installed 2-inch Eibach lift springs and Firestone Destination AT 245/70/17 tires on my 2022 XLT FX4 4K Tow, lots of folks have asked about real-world fuel economy. However, I needed to wait until I had a chance to do some significant highway driving in order to calculate it accurately. This week, I'm on a college tour with my 11th-grade son. So, I've had the chance to do long stretches of Interstate on relatively flat ground at various speeds. What follows is an in-depth explanation of my findings, starting with a VERY IMPORTANT note.

NOTE: Due to the oversized tires, both the speedometer and odometer on the truck are not accurate. The speedo reads roughly 2 mph slow at highway speeds, while I measured the odometer reading roughly 18.8-18.9 miles traveled over 20 miles of measured mile on the Interstate. This measurement is EXTREMELY important when calculating fuel economy, since there is a 5.5-6% discrepancy between how far I've actually driven and how far the truck thinks I've driven. In other words, fuel economy displayed by the on-board computer is going to be 5.5-6% lower than actual fuel economy (and that's assuming all else is properly calibrated).

Anyway, with that important explanation given, here's what I've come up with.

LEGAL HIGHWAY SPEED: 28.5 mpg actual
With my cruise control set at 60 mph, the truck computer gives me a fuel economy of 27 mpg. Factoring in the discrepancy for the speedometer and odometer, this results in actual fuel economy of roughly 28.5 mpg at 62 mph.

SPEEDING HIGHWAY SPEED: 23 mpg actual
I typically cruise at 75 mph on trips such as this, and one thing I noticed is that you really give us A LOT of fuel economy as your speed increases from 60 to 70 mph. RPMs on my engine go from about 1,500 to 2,000 during that 10 mph increase, and displayed fuel economy drops from 27 mpg to less than 21 mpg. Factoring in the odometer discrepancy, and also using my manual calculations from 300+ miles of driving, I come up with an actual fuel economy at these speeds of roughly 23 mpg.

So, the bottom line is this: If you drive very conservatively (I added Eco mode to my FX4 with Forscan and used it during this testing) at highway speeds, it appears you can approach the EPA rated 29 mpg highway even with a lift kit and oversized tires. However, mileage drops off considerably as you increase speed between 60 and 70 mph, and you'll likely give up 5-7 mpg over just a 10 mph speed difference. My guess is this is where the lessened aerodynamics of the lifted truck and wider road contact patch of the tires really start to take a toll.

Interestingly, it's worth noting that from 70-80 mph, I did not see nearly as much of a dropoff in fuel economy as I did between 60 and 70 mph. So, perhaps the moral of the story is if you're going to speed, don't sweat it over a few extra mph! LOL

Hope that proves helpful/informative to others who may have lifted trucks or considering doing so. Personally, I'd say the loss is well worth it for my personal taste in aesthetics and plans to use the truck for hunting, camping, etc. Still a heck of a lot better than V8 Escalade I was driving before the Maverick, and a heck of a lot better looking too!

Nice thread! Appreciate your research. Ive noticed the same thing as you (not the oversized tires or lifted bit but the speed vs fuel bit) here’s my less smart version of what you said from my findings:
Fuel economy by driving type:
city/stop and go driving - not great
Concervative Highway speed- excelleing
Speeding highway speed - good
Super speeding highway speed… - still good lol

i also found eco mode gains 3-4 mpg overall.

did you do a city test or was all your driving highway?

 

[pa-outdoorsman]

Nice thread! Appreciate your research. Ive noticed the same thing as you (not the oversized tires or lifted bit but the speed vs fuel bit) here’s my less smart version of what you said from my findings:
Fuel economy by driving type:
city/stop and go driving - not great
Concervative Highway speed- excelleing
Speeding highway speed - good
Super speeding highway speed… - still good lol

i also found eco mode gains 3-4 mpg overall.

did you do a city test or was all your driving highway?

All highway. Prior to the lift I was averaging 23 mpg on rural/city driving. Lots of uphill downhill twisty roads in my neck of the woods.

 

[paytonlb999]

TLDR: A 2-Inch Lift and Oversizes All-Terrain Tires will Cost You Roughly 2 mpg vs. Stock. Read on for full details...

