gas efficiency?

[davidmmm69]

well I guess we will have to tune them for the mixture.. as this is where everything is headed

 

[Axolotl]

Hi, I have a 93 Explorer, 2WD, 5 spedd manual transmission, Which is the fuel tank capacity of this truck? I want to know my gas efficiency. Thanks

 

[Mbrooks420]

Welcome to the site. Capacity is irrelevant to efficiency. Fill the truck up. Reset the odometer. Next time you get gas, fill it up and divide the miles travel by the gallons used.

 

[Axolotl]

Gas efficiency

Thank you.
I konw my truck gives me 15 mpg What can I do to improve this?
I was reading someone got better by changing the muffler, my trunk has troubles in the muffler, but what else can I do?

 

[xxwhitecastlexx]

Thank you.
I konw my truck gives me 15 mpg What can I do to improve this?
I was reading someone got better by changing the muffler, my trunk has troubles in the muffler, but what else can I do?

Yeah with a clogged muffler or a muffler with a hole in it... You could be losing close to 1-2mpg...

 

[uh60james]

I get about 20mpg city and I'm happy with it, the only thing I did after I bought her in January was change the air filter, oil and fed her some seafoam. I think that the majority of differences we see in fuel econonmy are based on driving habits. When I drive my car I drive fairly aggressive and continue to get good gas mileage since the vehicle is light and has a small engine. If you drive like that in a vehicle that weighs almost twice as much and has a larger engine, no s*** your gas mileage is gonna suck.

 

[icepounder]

My 99 has the SOHC with 4.10 rear and I was getting a consistent 12 mpg city and 17 mpg hwy. After doing the exhaust, opening the intake, synthetic fluids and a BamaChip tune I now get 14 mpg city and 21 mpg hwy.
That's not bad because I don't granny the accelerator. I'm not hard on it (often) but not soft either.

 

[kert0307]

Our trucks were simply not tuned for the ethanol mixtures.. which in the long run will hurt us a little more when it comes to fuel funds...

just my opinion...

I've always run 10% ethanol in my vehicals, my expo, and my old 88 ranger....the 10% mixture should be fine, it might run bad the first few tanks because it's taking all the junk out of our gas tank and lines and it's go'n in your carb. Just run ethanol for a few tanks and it should smooth out after yout system gets cleaned up. Might want to check the fuel filter too.

 

[old mechanic]

I've always run 10% ethanol in my vehicals, my expo, and my old 88 ranger....the 10% mixture should be fine, it might run bad the first few tanks because it's taking all the junk out of our gas tank and lines and it's go'n in your carb. Just run ethanol for a few tanks and it should smooth out after yout system gets cleaned up. Might want to check the fuel filter too.

-----------
Please explain how ethanol cleans the gas tank and lines. Is it some kind of cleaner? Is there cleaner in the ethanol?

 

[LukeDog3D]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but if you have re-geared or changed tire size (or both), your odometer will be off and thus affect your gas mileage calculation. (unless you have changed your speedo gear, etc.) (I'm sure this has been hashed and re-hashed all over the internet and this site, but I said it anyway).

Comparing city mileage numbers b/t 2 similar vehicles isn't really fair unless you live in the same city and drive similar routes. If you live in a city that has constant traffic jams, and 85% of your time is spent idling in traffic, then 10 mpg is probably pretty decent.

If you are comparing your in-town fuel mileage to your buddy's that lives in a city where traffic flows well, obviously you are not comparing apples to apples, and your buddy is going to get better mileage.

other obvious factors that may or may not be controlled: condition of vehicle; condition, inflation, size, & type of tire; rear axle gear ratio; transmission type and condition, height above (or below) sea level; driving habits; weight of crap in vehicle (including driver); 2 door or 4 door; 2wd or 4wd; condition, tortuosity, and topography of roads; head and tail winds; alignment of vehicle; quality of fuel used; viscosity and type of lubricants used; aerodynamic differences due to accessories; etc etc etc etc

Aldive probably drives with an extremely light foot and coasts for a mile before stopping, keeps unneeded junk out of his truck, lives in a topographically flat area at or near sea level, has a perfectly tuned truck with overinflated, lightweight road tires, uses synthetics with as little viscosity possible, has a 2wd with a 3.08 or 3.27 gearset, has the 5 speed automatic, folds his mirrors in, buys quality fuel, installs accessories that save energy (electric fan, etc) and only gets on the highway when he knows there is a tailwind pushing him. And he gets 5 million miles to the tank. I find it hard to believe, but I don't think its impossible.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I've always run 10% ethanol in my vehicals, my expo, and my old 88 ranger....the 10% mixture should be fine, it might run bad the first few tanks because it's taking all the junk out of our gas tank and lines and it's go'n in your carb. Just run ethanol for a few tanks and it should smooth out after yout system gets cleaned up. Might want to check the fuel filter too.

