Trying to improve gas mileage

[JMan689]

Ok, i've read Aldive's Quest for 30 thread so i know what hes done but i don't have nearly that much money to dump into my X.

Now i know having a correct alignment and all that will improve gas mileage.

I also know i need new coil/leaf springs, ball joints and wheel bearings, if i replace all those how much better gas mileage should i see?

Yes i know i should replace them regardless but if i can't get some good highway gas mileage out of this thing i'll be needing to look for another vehicle.

 

[Burns]

The most i would expect to get is about 17-19......

 

[JMan689]

The most i would expect to get is about 17-19......

No bueno, i'm already getting around 18-20 depending on how my right foot feels. Drive 50 miles 5 days a week though it just isn't enough.

 

[Burns]

Thats as much as i would expect to get....

I didnt know you got that much lol was not sure on the current gearing of that rig

 

[JMan689]

Thats as much as i would expect to get....

I didnt know you got that much lol was not sure on the current gearing of that rig

3.73......i'm talking about my daily, hope you didn't think i meant the 92 lol

Would it get any better with a manual conversion?

 

[Burns]

Oh i was thining the 92 for some reason....


Uhh on my 5 speed swap i went up a mile or so... not that much cause you have to controll the shift points which you get carried away more than anything.....

 

[JMan689]

Oh i was thining the 92 for some reason....


Uhh on my 5 speed swap i went up a mile or so... not that much cause you have to controll the shift points which you get carried away more than anything.....

hmm... Now that i'm thinking about it, i'm probably not getting that good of mileage i must not know how to do math. If you figure i drive 50 miles a day and use about a tank a week. (only counting monday - friday) Thats about 13mpg...

 

[kit352]

i get a steady 20-21mpg. its a stock 2dr 4x4 94 with 3.27 rear. i drive 100 miles a day 97 of which are highway. ive doen this for about 5k miles now so i can start going over things. trucks needs plugs and wires and all fluid changes. i did try cutting the air box to allow more flow but it didnt do anything to mileage but the truck is way louder now. this week im gonna change the fluids and see what i get. ive read again and again that switching to manual hubs is good for a solid 2mpg. my a/c is broken so im gonna put a shorter belt in to see if that helps as well.

 

[v1rotv2]

The best way to check milage....

hmm... Now that i'm thinking about it, i'm probably not getting that good of mileage i must not know how to do math. If you figure i drive 50 miles a day and use about a tank a week. (only counting monday - friday) Thats about 13mpg...

is to fill the tank, making sure that the nozzle did not stop prematurely, then zero out the trip odometer. At the next fill-up, it has to be a complete fill-up, and again making sure the nozzle did not stop prematurely, divide the mileage by the number of gallons from this fill-up.

I have done a few things to my 93' Limited and I get 18.8 to 20.6 with a mix of country and town driving. On the highway, going over the Cascades I have gotten as good as 23.1 mpg. I try to not go over 2,000 rpm when accelerating from a stop and I don't go over 65 mph except when passing. And anytime I can I use the cruise control. When I have hilly terrain, not long slopes, I dump the cruise as I feel it does not do a good job on multiple short hills.

 

[boggs1227]

i calculated my mpg and mines getting a safe 20mpg (19.75) the areas i live in are somewhat hilly and i know that if i had mine out for a highway drive i bet that i would get 20 or better

 

[JMan689]

Our interstate sucks, everyone from out of state complains constantly about how horrible it is, honestly i think i'm just going to sell the daily and buy a little rice rocket. I'll still have the off-road one so whatever no biggie.

 

[kit352]

i have a spare 94 kawasaki ex500 thats gets 65mpg i use for the summer. its little brother the 250 gets 80mpg. insurance is super cheap to cause they arent worth anything. my gsxr 750 in race trim gets about 40mpg if im careful. racing it drops to about 18mpg.

 

[snocross1985]

This is why I sold my explorer...16-18 mpg is not good enough when gas is over $3. My Sentra SpecV gets 26 around town, 31 highway with me getting in the gas.

 

[JMan689]

This is why I sold my explorer...16-18 mpg is not good enough when gas is over $3. My Sentra SpecV gets 26 around town, 31 highway with me getting in the gas.

$3 i can deal with kind of i just try to limit driving. $4 i can't.

Although i do enjoy wasting 1/4 - 1/2 a tank on my 92 mudding every weekend.

 

[CBII]

$3 a gallon? WTF That's cheap.

That works out to like 0.80 cents a liter.

I'm paying $1.06 - $1.09 a liter right now and it's not even spring yet. Which is around the $4 a gallon mark.

About time you boys starting paying as much as us for gas. Hell the stuff is made in my city and I still get ripped off.

But ya the prices suck regardless so better mileage out of these gas pigs would be nice.

 

[HUA99XLT]

This whole gas situation sucks. I love my Explorer and I really don't wanna sell it, but with gas prices the way they are it's hard not to think about it. I'm trying to see if I can afford to get a 2nd vehicle, a little 4-banger to zip around in and reserve my Explorer for bad weather or off-roading (someday).

 

[v1rotv2]

Before I sell and buy again.

I would have to figure the cost of buying a car vs. paying for gas. You have to burn a hell of lot of fuel to justify spending for the cost of another vehicle. One comparison that I saw for getting rid of a paid off car worth $6000 and then buying a new prius was something like 47 years if you drove 10,000 miles a year and fuel costing $2.50 a gal. Now I know the time required would make up the difference now that fuel is at $3.45 a gal will be somewhat less but still over 20 years. We drive around 7500 to 8000 a year so it just does not make sense to buy into another gasoline car with the technology changing in the near future. By that I mean in the next 4 or 5 years hybrids with plug-in capability will be the mainstay. I will wait for that. We live about 7.5 miles from town and will not use one drop of fuel going to and from town with a plug-in.

 

[MadExplorer93]

I get 20-21 mpg on highway is all, all stock vehicle.

Well right now cause of an issue i am burning more gas, i do believe i have a bad O2 sensor.

 

[boggs1227]

with gas prices being what they are now .we could freeze our trucks in carbonnite. then one day far into the future when a alternative fuel has been invented we could then resurrect our trucks and show the future people what earlly 90's tech was like ! :smoke:


....boggs looks around now all i can hear is crickets ! lol


...joke

 

[MadExplorer93]

I am willing to bet that somebody will produce parts to make our older Explorers and Rangers become a hybrid type of vehicle or battery powered.

We will then be able to prove what these old beasts can still do.