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Car Forum / Ford / Ford Explorer / June 2006Thoughts on improving mileage?
I have a '98 XLT with the 4.0L SOHC. I get a pretty steady 14-17 mpg combined city/highway depending on the season. Anything I can do to improve my mileage significantly? I mean beyond keeping the engine tuned up and air cleaner element clean. Before I bought my truck everyone told me I could expect around 20 mpg but I have never gotten close to that. I've heard about a product that you install after the air cleaner and its supposed to impart a swirl or vortex to the air being fed to the cylinders and result in more complete combustion and better mileage, but it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. Any one of those products that are supposed to improve MPG is bullshit. I also had a 98 and would get around 16-17 MPG city and almost 20 MPG highway. That's just the way it is. Try to be lighter on that pedal. > I have a '98 XLT with the 4.0L SOHC. I get a pretty steady 14-17 mpg > combined city/highway depending on the season. Anything I can do to [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > cylinders and result in more complete combustion and better mileage, > but it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. Check your tire pressure also. I do not know what tires you have now, but if you need new tires soon, Michelin LTX M/S or the Michelin Cross Terrains are a good choice. > Check your tire pressure also. I do not know what tires you have now, > but if you need new tires soon, Michelin LTX M/S or the Michelin Cross > Terrains are a good choice. Good thought about the tires -- I have Michelin XCX/APTs, but I assume they're just Sears' version of an essentially similar tire. I keep the tire pressure at 35 psi - the maxium rated. I figured those vortex things might be just a marketing gimmick, but was hoping somebody might be able to prove me wrong. > Good thought about the tires -- I have Michelin XCX/APTs, but I assume > they're just Sears' version of an essentially similar tire. I keep > the tire pressure at 35 psi - the maxium rated. Running the tires at 35 PSI will help mileage a little because you are decreasing rolling resistance in the tire, but the trade off is a firmer ride. > Check your tire pressure also. I do not know what tires you have now, > but if you need new tires soon, Michelin LTX M/S or the Michelin Cross > Terrains are a good choice. Great tires but I noticed a drop in gas mileage after replacing general purpose tires on my Frontier. I suspect that street tires might get better mileage. Personally I'll take the drop in mileage and keep the Michelins ;-) I've got a 96 explorer w/ 5.0 and 135000 miles. I get 18-22 mpg in Phoenix (mostly city driving) you need to use better oil switched to 20-50sae (mobil) and increased my mileage 2-4 mpg >I have a '98 XLT with the 4.0L SOHC. I get a pretty steady 14-17 mpg > combined city/highway depending on the season. Anything I can do to [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > cylinders and result in more complete combustion and better mileage, > but it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. > I've got a 96 explorer w/ 5.0 and 135000 miles. I get 18-22 mpg in Phoenix > (mostly city driving) > you need to use better oil switched to 20-50sae (mobil) and increased my > mileage 2-4 mpg I always thought putting in a heavier oil would reduce fuel economy. >> I've got a 96 explorer w/ 5.0 and 135000 miles. I get 18-22 mpg in >> Phoenix [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > I always thought putting in a heavier oil would reduce fuel economy. As a general rule IT DOES. I put 3 of those in my SuperCrew..... now I have to stop every 50 miles and drain fuel out of the tank.... The biggest effect on fuel mileage will be with your driving style and circumstances.... These are well publicized and, basically, driven by common sense.... I have no idea who "everyone" is.... perhaps they were mistaken..... as it is, we have no idea about the mileage and condition of your car.... >I have a '98 XLT with the 4.0L SOHC. I get a pretty steady 14-17 mpg > combined city/highway depending on the season. Anything I can do to [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > cylinders and result in more complete combustion and better mileage, > but it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. If only gas stations operated like the power company, where THEY have to buy any excess electricity you generate. > I put 3 of those in my SuperCrew..... now I have to stop every 50 miles and > drain fuel out of the tank.... [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > cylinders and result in more complete combustion and better mileage, > > but it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. Buy a '93 XLT? My mileage is down, but it still hits 20 mpg occasionally. Clean out the clutter. Excess weight drags down mileage. Of course, mine has a dishwasher and loads of crap in the back most of the time. Tire pressure- keep them from getting soft. Mine are at 32 psi. Turn it off- in the drive throughs, long red lights, etc. Every minute idling is a mile you could have driven with that gas. This is 15 cents per minute of idling for me, at 20 mpg and $3 per gallon. Don't fill the tank- 6 lbs per gallon adds weight. If you don't need a full tank for your trip, consider filling only half full. I haven't tried this, but it makes sense. Plan your trips. Doesn't really help the mileage, but it can reduce your miles driven. > I have a '98 XLT with the 4.0L SOHC. I get a pretty steady 14-17 mpg > combined city/highway depending on the season. Anything I can do to [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > cylinders and result in more complete combustion and better mileage, > but it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. > Buy a '93 XLT? My mileage is down, but it still hits 20 mpg > occasionally. [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > cylinders and result in more complete combustion and better mileage, > > but it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. I am from the UK and fuel here is $7.8 per gallon but we have 95 and 97 octane fule so it helps on the mpg. I ahve a 4l sohc with 65k and does about 19 mpg around town its ok its no less than a Jaguar 2.9 to 4ltr . Good high pressure tires and a light foot helps. It also has a lazy auto gearbox which means you press harder to go. At 65 I just wait for it to happens as is the case at 65?????????? > I am from the UK and fuel here is $7.8 per gallon but we have 95 and 97 > octane fule so it helps on the mpg. I ahve a 4l sohc with 65k and does > about 19 mpg around town its ok its no less than a Jaguar 2.9 to 4ltr . > Good high pressure tires and a light foot helps. It also has a lazy > auto gearbox which means you press harder to go. At 65 I just wait for > it to happens as is the case at 65?????????? I