OK, since I installed 2-inch Eibach lift springs and Firestone Destination AT 245/70/17 tires on my 2022 XLT FX4 4K Tow, lots of folks have asked about real-world fuel economy. However, I needed to wait until I had a chance to do some significant highway driving in order to calculate it accurately. This week, I'm on a college tour with my 11th-grade son. So, I've had the chance to do long stretches of Interstate on relatively flat ground at various speeds. What follows is an in-depth explanation of my findings, starting with a VERY IMPORTANT note.

NOTE: Due to the oversized tires, both the speedometer and odometer on the truck are not accurate. The speedo reads roughly 2 mph slow at highway speeds, while I measured the odometer reading roughly 18.8-18.9 miles traveled over 20 miles of measured mile on the Interstate. This measurement is EXTREMELY important when calculating fuel economy, since there is a 5.5-6% discrepancy between how far I've actually driven and how far the truck thinks I've driven. In other words, fuel economy displayed by the on-board computer is going to be 5.5-6% lower than actual fuel economy (and that's assuming all else is properly calibrated).

Anyway, with that important explanation given, here's what I've come up with.

LEGAL HIGHWAY SPEED: 28.5 mpg actual
With my cruise control set at 60 mph, the truck computer gives me a fuel economy of 27 mpg. Factoring in the discrepancy for the speedometer and odometer, this results in actual fuel economy of roughly 28.5 mpg at 62 mph.

SPEEDING HIGHWAY SPEED: 23 mpg actual
I typically cruise at 75 mph on trips such as this, and one thing I noticed is that you really give us A LOT of fuel economy as your speed increases from 60 to 70 mph. RPMs on my engine go from about 1,500 to 2,000 during that 10 mph increase, and displayed fuel economy drops from 27 mpg to less than 21 mpg. Factoring in the odometer discrepancy, and also using my manual calculations from 300+ miles of driving, I come up with an actual fuel economy at these speeds of roughly 23 mpg.

So, the bottom line is this: If you drive very conservatively (I added Eco mode to my FX4 with Forscan and used it during this testing) at highway speeds, it appears you can approach the EPA rated 29 mpg highway even with a lift kit and oversized tires. However, mileage drops off considerably as you increase speed between 60 and 70 mph, and you'll likely give up 5-7 mpg over just a 10 mph speed difference. My guess is this is where the lessened aerodynamics of the lifted truck and wider road contact patch of the tires really start to take a toll.

Interestingly, it's worth noting that from 70-80 mph, I did not see nearly as much of a dropoff in fuel economy as I did between 60 and 70 mph. So, perhaps the moral of the story is if you're going to speed, don't sweat it over a few extra mph! LOL

Hope that proves helpful/informative to others who may have lifted trucks or considering doing so. Personally, I'd say the loss is well worth it for my personal taste in aesthetics and plans to use the truck for hunting, camping, etc. Still a heck of a lot better than V8 Escalade I was driving before the Maverick, and a heck of a lot better looking too!

I don't have my Mav yet (1 more month), but I appreciate that this will be more or less what I can expect. The lifted white Mavericks make me wish I went with white!

Also entirely unrelated: What are you using as your bed rack?

 

[pa-outdoorsman]

I don't have my Mav yet (1 more month), but I appreciate that this will be more or less what I can expect. The lifted white Mavericks make me wish I went with white!

Also entirely unrelated: What are you using as your bed rack?

This isn't white. It's Cactus Gray, but does look very light in direct sunlight.

Rack is the ACS Forged from Leitner Designs.

 

[surfstar]

Can't assume the computer is accurate to begin with. Gotta verify odometer with GPS and go by gallons used and miles driven.

 

[Akuma72387]

The only modification I have made to my 22 fx4 4k was a tonneau cover. On the Faulken Wildpeak AT3W tires that came on mine I average around 31 to 33mpg and live up in Maine which is very up and down also worst i have seen on mine is 29 which is during the winter (when the temp drops below 30° so does my gad milage haha) I am approaching 30k on my truck. Once I hit then 36k warranty limit I'll be adding in a few parts to push the power up and plug it in to forscan and probably add the eco and sport modes. After that we will see where it lands

 

[710-oil-614]

Can you use Forscan to reset/calibrate the speedometer to account for the larger wheels? I know that is a thing with Broncos.