If it's going to flush thing out I'd be mighty leary since he doesn't have a carb, and has an expensive fuel injection system. If you clog a carb up you can unbolt it, toss it in the trash, and slap on a new one. Get a bunch of debris in your fuel injection system however, and it's a different story.

 

[explorerfriend]

so i never really thought about how changing tire sizes could affect the calculation of my gas milage. I knew it would affect the speedometer but could i really be getting 1-2mpg better than what i calculate? how does the odometer sense miles driven? i have gone from 222/70/15 ---> 224/70/16

 

[scottswierenga]

back to gas types

Now that it has been brought up I know my wife in her van gets a drastic difference in her milage when using premium vs. ethanol. She only puts in premium, w/ octane 89-91 found at any pump. I am used to putting in the cheapest stuff which is 10% Ethanol w/ octane 86-87 I think. I only do it cause I am a cheap b@$t@rd about some things. When we drive on trips or even around town together in the van I am the one to drive and if we need gas then I am the one to fill...with my usual choice...by habit alone. I then proceed to be interogated by the Mrs. as to why I didn't put in premium and the ill-effects it will have on her milage from that tank. I apologize and she hopes "my new found knowledge" will sink in for next time. We have had the van since this past august and I still do it...sorry honey!

I have noticed the difference she states to experience though. With the 10% stuff she gets about 310-320 a tank; with the premium the van will squeek out 400-450 a tank. It's typically more than a one hundred mile per tank difference she gets. And we would never know this if it weren't for my habitual use of Ethanol.
"So how did you solve the problem of putting Ethanol in her tank?" you ask? I make her do it...even if I'm drivin'

So maybe all of us should turn our back to the dastardly corn gas for at least three tanks (time for it to regulate and normalize to premium) and don't forget to log the data a few fills before you switch so you will have a solid comparison base. I know I need to. When I did all the math on the vans data I was like... . It all worked out like this:
Fill 2x a month with about 16gal of the good stuff, or fill 3.5x a month with the corn gas. I can't represent this to you in dollars as the prices vary around the country, around the state, around the county, around the city, and even around the block (ever notice the diff. in a gallon of the gold stuff right next to the interstate as compared to deep in town at the edge of your neighborhood?, at least I do in Omaha)

OK, ok. I am sure you are tired of reading and I'm tired of typing. The point of this whole ramble is that I notice a HUGE difference in one vehicle and I am going to test it in our other, my Explorer. I think you should too.

 

[old mechanic]

The best mileage test I get is from our trucks which go directly to the job site daily and back carrying our workers and tools. Approx. weekly mileage 240 miles each. I have NOT noticed any difference with trying regular, premium and regular with ethnol. This is with many tanks full with the fill ups being on the way home every friday.
However I do notice a difference when the winter blend is in the tanks. We loose about 2mpg each truck. All trucks are Fords.

 

[davidmmm69]

I hae never noticed a difference with the grades and fuel mileage..

Just the extra money it takes for premium.

not worth the hope that i get better mileage.

especially with spending about $100.00 a week alreadt in just one of my explorers...

 

[LukeDog3D]

yeah, explorerfriend, if you went up in tire size, your odometer is turning slower. The odometer works off the speedometer cable gear (at least in the 1st gens). Figure out the size percentage that your new tire is of your old tire and multiply that by your gas mileage. If you changed gear ratios and went to a lower gear (numerically higher), then your odometer is turning faster and your calculation off of your trip meter will make you think you are getting better mileage by the percent difference of the gear change.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Assuming your tires were actually 225/70-15 and 225/70-16(I have never heard of 222's and 224's and I have done more than my share of tire shopping)you odometer, which runs directly off of the speddometer info, is 3.6% off. So take your mileage and multiply it by 1.036 to get your "true" distance.

 

[explorerfriend]

yeah so my mistake, i meant 225/70/15 ---->245/70/16
so 9.7% diff.