My quest for 25

[Hitchhikingmike]

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?

Yes! I payed for my explorer in full at the time I bought it!

See link!

http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/lms/drive_free/player.cfm

 

[STNGADC]

Saved for a year or two and paid cash for my 2 previous mustang gt's, kept throwing $600 a month in my savings, 11 months later i bought my corvette, blew a bunch of money on the vette then started saving again and 6 months later i sold my gt and bought my X outright!

All this and when i got the X i had just turned 18.

Now im 19 and have a highly modified c4 corvette with almost 500rwhp, and a 3rd gen X that is about to get Ben's lift kit and a set of nitto tera grapplers, both of which are already ordered!!

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

Saved for a year or two and paid cash for my 2 previous mustang gt's, kept throwing $600 a month in my savings, 11 months later i bought my corvette, blew a bunch of money on the vette then started saving again and 6 months later i sold my gt and bought my X outright!

All this and when i got the X i had just turned 18.

Now im 19 and have a highly modified c4 corvette with almost 500rwhp, and a 3rd gen X that is about to get Ben's lift kit and a set of nitto tera grapplers, both of which are already ordered!!

that's how ya do it! i know i'd be straight up pimpin in some awesome cars if i wasn't having to pay my way through school and the rent. ugh! lol. pics though man!

 

[jturquette]

Jutgin,
I hope my last post was not to brash. It was not meant to be anything but support for your decision to have a V8. My first X had the 4.0 V6 OHV, the mileage was not good and it did not have the power I wanted.

HitchhikingMike,
I knew I would run into another Ramsey listener sometime. I'm listening to his archives right now.

STNGADC,
19 with two paid for cars! Way to go!!

 

[jutgin]

Jutgin,
I hope my last post was not to brash. It was not meant to be anything but support for your decision to have a V8. My first X had the 4.0 V6 OHV, the mileage was not good and it did not have the power I wanted.

HitchhikingMike,
I knew I would run into another Ramsey listener sometime. I'm listening to his archives right now.

STNGADC,
19 with two paid for cars! Way to go!!

No not too brash. Right on the money I would say. Honestly I think the MPG sucks in my ex but if I had to choose between good gas mileage and off road performance I would choose off road. Thats how I am. If I really thought it was that important I would have bought one of those new little hybrids or something. Luckily I dont have far to drive to work and the off road places arent far away either. Other trips we take my wifes' 2003 honda accord with the 4 cylinder. Although I'm dying to take my ex to Michigan on Saturday for our vacation. I need to start my own thread with "my quest for 20."
I've been getting 13 city. Maybe I could get 18 hwy.

I dont know if anyone had an opinion on this but does anyone think a stock replacement K&N filter would help? I know the CAI is best but I would get more flow with a K&N.

 

[aldive]

I dont know if anyone had an opinion on this but does anyone think a stock replacement K&N filter would help? I know the CAI is best but I would get more flow with a K&N.

It might, but I doubt that you could tell.

 

[shadowless127]

No not too brash. Right on the money I would say. Honestly I think the MPG sucks in my ex but if I had to choose between good gas mileage and off road performance I would choose off road. Thats how I am. If I really thought it was that important I would have bought one of those new little hybrids or something. Luckily I dont have far to drive to work and the off road places arent far away either. Other trips we take my wifes' 2003 honda accord with the 4 cylinder. Although I'm dying to take my ex to Michigan on Saturday for our vacation. I need to start my own thread with "my quest for 20."
I've been getting 13 city. Maybe I could get 18 hwy.

I dont know if anyone had an opinion on this but does anyone think a stock replacement K&N filter would help? I know the CAI is best but I would get more flow with a K&N.

i get 20mpg hwy if i have cruise set at 68-72mph w/ the A/C blasting, 18mpg shouldn't even be an issue

 

[Curtis]

my "stock with no mods" 04 V8 will usually get between 15-16 mpg city driving.
I have a very routine work week so the driving is the same every week.

The last fill up, I decided to test the "drive slow" and "AC off" theories.
For the last 2 weeks, I've had people on top of my rear bumper, blowing their horn at me because Ive been trying to keep RPM below 2500. On top of this I had the AC off about 90% of the time (had to turn in on when I had the 2 yr old with me)

So today I fill up with 20.0 gallons
odometer read 281
that's 14 mpg!

WTF?!

worse mileage? Doesnt make sense?
Maybe those boat anchor tow hooks I just put on did decrease mileage! LOL

I dont know if I can do another 2 week test with a$$holes blowing their horns at me and sweating to death in the 100*+humidity here in Florida...

I wonder why? I expected the same or maybe a little better.. but not worse... I know.. .I know its only one tank... I guess Ill have to do another test.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

my "stock with no mods" 04 V8 will usually get between 15-16 mpg city driving.
I have a very routine work week so the driving is the same every week.