 

[pa-outdoorsman]

Can you use Forscan to reset/calibrate the speedometer to account for the larger wheels? I know that is a thing with Broncos.

I updated it to 235/65/17 which is the largest stock tire Ford offers but not sure how to adjust any further.

There may be a way but I'm not a Forscan expert. Perhaps someone with more knowledge could explain...

 

[svtbradley]

TLDR: A 2-Inch Lift and Oversizes All-Terrain Tires will Cost You Roughly 2 mpg vs. Stock. Read on for full details...

OK, since I installed 2-inch Eibach lift springs and Firestone Destination AT 245/70/17 tires on my 2022 XLT FX4 4K Tow, lots of folks have asked about real-world fuel economy. However, I needed to wait until I had a chance to do some significant highway driving in order to calculate it accurately. This week, I'm on a college tour with my 11th-grade son. So, I've had the chance to do long stretches of Interstate on relatively flat ground at various speeds. What follows is an in-depth explanation of my findings, starting with a VERY IMPORTANT note.

NOTE: Due to the oversized tires, both the speedometer and odometer on the truck are not accurate. The speedo reads roughly 2 mph slow at highway speeds, while I measured the odometer reading roughly 18.8-18.9 miles traveled over 20 miles of measured mile on the Interstate. This measurement is EXTREMELY important when calculating fuel economy, since there is a 5.5-6% discrepancy between how far I've actually driven and how far the truck thinks I've driven. In other words, fuel economy displayed by the on-board computer is going to be 5.5-6% lower than actual fuel economy (and that's assuming all else is properly calibrated).

Anyway, with that important explanation given, here's what I've come up with.

LEGAL HIGHWAY SPEED: 28.5 mpg actual
With my cruise control set at 60 mph, the truck computer gives me a fuel economy of 27 mpg. Factoring in the discrepancy for the speedometer and odometer, this results in actual fuel economy of roughly 28.5 mpg at 62 mph.

SPEEDING HIGHWAY SPEED: 23 mpg actual
I typically cruise at 75 mph on trips such as this, and one thing I noticed is that you really give us A LOT of fuel economy as your speed increases from 60 to 70 mph. RPMs on my engine go from about 1,500 to 2,000 during that 10 mph increase, and displayed fuel economy drops from 27 mpg to less than 21 mpg. Factoring in the odometer discrepancy, and also using my manual calculations from 300+ miles of driving, I come up with an actual fuel economy at these speeds of roughly 23 mpg.

So, the bottom line is this: If you drive very conservatively (I added Eco mode to my FX4 with Forscan and used it during this testing) at highway speeds, it appears you can approach the EPA rated 29 mpg highway even with a lift kit and oversized tires. However, mileage drops off considerably as you increase speed between 60 and 70 mph, and you'll likely give up 5-7 mpg over just a 10 mph speed difference. My guess is this is where the lessened aerodynamics of the lifted truck and wider road contact patch of the tires really start to take a toll.

Interestingly, it's worth noting that from 70-80 mph, I did not see nearly as much of a dropoff in fuel economy as I did between 60 and 70 mph. So, perhaps the moral of the story is if you're going to speed, don't sweat it over a few extra mph! LOL

Hope that proves helpful/informative to others who may have lifted trucks or considering doing so. Personally, I'd say the loss is well worth it for my personal taste in aesthetics and plans to use the truck for hunting, camping, etc. Still a heck of a lot better than V8 Escalade I was driving before the Maverick, and a heck of a lot better looking too!

ttt

TLDR: A 2-Inch Lift and Oversizes All-Terrain Tires will Cost You Roughly 2 mpg vs. Stock. Read on for full details...

OK, since I installed 2-inch Eibach lift springs and Firestone Destination AT 245/70/17 tires on my 2022 XLT FX4 4K Tow, lots of folks have asked about real-world fuel economy. However, I needed to wait until I had a chance to do some significant highway driving in order to calculate it accurately. This week, I'm on a college tour with my 11th-grade son. So, I've had the chance to do long stretches of Interstate on relatively flat ground at various speeds. What follows is an in-depth explanation of my findings, starting with a VERY IMPORTANT note.

