My quest for 30 MPG - Ford Explorer Gas Mileage Tips

Runnin'OnEmpty said:

Al, this is a typo, right? You meant to say $2.24 per gallon??????

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yes a typo, sorry.

Yesterday my son and I took his Jeep wheeling in the Green Swamp; we tow the Jeep on a tandem trailer behind my Explorer.

The trip up averaged 78.3 MPH and the mileage was an abysmal 9.85.

The return trip was at 65 MPH and we got only 11.74 MPG.

A far cry from the coveted 30 MPG....

Towing sucks, gas that is.

Well, there was some good news on my trip from El Paso to Tampa, the Explorer got way better gas milage than I expected. I got a low of 17 mpg and a high of 21 mpg. Although we only avaraged 60 mph, it's still pretty good considering the 33's, flared fenders, the rather unaerodynamic front, and the Yakima cargo box on top. All in all I'm very pleased. Now if I could only get around to fixing that busted thermostat, I imagine I'd get a few more mpg...

One thing that may or may not have been mentioned that has to be kept in mind....ELEVATION. Elevation above or below sea level plays a part in MPG's as well. Ambient temperture as well will affect MPG's.

I have a lot of city data resulting in 18MPG. Have yet to do a highway test. Will be driving it from TX to CA and back in about a month, so I will post the results of the trip.

Current Mods Include:

Electric Fan Conversion
K&N Intake Kit

Currently Running:
Valvoline 10w30
Stock Tranny fluid
Tires also at 40PSI rated for 44PSI MAX
87 Octane fuel
No lift or lowering.
Stock gears.

A nice catback would probably help me a lot. Well as soon as I can afford one .

Making an Atlanta run in the morning ( 510 miles ).

I plan to run the 87 custom program up and the 93 custom one on the return leg.

We shall see what the different programs yield with highway only mileage.

aldive said:

Making an Atlanta run in the morning ( 510 miles ).

I plan to run the 87 custom program up and the 93 custom one on the return leg.

We shall see what the different programs yield with highway only mileage.

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Just got back and here is the data:

87 program 517 miles 68.7 MPH ( rain ) 29.27 MPG
93 program 507 miles 72.4 MPH 31.56 MPG

Prior to the trip I ran a can of Sea Foam through the motor and some in the gas ( trip up only ).

Al, I have noticed that you take many long trips. How many miles are on your truck?

snocross1985 said:

Al, I have noticed that you take many long trips. How many miles are on your truck?

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Just hit 97k on the old ticker.

Al
You Have gotten some great results and i have followed all that you have done to get to where you are at this point< i applaud you, I have about the same mods as you, same engine, do not know about the wgt differencials if any.
I am far older than you but drive like a bat out of hell far in excess of the norm, I get maybe 20-22 MPG. long haul, 500 mile flat Hwy, in town perhaps 16, have done two Dyno runs after my mods, 6 pulls, some worked for better HP and TQ, some not.
In a nutshell, how have you achieved almost 33 MPG, step by step, what made your best achievments, I wanna get to where you are, pls tell me how, the price of gas is killing me. Thx

spindlecone said:

I am far older than you

but drive like a bat out of hell far in excess of the norm,

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Ha ha, if you are far older than I am, you must be dead' I was born in '47. I am actually older than you.

Thats why your mileage is so low; driving style and technique is probably the single most important thing one can do for mileage.

spindlecone said:

I wanna get to where you are, pls tell me how, the price of gas is killing me. Thx

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Upon further pondering, I see that you have aftermarket wheels and I assume wider tires; wider tires=lower mileage. It is "possible" that your hood ascoop is affecting smooth air flow over the hood and hurting mileage. The body style of the Trac is probably negatively affecting airflow at sppe reducing mileage. I don't know if your rear end is affecting your mileage???? What weight synthetic oil is in the motor? The rear end?

Is your Apten chip a "performance" chip or is it a custom made one programmed for max mileage?

Did you notice any difference when you switched to all synthetics lubes?

The switch to synthetic ( motor, tranny, rear end, wheel bearings ) netted about 4 MPG gain.

I noticed that you switched from the Mobil 1 to Amsoil. The reason was?? Just curious.

This "is" a great thread.

Tom98Sport said:

I noticed that you switched from the Mobil 1 to Amsoil. The reason was?? Just curious.

This "is" a great thread.

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I am constantly changing products trying to find what is best for me. I am pleased with Amsoil even though Mobil 1 is also an excellent product.

If there is a product or procedure on the market that is better than what I currently use/do, then I will definately evaluate it; if proven ( by me ) to be better, I will switch to it.

Spindle, also is it possible that California fuels and emmision requirements negatively affect your mileage?

In my 98,

I usually get around 13-15 driving around town and what not.

But I usually get 23-25 on the highway

~J

Some mentioned that elevation and ambient air tems are important when considering gas mileage. This is very true as colder air is more dense and therefore will produce more power. The lower the elevation the more dense the air is as well.

Aldive, I'm surprised you never tried to drive without the cruise control. If you drive on mostly flat highways then it is a moot point. But, if you live where there are hills it is much more efficient to gradually lose mph as you climb hills and gradually increase speed as you go downhill.

I think you proved that the part that needs to be changed out to make the best improvement in mpg is the one between the seat and the steering wheel.

Just thought I'd chime in on this one. My truck is a '99 XLT 4X4 5 speed auto with the OHV engine. I've got 99k on the ticker, KKM intake and Mobil 1 engine oil. Tires are at 37 psi. I just got 17.5 mpg mixed driving with 87 octane. I'm going to go synthetic in the tranny and rear end in the near future and will update with what I find.

Since reading this post I have been watching my mpg more closely to see what my 98 5.0 AWD can do

I can average between 20 mpg with about 70% highway 30% city. Wuith nothing but highway driving I can get about 24-25 mpg. Here are my mods so far
-Apten chip always in 93 octane program but I usually only run 89 octane
-76mm C&L MAF with elbow
-2 chamber Flowmasters with turndowns/dumps

Here are some real negatives for my X
-275 wide tires
-AWD
-luggage racks still on
-4700 #'s

I have some mods planned but I'm not sure if I will do them before I drop the 347 in or not. I'd be interested how much better it would be with a complete exhaust - Kooks LT headers to an X pipe and ported heads and intake. Like I said it will probably never happen before the 347 block goes in though, so who knows.