My quest for 25

[Blacksheep Josh]

lol. glue a rock under the pedal so it won't go down as far. that'll work!

 

[shadowless127]

I can't either!
I tried to pick my little girl up at daycare today by staying below 2500 RPM, AC off windows down... and it was tough... especially pulling out into traffic. I just filled up yesterday so Id like to try this for a full tank to see just what the difference is but with 100° humidity here I dont know if I'll last without the AC.

yeah i totally cant stay under 2500rpm on my commute home, too many people who can't drive and just get in the way of my 8 cylinders of fury lol. I can, and have been trying to do it with all my errands around town, but even that is a challenge. I can't deal with the heat so i'm usually using the air.

 

[bigapple]

As aldive has done, I have decided to generate a thread that focuses on my desire to achieve 25 mpg highway mileage.

My Truck:
2003 Explorer XLT 4.6 V8
current setup:
265/70 R16 tires
3.90 rear gears
aftermarket muffler (dynomax turbo)
Halo spark plugs http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1981740#post1981740

Baseline highway: 18.8 mpg
Current Highway: 20 mpg

Future mods:
245 75 r16 tires (thinner)
oil and atf fluid switch to synthetic
hydranox 5000 install
acetone addition (possibly)
warm air intake (possibly)

I will attempt to provide as accurate information as possible to allow viewers the ability to make their decisions on modifications to their X.

for hydrogen gens, if the hydranox is good than thats def good but u coulda saved a bit by making ur own... my previous crappy design got me +1 in the city only making .5 lpm of hydroxy gas... so knowing that it actually works, i can get the materials i need to make my third generator the best... btw if they suggest using baking soda as an electrolyte, dont do it... use either lye (aka caustic soda NaOH) or acetic acid (distilled white vinegar) with distilled water... u can use tap but u will get much more gunky **** from running tap with all its impurities... keeping everything pretty uniform makes it run more smoothly... for more info, hit up www.HHOforums.com

I had been considering the hydrogen as a possibility, but the price kept me away. When I noticed the hydranox on sale, I decided that either it is going to work or I am the "fool" parted from his money. At 299, I decided to try.

I believe the acetone works if kept in small doses, but I do not know what impact hydrogen will have on it. If I hit my goal without it, woo-hoo.

id say dont even try the acetone... it mite temporarily give u 1-2mpg better, but when u stop using it, it tends to drop the amount it when up and zero itself out... not much point to it although there has been some hype about it... stick to hydroxy and u should be good to go... having the injection site in ur airbox or ur intake tube wont matter... just dont run it to ur intake manifold like some dumbasses have done... it doesnt give ur engine the proper chance to mix it in all the cylinders, whereas, injecting it into the intake tube does... ull get better mileage by injecting in the intake manifold cover, just not as much as u would stayin in the intake tube


hopefully all this is helpful... ive researched hydroxy for quite some time and have made 3 generators that havent worked too well so im on the road to finally finish... one tip too; to prevent overheating, make sure to measure out the amount of electrolyte u use to not go overboard... its easy to do (especially with lye)

 

[aldive]

use either lye (aka caustic soda NaOH) or acetic acid (distilled white vinegar) with distilled water

At what concentration?

 

[bigapple]

At what concentration?

lye is pretty intense so most people suggest using 1/4 teaspon in a gallon or half gallon... im using it pretty soon to make a good solution... ill let yall know my results

 

[edgar_88]

i have a K&N FIPK intake on my 03 V6, and i saw a significant DECREASE in my MPG. Ive had it for more than a year now, and i do more than half of my driving on the highway. It was such a difference that i even thought of taking the thing off at first, but just bit the bullet instead. and i do NOT drive erratic, or speed constantly, keep it at around 70. Has anyone else had this problem with an intake???

 

[bigapple]

i have a K&N FIPK intake on my 03 V6, and i saw a significant DECREASE in my MPG. Ive had it for more than a year now, and i do more than half of my driving on the highway. It was such a difference that i even thought of taking the thing off at first, but just bit the bullet instead. and i do NOT drive erratic, or speed constantly, keep it at around 70. Has anyone else had this problem with an intake???

well at least initially ur ECU has to adjust for the extra air flow and once it does, itll give u better response and a slight mpg increase... if uve had it for a while, im not sure why it would still be making u slack in mpg

 

[wickedturns]

so the UD for the V6? who has a good product? anyone have installation specs. very curious, how many MPG can I enjoy. I understand there are some tunnings for thisI am still looking for a good tunner!? 25 MPG sounds great if I can meet this!!! I have magnaflow and K&n so far. whats next other then synthetics

 

[aldive]

so the UD for the V6? who has a good product?

