Mods to help MPG???
4/10/07, 10:19 AM
#61
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Well according to my message center i'm getting 15.8 MPG and avg 24MPH. According to a website I go to that keeps track of fill ups and milage i'm also getting 15.8 average on there too. I'd say that the message center is pretty right on unless you have something wrong. I'll have to reset it the next time I get on the freeway and see what it says.
4/10/07, 10:19 AM
#62
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Lowe! touched on a few things I was going to mention. Anything that will lighten the car (under drive pulleys and aluminum one-piece drive shaft as examples) will increase MPG, if you can then stay off of the fun pedal!
I noticed about 1 to 1.5 mpg (from 19.5 to 21 mixed driving) increase after adding Steeda UDPs in Feb 2007. My car is 2006 manual trans car with 3.55 stock gears, 18 inch fanblades and it is well broken in (21K) with a C&L Racer CAI and SCT2 tune from Brenspeed (running the 93 octane tune).
Lowering the car would reduce some aerodynamic drag as well.
Now, will you see a return on investment for these such that fuel savings covers the purchase and installation costs? Probably not but you will get a car that is also more fun to drive.
I noticed about 1 to 1.5 mpg (from 19.5 to 21 mixed driving) increase after adding Steeda UDPs in Feb 2007. My car is 2006 manual trans car with 3.55 stock gears, 18 inch fanblades and it is well broken in (21K) with a C&L Racer CAI and SCT2 tune from Brenspeed (running the 93 octane tune).
Lowering the car would reduce some aerodynamic drag as well.
Now, will you see a return on investment for these such that fuel savings covers the purchase and installation costs? Probably not but you will get a car that is also more fun to drive.
4/10/07, 10:24 AM
#63
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My driving habits are fine... I never gun it. I pretty much always stay under 2000rpm. I miss most of the stop lights, driving around 45/50mph. I use 93oct. Usually never have the A/C on. And I seem to be getting around 15mpg. There has to be something wrong? Am I correct?
If you don't have the car tuned for 93 octane, don't use 93 octane.
Maybe I missed it but I was assuming you did not have a computer tuner based on some of your questions.
4/10/07, 10:36 AM
#64
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My driving habits are fine... I never gun it. I pretty much always stay under 2000rpm. I miss most of the stop lights, driving around 45/50mph. I use 93oct. Usually never have the A/C on. And I seem to be getting around 15mpg. There has to be something wrong? Am I correct?
4/10/07, 11:45 AM
#65
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No I do not have a tune... I am actually looking to get one.
Why should I not use 93oct unless I have a tune?
What Octane is the GT/CS supposed to run off of??
4/10/07, 11:46 AM
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4/10/07, 11:57 AM
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4/10/07, 12:38 PM
#68
You gotta think that if there were a reasonable and balanced way to get a higher MPG Ford would have done it. There is no magic bullet here. People will make wild claims but the truth is the 07's were 1MPG away from GGT! it's a V8! It's thirsty! Just the way it is. I would seriously look to driving habits, as has been suggested many times, and then buy that inexpensive car for daily use. The money you save in gas will pay for the little car and keep your GT free of gunk, paint ships, etc.,.
IMHO!
IMHO!
4/10/07, 02:32 PM
#69
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You gotta think that if there were a reasonable and balanced way to get a higher MPG Ford would have done it. There is no magic bullet here. People will make wild claims but the truth is the 07's were 1MPG away from GGT! it's a V8! It's thirsty! Just the way it is. I would seriously look to driving habits, as has been suggested many times, and then buy that inexpensive car for daily use. The money you save in gas will pay for the little car and keep your GT free of gunk, paint ships, etc.,.
IMHO!
IMHO!
1. A more expensive, one piece driveshaft
2. More expensive aluminum components throughout the vehicle (either in the drivetrain or elsewhere)
3. A tune, CAI, or UDPs
4. Or, the potential warranty costs associated with making the above changes.
Remember, this car is all about cost cutting when it comes down to it. Not that there is anything wrong with that. The Mustang is meant to be affordable and performance oriented (which it is
), not necesarrily a platform for the latest in MPG enhancing technologies. This car can be made to have much better mileage. You just have to restrain your foot and leave out FI or cams. Most of the bolt on NA mods will be good for MPG because they free up otherwise wasted power (like UDPs or a tune). Same with anything that will reduce unsprung or rotational mass. So, get a lightweight DS, lightweight flywheel, lighter brake rotors. I would not be suprised if you saw a dramatic increase in MPG if you installed the above mods...
