HappyExplorer

Whats the best miles per gallon you get with your Car?

I can get up to 32 with my 99 Eddie Bauer Explorer (V-8) if I drive right at around 48 mph.

NCVinVT

20+ MPG on a 300+ mile trip driving at 55 MPH or less. 4.6 L 2002 XLT. But usually only 16.5 MPG in everyday driving.

jherrer

Man, those numbers are awesome. I've already posted about this before but my 2002 Mountaineer (4.6 engine) only gets me around 14mpg. How the hell do you get 32 mpg? or even 16? What type of gasoline do you use?

NCVinVT

Use major brand gasoline regular, not "no name" discount gas. The key however, is conservative driving: No hard accleration, no 75 MPH highway drivng. Remember, air resistance increases proportionately to the square of the speed. Double your speed and you quadruple the air resistance. It takes much more gas to maintain high speeds. Coast to red lights, don't race up to them, then slam on the brakes. Almost all of the kinetic enrgy driving up to the light with your foot on the gas is wasted by transforming it to heat through the application of the brakes. Maintain good tire pressure. I notice a drop in mileage as soon as I take off the alloy rims with summer tires and put on the after market steel rims with the clunkier winter tread tires. Also winter gas formulation changes and just cold engine in cold weather changes fuel mixture, and gums up the drive train, so expect a drop in mileage in the winter.

GJSmackdown

Cheap Gas= Poor Mileage

fraxinusalba

I have 1997 and 1999, both with 4.0L SOHC and over 150K miles each. 17 MPG general running around, 20 MPG on long trips, both in mountainous driving. Usually drive 70-75 on Interstates depending on posted speed. Set the cruise and let 'em go.

Have run the brand gas and "cheap" stuff - my Explorers don't know the difference but my wallet does.

SleepOnDreams

I've heard of people drafting behind trucks,one thing I don't quite get is people say to turn off the engine while right behind a truck, but I would think that you would just fall behind and have to start the engine again in 20 seconds or so anyway, am I wrong? That just seems logical to me.

Anyways I only get about 15-18 mpg in my 99 4.0 OHV XLS, but that's alright I guess, what parts would you guys suggest adding to my car to increase gas mileage? I've got money to throw around right now, about 400, and in two weeks, near a thousand, but don't know what to get... any suggestions for increasing fuel economy?

fraxinusalba

Don't ever draft behind a truck, this could be extremely hazardous to your LIFE. You would be too close for safe stopping distance and your field of view would be too restricted for safe driving. An extra 1 or 2 MPG isn't worth dying for.

Don't turn engine off either when driving. You could lose power steering making the vehicle very hard to steer and its not good for your vehicle.

There's no parts you can add to increase mileage, only parts you can replace. If your vehicle has over 60K miles, you may need spark plugs and plug wires, both should be inspected and replaced if necessary. If the "check engine" light is on, you may have a faulty sensor that effects engine performance. Be sure engine oil and filter is changed at regular intervals and you use the recommended viscosity (probably 5W-30 for your vehicle but check owner's manual or label under hood). Be sure all lubricant levels are at recommended levels - this includes, engine oil, transmission fluid, transfer case (if 4WD), and differentials.

The vehicle's Powertrain Contol Module controls almost all the engine operation so there's not a lot more that can be done. As you can tell from other comments here, some vehicles just do better than others for whatever reason. Driving habits effect MPG too.

backlash1

Hi
I just want to point out that you're comparing 2 very different engines. You have tha OHV and most people here are talking about the SOHC, which is a more modern engine that should have a noticeably better fuel economy. So don't feel bad about your figures, I think they're OK.
Also, it's not the brand of gas that you use what affects consumption, but rather, the octane of the fuel you put in your car. The lower the octane the worst the fuel economy, because the PCM has to keep retarding the timing to avoid detonation (pinging). Low octane fuel also speeds up the formation of carbon deposits in the intake side of the engine (throttle body, manifold, etc) restricting the amount of air the engine gets at any given time and therefore affecting fuel economy. cheers
Marc

wwb

A couple points....

At normal highway demand (specific RPM and power output), the old pushrod motor actually has a slightly lower BSFC than the overhead cam motor. It also has more torque in the 1500 - 2500 RPM range. Not like it's a big deal, though.... your driving habits will have a MUCH greater influence on fuel mileage than the engine type.

As to the old wives tale about all the benefits of higher octane fuel.... Unless your compression ratio is so high (or your combustion chamber deposits so bad) that you're getting compression ignition, you don't need any higher octane - and backing off the spark timing won't stop the knock - the ECM will realize that it's compression ignition, quit retarding the spark, and light the "check engine" light. In normal operation, the spark will be advanced to the point where the knock detector signals the ECM, and then backed off slightly... this is adjusted constantly - and when incipient knock is determined by spark timing, the fuel grade doesn't matter.

Higher octane fuel does not have any more inherent energy than regular gasoline..... it simply has a higher ignition temperature (and a higher price).

Manifold deposits, combustion chamber deposits, injector fouling, fuel pump wear, etc. are all treated with additives to the fuel, and all grades of a particular brand get the same additives.... and even many different brands use the same stuff.