HEY I WANT TO KNOW HOW TO GET SOME MORE HP AND MPG OUT OF MY 2001 RANGER 4X4/.:thumbsup:

Well first step I think is to work on the air in and air out. How about an aftermarket intake and exhaust. Is the vehicle completely stock at this point?

I think your best "bang for the buck" would be a hand held tuner. They're a bit pricey at $400.
When you consider a cold air intake runs from $200-300. A cat-back exhaust system will run $300-400.
The 2 together will probably net you less than half the power output the tuner will.
You can pick 3 of 10 custom tailored tunes from the following list.
87 Octane Mileage
87 Octane Performance
91 Octane Mileage
91 Octane Performance
92 Octane Mileage
92 Octane Performance
93 Octane Mileage
93 Octane Performance
E85 Mileage
E85 Performance

Combine that with the ability to switch back and forth between programs in a few minutes and you can't go wrong.

I chose 87 Mileage which I run 95% of the time. I also have 91 performance for when I want to play,
91 Octane is the highest you can get in Calif. Then I have 93 performance for the times I leave Calif and I want to play.

Do you really find a difference when you switch to 93. Was the motor built to see any gains with that octane. Or does the computer really make that much of a difference?

__________________

To be honest Fan. The last time I used the 93 tune was about 3-4 years ago when I drove my truck back to Tenn.
So I don't recall any more. Here in Calif they sell 87, 89 and 91 octane's. So probably what I did was drive all the way to Tenn, 1800 miles on 87.
Then switched over to 93 while in Memphis. Then back to 87 for the ride home. Also I've had my tuner almost as long as I've had my truck.
Probably the better part of 5 years now. So there have been advances in technology. When I got mine all they asked was make/model/year and engine of the truck.
Today in addition to that they ask if you have automatic or stick, rear gear ratio, tire size and any mods you've made and/or plan to make to the engine.
So the tune is tailored to your precise combination of mods/changes. If the company that's selling the tuner doesn't ask all these questions, don't buy one from them.
Go to a company that does ask all those questions or you'll get a generic tune for your $400.
Can I feel the differences. Definitely. In 87 tune, not only do I get better MPG, 20-21 vs 18-19, about 10-15%.
I can feel it in my "seat of the pants gauge." The 91 tune is better yet, but let's face it, it's a 3.0. So it will NEVER be a drag car.
Although some guys have gotten amazing amounts of power from 3.0's. I understand the 4.0's are, shall we say "peppier."
I thought about supercharging mine with a Whipple when they had a kit for the 3.0.
After checking I found that the 3.0 with a charger put out just slightly more RWHP than a stock 4.0.
I'd have to use 91 octane @ 20-25 cents more per gallon all the time and it cost $3,000. No brainer for me. Go for a show truck and forget about racing.

Hope that helps.

We have a car in my family (not a Ford) that says it requires "Premium Fuel only" it will ping with 87, runs fine on 89. And I can't tell a difference between 91+ and the 89 to be honest.

But I think the octane rating at the pump is the minimum.... So when you buy 89 for example you should be getting at the minimum 89 but maybe 90-91?

I have heard throwing premium in is a waste. 87 is fine

I say. Read the owners manual. The people that designed and built the car should know what it needs.
It's a waste to put premium (89-91-93 octane) in a car that only needs regular. (87 octane)
In some cases the owners manual might specifically state "premium is NOT recommended."
But to put regular in a car designed to run on premium is asking for trouble.
I'd say if the extra 10-20 cents per gallon bothers you that much, be sure the car you planing to buy will run on regular.
Most people drive 15K per years these days. Unless you're driving a tank, you're probably getting 15 mpg or better overall.
So we're talking $100-$200 per year. That's $10-$15 per month. Cheep insurance to my way of thinking.

Again. What does your owners manual say? Both 89 and 91-93 octane's are considered "premium."
If your vehicle runs ok on 89 then that's probably all it needs. But check the owners manual.
The owners manual for my Ranger specifically says

"regular unleaded gasoline with pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87. We DO NOT recommend the use of
gasolines labeled as "regular" that have octane ratings of 86 or lower in high altitude areas."

89 octane does nothing becuz it detonates at a later time then 87.

So have you done any mods to the Ranger yet?

__________________

no not yet but im getting the roush exhaust and the fram boost intake

This allows you to run more timing, higher compression, etc. Producing more power.

So0unds like a nice start :thumbsup: Let us know how that exhaust sounds for ya

__________________

I'd get a KN filter. I don't trust FRAM with anything

i have k&n and it fucked up my maf.

I've heard that a few times about K&N. Which K&N did you have? The drop in filter or the cold air kit?
How long have you had it on your truck? What sort of damage did it do? Did you "service" it?
I've had my K&N cold air kit on my Ranger for almost 2 years. My 4th. Had one on each of my pervious 2 vehicles. A truck and a car.
Also have one on my GoldWing. I put about 50k on the truck and 80K on the car. So far about 50K on the Wing. No problems with any of them yet.

I tend to agree with the tuner idea, more because I think the settings in the cars as they are probably aren't programmed with power in mind. Sometimes those tuners will allow you to fix that. Or you can call the folks over at Jet Performance and have them send you a new chip. They ask you what you have, a few specs, and then tailor a chip that will make the most of the situation. My dad used 'em to rebuild the Holley he was putting on his Chevelle, works great (a shame that the cam doesn't fit the application, so that'll probably mess with things a little).

Say BlackRanger, what's the latest on your upgrades?

fram boost intake

Notice any difference with that intake?