JHL981

Okay, I just recently moved. It use to be a 32 mile round trip to work, now its 1.2 miles. Im close to everything, I use to drive between 35-100 miles a day. A lot of high speed driving. Now im driving like 1-20 miles a day. A lot of it is very short trips where im mostly not going more than 20mph due to speedbumps. I use to get between 280-300 miles for a full tank until the light came on. ( I dont have the computer cluster, just the basic). So with all this local driving, I get 190 miles for a full tank, instead of my usual 280-300. I about crap my pants. I went from 21mpg down to 13.5mpg. So as im getting some TSB's taken care of, I ask them to check my gas mileage cause it dropped big time. They said that they plugged something in and that my car was giving readings of 19mpg city up to 31.5mpg highway. I further explain, but they say the computer isnt wrong. So would pure city driving alone knock me all the way down to 190 miles a full tank from 280-300. Seems a bit steep of a drop and ford was no help. Some opinions would be great.

Route 66

A lot of it depends upon your foot.

JHL981

i drive more like a grandma than anything, lol.

EleanorsMine

Well.....
Depending on how hard you get on the happy pedal........

For instance cruising at 75 I can go from here to Atlanta and back on a tank of gas...

Driving around town I can easily use a 1/4 tank going to the mall and back- a lot of that is stop and go driving, and I simply adore quick takeoffs.

grrr428

When you sit at a stop light you get 0 MPG. The more you sit the worse the overall mileage will be. Even a Toyota Echo will eventually get ZERO if it sits long enough! However Electric Hybrids kick in at those times...That's why they get better MPG in town.

Martimus

That seems reasonable actually. Consider that gas mileage is calculated as an AVERAGE of all of your short and long trips. When you did a lot of highway driving your long trips kicked in and brought up your total mileage. Now that you don't do all that highway driving anymore your mileage is predominantly short trips/stop and go driving.

1trickpony

I know it stinks, but you went form mostly highway to mostly city driving. I live in a big city and I've averaged 8 mpg suffering in traffic. I'm currently getting about 11 mpg with good weather.

ponyboy66

Your biggest problem is operating temperature.
When you first start your car its using a lot more fuel than when it is warm.
Add that to city driving and it will kill your mileage.

Tres Wright

Driving those short distances you're going to get lousy mileage. The V6 bites around town. There's nothing wrong with your car (unfortunately!)

Tim, awesome cat in your avatar! I've owned two '69 Eliminators in previous years.

JHL981

Thanks for your advice. Here my new daily driving:

Start car, drive 0.6 miles to work never going above 20
Start car, drive 1 mile to mcdonalds to lunch
start car, drive 1 mile back to work
start car. move car to front of parking lot late at nite
start car, drive 0.6 miles home never going above 20
start car, drive to my friends' house, 2.5 miles going above 20mph for 2 mins
start car, drive 2.5 miles home

Thats 7 starts going 8 miles....that must be why

Or:

Start car, drive 3.5 miles to mall. Hit 7 stoplights in heavy traffic
Start car, drive 1 mile to circuity city
Start car, drive 4.5 miles home in lots of traffic
Start car, drive 0.6 miles to work never going above 20
Start car, drive 0.6 miles home on my break
start car, drive 0.6 miles back to work
start car, move my car at 10pm to front of parking lot
start car, drive 0.6 miles home never going above 20

10 miles, started the car 8 times, sat at alot of lights

Thats pretty much what my day consists of. Im going to guess that starting my car that many times kills my mileage. Any suggestions?

htwag

Keep the Mustang and get a Civic. My city driving - which is a combination of some inner city beltlines at freeway speeds and stop and go in traffic averages 19-21 with the Mustang; 25 with a Focus and 31 in a Civic.

Order#2

Ok, walk 0.6 miles to work, pack a lunch, and walk 0.6 miles home.

Galaxie

That will cut down on your fuel costs

Because of those very short, very slow trips, you car is using a lot of fuel, I don't think anything is wrong with it.

scottie1113

You live .6 miles from work and you drive? Incredible. Try walking and packing a lunch as has already been suggested. Not only will you save some money but you'll get some exercise as well.

JHL981

Hehe. I have walked to work before. But because of afternoon thunderstorms on hot florida days it usually rains when I go into work (I work evenings). But I didnt think all those short trips used that much fuel. Yall have great advice, keep it up. But i think im gonna walk to work more from now on . I figured= short trips=low fuel consumption

GirchyGirchy

No, you need to figure = short trips = bad for your engine and your mileage. For one thing, these cold starts on short trips use more gas....plus, you're not letting the engine get to operating temperature, so moisture in the oil never burns off. It just keeps collecting. Mufflers also go bad earlier in their lives from lots of short trips.

I hope you're following the severe duty maintenance schedule!

JHL981

whoa buddy, chill. I just started within the past two weeks all my short trips cause thats when i moved! But great advice

paint-boy

it's a sports car.....if you want economy get a honda!!!haha

JHL981

but what fun is a honda?