What are the easiest ways, without spending a whole lot of money to increase my gas mileage so I can tell a difference. Somebody told me that new spark plugs will help, will they, and what else will they do?

97-4.0L SOHC-25,000 miles
This is just my two cents worth.
I would buy gas (87 octane) at a mom and pop store. I can't think of the brand. (no-name)
I would get consistant numbers of 15 mpg to 17 mpg.I heard thru the grapevine that Mobil or Amoco might increse my milage?
I only buy gas from these dealers and now I get around 17 mph to 20.2 the best yet.
Are major gas companies worth the extra 2 cents?
Why the difference in milage?
Anyone know?
Thanks!



[This message has been edited by Roadking (edited 05-15-99).]

I changed my oil to Mobil 1 (synthetic) 0W30 and it increased my Mileage too 19mpg from 17mpg.

By the way I have a 1997 Explorer Sport 4x4 with a SOHC 4.0 liter engine with 4.10:1 gears.

Buying gas from a major brand is a must! Mobil, Sunoco etc, buy cleaner fuel from their suppliers than the mom & pop type places. They also add detergents that help clean out your valves and prevent your lines from freezing in the winter. Definetly worth the extra $$

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The Oz Man -94XLT-
ozmatoz@hotmail.com

It's basically fresher gas. The longer gas sits, the less stable it becomes and the less methenol there is in it to burn. That's why you put gas stabilizer in the tank of your lawn mower, motorcycle, etc. Ma and Pa shops usually get the left over gas from brand name stores, like SA (Ashland oil), Texaco, Havoline, Amoco. The gas they get has been sitting for a while.

I WANT TO AGREE WITH YOU GUYS ON THE GAS ISSUE, BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU... I TRIED ALL OTHER COMPANIES BUT THE GAS THAT ALLOWS MY 97 EXPLORER TO PERFORM THE BEST IS THE CHEAPEST GRADE OF GULF GASOLINE. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, A CHEAP MODIFICATION FOR BETTER GAS MILAGE IS A K&M FILTER AND DRILLING HOLES IN YOUR AIRBOX. IT WILL COST YOU ABOUT $40 AND AN HOUR OF YOUR TIME START TO FINISH. YOU WILL PICK UP BETWEEN 2-3 MILES PER GALLON. AT LEAST THIS IS MY EXPERIANCE. GOOD LUCK

[This message has been edited by ETJAFFE (edited 07-28-1999).]

The K&M air filter, Mobil1 fluids, and Flowmaster muffler were all mileage boosters. They all gave a slight boost in power as well.
Rick

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Rick
95 Explorer Sport Expedition
http://hometown.aol.com/explorgm/Explorer/index.htm

I have to agree with ETJAFFE and Rick. I don't think that different gas from different companies would make a difference. The hole in the bottom of the filter box along with a K&N filter would definitly be a sure bet. Other exhaust mods such as muffler and pipes will also make a difference. The one danger in doing this is that it opens up more power as well and might make you drive with a heavier foot making your mpg the same as without the mods.

I always find it interesting that when chatting with folks about gas mileage (or lack thereof), they almost invariably overlook driver technique. Technique can make a very, very significant difference in overall gas mileage. Case in point; my wife consistently gets only 13-14 MPG from our '91 Explorer in town while I easily get 18 MPG. The difference simply technique; I drive as smoothly as practical, anticipate braking and try not to be "on the throttle, on the brakes, back on the throttle." Try it, you'll like it! :-)

I've got a 92 sport that gets 20-24mpg with the a/c on the only thing i have is a KKM filter.

Hey here's my 2cents, I drive a 92 EB 4x4, 130 000km, with bosch platniums, k&n air filter and holes in my airbox, I also and ONLY use Mohawk (cleaner buring fuel) 94oc. it seems to do alot better on gas when i bought it with 109 000kms.

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Dan Melton
92 Ford Explorer EB

I have to second TECH on this one - driving style makes a large difference. My wife and I are about 2 MPG apart also. She believes that the gas is on or the brakes are on nothing inbetween.

Getting to high gear quickly (using part throttle) anticipating upcomming lights, stops etc. is good for gas milage and other parts too (like brakes, transmission). Smooth is key around town, and to a lesser extent on the highway. Constant speed, what ever it is, is much better than slowing down and getting back up to speed.
FWIW

Steve
91 navajo

Let's talk about women for a second, since this is a guy forum anyways. My wife does the same thing with my explorer - gas, brake, gas, brake. From my shotgun position, I can watch the gas gauge slam to the left. Sometimes I think my wife can be legally classified BLIND. But anyways, to increase gas mileage, I agree; fresh gas (I know this one - I used to be a gelogist), high tire pressure, new tires, and a filter mod' will increase mileage by 5mpg, i have found.

HEY, THIS IS NOT JUST I GUY FORUM. AND QUIT BASHING WIVES. MY HUSBAND DRIVES LIKE A MANIAK!!!! HE GETS TERRIBLE GAS MILEAGE. ON THE OTHER HAND, I JUST GOT MY ONLY 2 SPEEDING TICKETS IN MY 20 YEARS OF DRIVING IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS. SINCE I HAVE SLOWED DOWN AND DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT, I HAVE NOTICED A CONSIDERABLE DIFFERENCE IN GAS MILEAGE. IT WAS FOR THE BETTER OF COURSE. WE HAVE A 91 WITH K&N,HOLES IN AIR BOX, BOTSH PLATINUM PLUGS, TORNADO AIR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM(SUCKS). I HAVE NEVER GOTTEN OVER 320-330 OUT OF A TANK.

