I'm gonna have to daily the expedition and I drive 400 miles week for work. So far I pulled out the middle seat in 2nd row, removed running boards, and the muffler and tail pipe. Im going to remove the roof rack and the front drive shaft until winter hits. The AC doesn't work, if I bypassed the compressor with a smaller belt would that help any? I run a high milage synthetic blend for oil. Should I change everything to full synthetic? I seen an expedition with the cal-vu mirrors which are smaller and more aerodynamic.
Better gas mileage?
- Thread starter 69ford99
- Start date
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Boostedbus
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Air up the tires and jack up and check each wheel for any resistance like dragging calipers or worn bearings. That’s about the extent I would go. You could also take off at every red light so slow that everyone behind you wants to strangle you. Now they aren’t gonna make the light therefore making them sit through another light burning all their gas. Don’t be that guy.
Hamfisted
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Keep the Expy clean and put a coat of wax on it. Air resistance is a huge mileage killer on a big SUV. Keep the motor tuned. If your front hubs are free spinning ( engine running, requires a vacuum...), removing the front driveshaft won't do anything to help mileage. Keep the speed below 70 mph. Keep the tires aired up as suggested. It's a 6000 lb refrigerator rolling down the highway. Pushing it above 70 mph will kill your gas mileage efforts. If you get better than 18 mpg, go play the lottery that day. Why your AC no work ?
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Vincent Vega
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@69ford99 yeah the gas prices are killing me, too.
like Hamfisted said, air the tires to at least 35 psi (I run 40). Also, chill out. I have tried it both ways- if I accelerate gradually I get about 2 mpg better compared to hauling ass just to screech to a halt at the next red light. And cruise control at 65 on the freeway, varying speed alot drops your mpg. These basic things have more effect than anything else, and put less wear on your Exp.
Good idea on the roof rack- 1-2 mpg right there. Don't bother with the AC - the drag is minimal, and you will pull your hair out trying to find the right belt to bypass it.
like Hamfisted said, air the tires to at least 35 psi (I run 40). Also, chill out. I have tried it both ways- if I accelerate gradually I get about 2 mpg better compared to hauling ass just to screech to a halt at the next red light. And cruise control at 65 on the freeway, varying speed alot drops your mpg. These basic things have more effect than anything else, and put less wear on your Exp.
Good idea on the roof rack- 1-2 mpg right there. Don't bother with the AC - the drag is minimal, and you will pull your hair out trying to find the right belt to bypass it.
JimmyC
Member
Maybe consider a small car for your commute
JVinOlathe
Well-Known Member
I have tried several things on my '99 5.4 and, while no exactly the saem, they are fairly similar.
The things taht do not work:
Cold air intakes - the Expy comes with a cold air intake and any after market unius do nothing except change the sound, and if you use the one with oiled filter, it will damage you MAF sensor.
Tuners - The will do nothing about fuel economy. If a tuner claims improvemsnts, ask him to give you a witten warranty...I bet not one will do this.
Premium gas - The car is optimized at the factory to run on regular gas and the computer will adjust accordingly. People that claim gains in MPG and power are just wishful thinking to justify the additional cost but, even if it would increase the efficienciy tiny bit, it would not offset the higher cost.
The things that work - keep your engine in good runnimg condition, change oil on schedule, keep your tires inflated to the recommended pressure (too high or too loww pressure will wear out your tires faster,) be sure your brakes operate freely and do not hang, and do not carry any more load thaan required (mine tend sto be a repository of tools).
The things taht do not work:
Cold air intakes - the Expy comes with a cold air intake and any after market unius do nothing except change the sound, and if you use the one with oiled filter, it will damage you MAF sensor.
Tuners - The will do nothing about fuel economy. If a tuner claims improvemsnts, ask him to give you a witten warranty...I bet not one will do this.
Premium gas - The car is optimized at the factory to run on regular gas and the computer will adjust accordingly. People that claim gains in MPG and power are just wishful thinking to justify the additional cost but, even if it would increase the efficienciy tiny bit, it would not offset the higher cost.
The things that work - keep your engine in good runnimg condition, change oil on schedule, keep your tires inflated to the recommended pressure (too high or too loww pressure will wear out your tires faster,) be sure your brakes operate freely and do not hang, and do not carry any more load thaan required (mine tend sto be a repository of tools).
chuck s
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Echo the air resistance note which is the major fuel consumer once you the truck moving: Air resistance is exponential and is twice at 70mph than it was at 50.
