Who doesn’t want to lift their truck for more ground clearance and better traction, right? It will also enhance the aesthetics of your vehicle. In addition, the base of the truck won’t get damaged on uneven roads. However, the car’s fuel efficiency might become poor after you raise it using a lift kit. So, how does a lift kit affect gas mileage?
The gas mileage of a vehicle can be affected by the lift kit due to numerous reasons. One of the main reasons is the additional weight the lift kit imposes on the truck. The increased wind resistance due to the added height will also reduce the gas mileage.
Suspension lift kits can also affect the mpg as a car’s fuel economy varies according to its suspension and other parts. However, you can quickly and effortlessly improve the gas mileage of a lifted car.
Why Does A Lift Kit Affect Gas Mileage?
A lift kit for trucks can weigh up to 500 pounds. When a lift kit is installed in a car, the car’s total weight increases quite a bit. This added weight requires more power for the vehicle to achieve the desired speed. As a result, the gas mileage of a lifted vehicle significantly reduces.
Another significant factor in your lifted truck’s gas mileage is aerodynamics and drag. A sports car’s aerodynamic design is one of the factors that allows small sports vehicles to reach such high speeds. The automobile is constructed nearly at ground level. This allows for more effortless airflow up and over the car as it speeds along the highway.
Of course, if your already towering truck has been hoisted a few extra inches in the air, it will practically drag you down. You require more force to cut through the air the higher up the surface you are pressing against it. When you need more power, you must push harder on the gas pedal, reducing fuel efficiency.
Which Lift Kits Reduces The Fuel Efficiency Of A Vehicle?
The higher ride and taller, heavier tires that result from lifting your truck are two alterations that reduce the fuel economy. The truck body’s elevated position makes the vehicle less aerodynamic and more wind resistant. As a result, your raised truck might not get as good gas mileage as it did before.
After installing a lift kit, you may notice a difference in your truck’s gas mileage. There are basically three main types of lift kits – suspension lift kit, body lift kit, and leveling kit. Each lift kit has a different effect on the car’s gas mileage.
1. Body Lift Kit
A body lift increases the gap between the truck’s body and frame to lift it. Although it only rises two to five inches, this can be done to make room for larger tires. As it offers only a tiny amount of lift to a truck and is easy to install, the body lift kit is inexpensive.
Fuel usage is probably not significantly affected by a body lift. Lifting the body increases the surface area of your truck, which somewhat reduces aerodynamics, changing the car’s gas mileage.
Your truck will weigh more and get slightly worse mileage if the extra room is used to mount wider tires. The weight of the newly installed body lift will affect your car’s fuel economy.
2. Leveling Lift Kit
Leveling kits lift the vehicle above the axles to accommodate wider tires and provide more ground clearance. It is engineered to lift the front of the truck to match the height of the car’s rear portion.
It is also relatively easy to install as it only needs spring spacers and torsion keys. As a result, a leveling kit won’t significantly affect the fuel economy of your car.
However, your vehicle’s gas mileage might reduce slightly due to the added weight of the kit and the change in the aerodynamics of the vehicle. Since you’ve altered how the air travels around the truck, you’ll often lose 1-2 mpg on a level kit.
3. Suspension Lift Kit
The suspension lift kit lifts the truck’s suspension in the same way that the body lift kit lifts the body. This gives the truck more room than a body lift, allowing the drivers to mount even bigger tires.
Using a suspension lift, your truck could be elevated by up to 12 inches. The trucks with suspension lifts have more clearance power thanks to this greater room. With a suspension lift, off-road driving is significantly more feasible because it can navigate rough terrain and over obstacles.
A suspension raise does have a price, even though it increases power. Unlike body upgrades, suspension lift kits are less fuel efficient, which could be a concern. This is because larger tires can be installed on a truck with a suspension lift kit. The weight of this kit is also somewhat more, which will increase the vehicle’s overall weight, resulting in reduced gas mileage.
How To Get Better Gas Mileage In A Lifted Truck?
The fuel efficiency of a car can be affected by a lift kit. However, following a few simple tips, you can get better gas mileage in a lifted truck. They are pretty effortless and will effectively increase your truck’s gas mileage.
Regear Your Truck
Your truck’s fuel efficiency will decline as it grows larger and taller. However, you didn’t install a lift kit to get the highest gas mileage. But it doesn’t mean you can’t improve the gas mileage of the lifted truck. So, here’s what you can do to fill the tallest truck with the cheapest gas possible.
Using a lift kit, you have modified your truck’s suspension setup and tires for a taller truck. However, you might not have really taken any other precautions. Re-gearing your vehicle is one thing you can do to relieve some of the pressure on your wallet at the gas station and, most critically, the strain on your engine.
Re-gearing to the proper gear ratio gives your vehicle the right amount of torque and speed, restoring its power, performance, and fuel efficiency. You can take help from a professional mechanic to re-gear your truck if you find it too difficult to do it yourself.
Reduce The Weight Of The Truck
In the simplest terms, installing a lift kit to your truck means adding weight. Your vehicle is now heavier because you have larger shocks and tires. Check the weight you are adding in relation to your Gross vehicle weight. The weight may not seem much, but every ounce will affect the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
Your car’s fuel efficiency will reduce by up to 2% with the addition of every 100 pounds to the vehicle. However, removing a couple hundred pounds from a lifted pickup might be challenging.
Carbon fiber may undoubtedly be used in place of some sections to save weight. You can also remove seats that you don’t need. It’s possible to remove the sound system from the car if you have external bass and speakers.
Boost Your Truck’s Aerodynamics
The aerodynamics of the lifted truck is one of the most crucial factors that affect the truck’s fuel efficiency.
You can boost the aerodynamics of the lifted truck by slightly reducing the height of the front and making the rear portion more alleviated. This will help the car to cruise through the air without much resistance, making the vehicle fuel efficient.
How Much Does A 2-Inch Lift Affect Gas Mileage?
A 2-inch lift won’t significantly affect the MPG of the vehicle. The benchmark we adhere to maintain fuel efficiency is MPG or miles per gallon.
However, the vehicle’s weight will increase when you lift a truck 2 inches and add larger wheels or tires. As a result, the car can lose up to 5 MPG, making the vehicle inefficient.
The truck’s aerodynamics will change after adding the 2-inch lift kit. This will increase the vehicle’s wind resistance, and as a result, its gas mileage will reduce.
Final Words
A lift kit can come in handy for driving on rough roads and off-roads. It will ensure that the vehicle’s base doesn’t touch the ground. A lifted truck is also easier to drive as it offers better traction than the stock. As a result of more traction, the vehicle won’t slide off the slippery roads.
That being said, you must be wondering how a lift kit affects gas mileage. The MPG of a truck can reduce quite a bit after a lift kit is installed. However, you can improve the gas mileage of a lifted truck by re-gearing and reducing the weight.
