Newb with tune questions/need buying advice

[jcat9]

Hey guys,

Recently I've had to start looking for an SUV thanks to some lifestyle changes (moved in with GF, she has a daughter, we adopted an 82lb choc lab), and a dealer around the corner from me has an Ex that I"m looking at (2006 EB V8 4x4 to be exact)

I've got a lot of experience with fords, mostly the 4.6's, and older explorers/mounties (my dad and uncles had a bunch) but have never owned one myself. My questions are the following:

1.) EPA rates it 14 city / 20 hwy. Do you guys see similar numbers? My daily commute is about 25 miles, most of it highway. I'd estimate my driving 70/30 hwy/city.

2.) I know 4.6's respond very well to tunes. My main concern isn't so much power as it is economy. I'm coming out of a 25mpg avg Lexus, so what kind of MPG increases do you guys see with a tune?

3.) Anything in particular to look out for on an 06? It's got high-ish miles on it (93k) but looks to have been really well taken care of. Any service items I should check to verify have been done? I know they're pretty resilient even here in New England (see many regularly go above 200k miles) but some insight from those of you with more direct experience would be helpful.

Cheers!

 

[iowndavidson]

1. I commute about 100 miles a day. 80/20 hwy/city and i get around 19 mpg doing 70 miles an hour. I too have an 06 EX eddie baeur 4x4 with the 4.6. I also have rear A/C and third row seats so I have the heaviest model in terms of curb weight.

2. I have never put a tune on mine so can't help there.

3. I bought mine last november with 98k miles on it. Only problem I had was the truck was jerking when coming to a stop but that was fixed with the tranny TSB update at the dealership for $50 (well worth it). Other than that just watch out and see if the spark plugs have been changed in the life of the truck. Love my Explorer. Had a 1997 explorer before that with the 5.0L engine. Had 330k miles when I sold it and the guy I sold it too now has over 350k miles on it and still going strong!

 

[jcat9]

1. I commute about 100 miles a day. 80/20 hwy/city and i get around 19 mpg doing 70 miles an hour. I too have an 06 EX eddie baeur 4x4 with the 4.6. I also have rear A/C and third row seats so I have the heaviest model in terms of curb weight.

2. I have never put a tune on mine so can't help there.

3. I bought mine last november with 98k miles on it. Only problem I had was the truck was jerking when coming to a stop but that was fixed with the tranny TSB update at the dealership for $50 (well worth it). Other than that just watch out and see if the spark plugs have been changed in the life of the truck. Love my Explorer. Had a 1997 explorer before that with the 5.0L engine. Had 330k miles when I sold it and the guy I sold it too now has over 350k miles on it and still going strong!

Ok, so the trans TSB and I'm assuming from your wording that the spark plugs SHOULD have been changed at some point? I know the 5.4's had problems with plugs but I didn't think the 4.6's did. Well, with 93k on the clock I'd probably do em anyway if they hadn't been done.

 

[Flag Gibby]

The 5.4's and 4.6's used the same plug, and yes if they have not been changed then they should be. As far as tuning goes, you typically get more Hp/Tq but maintain the same MPG in the city; it is on the highway that you see the gains especially if you put on a cat-back exhaust.

 

[iowndavidson]

I have 127k miles on my plugs so far. At this point, I'm just going to let my local shop do it because I know the plugs are going to break on me after having them in there so long.

 

[El Duque]

I have a 30-mile drive one-way to work, mostly highway, and I seem to be getting around 18mpg so far (330-340 miles to a tank). I did have a tune from Hanson on it, and it actually made the fuel economy worse! It was around 17.5 with tune. When I went back to stock, it went back up to 18

 

[jcat9]

I have a 30-mile drive one-way to work, mostly highway, and I seem to be getting around 18mpg so far (330-340 miles to a tank). I did have a tune from Hanson on it, and it actually made the fuel economy worse! It was around 17.5 with tune. When I went back to stock, it went back up to 18

that seems counterintuitive...typically when not under load, a tune will 'trim the fat' so to speak from the lower end of the fuel table and give you better mileage when cruising.

What tune was it that you had? And what grade of fuel were you using? I've seen reports that using premium fuel in these trucks will kill mileage, so that's why I'm curious.

 

[Essex4x4]

As far as premium goes I'll give you my 2cents on that. I have had several vehicles in my life ranging from small 4's up to big V8's. I currently have a 4.6l and I tried it. I tried 4 full tanks in a row of 91 octane fuel just to see. Honestly nothing happened. I saw no drop or gain at all. This motor in my opinion did not care. I am not running a tune and I to have the 3rd row, 4x4, and rear A/C. What did give me better MPG was a full fluid flush and change. I swapped out all my fluids from the trans, to radiator, even did the transfer case and rear/front diff's. (oh and yes I regularly keep up on motor oil changes) I have heard other people say negative things about them and some say positive. I run a K&N wet filter in the factory air box. I have never had issues and did see a slight increase in mpg. Tires are also a HUGE factor. I swapped out the factory Michelins and put on BFG AT tires. Lets just say that tread didn't help my fuel economy at all.

Basically I would suggest normal road tires, K&N filter and you most likely will see around 20mpg stock.

 

[jcat9]

As far as premium goes I'll give you my 2cents on that. I have had several vehicles in my life ranging from small 4's up to big V8's. I currently have a 4.6l and I tried it. I tried 4 full tanks in a row of 91 octane fuel just to see. Honestly nothing happened. I saw no drop or gain at all. This motor in my opinion did not care. I am not running a tune and I to have the 3rd row, 4x4, and rear A/C. What did give me better MPG was a full fluid flush and change. I swapped out all my fluids from the trans, to radiator, even did the transfer case and rear/front diff's. (oh and yes I regularly keep up on motor oil changes) I have heard other people say negative things about them and some say positive. I run a K&N wet filter in the factory air box. I have never had issues and did see a slight increase in mpg. Tires are also a HUGE factor. I swapped out the factory Michelins and put on BFG AT tires. Lets just say that tread didn't help my fuel economy at all.

Basically I would suggest normal road tires, K&N filter and you most likely will see around 20mpg stock.

That's pretty much the conclusion I've arrived at. It's got General Grabbers on it right now which are pretty good year-round tires for New England. Fluids, keeping my foot out of it, and intake/tune and eventually exhaust I think should help considerably.

For reference, this is the truck I'm looking at. Seems pretty fairly priced but I'm planning on trying to get him down a bit more.

http://www.cowesettmotors.net/2006_Ford_Explorer_Rte%202,%20Warwick,_RI_184553058.veh

 

[El Duque]

that seems counterintuitive...typically when not under load, a tune will 'trim the fat' so to speak from the lower end of the fuel table and give you better mileage when cruising.

What tune was it that you had? And what grade of fuel were you using? I've seen reports that using premium fuel in these trucks will kill mileage, so that's why I'm curious.

Hi, I was running a performance tune for 93 octane. Very strange. But my driving habits haven't changed and my MPG is definitely better. But the engine would ping under full throttle with the tune, so maybe the tune wasn't optimal. I used the same tune on my '08 and that also pinged, and I had James send me like 3 updates before I gave up.