My quest for 30 MPG - Ford Explorer Gas Mileage Tips

[aldive]

Yesterday I made a run down to the hunting camp to have lunch with my son and some friends. I drove faster than I normally do on I 75 ( 75-80 MPH ) and then had to drive at 2 MPH for 16 miles on a dirt trail ( it took hours to clean my truck this morning ) to get to the camp.

The average speed for the trip was not calculated due to the dissimilar driving patterns and would be insignificant. I did compute the mileage, which was very disappointing for me, a paltry 26.8 MPG. All things considered, I reckon this was still exceptional mileage.

I was still running the computer tune from the previous post. I have to admit this was a very fun tune to drive. The mid range power was amazing. This is definitely a pleasurable tune to drive,

 

[camaro_guy_z28]

Thought I would chime in, my totally stock 93ex gets about 14 mpg if i'm lucky, about 20 on the highway, my best was 23 on the highway. My next truck/suv will have a v8, most of my friends have v8 trucks and suv's and they only get a couple miles less per gallon, WTF mine as well get a v8, at least you would have some power. I'm not sure if i'm going to keep the ex do to the mileage factor, i'm actually thinking about going to bigger tires, I know this won't help but at this point, i think i might, at least it would look better. The sad part is, i sold my camaro due to insane insurance rates, i got damn near 30mpg on the highway, for as much gas as this thing uses, i should of kept that car even though insurance was twice as much, but for the price of gas and the amount of consumption, they would of been about = in the end, plus the camaro was twice the fun factor minus the snow and occasional offroad in the ex. The only mod if u wanna call it that is i switched to manual hubs, i did notice the increase in mileage, also changed spark plugs at 100,000, also noticed a difference. Love the site

 

[Brian_B]

I just spent forever reading this thread. There are some good ideas here. I think I will try to incorporate some on them into my explorer. I just bought mine last week and have only checked the mileage once. I seem to have managed 18.33 MPG. Since it was the trip home from the dealer, I did not baby it at all. I have a heavy right foot. Sort of like aldive's son.

It is an '01 explorer, 4X4, 4.0 SOHC, and 4.10 trac-lock, with 255/75/R16 tires. I drove it just over 200 miles. Part of it was turnpike (75-80), highway (65-70), city (stop and go), and some very curvy hilly 2 lane (30-60).

Does 18.33 MPG seem about right for how I drove it? I assume it has improve some now that I quit driving it that hard. I need to check it again.

Later,
Brian_B

 

[davidmmm69]

that seems right,I highly doubt anyone could get 30+ mpg on an explorer.That is just insanely wrong!!!
I think he is doing this by gps asfar as miles traveled if i am reading this correctly???
i would have to say that his gps is way off..
He lives in sarasota florida and I am in Mass. right now but just moved up here from 14 years in tampa florida and there is no traffic like there is down there t is just plain mental. stop and go stop and go which would kill any mileage.

Just my 2 cents,

my 95 explorer gets maybe 16
my 2002 gets 14 with my wife driving 17

 

[aldive]

Does 18.33 MPG seem about right for how I drove it? I assume it has improve some now that I quit driving it that hard. I need to check it again.

Welcome to Explorer ownership.

Your mileage doesn't appear out of wack based on your aggressive driving style, the combo course than you completed, the gears and the fact that you are 4 x 4.

Good luck with your new ride ....

 

[aldive]

that seems right,I highly doubt anyone could get 30+ mpg on an explorer.That is just insanely wrong!!!

I think he is doing this by gps asfar as miles traveled if i am reading this correctly???
i would have to say that his gps is way off..

He lives in sarasota florida and I am in Mass. right now but just moved up here from 14 years in tampa florida and there is no traffic like there is down there t is just plain mental. stop and go stop and go which would kill any mileage.

A rather bold statement you make. If you read these boards, you will see there are many Explorers getting 23-25 MPG highway and their owners are not as concerned with mileage as I am.

GPS is an incredable measuring device. The GPS that I currently use, Garmin 2620 StreetPilot ( Dead Link Removed ) is one of the best available, offering WAAS-enabled support to ensure the highest degree of GPS accuracy. GPS units have a screen that displays their current accuracy; mine averages 14 feet. My previous GPS ( Garmin III + ) had similar if not even better accuracy.

If you read carefully, you will see that most of my mileage reports are based on highway diving ( mostly I 75 ). The traffic in Sarasota is no where like you describe, sorry.

 

[davidmmm69]

Not bold!!!! Just my opinion that is all.after driving my explorer for a few years i can not even get 200 miles on a tank and that is filling up at 1/4 tank...
I have read alot on these boards and find very few that have gotten even close to 25...I have a V-6 and i can't imagine if i had a V-8...

And again just my 2 cents ...
Sorry to get you upset in just an opinion...

 

[Majisto]

It still amazes me how wonderful your mileage is. I still have never been able to push over 25 MPG in the Explorer. My Contour is getting around 24 MPG now, and it's a small car. I was able to keep a constant 29 MPG rating, with a rare 30, but it has dropped down to the mide to lower 20s recently.

