My quest for 30 MPG - Ford Explorer Gas Mileage Tips

[zavetsky]

.....

Ok.

Maybe the question really is:

is ANYONE else getting this kind of mileage?

Surely he isnt the only one with this engine/truck/driving habits combination.

The "mods" made arent anything out of the ordinary....

And if there are others getting 30mpg, then what is the point of the thread??

<grin>

WIth the number of "Oh my goodness! How did you get 30! I want 30!" posts, his is NOT typical MPG, therefore leaving it to conjecture as to how he accomplishes that kind of MPG.

Hence my argument.

I dunno..seems like if 30mpg was truly attainable it wouldnt be such a hot topic.

or am I way off here?

DZ
.

Originally posted by Rhett Browning
First of all zavetsky, you have an OHV motor, which uses a LOT more gas than a SOHC that aldive has. You can do all the lowering mods, etc. that aldive has done, and never get near 30 mpg, probably not more than 20-22 mpg, just because of the thirsty OHV engine you have in your truck.

I think it is quite possible to get 30 mpg highway on aldive's setup. The key here is to look at WHERE al is doing his testing (I-75) and his driving habits...
He would NEVER get 30 mpg where I live...for example...
too many hills...
So here's a discussion

1), remember we're talkin' HIGHWAY mileage here..

1a). al has a 2wd, I believe, and it's an SOHC, a much more fuel-efficient engine than the OHV which you and I have...

2), the factory mpg figures on a SOHC are a lot higher than 14 mpg,..that's more typical of city mileage on an OHV V6 Explorer like we have. I know the highway factory spec for a V6 SOHC Explorer is over 20 mpg, probably 22 mpg, someone with a SOHC can verify. On my 94 with the OHV v6, highway spec is 20 mpg...

3), the calculation of mileage was discussed here long ago,...possibly in this thread way back. The topic of "is his mpg being calc'ed correctly" was discussed and it was done the proper way, I believe, i.e. by taking the fill up and dividing by the miles gone on that tank of gas.
If this is done, there is no error, no debating, it's cold hard math. If you fill with 16.5 gallons and have gone 285 miles since last, then you've got 17.28 miles per gallon.

4) aldives 30 mpg figures were done mostly on Interstate 75 in Florida and Georgia below Atlanta. If you know about that highway (I do) it is generally flat, with just a few minor hills around Cordele, GA and up around Atlanta. If I got to drive my truck on that nice flat interstate I bet I would get a few extra mpg.

5) I would bet my truck that Al F. has a light foot, in fact I recall him or someone saying here that they didn't exceed 2000 rpm whilst accelerating. I tried this in my Explorer, I could barely move from a stop, hehehe

So, I think biggest factors, in no partic. order, are:
a) flat I-75
b) light foot
c) mods

 

[Pheonixx77]

ok i have a real nice cat back exaust and the intake well, lets just say its a cone filter (K&N) and i CUT THROUGH MY HOOD! air flow is no problem at or abouve 10 mph i have virtually no engine performance mods other than a super chip which causes me to run 93 octane. best i get on a 1994 explorer with (i think ) a 19 gallon tank absolutely totally topped off so darn much the attendant praticly yells at me. i get 310-320 moles out of a tank. did god himself bless your truck to get 30mpg. geezzz thats awesome...wish i knew how u did it.


I dont get moles ...its miles...but i left it there cause that sounds funny as hell does'nt it? damn i hate my keyboard!

 

[Pheonixx77]

ok i posted than i re read forum...and i cam up wth a new question.... what difference does 2x4 and 4x4 make if the transfer case is NOT engaged, the front wheels spin freeley. i could see a problem with AWD but not 4x4 that is not engauged. how does this affect the performance?

 

[blueox]

We have a 94 xlt 4x4 with 165k. I do an extreme amount of long distance driving. One of the biggest impovements I did for mileage besides running the tire pressure at 35psi is to draft the rigs. Wait until you find one doing 70 or so then slip in behind him you know your close enough when the wind stops buffering your vehicle and everything quiets down.......best mileage trailing was 22.5 on Interstate set last month. Wife usually gets 19 average going to work and back all highway.

Worst mileage out of the explorer was around 14....shortly after this had bearings fail up front then with new bearings mileage went back up.

 

[zavetsky]

2x4 vs 4x4

Weight. Lots of added weight.

Originally posted by Pheonixx77
ok i posted than i re read forum...and i cam up wth a new question.... what difference does 2x4 and 4x4 make if the transfer case is NOT engaged, the front wheels spin freeley. i could see a problem with AWD but not 4x4 that is not engauged. how does this affect the performance?

