Gas Mileage

[tenaj64]

Hello all,

I have a 98 explorer sport 2wd, basic 6 cyl, 5 speed, nothing fancy. I bought it used at 18,000 miles (was a lease car), & currently have 72,500 miles. Have always done the basic maintainance(oil & filter, air filter, fuel filter, replaced thermostat, radiator hoses & serpentine belt). At 45,000 miles I put a set of Dunlop tires 255-70-15 on it (can't remember what style, made alot of noise). I do not drive it hard at all, no fast takeoffs, no slamming on brakes, no squealling tires, just plain jane driving.

Anyways, I keep up with the gas mileage & have always averaged 19 - 20 mpg. Can't seem to get past that 20 mpg mark. I don't distinguish between city & highway driving because I do some of both (rarely drive 65+ mph, mostly 60 & below). I have been reading this forum to get some tips on how to achieve that 20+ mpg. I read everything from adding or deleting this part or that part, which I have no clue how to do, so I stuck with the basics. I did alot of reading on the net to get tips also.

At 71,250 miles I got a new battery (from Advance Auto).
At 71,640 miles I had all 4 brakes replaced & rotors turned.
At 71,795 miles I put on a set of Michelin Latitude Tour tires 235-75-15 (what is on the inside door panel)
At 72,031 miles I put on 4 new shocks, Monroe Sensa Trac.
On Wed 6-10-09 I will get a front end alignment.

The day (5-30-09) I got the new tires I filled up with gas. On Monday (6-8-09) I filled up again.
297.5 miles / 13.775 gallons = 21.597 MPG

Don't know what made the difference, but I'm tickled pink.
I love the Michelin tires, very quiet & rides like a Cadillac.

Just had to share this info with others, thanks for all the tips.

Janet

 

[BrianDye]

Good job

My 95's getting 0 mpg, as its been sitting in my garage

 

[smknls]

I have an '010 sport trac that this year has been getting 11 - 13 mpg, while last year i was getting 13.5 - 15.3 mpg..

 

[J-150]

has to be the tires

there can be a huge difference in rolling resistance between two tires makes of the same size.

other things you can look at include changing the air filter at every oil change, change your plugs, make sure you change your fuel filter every3rd or 4th oil change, remove excess weight from the vehicle (do you have a lot of crap in the trunk?) make a point of finding your MAF (air sensor near the air filter) and ensure it is clean. On Fords, these can get dirty way to easy and it affects your fuel/air ratio. Explorers are so notorious for this, they are mentioned by name at F150 forums.

Good luck on hitting 22