Has anyone noticed their MPG getting WORSE???

[bbf2530]

Well with my wife driving were at 10mpg, currently, the weather is cooler now and we are using our remote start, (which only runs 10 mins) we are over 8000kms now, will probly swap over to a full synthetic now... Its kinda crazy, i have a 98 GMC with a 454 and i can easily get 15mpg....WTF

 

But anyways, has ford come out with any new re-flashes? one that counteracts the the thirstyness?

 

Hi VapourSlvr. :D No there is no re-flash that will "counteract the thirstiness". However, there are some things that we can all do as drivers to help ourselves. And there are one or two things that we can not help, such as the "winter fuel formulations" (oxygenated gas) required by the EPA in the winter months.

 

In the list below, keep in mind that you can personally help yourself by adjusting how you do things, as explained in #'s 4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10:

 

1 - Your mileage may improve up to and over a 5,000 miles break-in period (you are at that point).

2 - Most areas of the country have now switched over to "winter fuel formulations" (oxygenated), which give lower MPG's.

3 - If you are in an area where the ambient temperatures are cold, that will adversely affect your MPG. Longer idle times to warm up. Richer fuel mixtures, etc.

4 - If you have the ATC (Automatic Temperature Control) HVAC system, do you normally drive with your HVAC controls set to "AUTO"? If you do, it is the equivalent of driving with your Air Conditioning on all of the time. It uses more gas and lowers your MPG's. Turn off the "AUTO" setting when not needed, and just use the heat/vent settings with the fan.

5 - The same goes for the front windshield defroster. If you drive around with it always on, the A/C compressor is always on and you use more gas. Turn it off unless needed.

6- Have you checked your tire pressure lately? If you have not, you should. For every 10F degree drop in ambient air temperature, your tires will lose 1-2 pounds of air pressure. For example: If your tires were last checked in September, and the temperature was 80F, and the temperature where you are now is 30F, your tires will have lost 5-10 PSI. And that 5-10 PSI loss does not even include the regular losses you can expect over time. Low tire pressure will decrease fuel mileage (and can be dangerous). If you do not already have one, purchase a good tire pressure gauge and inflate your tires to the cold pressure recommendation for your vehicle (about 34-35 PSI I believe) if not a pound or two higher. The Ford recommended pressure is on a sticker on the drivers side door jamb.

7 - Do not rely on the TPMS system (Tire Pressure Monitor System) to keep an eye on your tire pressures for you. It is not much more than a glorified "idiot light". By the time the TPMS warning light illuminates, your tire pressure is already dangerously low. In fact, the system does not even illuminate the warning light until you pressure is 25% below the recommended tire pressure (from the door jamb sticker). That is already dangerously low.

8 - Alter your driving style to maximize MPG. Minimize idle time. Avoid jackrabbit starts and stops. Coast to stop signs and lights. Don't use the gas pedal/brake pedal as on-off buttons (I am not implying that you do, just making recommendations).

9 - Minimize the number of times you use the Remote Starter.

10 - When you do use the remote starter, try to minimize the amount of time you leave the car idling before you get in and drive away. Don't wait the full 10 minutes. There are not many more inefficient things than having your car sit still with no one in it, while it's idling and burning gas. To explain it in simplified terms, you are getting 0 MPG for 10 minutes. You will now need to get 20 mpg for the next 10 minutes of driving just to raise your MPG average up to 10 mpg for that amount of idling and driving time. Again, this is a simplified explanation, and the math is not exact in all situations, but it is close enough to make the point clear.

 

These are just a few of the many things we can all do to try and help our MPG's. Looked at one at a time, they do not seem like much. But when added together, they make a significant impact on our gas mileage.

 

Hope some of this information helps. Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited November 24, 2008 by bbf2530

[VapourSlvr20s]

Well with my wife driving

 

 

This is my biggest issue actually, LOL, I`ve tried the last 8 years to change her ways, Thanks for the info, Its common sense to me but just not my wife!

[rreid66]

On a recent 700+ mile trip, our 08 Edge averaged 27-28 mpg. The heavy snowstorm in metro Detroit really slowed us down, but during most of the trip, we set the speed control to 55 mph. On I-75, I-275, and I-96, we saw some thirty cars stuck in the median, in off ramps, and spun around into the shoulders. All wheel drive and our lower speed helped guide the Edge through some really deep stretches of snow on the road. We really didn't notice any slippage on the ice and snow-covered roads. Of course we didn't tempt fate either. But 27 to 28 mpg was a pleasant surprise. Now I wonder what the gas mileage will be during the warm months?

[ALDriver]

On our 2008 Edge Ltd we have been exceeding the EPA estimates in the city with about 19.5 mpg but the Highway mileage is the same as the City. I have checked both with the on board computer as well as by the manual method. I really don't think my driving has changed recently, I have never owned a car where I didn't exceed the ratings.

[bluetexan]

As soon as you get a few thousand miles on it, drop a K&N filter in it and buy a Steeda chip tuner and throttle body spacer and I'm sure you'll notice your MPG's go way up.

 

This is what I plan to do eventually but we currently only have 115 miles on the odometer.

[KKKNNN]

Now that is a lot of brass air fittings there is just about every type

of air fitting that you could want. Wholesale prices too. I guess these could be used as small water pipe fitting also. I

used some of the parts to make my babington wvo bu

[roblectric]

Wha?