The last fill up, I decided to test the "drive slow" and "AC off" theories.
For the last 2 weeks, I've had people on top of my rear bumper, blowing their horn at me because Ive been trying to keep RPM below 2500. On top of this I had the AC off about 90% of the time (had to turn in on when I had the 2 yr old with me)

So today I fill up with 20.0 gallons
odometer read 281
that's 14 mpg!

WTF?!

worse mileage? Doesnt make sense?
Maybe those boat anchor tow hooks I just put on did decrease mileage! LOL

I dont know if I can do another 2 week test with a$$holes blowing their horns at me and sweating to death in the 100*+humidity here in Florida...

I wonder why? I expected the same or maybe a little better.. but not worse... I know.. .I know its only one tank... I guess Ill have to do another test.

*What type of maintenance have you done on your explorer?
*Change the fuel filter
*Check your spark plug gap, my factory plugs were out of specs the first time there were checked @ 43k
*perhaps you should get your fuel injectors cleaned out.

your not running off of e-85 are you?

 

[Curtis]

*What type of maintenance have you done on your explorer?
*Change the fuel filter
*Check your spark plug gap, my factory plugs were out of specs the first time there were checked @ 43k
*perhaps you should get your fuel injectors cleaned out.

your not running off of e-85 are you?

Truck just rolled over 60k
I bought it at 46k

I haven't changed the fuel filter or had an injection cleaning

Thought about new plugs, those E3 ones... probably not worth the cost
just as well go with what ever it came with.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Here's one way to save gas: http://autos.aol.com/article/general/v2/_a/plug-in-hybrid-conversion-kit/20080729104209990001. The problem with this system is that the amount you will save doesn't justify the cost of buying it.

 

[jturquette]

Update

Update...
Did a run last Tuesday...

avg speed was 68 mph
total of 174.1 highway miles (GPS determined)
gallons at fill-up 8.76
calculated mpg of 19.9 mpg

This is down from my best trip of 20.6 mpg. What gets me is that this run was made 3 days after I changed all fluids to synthetics, as stated earlier in this post. I was expecting to increase by 2 -3mpg, not drop by 0.7 mpg. Now I understand my mpg is still up from when I started this endeavor and that the plugs and tires tests were not long distance trips.

I will going to San Antonio tomorrow and will test the mileage again, but I won't be able to use the same pump and same clicks to reduce the pump meter error and vehicle filling position. When I filled up this past time before the trip, the pump dropped a lot of fuel into the tank. more than I expected for city driving. I wonder if the meter needed to be calibrated. I usually expect the meters to be accurate, but meters can need to be calibrated every once in a while...

Those with synthetics...
Did you see immediate gains or gains after a while?

Can someone point me to a thread on seafoam?

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

You might want to purchase a Scanguage II, and keep track of your mpg that way. With a scangauge your mileage will be determined from the flow of gas through the fuel pump in your tank, not the gas pump at the station.

Even if the OBDII computer is off a bit when calculating your gas mileage, at least you would be using the same source over and over again to calculate your mpg, instead of a different gas station every time.

This way when comparing data from multiple trips, regardless if the scangauge is a bit off, at least your calculation would be derived from the same source ever time, making a fair comparison.

 

[jturquette]

Good Point.

Was thinking of that purchase in the coming months. I'm going to try a different station before I leave town.

When I return, I will be SERIOUSLY thinking of a seafoam treatment and cleaning the MAF.

I'm putting off the hydranox install until I get a few of these housekeeping items done.

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

What type of seafoam treatment are you thinking of?
Running it in your oil?
Running it in your gas?
Running it through the air intake?

 

[wooglins]

I notice that everyone is talking about doing 65-70 mph, when driving on the interstate. On my 05 I can get as much as 25mpg (maybee more), just by doing 55 and setting the speed control at that. It takes almost 20% more gas to travel at 70 than it does at 55.

 

[jutgin]

I notice that everyone is talking about doing 65-70 mph, when driving on the interstate. On my 05 I can get as much as 25mpg (maybee more), just by doing 55 and setting the speed control at that. It takes almost 20% more gas to travel at 70 than it does at 55.

55 on the interstate?
I'd rather pay for 20% more gas and do 70. Just my opinion.

 

[jturquette]

update-HOLD

All,

I am putting this thread on hold. My family has suffered a MAJOR tragedy. I need time to work through my grief, and to strengthen my family. I will resume this thread when I am ready, maybe a few months from now.

All those believers out there, please pray for us. We need His strength.

 

[Curtis]

All,

I am putting this thread on hold. My family has suffered a MAJOR tragedy. I need time to work through my grief, and to strengthen my family. I will resume this thread when I am ready, maybe a few months from now.

All those believers out there, please pray for us. We need His strength.

Man I am sorry to hear news like this.
Take your time man, when family needs you they are number 1.
Take care of your self too

 

[aldive]

Godspeed with the situation.

My prayers are with you.