NOTE: Due to the oversized tires, both the speedometer and odometer on the truck are not accurate. The speedo reads roughly 2 mph slow at highway speeds, while I measured the odometer reading roughly 18.8-18.9 miles traveled over 20 miles of measured mile on the Interstate. This measurement is EXTREMELY important when calculating fuel economy, since there is a 5.5-6% discrepancy between how far I've actually driven and how far the truck thinks I've driven. In other words, fuel economy displayed by the on-board computer is going to be 5.5-6% lower than actual fuel economy (and that's assuming all else is properly calibrated).

Anyway, with that important explanation given, here's what I've come up with.

LEGAL HIGHWAY SPEED: 28.5 mpg actual
With my cruise control set at 60 mph, the truck computer gives me a fuel economy of 27 mpg. Factoring in the discrepancy for the speedometer and odometer, this results in actual fuel economy of roughly 28.5 mpg at 62 mph.

SPEEDING HIGHWAY SPEED: 23 mpg actual
I typically cruise at 75 mph on trips such as this, and one thing I noticed is that you really give us A LOT of fuel economy as your speed increases from 60 to 70 mph. RPMs on my engine go from about 1,500 to 2,000 during that 10 mph increase, and displayed fuel economy drops from 27 mpg to less than 21 mpg. Factoring in the odometer discrepancy, and also using my manual calculations from 300+ miles of driving, I come up with an actual fuel economy at these speeds of roughly 23 mpg.

So, the bottom line is this: If you drive very conservatively (I added Eco mode to my FX4 with Forscan and used it during this testing) at highway speeds, it appears you can approach the EPA rated 29 mpg highway even with a lift kit and oversized tires. However, mileage drops off considerably as you increase speed between 60 and 70 mph, and you'll likely give up 5-7 mpg over just a 10 mph speed difference. My guess is this is where the lessened aerodynamics of the lifted truck and wider road contact patch of the tires really start to take a toll.

Interestingly, it's worth noting that from 70-80 mph, I did not see nearly as much of a dropoff in fuel economy as I did between 60 and 70 mph. So, perhaps the moral of the story is if you're going to speed, don't sweat it over a few extra mph! LOL

Hope that proves helpful/informative to others who may have lifted trucks or considering doing so. Personally, I'd say the loss is well worth it for my personal taste in aesthetics and plans to use the truck for hunting, camping, etc. Still a heck of a lot better than V8 Escalade I was driving before the Maverick, and a heck of a lot better looking too!

Good post.

I'm running Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs with the same results.

 

[RyaninWA]

Can you use Forscan to reset/calibrate the speedometer to account for the larger wheels? I know that is a thing with Broncos.

Yes both forscan and the Cobb accessport have the ability to alter tire size BUT the PCM module has a limit to the maximum size you can enter and when you go beyond that it throws AWD, pre-collision, and a handful of other faults. That said, I was unable to get my 245/70/17 size into the PCM through forscan, but with the accessport even though it threw a fit when I would go past 29.6" my speedo is perfect all the way up to and past 80 at the maximum setting I could get it to take. It required resetting the learning and such through the accessport as well. I suspect that is because the PCM and AWD modules receive their settings from the body control module, and if they don't agree it goes bonkers. The limiting factor is still the PCM maximum setting though. It for some reason has a hard cap that it will accept.

Lastly, with my 245/70/17 Wildpeak AT3Ws I regularly see 31+/-mpg running eco mode on the highway at 65-70 in Washington state and if I am not hooning around, about 23 in normal mode (Cobb tuned, 80% city), and was 24ish before the tune, all on 91 octane. (FX4 lariat non tow pkg, added sport and eco).

 

[pa-outdoorsman]

Yes both forscan and the Cobb accessport have the ability to alter tire size BUT the PCM module has a limit to the maximum size you can enter and when you go beyond that it throws AWD, pre-collision, and a handful of other faults. That said, I was unable to get my 245/70/17 size into the PCM through forscan, but with the accessport even though it threw a fit when I would go past 29.6" my speedo is perfect all the way up to and past 80 at the maximum setting I could get it to take. It required resetting the learning and such through the accessport as well. I suspect that is because the PCM and AWD modules receive their settings from the body control module, and if they don't agree it goes bonkers. The limiting factor is still the PCM maximum setting though. It for some reason has a hard cap that it will accept.