4/15/07, 02:52 PM
#70
I agree with those who stated that you shouldn't be using 93 octane unless your Mustang is specifically tuned for it. The only Mustang that's tuned from the factory to use that high of an octane would be the Shelby GT500. Using the 93 octane might be the reason why your MPGs are not at the levels they should be for your car. I would say after you run this tank of gas out, try running a tank of 87 octane for a couple of rounds and see how your miles per gallon measures.
Personally for me, I usually average mid 20s in my v6. I'm not really a conservative driver but my car hardly ever goes above 2500rpms when I'm driving. My trip daily usually includes 18 miles stop & go traffic and 42 miles interstate driving (60 miles round trip). I rarely use air conditioning (as it doesn't get too hot inside) as I just let the natural cool air from the outside come in and cool the inside of the car if it's hot. I do not use Cruise Control. I know some people say it helps with miles per gallon but I have found that whenever I use Cruise Control, it causes my miles per gallon to go down...probably because it pushes my Mustang harder than I do. Example setting cruise at 80mph on the Interstate my rpms hover around 3,000. Now if I'm driving without cruise on, my rpms hover around 2,500 at the same speed...plus I'm able to increase my speed a bit if I know I'm coming up to an incline without increasing the rpms at which my car runs.
Also if you are stuck in traffic for a significant amount of time (such as a car accident) turn your car off.
Like wise if you are in line at a fast food resturant and there are a bunch of cars in front of you, or if that restuarant is particularly slow, turn your car off. I've noticed in my v6 if I start to idle more than a couple of minutes those MPGs will start to drop like flies. I don't even want to imagine what it's like for a GT.
Cruise from a stop light at normal speeds as well...althought sometimes this is hard to do...I've been known to speed super fast (well as fast as a v6 can go) off the light when a stop light turns from red to green.
Final thought, first 100 miles after you refill your Mustang...drive normal. This will give the computer a chance to set itself to your driving style once you put in a new tank of gas. Once the AVERAGE MPG (if you have IUP, and you reset it with every fill up) doesn't fluctuate extremely with stopping or going in your car...you can be more aggressive in your driving style.
Just my .02
Personally for me, I usually average mid 20s in my v6. I'm not really a conservative driver but my car hardly ever goes above 2500rpms when I'm driving. My trip daily usually includes 18 miles stop & go traffic and 42 miles interstate driving (60 miles round trip). I rarely use air conditioning (as it doesn't get too hot inside) as I just let the natural cool air from the outside come in and cool the inside of the car if it's hot. I do not use Cruise Control. I know some people say it helps with miles per gallon but I have found that whenever I use Cruise Control, it causes my miles per gallon to go down...probably because it pushes my Mustang harder than I do. Example setting cruise at 80mph on the Interstate my rpms hover around 3,000. Now if I'm driving without cruise on, my rpms hover around 2,500 at the same speed...plus I'm able to increase my speed a bit if I know I'm coming up to an incline without increasing the rpms at which my car runs.
Also if you are stuck in traffic for a significant amount of time (such as a car accident) turn your car off.
Like wise if you are in line at a fast food resturant and there are a bunch of cars in front of you, or if that restuarant is particularly slow, turn your car off. I've noticed in my v6 if I start to idle more than a couple of minutes those MPGs will start to drop like flies. I don't even want to imagine what it's like for a GT.
Cruise from a stop light at normal speeds as well...althought sometimes this is hard to do...I've been known to speed super fast (well as fast as a v6 can go) off the light when a stop light turns from red to green.
Final thought, first 100 miles after you refill your Mustang...drive normal. This will give the computer a chance to set itself to your driving style once you put in a new tank of gas. Once the AVERAGE MPG (if you have IUP, and you reset it with every fill up) doesn't fluctuate extremely with stopping or going in your car...you can be more aggressive in your driving style.
