ace72ace

I have seen comments in numerous threads about folks doubting the mileage claims of members who say they get 24-26mpg on the highway. I believe them 100% after taking pix of my commute to work (about 60 miles, 59 as shown on the pix below just getting on/off the highway.






For the sake of full disclosure, I was trying to get maximum MPG numbers by shifting into neutral where ever possible on long downhills, and when approaching the 1 toll plaza on my route. Doing this pads the overall number by a full MPG by my guestimation.

Note the mixed mileage rating of 23mpg on pic 1 justbefore getting on the highway and resetting it. Could I have 'faked' the results in this post by just resetting the MPG meter just before getting off the highway? Of course I could, but I didn't. So you can believe it or not, but it is possible to get this kind of MPG with your 100% stock 5.0 6MT.

-ace72

MRGTX

Nice!

How is your car optioned as far as the axle and tires/wheels?

I have yet to do this well on MPG with my car but I bet with the standard 3.31 axle and the reduced friction of the all season tires (I have the Brembo package with the wider/summer only tires) that this is entirely believable.

Nothing wrong with coasting...you're turning your car into a hybrid (energy stored in the car's mass rather than a battery). It's better if the car is off entirely but that's not advisable since you'll lose steering assist and brake boost.

ace72ace

Stock P-Zeros on the std 18" wheels, 3.31 rear axle. Oh and also important, 93 octane gas.

eliyarbrough

I believe it! I have an AT & I'm getting 65 MPH-26 MPG & going 70 MPH-24 MPG.
I just tried a tankful w/o using my cruise.
On cruise going 214.4 miles on 91 octane I averaged 19.1.
Going w/o cruise going 248.5 miles on 93 octane I averaged 18.8.

I am not a good driver not using cruise! I can't just coast going downhill. I just w/o thinking keep it @ speed limit. Even if 1 MPH slower. I'm using cruise from now on!

I'm not big on getting better, way I see it is better I get the more I can drive a month! I set aside for gas for month.

Ltngdrvr

Find a long enough stretch of downhill road and you can make that dash readout go even higher but that doesn't mean that is the actual fuel economy number you will get when you fill the tank and calculate the MPG.

The actual MPG for a tank of gas is what really matters, not how high you can make the dash readout get up to.

ace72ace

I will fill the tank next Tues. morn, do the same route, and instead of pulling into work, I will hit the gas station and fill it again, and do the math. Stay tuned.

eliyarbrough

Ltngdrvr, kinda hoping you'd say that. Of course we check mpg on flat hwy. It reads the highest then, why wouldn't you? I know it's best to do the math when you get gas. But you mean to say in 2011 with all the computer advances that has been made, the MPG one isn't correct? I'm not that smart & only go by my common sense.

Once more, I have no idea what I'm typing/talking about!!

Berol

Lol, Groton.

I lived there for a couple months last year.

jokerstars

I'm gettin 15.8 with ninety five percent very bad city driving

Modshack

1200 miles last weekend....900 highway, and 300 of aggressive driving in the mountains. 21.5 overall trip numbers with a Steeda CAI and tune.

Modshack

1200 miles last weekend....900 highway, and 300 of aggressive driving in the mountains. 21.5 overall trip numbers with a Steeda CAI and tune, 3.73's, M6.

Ltngdrvr

The point is that while it's great that for a period of time the dash readout shows 27 mpg, if you go to the gas station and fill up and say it takes 15 gallons to fill it up and you went 350 miles on that 15 gallons that means your average was 23.3 mpg.

That is the number that really matters, the average economy for the tank of gas, not just what it does for a time while rolling down the highway.

Back when I drove an 18 wheeler, I could get the dash fuel economy readout to go up to 99 mpg when going downhill but that sure wasn't the real average fuel economy for an 80,000 pound truck.

eliteweiner

not to thread jack, just bought mine a couple of weeks ago. Do mostly highway 331 6mt, 19" premium wheels. Cruise it at 71 all the time,never under or over.

oh and 87 octane

Adam

miles to empty isnt that accurate from my experience.

Everett

I am going to disagree. I live in the flat lands of the Canadian prairie. I get better mileage going thru the mountains. The downhills providing momentum and extra speed. I go to kelowna fairly often. The car corners like it's on rails,don't need brakes

hahnsolo78

3.73 both brembos and I am getting around 18 on avg. Can get up to 27 but not as avg

jaybertx

My Lincoln Aviator would read from 280 to 390 "miles to empty" on a fill up depending on what mood it was in. It was never accurate. That's not to say that the Mustang isn't better but...

Double-EDad

One little note: in numerous comparisons of my GT's mpg "readout" and actual calculated gas mileage, I've found my readout is between 1.4 and 2.0 mpg pessimistic. For example, one time my readout said "21.2" mpg, but my calculated mpg was 23. This was a city/highway mix, BTW.

So your actual mpg may be even better than you think.

eliyarbrough

See, I thought that meant the readout wasn't accurate. I only fill mine up. I check it every tank. I've got from like 17 to 25, maybe? I was kinda confused, my bad!!

Black 5.0

That sounds about right, I cruised to sacramento and back 340ish mile round trip, measured at the pump 25.89. I was thrilled it got advertised mileage... this was cruising between 65 and 70 the whole way mostly flat hwy miles.

Manual trans, 3.73s, stock 5.0