Custom Car Magazine Hot Tub Back Issue

Despite the price per litre having dropped slightly in recent weeks, there is no denying that the major running cost to all of us driving the cars we do is fuel. You all know how much it will cost you to tank up, maybe more than once, to get to and from the next event you’ll be at. Since getting my F100 on the road a few years ago, I’ve always found it to be somewhat thirsty, and changing the rear axle twice hasn’t improved things at all. So a few weeks ago I took the plunge and bought a brand new carb, and that has provided the most significant improvement in fuel economy of any of
the changes I’ve made. The pick-up runs a 350 / 350 combo and now returns 16.5mpg on a run – not exactly economical, but nevertheless an 18% improvement over the 14mpg it did previously. Interestingly, when I’m towing my caravan, as I often do, the truck now also returns 2.5mpg more – a 25% increase over the previous 10mpg. Whilst 2.5mpg may not sound much, I have worked out what cost saving that represents over the course of next year – and no, Kelsey Media do not pay for the fuel I use. Just from the dates already in, I know I’ll be doing a touch over 3,000 miles in my pick-up next year, almost half of them with a mobile home in tow, and that doesn’t allow for when I just feel like going for a drive. Based on today’s price of petrol (although I’m sure it will have crept up again by next year), my fuel bill will be £1,266. If I hadn’t changed the carb, it would be £1,542,
so the carb will have paid for itself within a year – result! I know some of you now run on LPG, or have even switched to diesel engines, but it will undoubtedly take a lot longer than a year to
recoup the cost of such conversions. Another option is to switch to an overdrive-type transmission,
such as a 700R4, but again that will take a lot longer and cost far more than changing a carburettor.
So, with that in mind, we would like to hear what, if anything, you have done to help improve your fuel economy.