was always taught that a higher octane fuel does not necessarily give you better mileage. This because they have to add chemicals to stabalize detonization therefore decreasing the BTU of the fuel.... > > I am from the UK and fuel here is $7.8 per gallon but we have 95 and 97 > > octane fule so it helps on the mpg. I ahve a 4l sohc with 65k and does [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > you better mileage. This because they have to add chemicals to > stabalize detonization therefore decreasing the BTU of the fuel.... Gasoline is a mixture of different hydrocarbon molecules. "The bulk of a typical gasoline consists of hydrocarbons with between 5 and 12 carbon atoms per molecule." Heavier molecules with more carbon contain more BTU's, but tend to cause detonation. For example, diesel fuel contains more BTU's per gallon than gasoline, but only has an octane rating of only 25. LPG has a higher octane rating than gasoline, but fewer BTU's per gallon. Same for alcohol or gas/alcohol blends. So one way to get higher octane is to use more of the lighter molecules, which contain fewer BTU's per gallon. A high compression engine is more efficient, so that offsets the loss in BTU's. It's a waste to burn high octane fuel in a low compression engine and this is why you can actually get LOWER gas mileage burning higher octane fuel than your vehicle requires. I think the non-hydrocarbon additives are a minor issue because the volume is small. I learned this in autoshop years ago, but looked up the details in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline There is a table which lists the BTU's of various fuels per gallon... -Paul >> I am from the UK and fuel here is $7.8 per gallon but we have 95 and 97 >> octane fule so it helps on the mpg. I ahve a 4l sohc with 65k and does [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >you better mileage. This because they have to add chemicals to >stabalize detonization therefore decreasing the BTU of the fuel.... I've always heard that higher octane does NOT increase your mileage. It just thins your wallet. Octane ratings for fuel are only an indicator for it's resistance to knock. The higher octane rating the greater resistance to knock. The caveat is that higher octane fuels are harder to ignite and the engine has to work harder to ignite the air/fuel mixture hence the higher operating temps. It does not increase mileage but in most instances it will lower it because more fuel has to be burned to get the same energy output. This is why they recommend it for high compression engines. I bought a '95 VW Passat GLX VR6 and It "required" Premium fuel. But everytime I used it overheated big time. The dealer told me not to use premium anymore in order to save the engine. Most engines now adays have fuel systems that can automatically compensate and adjust for lower octane fuels. I too think it is nothing more than a marketing ploy in order for the gas companies to make more money. That's why I won't use it! >>> I am from the UK and fuel here is $7.8 per gallon but we have 95 and 97 >>> octane fule so it helps on the mpg. I ahve a 4l sohc with 65k and does [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > It just thins your wallet. High octane fuel was all about stopping the knock- it destroys your engine. High compression engines knocked loudly on low octane gasoline. So, the move to higher octane fuel started. One of the drawbacks of high octane fuel is it burns "slower" or "cooler" so the gas expansion is slightly less, so you get less energy out of the fuel. Octane can be adjusted by changing the length of the hydrocarbon chains in the fuel (more of the "lighter" molecules) or by additives (ethanol is a high octane). So you pay extra and get less for your fuel with high octane, unless you have a high compression engine designed to run on higher octane fuel. Of course, this discussion is about the 87/89/91/93 octane fuels in the US, not the 67/75 octane crap available in some countries. Some vehicles are designed to run on multiple fuel types. I don't know if octane ratings have any different effect on these engines. Chuck > Octane ratings for fuel are only an indicator for it's resistance to knock. > The higher octane rating the greater resistance to knock. The caveat is that [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > > > It just thins your wallet. > Buy a '93 XLT? My mileage is down, but it still hits 20 mpg > occasionally. [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > cylinders and result in more complete combustion and better mileage, > > but it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. I am from the UK and fuel here is $7.8 per gallon but we have 95 and 97 octane fule so it helps on the mpg. I ahve a 4l sohc with 65k and does about 19 mpg around town its ok its no less than a Jaguar 2.9 to 4ltr . Good high pressure tires and a light foot helps. It also has a lazy auto gearbox which means you press harder to go. At 65 I just wait for it to happens as is the case at 65?????????? > Buy a '93 XLT? My mileage is down, but it still hits 20 mpg > occasionally. [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > cylinders and result in more complete combustion and better mileage, > > but it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. I am from the UK and fuel here is $7.8 per gallon but we have 95 and 97 octane fule so it helps on the mpg. I ahve a 4l sohc with 65k and does about 19 mpg around town its ok its no less than a Jaguar 2.9 to 4ltr . Good high pressure tires and a light foot helps. It also has a lazy auto gearbox which means you press harder to go. At 65 I just wait for it to happens as is the case at 65?????????? > I have a '98 XLT with the 4.0L SOHC. I get a pretty steady 14-17 mpg > combined city/highway depending on the season. Anything I can do to [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > cylinders and result in more complete combustion and better mileage, > but it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me. I have this very vehicle and I can get 18/22 on it by keeping my foot out of the carburetor, keeping the tires at 40 and burning non-ethanol fuel. There is a consistent gain of 2 or 3 mpg by switching to regular from the ethanol blend. In that it now costs virtually the same - why not. RJ > I have a '98 XLT with the 4.0L SOHC. I get a pretty steady 14-17 mpg > combined city/highway depending on the season. Anything I can do to > improve my mileage significantly? Drive slower on the freeway. You'll get better mileage at 60 than at 75... Drive a steady speed too- accellerating all that mass takes energy. I have a 94 w/manual transmission. I get 18-20 mpg, once in a while a little better. Driving less is another way to conserve. If I can, I wait and combine trips I would have done separately, or just go less often. My labrador hates that... -Paul
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