Fuel Mileage Increase

[blksn8k]

Just came back from PA on I-80 and averaged 20.2 mpg in my 07 V8 4x4. Over that same highway I have never averaged better than 19.1, according to the vehicle's on-board readout. I had the cruise set at 75 mph, same as always. Keep in mind that at least two-thirds of this trip is up and down the hills of western PA. Is it possible that I just happened to get some of that gas the Prez allowed into the country that did not meet the "summer formula" standards? :unsure:

 

[Don Pertz]

I have noticed as much as 1 mpg difference in cooler atmosphere and more without running AC. I live in PA and it has been much cooler the last couple of weeks.



Just a thought, could be your difference.

 

[blksn8k]

Maybe. But I make this same trip at least twice a month. I grew up in Pa and have property there. This is the first time I have averaged over 20 mpg on this trip since I got the ST in January of 07. The few times I have made this trip while running the AC my mileage dropped to an average of 16.3 mpg. The truck turned 22K during the trip over. Maybe it is finally breaking in but I suspect it has more to do with this particular tank of gas.

 

[Richard L]

One tank of gas should not be considered to be a signiificant difference in fuel mileage, since it's hard to tell just how much gas was in the tank when you filled it.



Sport Trac's do not seem to get their best mileage until they get about 10K miles on the odometer, then they seem to really come alive. Also, as previously stated, cooler weather does a lot to boost mileage. I like to do most of my driving late at night often starting out on trips at 11:00PM-12:00PM midnight. The great part of that strategy is that the weather is cool, and there is very little traffic on the roads. I can simply set the cruise control and hardly ever touch the accelerator or brake until I stop for gas....That's what really rewards you with terrific gas mileage



I have had 2 Sport Tracs and that strategy has allowed me to get 22.5 MPG while averaging about 70-75 MPH. with as much as 500 lbs of luggage in the bed under the tonneau cover.



...Rich

 

[Les]

Over that same highway I have never averaged better than 19.1, according to the vehicle's on-board readout.

I would not consider the on-board readout to be accurate. For a more accurate indication measure you mpg when you fill up the gas tank.

 

[P M]

I've found the computer to be quite accurate if you reset it at the beginning of a tank and then compare what it says to what is computed using miles/gallons. When it's off, it's generally a couple of tenths optimistic. 1 mpg could easily occur do to some combination of better gas, a tailwind, cooler/dryer air and smooth driving.

 

[EddieS'04]

On my past fords with onboard mpg computers. Including friends and family. I have found the computer reads 2mpg high on average. That has been my experiance.

 

[2]

On my past fords with onboard mpg computers. Including friends and family. I have found the computer reads 2mpg high on average. That has been my experiance.

I am on my second F150 and both are/were accurate to a tenth of a L/100 km's

 

[blksn8k]

OK, let me restate the facts:



1. I make this exact same trip at least two times a month and have been doing this for several years. Long before I purchased this vehicle. The distance is about 180 miles one-way. Should be long enough to get a decent average, ya think?



2. I have never checked the mileage of this particular vehicle using any method other than the on-board read out and I always reset it at the beginning of each trip.



3. The best I have ever done before has been approx 19.3 mpg. That has been since Jan 07. Notice that includes several months where temperatures were much cooler than during this past trip.



4. The cruise control was set on 75 mph, again same as every other trip. Unless, of course PA is running a speed enforcement exercise and the BEL is having fits.



5. I was not using the AC for this trip. The few times I have the fuel mileage dropped to approx 16.3.



6. Oh, and in case I forgot to mention, I bought this particular tank of gas during my trip to PA at the Sunoco station in Brookville, PA. Same as every trip for at least the past year. I am a creature of habit and they just happen to be consistently a penny or two less than the other stations in that area. I can show you receipts if you want.

 

[Johnny O]

It could depend on the wind as well somewhat. I travel I-90 in NY frequently (runs parallel to I-80) and there is usually a consistent west-to-east breeze. If it's really windy, I've seen as much as a 5 mpg loss heading back home. Just a thought.

 

[P M]

Who knows, good batch of gas is as good as any guess. Although, I wouldn't think that would really matter unless you were towing or otherwise working the engine a bit. Only other things I can think of are tire psi and a good synthetic oil. It definitely helps a bit to crank those puppies up to ~40psi and I get a noticeable increase with synthetic. If you figure it out, let us know, I could always use another mpg.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

19.1 mpg vs 20.2 is slightly less than a 6% difference. I suspect the margin of error for any mechanism for computing MPG (whether an ST's onboard computer or manually calculated) is probably plus or minus 3% (just guessing, could be more, could be less). So I guess I am trying to say that I don't see a big difference here.



However, I understand the motivation for wanting to know the cause of the assumed increase. If one could figure out WHY they are getting about 1 mpg more on the highway then they could potentially save a bit of money each year.



If you travel 12,000 miles on the highway a year, assuming $3.50 a gallon for gas, you could save yourself about $120 in gas during that year...which averages out to be about $1.15 saved each fillup. In other words, you could fill up and get a free cup of coffee in the process.



TJR