Part of it is my old Mobil 1 oil, another is that my tire pressure is 28 PSI, and another is the girlfriend...she seems to think that jack rabbit starts are good for the car. I for one have never pushed any 3 of the Fords over 2K RPMs in any normal acceleration. The Explorer especially never has to go over 2K to get itself moving at a good pace.

 

[Interstate]

Al, didn't you say you run the Tornado hootis? Any MPG difference with that? (I've seen the dyno sheet thread of that, obviously no gain)

 

[aldive]

Al, didn't you say you run the Tornado hootis? Any MPG difference with that? (I've seen the dyno sheet thread of that, obviously no gain)

No, I never said that, never have used it and never will.

 

[monkeydude3]

I've got a 1994 XL 4.0L OHV and I get about 12mpg... that's city, and I have a leadfoot. Also the reason you got such great milage is you have the OHC engine.... LUCKY @$)@*) Oh well, like most people have mentioned if we wanted economy we wouldn't have bought an SUV. I may inherit my grandpa's cavalier when he gets rid of it.... i think it's a 2.2 L 4 banger... milage city

 

[jeff96]

4x4 gets worse gas mileage??? how is that

 

[Interstate]

More weight to lug around.

 

[old mechanic]

Thought I would chime in, my totally stock 93ex gets about 14 mpg if i'm lucky, about 20 on the highway, my best was 23 on the highway. My next truck/suv will have a v8, most of my friends have v8 trucks and suv's and they only get a couple miles less per gallon, WTF mine as well get a v8, at least you would have some power. I'm not sure if i'm going to keep the ex do to the mileage factor, i'm actually thinking about going to bigger tires, I know this won't help but at this point, i think i might, at least it would look better. The sad part is, i sold my camaro due to insane insurance rates, i got damn near 30mpg on the highway, for as much gas as this thing uses, i should of kept that car even though insurance was twice as much, but for the price of gas and the amount of consumption, they would of been about = in the end, plus the camaro was twice the fun factor minus the snow and occasional offroad in the ex. The only mod if u wanna call it that is i switched to manual hubs, i did notice the increase in mileage, also changed spark plugs at 100,000, also noticed a difference. Love the site

14 and 20 on the highway puts you into the high mileage catagory for a 1993 EX. Great gas mileage.

 

[jayhawkexplorer]

Not bold!!!! Just my opinion that is all.after driving my explorer for a few years i can not even get 200 miles on a tank and that is filling up at 1/4 tank...
I have read alot on these boards and find very few that have gotten even close to 25...I have a V-6 and i can't imagine if i had a V-8...

And again just my 2 cents ...
Sorry to get you upset in just an opinion...

No, that was pretty bold of you to say. If you'd read through the thread and some others in which adlive participates, you'd see that he's basically a professor in "Explorerology." I don't know another person on this board (with over 25,000 members) that is more technical or fanatical in his attention to detail then him. I don't doubt for a minute his claims; he puts way too much effort into his "quest" and into this site to be making a word up.

If you can't get more then 200 on 3/4 of a tank, there's something wrong. You're a leadfoot, bad driving conditions, low tire pressure, mechanical issue...something's not right. Because I get 240-300 out of a tank in my truck, depending on how much highway I drive, and I am somewhere inbetween a leadfood and adlive.

 

[Lloyd10977]

Great job, Aldive. I have a 95 Limited with 4.0 OHV and I find that I am regularly getting 340-350 miles per tank with tire pressures set at 36psi. After following your exploits, I am going to work dilligently to see how much of an improvement I can make. An electric fan is definitely in my future thanks to you. And since I do no offroading, I will be looking for tires with more of an all season tread pattern instead of these very noisy and inefficient Wranglers.

 

[Interstate]

Al, ever look into those "High Mileage" oils? Or does anyone have any info on those?

 

[aldive]

Al, ever look into those "High Mileage" oils? Or does anyone have any info on those?

I have read about these oils and no I have never tried them.

To quote from Penzoil about their High Mileage Vehicle™ Motor Oils:

Helps restore engine performance and extend engine life.
Provides enhanced protection for worn engine parts.
Helps prevent engine leaks and oil burn off.
Helps condition seals in older engines.
Has excellent anti-aging detergent to help keep engine clean.
Helps protect engine from overheating.


These oils, in my opinion, are for older, maybe neglected, motors. I shall stick to the best synthetic oils, thank you.

 

[jayhawkexplorer]

Great job, Aldive. I have a 95 Limited with 4.0 OHV and I find that I am regularly getting 340-350 miles per tank with tire pressures set at 36psi. After following your exploits, I am going to work dilligently to see how much of an improvement I can make. An electric fan is definitely in my future thanks to you. And since I do no offroading, I will be looking for tires with more of an all season tread pattern instead of these very noisy and inefficient Wranglers.

Dang, that's a pretty great average mileage from a 10 year old 4.0. How much of that driving is highway? I only get that many miles out of a tank if its 100% highway.

 

[davidmmm69]

If you can't get more then 200 on 3/4 of a tank, .

I Just filled up yesterday after 90% of highway driving I went 223 miles and about a hair above empty. and that is putting about18 gallons into it.Pretty dammm sucky... But I can not expect much more . I did check yesterday my 33 Bfg AT KO's and they were ever soo low i think the air pressure was 19 to 20 so i brought them back up to about 40 PSI. hope that would help a little.