2002 Ford Explorer Sport - MY quest for 30 mpg!!!

[JoeCool6972]

Supposedly the bed cover helps improve mileage.

 

[Todd82TA]

Hey guys... ok... I'm not really sure how to say this, but I got 34.57 miles to the gallon....

Yes, I know... let me explain.


Ok, this happened almost a month ago. My parents went on a month long cruise from God knows where, I think it started in Greece or whatever and eventually makes it's way back to the US. They had to fly out there first, and since they didn't want to leave their car parked at the airport, they called me and asked if I wouldn't mind dropping them off.

My dad always gets really nervous flying (even though he's been around the world at least 100 times). So, I drove extremely cautious.

As soon as I picked them up, I stopped by the gas station that's JUST before the highway onramp and completely filled up. I reset my trip odometer and drove them to the airport. I am in Fort Lauderdale, and I drove them to Miami International Airport.

Since my dad was nervous, I drove extremely cautiously. He gets really nervous whenever I come within 10 car lengths of another car. It's not a crack at my dad, but he prefers to be the one driving.

So... I put it in cruise and literally drove to the airport (I-95 to 112) the entire way at 60 miles an hour in cruise control.

It was Tuesday morning, at about 10:00 am. So the vast majority of traffic was gone.


I dropped them off (drove slowly through the terminal) and drove back to Fort Lauderdale. I then stopped off at another gas station (closer to my house) filled up, and ran the numbers.

I divided the number of miles driven by the number of gallons put back into my tank. (Unfortunately, I don't have those numbers on me right now, but I do have the result in my calculator on my phone).

The result came out to 34.5733042 miles to the gallon.

It seems almost impossible, but at 60 miles an hour, my RPMs literally sit at 1,500 rpms.

The only thing I've done since last time is change my coolant and oil...

So... I think I've technically met my "quest", but I don't think it's really fair because I almost never drive that conservatively.

There are still a bunch of things I plan on doing, but hopefully this will help someone who's planning a weekend vacation, not in any rush, but wants to save a few bucks! haha....

 

[htrdlncn]

Unless you do it a number of times I wouldnt go by what you got just off one tankfull.
For one I have found it hard to always fill my tank to exactly the same point.
Sometimes I can fill it so far up it stays on full for almost 100miles before it moves and sometimes I just cant get it that full no matter how I try.
I didnt even know my Sport holds 17.5 gallons until I read the manual,
The most I have ever put in it was 16 gallons and I thought it was dead empty.
I found to get a real mpg number I have to average the numbers between 4-5 tankfuls
to get a realistic number.
I get 20mpg city/hwy
( bout 50% of each with the hills around my house thrown in for good measure )
in mine in the summer and around 18mpg city/highway in the winter but I typically run
75-80mph on the highway and I have a heavy right foot.
I guess if I wanted 30mpg I wouldnt have bought a 4000lb 4x4

 

[2000StreetRod]

rpm too low

. . .
The result came out to 34.5733042 miles to the gallon.
. . .
It seems almost impossible, but at 60 miles an hour, my RPMs literally sit at 1,500 rpms.

What is your rear axle ratio and tire size? 1500 rpm is way less than stock for 60 mph. For a 3.73:1 rear axle ratio and P235/75R15 tires 60 mph equates to 1951 rpm. I doubt that your SOHC engine has enough torque at 1500 rpm to sustain 60 mph. I suspect that your speedometer and/or tachometer are/is inaccurate. If your speedometer is incorrect then your fuel mileage is probably also incorrect. My stock 2WD Sport only got 23 mpg on the highway. The modfications you've done don't seem adequate for a 10 mpg increase on a 4WD.

 

[coonerboy]

Unless you have a MPG computer that told you 34.5mpg there is no way you are getting that.

I say the issue is at the gas pump. You probably pumped in less fuel than you used due to the tank being nearly full anyways. A slightly smaller amount pumped in on such a short trip will bump the MPG up considerably.

 

[Todd82TA]

Unless you have a MPG computer that told you 34.5mpg there is no way you are getting that.

I say the issue is at the gas pump. You probably pumped in less fuel than you used due to the tank being nearly full anyways. A slightly smaller amount pumped in on such a short trip will bump the MPG up considerably.

The trip isn't that short, it was about a 75 mile drive. I live in the northern part of Fort Lauderdale, and drove down to Miami International Airport. I don't blame you guys at all for calling Shennanigans. I ran the calculations multiple times to try to figure out why I got such a good MPG number. Both times that I had filled up, when I left, and when I returned, the gauge was a little bit past the full mark. I don't see it really being possible that I was off a gallon or more... but you guys probably know more than I since I'm a recent GM convert and this is only my second Ford vehicle.

I can tell you that I always calculate my mileage like this on all my other cars, and my numbers are always consistent. The highest MPG I've ever gotten in my 2002 Crown Victoria (which I've done a lot of upgrades to improve the efficiency of the engine) was a 28.2 miles to the gallon.