ASP

anyone have installation specs.

I have been running UDPs since February 2006.

Take a look at http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1377150#post1377150 and http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1394998#post1394998

 

[jturquette]

Update

I have had the tires swapped out from yokohama geolander P265/70 R16 with Michelin LTX M/S P245/75/R16. The diameter is very close (difference of 0.1 inches). The michelins ride much better than the yokos, IMHO.

Before I ran a quick run up and down the highway, I filled up to check the city gains. The city mileage on one tank was 15.5 mpg (up from 14.8 mpg). Now I am not stating the tire diameter necessarily gained that much in mileage, but the indications show an increase of some sort.

I ran a 100 mile trip this past friday on Exxon 89 octane.
avg speed: 67-68 mph
Gallons: 4.85 (used the same pump to the same number of clicks when filling)
mpg: Highway calculated about 20.6 mpg

To get a better indication of highway mileage, a longer trip is needed, but I do not have the time or spare capital to take long distance "trial" runs while I am getting these items knocked out.

This past weekend, after the highway trip, I changed the oil, ATF, and diff fluid over to mobil 1 synthetics. (I am at 60k miles and figured it to be a convenient time.) I will be taking a 180 mile round trip tuesday evening and then driving to San Antonio on Friday to get another data point. I am hoping to see 2-3 mpg gain due to the fluids change.

Oil: Mobil 1 5W-20 Ext. Performance
ATF: Mobil 1 Mercon V blend
Diff fluid: Mobil 1 75W-140

I will post the results after these trips. This will be the best chance I have to get a reading on the Halo plugs, the tire diameter, and the synthetic fluids.

Later.

 

[aldive]

When you calculated the gas mileage with the different tires, how did you compensate for the different diameter? Did you correct the odometer reading? How?

 

[aldive]

I ran a 100 mile trip this past friday on Exxon 89 octane.

Just curious, but why do you use 89 fuel?

 

[helmsa]

When you calculated the gas mileage with the different tires, how did you compensate for the different diameter? Did you correct the odometer reading? How?

While this question is in need of addressing for anybody who is using tires larger then what came on their vehicle stock (that is what the vehicle is programmed for), based on generic calculations for tire sizes, here is the data that I can show you:

265/70R16 = 30.61 in. tire diameter
245/75R16 = 30.47 in. tire diameter

Using an excel calculator that I designed to look at differences in tire diameter and therefore the percentage difference in tire size on one tire application vs. another, I see that the tires that were placed on the vehicle (245/75R16) only show to be 0.5% smaller then the previous application.

My question would be, what was the stock tire size that came on the vehicle, and were any changes made to the programming of said vehicle when the 265/70R16 Yokos were installed (assuming that these were not the stock size as mine came with 235/70R16 tires). Based on the 235/70R16 stock size that came on my X and no programming to compensate for the difference, the current tires are 5.2% larger (100 miles on the odometer yielded a true distance traveled of 105.2 miles and a MPG calculation of 21.69, not 20.6 using the same 4.85 gallons of fuel).

jturquette, if you can update us on stock conditions (tire size) and any programming that has taken place to your knowledge to compensate for changes in tire diameter, I can help you better address the differences in tire sizes.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Hey all,

Sorry I am clueless, but what is HHO? Some hydrogen mod for your engine?

And btw the rear differentials on all 3gens came with synthetic oil in them from the factory already, in fact there is a stamp on the dif saying SYNTHETIC ONLY. But I think it is a good idea you changed out your dif fluid for preventive measures anyhow, with all the whine issues.

Thanks. Good luck on the 25+

 

[jturquette]

When you calculated the gas mileage with the different tires, how did you compensate for the different diameter? Did you correct the odometer reading? How?

I use a Tom Tom to get distance. I figure it is pretty accurate. That also gives me a distance conversion from my current odometer to actual distance.

Just curious, but why do you use 89 fuel?

A long time ago, I had a mechanic tell me the best fuel to use was premium b/c it was a cleaner fuel and kept the fuel system cleaner longer. I decided to use 89 as a midpoint between cost and fuel cleanliness. Maybe I have been operating under false information, but that is where I am now.

