Efficiency and handling mods for street?

[gstuartw]

I'm looking for suggested mods to increase milage and handling for street driving on a stock 1988 BII.

Thanks,

Stuart

 

[fastpakr]

Your best mileage is going to be based on having the engine running as well as possible in its stock configuration.

Others can tackle the handling questions. Take a close look at all the suspension and steering components though.

 

[superj]

larger sway bars for handling

 

[Blmpkn]

Yeah, first stop for efficiency would be getting the motor running 100%

First stop for handling would be to check the condition of all the rubber bushings in the suspension and then the condition of the body mounts.. replacing the crummy ones.. there WILL be crummy ones. Poly replacement bushings are stiffer than rubber.. so they'd tighten things up.. but ride quality will suffer slightly.

Lowering the thing would help it handle better, as well as possibly reward you with another mpg or two..

Putting the thing on super light super narrow tires (think 165s) would help efficiency.. but not quite so much handling.. Unless you like getting sideways lol.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I think witth a Bronco II... you should be prepared for it to tip over at any given moment... and embrace it.

 

[JerryC]

In addition to the above.
Good tires. Good shocks.
If it doesn't have the factory air dam installed, install one.
An electric fan may get a little more power and mpg.
Drive with less gas in the tank, saves weight.
If you have the big tow mirrors replace them with little mirrors.
Make sure the heat pipe from the exhaust manifold to air intake is there. If not it will suck colder air in the winter and use more fuel.

The BII was built in the era of 55mph speed limits, TX highway speeds are not good for the BII.

Stock the BII was rated at 17 or 18 mpg, if you get that you are doing good.

 

[superj]

i was so glad when we got away from those 55mph speeds. it used to be an all day drive to get to dallas from my house. how its only like 7 hours or something close to it

 

[cbxer55]

Shoot, here in Oklahoma City on I-240, people are doing double 55s. I got on it one day on my M109R (motorcycle), and was doing 80. Everyone else was passing me. Big time. I finally said, F this, I'm off this crazy road.

I have Hellwig anti-swaybars on both ends on my 98. They help al lot. Put them on in 2002. Had to replace all the bushings in 2015, they had all rotted. Even at stock ride height, my truck handles a curvy road real nice. Heading out there today to throw it around some curves.

 

[superj]

i love larger sway bars and i want them front and rear on all my vehicles. i don't 4x4 so no point in worry about wheels not touching the ground off road.

i love that this 04 ranger came with front and rear bars. it handles turns very well for a truck and it would probably be a great autocross vehicle if it wasn't an edge with torsion bars (can't lower it for racing easily, outside of turngin the bars to make it softer)

 

[Josh B]

You just got me to wondering and looking at mine too, and has those.
The rubber it's mounted in looks good too and it's since 93
Thanks for bringing this up, although for me it's information I'm not real sure what to do with.
Thinking back on some of the rougher places I've driven it seems to have played a major role in helping to keep it stabilized

 

[Ranger850]

For handling, the lower, the better.
like this

NOT like this, unless you like this as much as I do

 

[rubydist]

@superj - turning the torsion bars does not change the spring rate, it just lowers the suspension and reduces the travel (unless you cut down the bump stops), so it does not make it softer. The spring rate is a factor of the bar material, diameter and length.

 

[19Walt93]

My 351/C4 93 Ranger averages about 16 mpg all summer, I wouldn't accept 17-18 from a 2.9.
Tires will affect both mileage and handling but they are a compromise. Aggressive all terrain, off road, or snow tires have more rolling resistance than an all season tire- and there are some all seasons built for reduced rolling resistance. My son runs W rated, summer only tires on his Fusion sport and they handle great but they weigh a ton and are marginal in rain. Alloy wheels are generally lighter than steel wheels, less weight means less power needed to turn them. The 15x8 Weld Draglites with 235/60R15's on my Mustang weigh less than the 195/70R13's on steel wheels that it came with. I hate roof racks because they make it tough to sweep snow off (that likely isn't a problem in Texas) and because they add a lot of wind resistance and noise. My 16 Escape calculates instant mileage and I keep an eye on it and try to avoid doing anything that makes the mileage drop. A cheaper alternative for you would be installing a vacuum gauge- the higher you can keep the vacuum, the higher the gas mileage you'll get.
The guys who mentioned keeping running 100% are spot on. Old spark plugs will hurt mileage. With EEC Iv, a dirty air filter won't hurt mileage because the O2 will see it's running rich and reduce the fuel. The you'll have to apply more throttle and that will reduce mileage. A less restrictive muffler might help but avoid making sound like a fart can, please.
Lowering it might help mileage some but it will take a long time to recoup the cost with gas savings.
If you can find gasoline that hasn't been polluted with alcohol mileage will improve. My own experience showed a loss of mileage just over 5% burning E10.

 

[cbxer55]

I guess the gasoline depends on where you live. In Oklahoma, any pump that has gasoline containing ethanol must say so on the pump, and the percentage. Most stations here offer you a choice of ethanol or non-ethanol. Lots of them have no ethanol fuel period. The place I buy my gas from is an old school pump first, pay later joint, doesn't even have card readers on his pumps. Has no ethanol fuel period. It's a Sinclair station, but he has to have his 93 shipped from Arkansas, and it's Shell V-Power Nitro.

And we have no smog or safety checks.

 

[stmitch]

Low speed fuel economy is all about weight and driver habits. High speed fuel economy is all about aerodynamics, gearing, and rolling resistance.