Need info on MPG...

[LADYbug1104]

Hello everyone... I'm a new member and I'm very excited to learn about my new SUV... Well, not yet mine, but will soon be...I'm buying a 2001 Explorer Sport within two weeks, and I can hardly wait... I've been saving up for it, and the time has finally come =) ...

My question has to do with the MPG of the Explorer... It says that it will go 17mpg on city driving and 23mpg on highway driving... However, I have just read a thread that focused on MPGs and it was mentioned that some were going as low as 7.5mpg (city)!!! Is this true??? I don't think it will change my mind of buying the 01 Explorer Sport (the Firestone debacle didn't )...but I just want to be prepared...

Thank you all for any information you can give me. =)

 

[EB Bauer]

Welcome to the board! It is posible to get the low of MPG. You would have to have a really big lead foot though. I would say the lowest I have ever had was 13MPG and that is with some larger tires and my foot all the way to the floor. Hope this helps. Again...Welcome to the board!

 

[Alec]

I average about 20mpg per tank. My driving is almost evenly split between highway and city/offroading. On an only highway tank with a soft foot, I get about 25. However, I usually have a pretty heavy foot.

And yes, all the mods really did help mileage, the most being the chip.

Happy purchasing!

 

[kubben]

Mileage

The gas mileage goes down when you start lifting it and putting bigger tires on. You can make up for that with new gears and engine mods. Also the older the engine gets you find you loose mileage. Just an overhaul will take care of that.

I have a 1996 with the Shackle lift and K&N and I get 20MPG highway. I'm getting 31's and have 3.73 gears so we will see what that does.

 

[rustytr]

I noticed when I first got my 00' sport I was only getting about 15-18 highway, and about 13-15 city, but with 13,000 miles now I get about 18-23 highway and 15-17 in the city and I have a pretty heavy foot, so at least it gets better

Oh yeah, it has the 4.0 sohcV6, also make sure you use 87 octane gas.

 

[Goober]

Mine runs about 16.5 -17 mpg with 32's and being light footed. New plug wires, Bosh plugs and a K&N, may have helped, but I did all 3 at the same time so I'm not sure which did the most good. I also changed to Texaco gas and that also seemed to help. I'm almost back where I used to be as far as mileage, before all the lifting and stuff, so I'm content.

 

[flyguy]

Most of the people who claim such low numbers is because something is wrong with thier ride... most likely O2 sensors, or thier fuel pressure reg. Bigger tires would do the trick too... but not that bad. With all my mods I get about 18mpg... and thats uphill with the pedal on the floor... and I have made some mods to my ride... I havent been able to test normal freeway driving yet... Personally I dont think the explorer gets all that bad milage...especially on the freeway. City is not that good.. but at least you look good doing it...

nick

 

[rpenner54]

The only person I know who gets that kind of mpg is Paul Bredhoft with his supercharger. Which according to him is a POS. But it sounds and looks cool to me.

I for one probably get anywhere from 15-20 mpg. I really don't keep track to often but thats about my average. I have a very heavy right foot and I got the lift and big tires.

 

[Lewdog]

I've been getting @19 mpg, with a mix of highway/city. I have an auto tranny.

 

[samcc]

buying and mileage

The Firestone-Ford scandal hasn't entirely put me off either, but, although the Sport is on my short list, I'm still vacillating about what to shop for. If I knew _what_ I'd be worrying about _how_. So I hope you'll share what you're learning about how to shop and buy.

As for mileage, a guy in the gas business told me once that so much swapping/trading goes on upstream from the pumps, that brands are unreliable; so, he said, buy based on price and convenience.

(I also look for someone with new tanks less likely to let water into the gas for the fuel filter to choke on before its scheduled replacement. And I try to fill up at the end of the day to keep overnight condensation from contributing. Staying filled up also lowers your center of gravity!)

The best mechanic I know tells me not to routinely pay for a higher octane than recommended for the engine.

We do get lower mileage at higher speeds. But acceleration, which even many slowpokes fail to bridle, sometimes has more to do with lower mileage. I also think that tempature gauges show that the coolant has heated up long before the oils and metals are uniformly hot and ready for an rpm higher than that needed to keep the oil pressure high enough to lubricate all the moving parts. I think that's only about 1,500 - 2,000 rpm. Driving in that range longer than you want to after each cold start is probably especially good for a new engine as well as for mileage.

Coming back to safety issues: topping up your tire pressure first thing in the morning (when it's more accurately measured) once a week/month will result in higher mileage. _If_ the vehicle lives to accumulate the miles. Which reminds me that front (only) side air bags are a $390 (list) option on the 2001 Sport. That's less than the x-rays alone would be.

Incidentlally, I think I've noticed on http://www.greenlight.com that GreenLight's discounts are greater on the options than on the vehicle itself. So I guess the more we add, the harder we should bargain (with a dealer).

Good luck.

 

[flyguy]

Dont get the sport! Get the XLT! There was a disscussion earlier on this board... and the XLT was proven to be the superior truck. hehe...

nick

 

[kubben]

Discussion

Where is this discussion at?

 

[flyguy]

I dont remember...I think a guy on this boards wife/girlfriend was going to be purchasing an explorer and had asked which one to get... Its on here somewhere...

nick

 

[LADYbug1104]

Thanks everyone... for all of your advices... and thanks for the "welcomes" and "good lucks" ...=)

The information really helped out a lot...

Samcc... sorry, but I can't help you much about shopping and buying, since I'm new to it, too... but thanks for the info you gave me... =(

And for Nick (flyguy) ... the reason I want to get the Sport is because it's small... Yup, I've read about how the XLT is the superior truck... but it's too big for me =(
Thanks, though =)

Once again... thanks everyone =)

 

[flyguy]

Its not too big!!! Its a REAL truck. hehe. And you can use the back seats... and load lots of cool stuff in it... its fun.

nick

 

[Tom Wilk]

Heh Heh, as the owner of a Sport, I can assure you that its manueverability is excellent, and its size is perfect as long as you don't have a crowd. Come on, Nick, 4 doors makes it a family car.

In all honesty, I can see benefits to the 4 door, but I preferred the 2 door and I wasn't disappointed.

BTW, for the record, I get 17-20 mpg on mine. It depends on how I drive. That's pretty much the same as most others.

 

[flyguy]

Yeah.. but sport means lame. KIA's and other lame cars put sport after the name so it sounds cool. The sport has just been robbed of its doors and space... plus..I heard when they make the sports... they take some of the coolness outta them... so they can sell them cheaper.

nick

 

[Tom Wilk]

Are you kidding? Mine's got so much coolness that I didn't need the factory air! I have to run the heat any time its under 90 degrees. Plus, it was cheaper.

 

[flyguy]

No way! My XLT hunts down little sports to eat for lunch. RAWR!!!

nick

 

[LADYbug1104]

settle down, you guys....

Tom and Nick... =) Thanks for the feedback... I have to agree with both of you on your points... but just to let you know... I'm 19 years old... and buying a four-door explorer would be too much for me... I don't have anything against it... I think it's great... and maybe in the future I'll trade my Sport for a 4-door... But for now, I think I'll go with the Sport... It's easier to maneuver, I'll have to agree with that... and it is cheaper... =) it won't be too heavy on my finances =)
Thanks for the input =)

-charisse