MPG with a coyote engine

[gws34]

Anyone on here done the Coyote swap and are willing to share what they are getting MPG wise? I am looking to rebuild/replace my motor and want to see what are the best options for the time and effort to make this rolling brick anymore more efficient without ruining the fun it is to drive. I know it will never be considered as a fuel efficient vehicle but I do believe in owning the cool cars and driving them not just putting them on display. I drive my 75 as a daily driver 62 miles a day round trip (highway miles) and on average are getting 11mpg. The motor is well worn needs a complete rebuild or I need to replace with something with a little more power but not suck the mpg's way down, maybe even go up a little. Any suggestions? I do have to stay with Emissions stuff here in AZ also.

Simple math shows that if I got up to 20mpg (I know not realistic but simple math) I would save over $3000 a year on fuel with the way the world is running now. so every little bit helps. I would rather put the money into a better motor,trans setup that spending it on fuel. Just want to see what other have and how they like it.

Thanks
Glen

 

[DirtDonk]

I don’t think 20 is out of the realm of possibility.
I get 20 with my stock 5.0L out of an explorer. Now, that’s being real careful and driving under 60. But it shows it can be done.
And that’s with extremely low off-road oriented gearing. If I change the gearing I’m sure my mileage would go up.

I still think the best results with the rolling brick that we have is going to be below 60 miles an hour. No matter how efficient the engine, the higher the speed the fact remains that you’re still pushing a lot of air.
But do the gearing right in that may not matter as much.

 

[.94 OR]

My '71 setup, 302, Holley 1850, headers, 3-speed, 3.50 gears and ~3" lift rolling on 31's used to net me 15-16 on a regular basis with a big foot on it. I did get about 20 a couple times on the highway at 60 mph. My '12 F150 Supercrew 4WD, 6 speed auto, 3.73 on factory tires is averaging 16.5 mpg after 139,000 miles running empty, woods roads and towing my sled trailer. I think with the lighter weight of the Bronco, 19-20 should be doable.

 

[Broncobowsher]

The generation of Coyote will also matter. The latest with the direct injection will get better economy than port injected.

The staying with AZ emissions testing can get interesting. Being a '75 I am pretty sure it has to pass a visual inspection. At that point you will fail. Doing a transplant, you will have to retain everything. The late model Fords can get fussy when trying to transplant them to be 100% original and emissions compliant. Doing an engine swap is one thing, making it pass emission testing is different. Even if it is cleaner than what a stock '75 would have been, it is all the little details to making it legal in the end.

 

[lars]

I managed a consistent 16 on the highway with my Explorer 5.0, rolling on 35's with 4.56 gears through an NV4500. 3-1/2" lift (higher generally makes things worse). Engine had a different cam and headers but was otherwise pretty much stock. Astoundingly I've gotten that with my 351W-based 408 as well. Go figure.

From an aerodynamic standpoint, mathematically power required goes as the cube of speed. So a little more speed requires a lot more power. A powerful (haha) incentive to slow down. And that's not factoring other sources of drag, ie rolling friction, driveline losses, etc.