My quest for 30 MPG - Ford Explorer Gas Mileage Tips

[aldive]

I think one of the most important things to do increase mileage, is to make sure the truck is aligned... with ball joints that are prone to wear quickly... the truck will just be fighting itself to keep moving....

matt

Sage advice.

 

[aldive]

No i do not have a computer tune... i am always envious of the stories of yours, but i just dont have the funds avaliable to me to purtchace the programer. There is no way to tune without a programmer? i assume?

The only other option is a "chip". This is old technology and still is costly.

 

[Steddie Eddie]

I think one of the most important things to do increase mileage, is to make sure the truck is aligned... with ball joints that are prone to wear quickly... the truck will just be fighting itself to keep moving....

matt

I am going in tomorrow for an alignment. Are there any specs I should ask the techs to shoot for?
I just replced both lower ball joints and the driver inner tie rod. The front end should be in good shape. I am running Firestone Destination LE tires 245/75/16 (FYI).

I plan on asking them to turn down the torsion bars a little lower. I noticed that it was sitting uneven in the front, the lead tech said "no big deal" to turn it down to match.

I was just wondering if there are any secret toe angles (0deg?) or Camber angles to shoot for.?.

 

[aldive]

Your best bet is to shoot for factory specs. However, I have done some experimenting with alignment specs in my quest for optimal mileage. The data is inconclusive at this time.

 

[mattferkey]

I am going in tomorrow for an alignment. Are there any specs I should ask the techs to shoot for?
I just replced both lower ball joints and the driver inner tie rod. The front end should be in good shape. I am running Firestone Destination LE tires 245/75/16 (FYI).

I plan on asking them to turn down the torsion bars a little lower. I noticed that it was sitting uneven in the front, the lead tech said "no big deal" to turn it down to match.

I was just wondering if there are any secret toe angles (0deg?) or Camber angles to shoot for.?.

I agree with al on this one, but i wouldent turn down the tortion bars... they are probabally correct... the leafs in the rear often start to sag over the years especially when towing.... if i were you i would either add a leaf, replace the springs, or get taller shackles. if you loosen the bars it will make the ride verry mushy and you will be more prone to hitting the bump stops.

good luck
matt

 

[Steddie Eddie]

Thanks,
As far as I know, its hauling was very limited.
L to R is off about 1/2"-5/8", so I think I will go ahead and have them leveled. It has taken a front end hit before I had it. Probably this was overlooked at the collision shop.

Back on topic of MPG. I have a bone stock 98 Eddie Bauer Explorer. I used to get 17.8 mpg, then switched to synthetic oil (Molbil 1 5w30) and now get 18.9. That is 1 mpg just by changing oil to synthetic! I'd like to switch to Elec Fans sometime and maybe synthetic tranny fluid.

Mileage readings are only going by the info center, but I feel it is very precise (repeatable), but maybe not as accurate as GPS calculated.

 

[aldive]

Calculate mileage the old fashioned way; divide miles traveled by fuel used.

 

[mattferkey]

Thanks,
As far as I know, its hauling was very limited.
L to R is off about 1/2"-5/8", so I think I will go ahead and have them leveled. It has taken a front end hit before I had it. Probably this was overlooked at the collision shop.

Back on topic of MPG. I have a bone stock 98 Eddie Bauer Explorer. I used to get 17.8 mpg, then switched to synthetic oil (Molbil 1 5w30) and now get 18.9. That is 1 mpg just by changing oil to synthetic! I'd like to switch to Elec Fans sometime and maybe synthetic tranny fluid.

Mileage readings are only going by the info center, but I feel it is very precise (repeatable), but maybe not as accurate as GPS calculated.

I work at a body shop, and i can tell you that most of the other techs at my shop would overlook that in a heartbeat.... they dont even know how the front end works without a spring.... plus even if they did notice it... chances are it wasnt written in the estimate... and nobody likes to work for free...


Definatally switch the tranny fluid... i noticed a huge difference in mileage about 2.5 mpg and shifting is 100 times better... even than a new vehicle... i recomend amsoil ATF

matt

 

[CDW6212R]

Level the truck by the suspension points, not the fenders. The fenders are not mounted equally high compared to the suspension(they are all off from the factory). The suspension is what affects ride, handling, the mileage, and the fenders do not. Make the suspension equally high from side to side, measure from the lower control arm bolt to level ground. Good luck,

 

[mattferkey]

Level the truck by the suspension points, not the fenders. The fenders are not mounted equally high compared to the suspension(they are all off from the factory). The suspension is what affects ride, handling, the mileage, and the fenders do not. Make the suspension equally high from side to side, measure from the lower control arm bolt to level ground. Good luck,

the mounting holes for the fenders are all a maximum of 3 millimeters off of the other sides mounting holes from the factory... using the fenders as refrences is ok as long as the vehicle hasnt been in an accident where shims could be used instead of pulling into spec.


in steady eddies case this would not be the most reliable method but still should never in any case be off more than 5 mm or none of the sheetmetal would fit and the body lines would never match up and thats leaving gaps out of it...

matt

 

[CDW6212R]

Again, the fenders have nothing to do with the suspension, which is what an alignment is adjusting. An alignment is for getting the vehicles' suspension to properly work, efficiently and evenly.