 

[DOCMORGY]

Hey Aldive, I just read your post & thought I'd add a little bit to it. Your list of mods that helped with your mileage should also include the Apten chip, Granatelli MAF & TB spacer. I did the same mods as yourself on my '91 Navajo (except chip) & my mileage & power went up substantially. I have 154K mi on my 4x4 model w/towing pkg (lower gear ratio) & even so, on 1400 mi trip from San Diego up over mountains of Nevada to Spokane, at a constant 60mph pulling a 2500 lb U-Haul trailer I made 23mpg consistently on 87 octane. Around town (Spokane has a million street lites at every block intersection & horrible roads) I still avg 17mpg & I drive fairly aggressively. So, despite what the naysayers state about TB spacers & Granatelli, my own experience has been that both help immensely.

Just a thought
cm

 

[DOCMORGY]

Oh, & BTW, the mileage rating on the '01 2wd Sport is 18/22mpg city/hiway

 

[briwayjones]

I had a '91 Explorers 4WD Manual, Stock that got 25MPG highway. Between me and my family we have had 5 Explorers, all 4WD, all Manuals, all stock, and they all get 21-25 on the highway. Most of them get 22-23 highway.

 

[ga_sport4X4]

Atlanta here

Same gas efficiency as other Georgians.... probally a few more Georgia Peaches.

 

[aldive]

Just got back from a 1000 mile road trip. The first leg - avg speed 70.23 MPG 29.2. Have not filled up from the return trip yet.

 

[briwayjones]

I thought that going from convention oil to synthetic can be bad for the seals? Or is that with older vehicles with different seal materials?

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by briwayjones
I thought that going from convention oil to synthetic can be bad for the seals? Or is that with older vehicles with different seal materials?

Yhat is simply fiction.

 

[DeRocha]

Originally posted by Pheonixx77
ok i posted than i re read forum...and i cam up wth a new question.... what difference does 2x4 and 4x4 make if the transfer case is NOT engaged, the front wheels spin freeley. i could see a problem with AWD but not 4x4 that is not engauged. how does this affect the performance?

Besides the difference in weight (as Mentioned by zavetsky) a 4x4 has a T-Case which will create additional drag etc...

I believe the secret reason AL gets such great mileage is he must be a Helium salesman. He gets the stuff so cheap he fills up his tires, and always carries lots of huge ballons to give to children on his many road trips.

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by aldive
Just got back from a 1000 mile road trip. The first leg - avg speed 70.23 MPG 29.2. Have not filled up from the return trip yet.

The second leg of the trip yielded.... Avg speed 68.4 MPH MPG 30.28.

The AC was not used at all on this trip and there appears no difference in mileage when using it or not.

 

[sawdust123]

i just took a 517 mile trip and had to fill my 22 gallon tank up 3 times

 

[hsinc]

Do you think the Apten chip helped any? I have a 99 Mountaineer AWD 3.73 V8, average about 15 in town.

 

[aldive]

Yes, the Apten chip helped. Its the AWD thasts killing you, in my opinion.

 

[JOHN V.]

You will benefit more from the Apten Chip if you upgrade the intake & exhaust system. The collaboration of these three items will usualy give you improved power & fuel effieciency. We have the Mac Intake and the Gibson Exhaust now available at explorer express.

By the way, 15mpg around town is average for the V8 Explorer. My guy Ronnie B. gets around 10-13mpg. Of course he drives like a mad man!

You want to take all the proper course of action for good fuel mileage, proper maintainance, proper tire pressure, cruise control on long drives etc.

You may want to read this complete thread on how Aldive does it. He is truly the guru of gas mileage!

 

[EBInterceptor]

I would love to get 30 mpg but also be able to romp on the pedal every so often. It think I drive with a heavier foot in the winter because it's so much fun to do controlled slides and what not.

 

[Rhett]

To contribute further to this thread (I posted a long time ago on it) I can now post on the current state of the gas mileage on my 94 Sport 4x4:
3.27 gears
30's or occasionally I put on my 31's
AMSOIL synth in diffs, engine, (not in transmission yet)
TB, MAF, Apten, etc. .96 TB calibration, new O2s, etc.
I have a grill guard and a lund sunvisor which hurts mileage. Furthermore, my truck has some bad rotors which are dragging me down a bit.

14.0 mpg in town (summer)
13.6 mpg in town (winter)

Hwy is approx 18 mpg.
I have been keeping meticulous mileage records for the last 2 years. Over those 2 years, my mods have increased mileage by about .5 to 1 mpg. This is real world--not the hp and mileage claims you might hear from aftermarket retailers.