wfo9
New member
How does a suspension lift effect the fuel efficiency, if at all?
Lift increases drag.
The lift makes very little difference at low speed. it mainly impacts hwy speed mpg. Bigger more off-road oriented tires will impact mpg at all speeds... The more offroad capable the tire... the lower the MPG. There is simply no way around this. You might find a P that can handle dirt roads... but if you get into any major rocks... the sidewalls slice like butter.
I think a 3 - 4mpg hit for a lift and AT tires is a fair assessment. MTs and a lift can easily drop you 5mpg. Throw in an aftermarket style front bumper and you are going to be near a 35% drop in mpg.
I drive 3 different vehicles on a regular basis. I can really feel the 4r having to work to maintain speed and overcome all the air and tire it is pushing. Almost feels like it has a parachute behind it compared to my other vehicles (one is a full size crew cab truck with street tires). I have a huge hill where I sometime throw it in N just to see.... My other vehicles accelerate to about 80mph where the 4r slows down to ~60mph due to all the rolling and aero resistance.
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