3. Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics of a vehicle play a major role in determining its fuel consumption. It’s said about 60 percent of the power required to cruise at highway speeds is taken up overcoming air drag, so this figure will increase quickly at even slightly higher speeds.

Although new vehicles often have more engineering incorporated into their design to reduce drag and improve aerodynamics, the one aspect off-roaders may not always consider is reducing aerodynamics with the addition of roof racks, off-road lighting and spare tire carriers. It’s true that these parts are installed due to a need for what we do, but sometimes these items can be removed and only installed when needed. Being mindful of the aerodynamics of your vehicle can yield a slight bump in mileage.

4. Rolling Resistance
Rolling resistance is the resistance that occurs when a round object (tires in our case) rolls on a flat surface. Large, aggressive tires will increase the amount of rolling resistance with your rig, making the 5-15% of the fuel consumed by a traditional car due to rolling resistance an even higher percentage for off-road rigs.

The concept of rolling resistance and how it relates to off-road vehicles has to be taken into realistic consideration. Of course a very aggressive tread pattern will reduce fuel economy, as large voids and deep treads will increase resistance. Taking mud-terrain tires off your trail rig when you plan to run it in the mud is not an option, but if you find yourself taking more moderate trail rides and not needing that aggressive tread, maybe a more realistic tire for your needs would be a better fit. If you have a 4×4 that serves double duty as a daily driver and a tow rig, if it doesn’t see mud and you have mud terrains equipped, switching to an all-terrain tire with a less aggressive tire pattern can certainly improve MPG.