Just my .02
4/15/07, 03:17 PM
#71
Team Mustang Source
I do not use Cruise Control. I know some people say it helps with miles per gallon but I have found that whenever I use Cruise Control, it causes my miles per gallon to go down...probably because it pushes my Mustang harder than I do. Example setting cruise at 80mph on the Interstate my rpms hover around 3,000. Now if I'm driving without cruise on, my rpms hover around 2,500 at the same speed...plus I'm able to increase my speed a bit if I know I'm coming up to an incline without increasing the rpms at which my car runs.
4/15/07, 04:15 PM
#72
I don't know it just does. Like I said, I've been on the interstate a few times going around 80mph and whenever I use cruise control the car runs at about 500rpms higher (and my mpg drops) than if I was just driving the car without it on. It may be different if I was dealing with straight flat surfaces but I deal with slightly hilly inclines, dips and curves. With cruise control set at 80mph, my Mustang works harder to maintain 80mph if going uphill, likewise, I can hear my engine working a little harder working to maintain 80mph if I'm going downhill because it wants to go faster with the decline. For that reason, I hardly use cruise control for my daily commute on the interstate (which is about 42 miles of a 60 mile roundtrip drive). I haven't tried using cruise control for longer trips but then again, I don't ever plan to drive my Mustang farther than I do just for work.Let's just put it this way...other than having a "lazy" foot, I haven't found any beneficial use, mpg wise, to use cruise control while I'm driving...therefore I don't use it...especially when I can't get a better mpg rating myself with my foot without the use of cruise control.
4/23/07, 06:03 PM
#73
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Not to make you feel any worse but, '06 GT convertible. City Only 15-17mpg. Mixed city/freeway at 75mph 22mpg+ easily. I'm not light on the gas but I am light on the brakes.
Don't run High octane unless you have a supercharger or other performance mod that makes it necessary. You are wasting money.
High octane fuel burns slower and actually has a lower energy content per gallon than Regular (87).
If you have a tuner (SCT or Predator), you can install a tune for regular gas and still see considerable performance gains. The regular fuel tunes just don't get crazy with the ignition settings.
I'm using a C&L trueflow intake with a C&L provided tune on a Predator programmer.
I can't speak to any increases in fuel economy with the upgrades (CAI and tune) but even with regular fuel, there is a noticable improvement in throttle response and torque.
Regarding Cruise Control....for straight and level driving, the cruise control will not decrease mileage. For varied terrain, a human driver can due a better job of maintaining momentum on downhill runs and gradually rolling on the throttle to increase speed for the climbs. A normal cruise control does not have alot of finesse when increasing throttle.
Don't run High octane unless you have a supercharger or other performance mod that makes it necessary. You are wasting money.
High octane fuel burns slower and actually has a lower energy content per gallon than Regular (87).
If you have a tuner (SCT or Predator), you can install a tune for regular gas and still see considerable performance gains. The regular fuel tunes just don't get crazy with the ignition settings.
I'm using a C&L trueflow intake with a C&L provided tune on a Predator programmer.
I can't speak to any increases in fuel economy with the upgrades (CAI and tune) but even with regular fuel, there is a noticable improvement in throttle response and torque.
Regarding Cruise Control....for straight and level driving, the cruise control will not decrease mileage. For varied terrain, a human driver can due a better job of maintaining momentum on downhill runs and gradually rolling on the throttle to increase speed for the climbs. A normal cruise control does not have alot of finesse when increasing throttle.
4/23/07, 08:25 PM
#74
Your avg MPH is a huge factor in your average MPG. I've done tanks of gas where I'm just barely accelerating, and tanks where I'm hammering it to get up to speed quickly... and the latter doesn't decrease my tank MPG by any more than 0.5mpg... driving 15 miles of highway and 5 miles city helps that. Last week I drove 95 miles from my house to Cedar Point and averaged 27.1 mpg... including jumping on the gas SEVERAL times at lights and on-ramps. However my mileage decreased on the return trip to 25, most likely caused by the slight increasing average elevation going back towards eastern OH.
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