80 miles a day; 40 each way? 40 mile drive at 70mph is 34 minutes; at 50mph is 48 minutes about 15 minutes more. Try it and see how your fuel use goes. What's 15 minutes anyway just leave home a bit earlier than normal.
-- Chuck
80 miles a day; 40 each way? 40 mile drive at 70mph is 34 minutes; at 50mph is 48 minutes about 15 minutes more. Try it and see how your fuel use goes. What's 15 minutes anyway just leave home a bit earlier than normal.
-- Chuck
Johnathan M
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Letting off the throttle earlier when coming to a stop is a good idea as well. No use wasting gas being on the throttle only to have to brake harder. Saves on fuel and your brakes. I feel that does more to save on fuel than being poky slow on the pull out. I gained about 2 mpg local by not being as hard on the throttle pulling out, by letting off the throttle earlier when needing to stop, and not getting on it as hard when going up a hill or needing to speed up.
Also on a recent trip to FL from PA I did some testing and found out that 65 mph was optimal for fuel mileage on the highway. Going up to 70 cost me 1 mpg, and going up to 75 cost another mpg. I drive a 2013 EL and it was loaded with 5 people, luggage, and 4 bikes on the back (vacation trip).
Also on a recent trip to FL from PA I did some testing and found out that 65 mph was optimal for fuel mileage on the highway. Going up to 70 cost me 1 mpg, and going up to 75 cost another mpg. I drive a 2013 EL and it was loaded with 5 people, luggage, and 4 bikes on the back (vacation trip).
Johnathan M
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You could also do what I did and buy a 2002 Beetle, diesel engine, manual transmission. Gets 3 times better mpg than my Expy. I run that when I don’t need the Expy. Every 500 miles I save $95.00 in fuel even considering that diesel costs more than gas. I paid $1,900.00 for it and the fuel savings will pay for it in about 10,000 miles. Doesn’t cost much for insurance when it’s the 3rd vehicle in a household with 2 drivers.
Vincent Vega
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@Johnathan M My 04 gets about 17 hwy, 14 city, with my chill driving style the way you were saying. The only things that matter noticeably for mpg are driving style, tire pressure, highway speed, and if I have my roof rack on. I was surprised my mpg did not change when I installed 33s (35% heavier than stock tires), or later with a modest lift, or when hauling lots of people or crap. What mileage are you getting?
Johnathan M
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On my trip to FL I had a full load. 5 people, luggage for 2 week vacation and the 4 bicycles on a steel hitch carrier. At 65 mph I was getting about 17.2. At 70 about 16.2, and at 75 about 15.2. Without that heavy load I probably would have gotten better. It’s a 2013 EL, so it’s heavier than the standard length Expedition.
Around home (in PA with many hills) if I don’t have much extra weight, I can get 15-16 mpg driving the way I mentioned previously. Driving with a heavy foot it drops considerably.
BravoAlpha
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Endless post on forums like this regarding gas mileage. aside from diagnosing a problem…….It’s a large SUV. What did you think it was going to get?
whtbronco
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The fuel economy on these is relative. It's a decent size and fairly heavy vehicle, paying for fuel to drive it is worth it to me. I drive a body on frame V8 powered and I accept the associated cost. I refuse to drive cars and I am terribly uncomfortable in my sons Ranger and those seats are pure torture.
As noted driving style can have a significant impact on fuel economy. I get 3-5mpg higher fuel economy than my wife in our Expedition. I also don't use the A/C as much as she does.
As noted driving style can have a significant impact on fuel economy. I get 3-5mpg higher fuel economy than my wife in our Expedition. I also don't use the A/C as much as she does.
I know from previous situations that "hyper-miling" works. (There are tons if tricks under that keyword in google). I am about as heavy on the gas as it gets. I hit 80mph before I'm out of on-ramp. My 06 Limited 5.4 4WD still gets 15mpg around here. Loaded with gear and 3 adults, I did a trip to VT and back in June and cruised at 80mph and got 17.1. I haven't tried to do better as long as it doesn't use more than a tank a week.
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