Losing Weight

[harrykon]

Anyone out there put their ST on a diet?

My 4x4 came with OEM tonneau, skid plates and nerf bars which probably add up to 200 lbs of weight.

Has anyone removed/replaced these items to improve gas mileage?

Are there any light weight alternatives for tire/wheel combinations that still maintain OEM tire height (in my case 255 70R16, i think..)?

 

[bisjoe]

I don't know that I'd consider that. They say 1%/100 lbs, 2% on small cars. That means your removal of 200 lbs, assuming you get 15mpg and gas is $3.75 might save you about $2.81 per fillup. If you don't like or need the tonneau, skid plates and nerf bars fine, but I'd keep them. I found that really boring driving like grandma saves more, I'm getting as much as 20mpg city on my 4.0 4wd ranger doing that and still have 180 lbs of sand bags in back (snow a week ago). Also am careful about tire air pressure, and use cruise whenever possible.

 

[Turdle]

My removed skid plates ( gas tank and transfer case) alone are 37 lbs.
The removed roof rack shed another 10 lbs, plus substantial wind resistance.


That equates to 3.75 gallons of fuel not in the tank. I think any removed weight will help, and add up over time.

For tires-try to find " LT" sized tires over " P metric" sized-
You can run them to a higher pressure, plus they have a stiffer structure. In my opinion this means less rolling resistance under weight. Narrow is better for economy.