Normally on my Explorer, I average (now) between 22-23 miles to the gallon on normal highway trips. This is with me usually driving between 70-80 miles an hour in cruise.

My 2002 Explorer sport doesn't have an MPG computer, but my experience is that those have always been pretty flaky. There are either the ones that give you instant MPG (which show you getting 60+ mpg on decelleration... hah), or the kinds that just continually average the MPG (like the one in my wife's Jeep Patriot)

What is your rear axle ratio and tire size? 1500 rpm is way less than stock for 60 mph. For a 3.73:1 rear axle ratio and P235/75R15 tires 60 mph equates to 1951 rpm. I doubt that your SOHC engine has enough torque at 1500 rpm to sustain 60 mph. I suspect that your speedometer and/or tachometer are/is inaccurate. If your speedometer is incorrect then your fuel mileage is probably also incorrect. My stock 2WD Sport only got 23 mpg on the highway. The modfications you've done don't seem adequate for a 10 mpg increase on a 4WD.

You're right... on the way back from Home Depot, I was running at exactly that... I don't know why I thought it was 1,500. Although I know it was at that quite a bit. When I was on the 112, I drove about 50 miles an hour in cruise).

I have a 3.73:1 without limited slip (ran the numbers on the door). I actually don't have any modifcations yet... I mean, unless you call a K&N air filter a modification. Mine is NOT a 4WD though... but I really really wish it was. I'd love to have 4WD. But I was dumping my Solstice, and I really wanted an SUV that was still "cool", but also totally paid for, but also very low mileage. I did want something newer, but Ford doesn't make the 2dr Sport anymore... this was the lowest mileage Explorer Sport I could find. I think it had 32 or 35k miles on it when I bought it. It's only a 2WD though. When I went to change the oil last... I looked under there and it looks like it's never even been driven. The underside looked cleaner than my Solstice did when it came from the factory!!!

Unless you do it a number of times I wouldnt go by what you got just off one tankfull.
For one I have found it hard to always fill my tank to exactly the same point.
Sometimes I can fill it so far up it stays on full for almost 100miles before it moves and sometimes I just cant get it that full no matter how I try.
I didnt even know my Sport holds 17.5 gallons until I read the manual,
The most I have ever put in it was 16 gallons and I thought it was dead empty.
I found to get a real mpg number I have to average the numbers between 4-5 tankfuls
to get a realistic number.
I get 20mpg city/hwy
( bout 50% of each with the hills around my house thrown in for good measure )
in mine in the summer and around 18mpg city/highway in the winter but I typically run
75-80mph on the highway and I have a heavy right foot.
I guess if I wanted 30mpg I wouldnt have bought a 4000lb 4x4

Don't get me wrong, fuel economy isn't a huge priority, but it's sort of a game to me. When your engine goes excellent fuel economy, it also means it's running at peak efficiency. I'm cutting back on my spending since I have a daughter now and finishing my degree, but when I had more time and disposable income... I put a lot of parts into my 2002 Crown Victoria.

It runs a flat 15 all day long. Many of the guys on the Crown Vic list have the exact same modifications as I, and are running track times in the high 14s. And I still get on average 27-28mpg on highway trips.


Normally, I run 22-23 in my Explorer... the math isn't so complicated... honestly... but I re-did it several times using the same method I always do for all my cars, which always yield consistent results. I'd expect that at the very least, I probably got really good fuel economy. My maximum speed was 60 through the entire trip, and it was all in cruise.

Wish I felt comfortable spending money frivilously in this economy... there is an entire Magnaflow exhaust system from header to tip that I bet would improve performance considerably... (15hp I would guess) and probably at last 1-1.5 mpg on the highway.

 

[coonerboy]

If you are getting 23mpg highway, I say thats a pretty respectable number. Just remember, its a 4000lb brick, it can only do so good, and I say 23 highway is excellent.

I installed the message center on my XLT V8 4x4 and find it to be very accurate. Yes it does go up to a very high MPG when going downhill, but it drops very low when going up the same hill. Its all about averaging. Right now it sits at 16.5 mpg after 2 weeks of 70 highway 30 city driving.

Is this great. Not really. But I know I have plenty of power on tap, an SUV that can carry my whole family(3 small kids and wife), can tow a pretty decent load(think up to 6000lbs), and can handle our winters. Its safe, comfortable and with the MAC intake and cat back, its pretty fun to drive too!

I can live with 16-17 mpg.

 

[Todd82TA]

If you are getting 23mpg highway, I say thats a pretty respectable number. Just remember, its a 4000lb brick, it can only do so good, and I say 23 highway is excellent.

I installed the message center on my XLT V8 4x4 and find it to be very accurate. Yes it does go up to a very high MPG when going downhill, but it drops very low when going up the same hill. Its all about averaging. Right now it sits at 16.5 mpg after 2 weeks of 70 highway 30 city driving.

Is this great. Not really. But I know I have plenty of power on tap, an SUV that can carry my whole family(3 small kids and wife), can tow a pretty decent load(think up to 6000lbs), and can handle our winters. Its safe, comfortable and with the MAC intake and cat back, its pretty fun to drive too!