My question would be, what was the stock tire size that came on the vehicle, and were any changes made to the programming of said vehicle when the 265/70R16 Yokos were installed (assuming that these were not the stock size as mine came with 235/70R16 tires).

jturquette, if you can update us on stock conditions (tire size) and any programming that has taken place to your knowledge to compensate for changes in tire diameter, I can help you better address the differences in tire sizes.

My stock conditions were 235/70 R16 tires and a 3.55 rear end gears. I have the p245 tires on now and 3.90 gears. There have been no computer changes to compensate for this. I am considering getting Ford to reprogram for me within their limitations.

Hey all,

And btw the rear differentials on all 3gens came with synthetic oil in them from the factory already, in fact there is a stamp on the dif saying SYNTHETIC ONLY.

The guy that rebuilt my differential said very emphatically that he did not believe in synthetics. That many of the problems he has corrected in the past involved synthetics. This statement may be true for limited slip diff where (I believe) an additive needs to be used with synthetic fluid in the read diff. I do not have any specific knowledge on this, just my guess based on this mechanic. I decided to ensure I had synthetic by changing it out myself. Man did that gear oil stink!

 

[aldive]

A long time ago, I had a mechanic tell me the best fuel to use was premium b/c it was a cleaner fuel and kept the fuel system cleaner longer. I decided to use 89 as a midpoint between cost and fuel cleanliness. Maybe I have been operating under false information, but that is where I am now.

There is no reason to use other than 87 unless you have a PCM tune designed for a higher octane.

All you are doing is wasting money.

The guy that rebuilt my differential said very emphatically that he did not believe in synthetics.

I would find someone else to do any future work.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Hey all,

Sorry I am clueless, but what is HHO? Some hydrogen mod for your engine?

+

Ahhhhhhhh! HHO.

I've now been looking into it a lot now. Reading up on Al's thread too. Very interesting.

This appears to be a cheap mod, much cheaper than a CNG conversion. I think I shall try it soon once I look into it more.

 

[jutgin]

I just had some smaller tires put on and I think I went down in MPG. Wish I had the V6

 

[jturquette]

Wish I had the V6

I have found that typically, the V6 and the V8 get similar "stock" mileage in the SUV realm. Could I ever get 35 mpg from my V8, probably not, but aldive's mileage is very much not stock. He has been very focused on finding ways of making his X more efficient.

Looking at your signature, you have quite a number of mods that make your X less aerodynamic (if that is possible). Lift kits increase your wind profile. The wheel spacers push your tires out into the air more. Mud gobbler tires. But you also have the 4wd and these items benefit your offroading. I imagine the v8 gives you more torque for offroading. Even with gas and mileage what they are today, I do not regret having a v8.

The best way, IMHO, to weather oil prices at this level are:
1. have a paid for car
2. keep you truck tuned and maintained
3. find ways to make your vehicle efficient with short term payoffs (within 6-9 months).

When I get asked by folks how I can have a v8 with gas at $4/gal. I simply respond, "I got no car payment."

Can I get an amen?

 

[jutgin]

I have found that typically, the V6 and the V8 get similar "stock" mileage in the SUV realm. Could I ever get 35 mpg from my V8, probably not, but aldive's mileage is very much not stock. He has been very focused on finding ways of making his X more efficient.

Looking at your signature, you have quite a number of mods that make your X less aerodynamic (if that is possible). Lift kits increase your wind profile. The wheel spacers push your tires out into the air more. Mud gobbler tires. But you also have the 4wd and these items benefit your offroading. I imagine the v8 gives you more torque for offroading. Even with gas and mileage what they are today, I do not regret having a v8.

The best way, IMHO, to weather oil prices at this level are:
1. have a paid for car
2. keep you truck tuned and maintained
3. find ways to make your vehicle efficient with short term payoffs (within 6-9 months).

When I get asked by folks how I can have a v8 with gas at $4/gal. I simply respond, "I got no car payment."

Can I get an amen?

I agree, it's nice to have one paid for. Mine will be paid off next month!!!
I guess I need to focus more on MPG mods from aldives thread. I did switch to synthetic last night. I wonder if a K&N filter would at least be better than the stock. I know a CAI is best but do you think a hi-flo like K&N would benefit my MPG????