New owner

Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Ford SportTrac Forum

Help Support Ford SportTrac Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
J

Joseph Middleton

Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
birmingham, AL
I just bought a 2005 4x2 Sport Trac. The sticker on the window said 16/21 city/hwy. I have gotten no where near that. It has been closer to 12mpg. I traded in a 92 explorer w/197,000 miles on it and it got better mpg with the same engine. Granted it has been very hot here in B'ham and I have been running the A/C on max. Also the terrain here is more hilly than elsewhere in AL. I just don't understand how I could get worse mpg than the Explorer. Should I go get it checked out at the dealer or what? Any help would be greatly appreicated.
 
The dealer will advise you to drive it and see if your fuel economy improves when it "breaks in".

Mine wasn't that bad, but has improved to around 16 in town and low 20's on the highway.
 
i get avg 20 now with ac on 100% of the time with Wayne's tuner(WFoy) i should get more only if i keep my foot off the floor
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hal is right. The gas mileage will gradually improve as the engine breaks in and the computer "learns" your driving habits. My mileage was horrible when I bought my two STs, but they eventually settled into something near the advertised MPG ratings. Give it about 3,000 miles and I bet you'll see a noticeable difference.



Also, note in the owners manual that they don't recommend a synthetic oil until the engine is fully broken in. I'm assuming this is because it would logically extend the break-in period for even more miles.
 
Our 2003 has around 83,000 miles on it, and we have gotten 21 mpg out of it during straight freeway travel at 65 mph. Our around town average has been more like 17-18, but an "around town" trip for us is usually about 2/3 highway driving.
 
How many miles does your trac have?



Change the oil to Mobil 1 5w30. Make sure the air filter is clean, fluids are full, tires are properly inflated. Drive it a while and get a more accurate average.



Don't expect good gas mileage. It won't happen with the SportTrac.
 
My MPG started to climb up until after the 10k miles, right now I get about 17 to 18mpg on mixed stree/hwy driving, mostly street (33k miles).

All stock, just a K&N drop-in filter and silencer removed.
 
I have an '03 with 4.10 LS, 25k miles.

Local mixed driving is 17 to 18 mpg.

All freeway (Sacramento, CA to Kingman, AZ) with A/C on, , 70-75 mph was 20.9 mpg.
 
Welcome to the site...My '04 only got 12 to 13mpg at first. It is starting to get 14 to 16. Still diapointed, but Iam hoping for more after 10kmiles, as other members have sugested.

I supose though the average for the Trac is better than the 9 to 10, I get in town, from my beefed up Mustang...:lol:
 
My 03 4 X 2 with 10,000 miles is averaging 20 mpg (with tonneau), no mods and a/c on most of the time. It climbed quickly from about 15 when brand new. My tach rarely reaches 2500, though.
 
I too am a owner of a 05 XLT Premium. I traded an 03 Dodge Club Cab with a 4.7 V8. It had all the power needed to be fast and tow. I was averaging 15.5 mpg with it and have 4K on the Trac now with an average of 16 to 16.25 with much less power. I have had to rethink my decision. I knew the Trac was not on par with the V8's but GEEEEEZ, the low-end, off the line gusto just isn't there!! I really do like the Trac's shift pattern under full throttle once it's going, but what the heck is going on at low-end......nothing to speak of!! I know there's some things that can be done to improve that but I guess I was hoping for much more giddy-up after break in. Maybe I'm just used to the additional 2 cylinders. The comfort of the Trac can't be beat for a hybryid truck/suv that it is. It's a shame they didn't widen the stance and drop a small V8 in it. Maybe the 07 will re-vitalize the Trac to those of us that are not sure we made the right decision.
 
Welcome to the new Owners! Give it time milege will work itself out, and carefull in the first 1000 miles on the engine! ;) Hello! all you Regulars! :)
 
My Trac is an 04 2WD with 4.10LS and I babied the gas pedal during break-in until the 3K mile mark. After that I became less and less shy of applying power. I have over 16K now and I am averaging the same 16.7 mpg that I was getting from the beginning. I upgraded the intake and exhaust in hopes of increasing it but did not. Only more power. I soon realized that driving habits has a lot to do with it. Getting past the break-in period along with the addition of performance upgrades, I've been inclined to use the 4.0L for what it's worth. I have been less keen on gradual acceleration and coasting to stops. Not too long ago, I drove conservatively (on usual roads/highways and destinations) and managed ~17.8 mpg.
 
Welcome to the site. When you are ready for better mileage and performance, after break in of course, give me a call.
 

Latest posts

Top