I can live with 16-17 mpg.

That's what was so great about this Explorer Sport for me... with my Solstice, I couldn't really carry anything. If I needed stuff, I'd usually have to take my Volkswagen Bus (which can carry 50 bags of cypress mulch). That said... since I bought this Explorer, I've never had to worry about how I would get something home.

My water heater burst several weeks ago, and rather than rent a truck or initiate a delivery, I drove to Lowes, bought a new 40 gallon water heater, pushed the seats down in the back, put the water heater in the back, and shut the hatch.

Almost every Friday after work, I stop by home depot and load 10 bags of mulch in the trunk from Home Depot.

Definitely could not do this in my Solstice, and I certainly didn't WANT to do it in the trunk of my Crown Vic. I bought that weather tech mat, and just take it out and clean it... simple as that.

 

[trailblazer295]

I've gotten 24.5-25MPG (CDN) several times highway with fully loaded truck and AC on. Been pretty happy about that, and the only thing I've done to improve economy was changing the PCV valve which gave me a 1-2MPG jump on my scan gauge on the same streets at steady speeds.

 

[Todd82TA]

Ok, I've figured out why I got such great mileage the last time. Turns out, I dented my fuel tank on the way down to Miami International Airport. As I was driving last time, I know I ran over a coconut. My car is at stock height, and I heard a loud bang, but I didn't think anything of it until now (several months later) when I crawled down under my car to replace the stock after-cats with the Magnaflow one. I noticed my tank has a huge dent in it. It would make sense... I know I hadn't done my math wrong since it's the same way I do it all the time (and never had anything abnormal). Only thing I can figure is that after denting the tank, it reduced the overall capacity (dent is in the front) so that's why I required LESS fuel to fill it back up (which in turn meant that my fuel economy number was greater).

Anyway, since I last posted in here, this is what I've done:

1 - Installed Goodyear Fortera Triple-Tread. They're decent for offroad and have a little bit of bite on the sidewall too. They also handle better in the rain because they are channeled. I am under the impression they'll do better in the sand as well. Can't say they'll improve fuel economy, but they shouldn't honestly hurt it.

http://www.pontiacperformance.net/CarImages/02_Explorer/Ford2_1_lrg.jpg

I got a set of 4 of them and paid a total of ~$640 to have them mounted and balanced. Of my old tires, I kept the one with the MOST tread. One of my wheels was slightly damaged by the previous owner so I ordered a good used wheel on eBay and put that extra tire on it.


2 - Next thing I did was replace my rear shocks (which aren't aweful, but they're original and had 42k miles on them). I replaced them with Monroe Air-Shocks. I bought them to maintain the ride-height in the rear end. Whenever I floor it, the back end squats. Obviously, I know this is normal for a rear wheel drive car, but it's more so than it should be. Also, when parked at even a slight grade, it leans back. With these air shocks, I was able to adjust the level in the rear to make it perfect. Handling seems to be good with quick turns, but since the shocks are obviously connected, the air seems to want to go to the shock that's on the outside thereby not supporting the inner rear tire as much as it should. No huge deal though... I don't plan to rally it... hahah...

http://www.pontiacperformance.net/CarImages/02_Explorer/Ford2_2_lrg.jpg

I paid about $55 shipped from Rock Auto. Also, when I was doing this install... I realized that the steel wheel that had my spare was ever so slightly lighter than the extra alloy wheel I now had with a decent left-over tire (my original spare looks like it had been part of a tire rotation). So I swapped out the spare with a real matching wheel.


3 - I just got through installing the Magnaflow catalytic converter pipes. I didn't get the front ones (the ones that come right off the manifolds and form the Y-pipe), I got the one that goes from the Y-pipe to the muffler pipe. I JUST installed it. It went on easier than the old one came out. The new one weighs at least 30% more than the old one did. Granted, there was nothing WRONG with my old one, but I was drunk and got a huge tax return back, and I was on eBay.... so....

I took it for a spin, and I noticed the exhaust sounded a bit smoother, not louder, but more mellow and a lower pitch at idle. On full acceleration, I felt maybe a slight lag (could just be my imagination) from idle to 2,000 but then noticed improved performance from 2,000 to 4,000 rpms. More specifically, I REALLY noticed a difference from 2,500 to 3,500 rpms. Now, this is all seat of the pants of course. It wasn't SUBSTANTIAL. My Explorer is still slow. It's quicker than an early 00s F-150... but I didn't buy it to race, just to make runs back and forth to Home Depot and haul stuff now and then.

I did NOT reset the ECM... I didn't really think it necessary, so when the computer works itself out over the next week or so, I expect the slight lag I THINK I felt to go away, and I expect it may even improve the acceleration in the top end some. I DO expect that I'll see more than likely a 1/2 mpg improvement in the highway from this.

I paid a total of $209 SHIPPED to my house for this.


I'm going to make a road trip in the next month or so... and at that time I'll do some calculations again. I'll change the oil and filter, and my fuel filter as well before I go.