Lastly, with my 245/70/17 Wildpeak AT3Ws I regularly see 31+/-mpg running eco mode on the highway at 65-70 in Washington state and if I am not hooning around, about 23 in normal mode (Cobb tuned, 80% city), and was 24ish before the tune, all on 91 octane. (FX4 lariat non tow pkg, added sport and eco).

Thanks. Sounds like more trouble than it's worth to me. Ditto for driving slowly enough for maximum fuel economy but with my 4K Tow package, lift and tires I really don't think I'd ever see 30 mpg anyhow.

 

[jwilson]

TLDR: A 2-Inch Lift and Oversizes All-Terrain Tires will Cost You Roughly 2 mpg vs. Stock. Read on for full details...

OK, since I installed 2-inch Eibach lift springs and Firestone Destination AT 245/70/17 tires on my 2022 XLT FX4 4K Tow, lots of folks have asked about real-world fuel economy. However, I needed to wait until I had a chance to do some significant highway driving in order to calculate it accurately. This week, I'm on a college tour with my 11th-grade son. So, I've had the chance to do long stretches of Interstate on relatively flat ground at various speeds. What follows is an in-depth explanation of my findings, starting with a VERY IMPORTANT note.

NOTE: Due to the oversized tires, both the speedometer and odometer on the truck are not accurate. The speedo reads roughly 2 mph slow at highway speeds, while I measured the odometer reading roughly 18.8-18.9 miles traveled over 20 miles of measured mile on the Interstate. This measurement is EXTREMELY important when calculating fuel economy, since there is a 5.5-6% discrepancy between how far I've actually driven and how far the truck thinks I've driven. In other words, fuel economy displayed by the on-board computer is going to be 5.5-6% lower than actual fuel economy (and that's assuming all else is properly calibrated).

Anyway, with that important explanation given, here's what I've come up with.

LEGAL HIGHWAY SPEED: 28.5 mpg actual
With my cruise control set at 60 mph, the truck computer gives me a fuel economy of 27 mpg. Factoring in the discrepancy for the speedometer and odometer, this results in actual fuel economy of roughly 28.5 mpg at 62 mph.

SPEEDING HIGHWAY SPEED: 23 mpg actual
I typically cruise at 75 mph on trips such as this, and one thing I noticed is that you really give us A LOT of fuel economy as your speed increases from 60 to 70 mph. RPMs on my engine go from about 1,500 to 2,000 during that 10 mph increase, and displayed fuel economy drops from 27 mpg to less than 21 mpg. Factoring in the odometer discrepancy, and also using my manual calculations from 300+ miles of driving, I come up with an actual fuel economy at these speeds of roughly 23 mpg.

So, the bottom line is this: If you drive very conservatively (I added Eco mode to my FX4 with Forscan and used it during this testing) at highway speeds, it appears you can approach the EPA rated 29 mpg highway even with a lift kit and oversized tires. However, mileage drops off considerably as you increase speed between 60 and 70 mph, and you'll likely give up 5-7 mpg over just a 10 mph speed difference. My guess is this is where the lessened aerodynamics of the lifted truck and wider road contact patch of the tires really start to take a toll.

Interestingly, it's worth noting that from 70-80 mph, I did not see nearly as much of a dropoff in fuel economy as I did between 60 and 70 mph. So, perhaps the moral of the story is if you're going to speed, don't sweat it over a few extra mph! LOL

Hope that proves helpful/informative to others who may have lifted trucks or considering doing so. Personally, I'd say the loss is well worth it for my personal taste in aesthetics and plans to use the truck for hunting, camping, etc. Still a heck of a lot better than V8 Escalade I was driving before the Maverick, and a heck of a lot better looking too!

This is quality internet here. Thank you.

 

[Big Kahuna]

In my earlier post I said 26-27 at 70-75 seemed normal for me with my bed racks and box but then I’m on a road trip yesterday and avg speed is 70+ but mostly going 75 and I average over 29 mpg and that includes going up and over a huge pass. Go figure.

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