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shawna l.

Some more things that can affect gas mileage:
- altitude / weather
- weight you might be carrying
- size, type, pressure, alignment of tires
- brakes that may be dragging
- wind speed & direction
- drag creating add-ons like bug deflectors
- etc.
- especially etc.

Summary: there are all kinds of things which can affect fuel economy.

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JGB
Ontario Canada(!)

My brother has a 91 explorer eb, his wife drives it mostly. When I ride with her, she takes off and the rpm gauge is at 4000 rpm everytime. She basically floors it from take off everytime she takes off. And they compalin about the gas mileage! Well I have a 95 explorer sport 4x4 and I get about 27-29 mpg on my way to college. I drive on I-75 and on state road 20 and state road 140. It's about a 124 mile round trip to my college from where I live and I spend 6 dollars a day in gas. I think that's good. Any better and I would have to buy a VW. Of course I learned the art of coasting up to red lights and down hills. And stopping as little a possible. And I take off around 2000 rpm.!

hello all,

i live in steamboat springs, colorado (elev 7000') and own a 98 xlt with the high altitude emissions addition.

is there anything i should do to my X in order to get better mileage? i drive like a grandma and keep up with regular maintenance. is the drilled air box idea worth exploring?

any suggestions would be great.

Thanks.

I know people say K&N filters are for performance. Maybe on my mustang. On my explorer it was worth 1mpg guaranteed!

Take a look at http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44372&highlight=my+quest+for

Good luck.....

One simple thing you can do is to take off the roof rack bars on top of the truck to cut down on wind resistance.

Night help a little.

JD:)

Originally posted by Jake's Dad
One simple thing you can do is to take off the roof rack bars on top of the truck to cut down on wind resistance.

Night help a little.

JD:)

It definately helps with highway driving mileage, nohelp in town.

Damn talk about pulling an old thread up, this ones sat dead and buried for nearly 4 years!!

Gas-wise, make sure your tires are as inflated as you can safely put them, around 32-34PSI.

Tire inflation, air intake (I have MAC Products), cat-back exhaust, comp chip, don't stomp on the gas. These will all help to some degree. Talk to Aldive on this forum. He has gotten 32mpg in his V6 Explorer. He said synthetics all around got him 2-3 mpg.

[edit]
I just noticed Aldive posted his link above. Forgive me, I'm slow. http://smilies.networkessence.net/s/otn/other/11doh.gif Least it proves I knew what I was talking about.

My wife drives a 99 with the five speed and the OHV engine. She does get better mileage than I do, since she shifts early and lets that high torque motor work.

In general driving style will do more to affect mileage than anything else. That being said, obviously keeping the motor in a sharp state of tune will help along with the intake and exhaust upgrades already mentioned.

The one modification that I have made that I have not seen mentioned here yet is the installation of electric cooling fans. I removed the stock fan and plastic shroud, and replaced them with two Derale electric fans. These run independent of each other. My mileage gain was between 1 and 2 mpg. I also picked up increased throttle response as obviously the engine no longer has to spin the fan. One other benefit is the air conditioner is much more efficient (more cool air) on a hot day when sitting in traffic as my electric fans run at high speed even though the truck is at near idle speed. I wired one fan to come on any time the AC is running.

Yes, electric fans can boost mileage. I plan on adding one very soon.

Can you post more details about your install such as model numners, where you got them, pictures?

Thanks.....

Everybody's getting 20 MPG in their Explorer!! I have a '91 Explorer 4.0L, im lucky to get 12 mpg, and im not that hard on the truck. What is goin on with my truck? what can i do to my intake w/o spending money to give me beefier noise and better mileage? i also have 150K miles on my truck, could that be why too? Also, up until now its been below 30 degrees, does that hurt mileage too? i've only had the truck since christmas, so i dont know how it runs in the warm weather... please help me out!

I second the electric fan request...

Originally posted by aldive
Yes, electric fans can boost mileage. I plan on adding one very soon.

Can you post more details about your install such as model numners, where you got them, pictures?

Thanks.....

I installed the electric fan and all is well....http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=75371&highlight=electric+fan+install

Would drilling holes in the stock air filter box to allow more air in get better mileage?

I finally found a post that I know about. GASOLINE. The difference that you find in gas from a major vs mom & pop is that mom & pop get blended gasolines. This means that when the gasoline was made, it was off spec. So Texaco/Shell/Exxon etc sell it to traders and blenders. These companies then put in additives such as MTBE to try and get the gasoline on test. I have also seen them blend it down to get more gasoline. Say their gas had 88 octane in it. That's better than reg, but not as good as plus, so they add fillers into it to bring the octane rating down and bam, more gas to sell. Been doing gasolines and crudes for 20 years now. I think I have seen it all.
HotDogs

I found that the tires you put on make a difference! Highway or all season tires will always get better mileage than off road tires or snow tires! Hey! Every little helps!!! But i'm a snow and ice tire freek so between the "winter gas" loss of mileage, the heavy load of (emergency stuff) I always carry with me and the snow & ice tires my mileage always drops down no matter what I drive!
BTW Hot Dogs: Nice read!!!