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Old 10-18-2020, 10:08 AM   #21
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As implied earlier, cheapest way to increase mileage is to play with your speed....seems with my 2X 5.4 63mph is quite good and waaay better than 70 (watching the gauge drop)...Going slower is better but takes too long....

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Old 10-18-2020, 10:10 AM   #22
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2010 e250 4x4 conversion here. 5.4 33 inch BFG all terrain tires with gears to match. pop top, bull bar etc. I typically get 13.5 mpg highway, no wind, flat. I'll get 12 when towing a 20 foot sailboat. Headwinds and sailboat are the worst 9.5 mpg. This has been consistent through 130,000 of driving with 6 trips to Baja. Pretty happy with the rig.
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Old 10-18-2020, 10:23 AM   #23
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Similar spec 6" lift 35" 12.50 tires 6.0 Diesel. 4:10 gears.

The 6.0 diesel seems to run sub 9's at 70+ mph, 12-14+ anything under 65mph. To me the fuel savings and less stress on the engine is well worth enjoying the drive for just a little longer.

Mine is heavy! (Will weigh it one day)
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Old 10-18-2020, 10:30 AM   #24
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Well, I know I'm gonna take "heat" for this but my 2 cents.

In the last 3 years I have went from a Toyota Landcruiser, VW Westfalia guy and hoped to get a used SportsMobile to an EV (Electiric Vehicle) guy? Why? Well we live in an area (Sonoma, CA) that routinely gets "burned-up" including folks losing not only property but their lives as well as our sea life crashing because of rising ocean temp..
Any how, I am hoping to pick-up a 500 mile range Tesla Cyber Truck in 2021 which I will tow a camper trailer. There, I said it....if you want good gas mileage...get a vehicle that does not use gas! We haven't paid a dime for gas, oil, electricity (powers our house) and maintenance is basically zilch (so far) etc. in 2.5 years and now there is an option for off-road, campers etc.. would love to see SM adapt a camper vehicle to electricity and
OK....fire when ready.
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Old 10-18-2020, 11:06 AM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paulake View Post
2010 e250 4x4 conversion here. 5.4 33 inch BFG all terrain tires with gears to match. pop top, bull bar etc. I typically get 13.5 mpg highway, no wind, flat. I'll get 12 when towing a 20 foot sailboat. Headwinds and sailboat are the worst 9.5 mpg. This has been consistent through 130,000 of driving with 6 trips to Baja. Pretty happy with the rig.
Paulake,

What gearing do you have? I’ve got same year setup with 33’s as well and having issues with power going uphill. Have 3.73 currently which looks to be the problem so curious what your setup is.
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Old 10-18-2020, 11:09 AM   #26
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Switch to a Sprinter?
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Old 10-18-2020, 11:45 AM   #27
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could be coils?

My '01 5.4 seems to like eating ignition coils and will suffer a significant drop in fuel economy before throwing any codes. We have a 12" Opt Overland roof that didn't seem to affect fuel economy but kayaks on the roof sure do. I suspect that those awesome looking custom roof racks everyone seems to love play havoc with the aerodynamics of the roof.

My neighbor has a 2018 4x4 Sprinter with a lovely custom roof rack (usually empty) and gets similar fuel economy to my E series.

At 65mph with 4.10s on 285 70 17s I can occasionally get 12.5 mpg....

T.
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Old 10-18-2020, 11:46 AM   #28
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How are you calculating mpg? If you changed tire size to a significantly larger tire, your odometer will show less total miles than you have actually traveled. This will make your mpg calculate lower than what you are really getting.
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Old 10-18-2020, 11:53 AM   #29
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“My neighbor has a 2018 4x4 Sprinter with a lovely custom roof rack (usually empty) and gets similar fuel economy to my E series. “

Ok, nix the Sprinter idea then.
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Old 10-18-2020, 12:27 PM   #30
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Just to make sure I am not missing anything here:

You have a 2009 Sportsmobile with a Ujoint 4x4 system with a potential value of $35K to $100K given year model, options, condition and you are pissing and moaning over 10 MPG when fuel (Gas) prices for the last 3 years and most likely into the near and extended future will vary little from the current $1.75/gallon to $3.50/gallon depending upon where you live in the good ole USA pouring gas into a Sportsmobile you most likely drive far less than 10K miles per year?

So you spend an EXTRA $40.00 out of pocket filling your Sportsmobile at each fueling stop versus getting 15 MPG and all the extra money you will spend to git to 15 MPG. WHY is fuel mileage really that big of a deal?

Sounds like you need to SELL YOUR SPORTSMOBILE!

Your broke and can't afford to keep it!

That solves your 10 MPG problem real quick!
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