If you purposely raise/lower one side to be different from the other(the suspension, not the fender), the handling will change in how it turns left versus right. You may not feel it, but ask someone in NASCAR why they play with corner "bolts" constantly, to improve the handling.

You could raise or lower a fender by a foot on either side, and the handling would not be affected. But when you go and purposely alter the suspension height on either side(from true level), the handling is negatively affected.

I know that I'm being picky, but for very good reason. Rarely does anyone notice a different fender height, so that's a vanity thing, don't harm vehicle handling to fix that. There are dozens or more people who will read that and not recognize the negative affect caused, unless someone like me points it out to them.

This thread is about fuel economy, if you go and **** the suspension too far away from level(to make the fenders pretty-level), mileage will be lost.

FYI, my 98 fenders were off by right at 3/4" from each other, it had very minor LF fender damage at one time. It would have been very stupid of me to level those instead of the suspension. Good luck,

 

[mattferkey]

You could raise or lower a fender by a foot on either side, and the handling would not be affected. But when you go and purposely alter the suspension height on either side(from true level), the handling is negatively affected.

I know that I'm being picky, but for very good reason. Rarely does anyone notice a different fender height, so that's a vanity thing, don't harm vehicle handling to fix that. There are dozens or more people who will read that and not recognize the negative affect caused, unless someone like me points it out to them.

i realize that this is compleatly off topic and i applogise,,,

because a explorer is a body on frame vehicle the body and frame are two independent things... when the body is stamped at the factory all of the refrence holes have to be within 3mm of spec period. same goes for the frame everything has to be square and true within 3mm... now when you place the body on the frame using identical spacers mounts and shims everything will be within 3mm... this is called net build.... if it wernt this way fenders doors hoods grilles hatches bumpers would not line up correctally. I realize that the body isnt involved with the operation of the suspention in the least but the net build is what tells me that the refrence points on the frame will be within spec of the refrence points on the body... making body lines... not perfect, but useful for refrence to see if the truck is sitting level

matt

 

[CDW6212R]

Matt, I appreciate the evidently manufacturers specs. But, I can not count the number of times that I have read that the fenders/quarters of a members Explorer were off by over 1/2" from side to side. Both of my 2nd gen. trucks are off by at least 1/2".

The reality is obviously that many trucks are no where near that 3mm suggested error range. I think just having different torque specs on the body mounts can affect the heights by a great deal. I thought that my 99 truck sat way too high initially, tightening the body bolts(loose) brought it down a lot, but it was still uneven left/right by about 5/8".

The whole truck is like most vehicles, they are likely far from square in any direction(four corner weight heights), but as stock, nobody optimizes those measurements. That would take a race course and a lot of time/equipment. The only logical solution is to hope that the frames are square(up/down), and set the suspension points even left to right. Night,

 

[mattferkey]

has anyone else expiremented with hydrogen generators? or better yet have one installed.... i cant find a suitable location

matt

 

[aldive]

My latest project in the quest is to write new computer tunes for maximum fuel economy. Some look very promising; a road trip to North Florida to go kayaking will tell the tale.

Stay tuned ....

 

[aldive]

I am going to replace the plugs and wires on my truck. The new plugs will be gapped to 0.065" to take advantage of the Screamin’ Deamon coil ( http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169182 ).

Hopefully this will increase my gas mileage.

 

[msmith65]

What speed for you yields the best mileage? ... I know that wind resistance is higher at higher speeds, so it seems that you would get better mileage at 60. But, gearing is important also....

Physics says wind resistance increases with the cube of speed. So, if speed increases by a factor of 2 (e.g., from 30 to 60 mph), wind resistance goes up by a factor of 8.

That pretty much erases any gains one might hope to get from taking advantage of taller gearing.

Of course, no one wants to cross a county at school-zone speed. So it's a matter of how much money your time is worth.

Oh, and whether going too slow makes you a road hazard.

 

[aldive]

From years of testing, I have found that mileage goes to hell in a handbag at speeds over 68 MPH ( at least in my truck ).

 

[CDW6212R]

Al, what rpm is your engine running at when you are going 68mph? That is the high end range of where the SOHC 4.0 engine should be run cruising. All engines have a best rpm range for a vehicle, and you have a vehicle combination which is ideal for that range.

 

[mikesparky]

Al, totally off subject ( I have a little under 2500 rpms at 70 btw) I was wondering if you noticed a difference in mileage when you added the lund windjammer? I'm trying to smooth out my aerodynamics and wondering if this mod is worth it.

Thanks.