How Much MPG Do You Lose with a Lift Kit?

📋 Quick Facts

A lift kit alone typically costs 0-1 MPG. Combined with the larger tires that usually go with it, total MPG loss reaches 2-4 MPG - sometimes more on trucks running 35" tires or larger.

Where the MPG actually goes

• Aerodynamic drag: Lifting a truck 3" raises the frontal area significantly. Drag scales with velocity squared - highway MPG suffers more than city.
• Rolling resistance: Larger off-road tires have aggressive tread that grips - on pavement, that grip is rolling friction.
• Rotational mass: A 35" KO2 weighs roughly 65 lbs vs. ~45 lbs for a stock 33". Four wheels = 80 lbs of added rotating mass.
• Gear ratio mismatch: Bigger tires lower your effective gear ratio. The engine works harder at the same speed. Re-gearing the differential recovers some MPG.

Real owner-reported numbers

• F-150 5.0 stock: 20 mpg combined. 2.5" leveling + 33" KO2: 18 mpg.
• Wrangler JLU 3.6 stock: 22 mpg combined. 3" lift + 35" KM3: 17 mpg.
• Ram 1500 5.7 stock: 18 mpg combined. 3" lift + 35" Toyo MT: 14 mpg.
• Tacoma 3.5 stock: 21 mpg combined. 2.5" lift + 33" Falken: 19 mpg.

How to minimize MPG loss

1. Stay 2" or underDrag and CV-angle penalties accelerate above 2.5".
2. Choose A/T tires, not M/TAll-terrain (BFG KO2, Falken Wildpeak AT3W) costs 1-2 MPG. Mud-terrain (KM3, Toyo MT) can cost 3-5 MPG.
3. Re-gear the differentialIf you went from stock 32" to 35", a one-step lower gear ratio (e.g., 3.55 to 3.92) recovers most of the lost low-end and 1-2 MPG.
4. Check alignment after the liftToe-out from new ride height costs MPG and tire life. Get a 4-wheel alignment.
5. Keep tire pressure at specOff-road tires often ship under-inflated from the shop. Run the door-jamb spec for street driving.

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