- First Name
- Mike D
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2022
- Threads
- 3
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
- 19
- Location
- Green Bay WI
- Vehicle(s)
- 2022 Ford Maverick
- Engine
- 2.0L EcoBoost
Great write up and analysis. Matches up perfectly with my experience as well.
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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