how to get better gas mileage in 2001 Ford Excursion?

[Gravel]

Carb cars yes, fuel injected cars, mostly no.

[JhankG]

Originally Posted by Brickboy240

My expereince with the K&N air intake and filter was NOT good.

First, the K&N filter needed to be coated with their own proprietary oil to filter properly. If you use too much oil, the oil will fly off and get on your MAF sensor in the air snorkle and cause your Check Engine light to go on. Nice.

Second, they give you a certain interval to clean the filter (which is sort of a pain) and I always thought the thing looked really filthy long before this interval.

Third, I literally saw NO difference in power or gas milage using this filter in two different vehicles: our old 95 Explorer 4x4 (POS) and my 99 Silverado. you do get a very cool growl, when you punch it....big deal.

So I really think that K&N air filter is a complete waste of money.

The only things I have used that I thought gave me better mileage was to use synthetic oil (Mobil 1) and a lighter foot on the gas pedal. I mainly use the synthetic oil, because I put alot of miles on my vehicles and the longterm benefits of synthetic oils is best shown after several hundred thousand miles.

Really...it is what it is: a huge behemoth of an SUV and its only going to get a certain kind of mileage.

My mom has a Pathfinder and yes, they don't reall get THAT much better mileage than the fullsize SUVs or pickups. She gets maybe 1-2mpg better than my V8 4wd Tundra. We ditched the 95 Explorer years ago for a 4dr 4cyl Volvo and have never been happier. That way, we only have one gas guzzler and the other cars are sippers.

You could have gone to a Suburban or Tahoe with the 5.3 and gotten better mileage than the Ford Excursion. Do you have tons of kids to haul around or need the 3/4 ton suspension for towing?

I really think the Chevy 5.3s get better mileage than Ford's 5.4 all the way around. Dad used to have an 02 F150 with the 5.4 and my 99 Silverado with its 5.3 always got better mileage. The Chevy 5.3 also gets better mileage than my Tundra.

So...sorry...there is no silver bullet on the gas mileage issue...if you ask me. Use a light foot or trade it. There ARE fullsize SUVs that get better mileage than the Excursion. In fact, that is probably one of the worst on mileage.

I wish I had a better answer for you...but a light foot is your cheapest and best solution.

- brickboy240

He is asking about the K&N cold air intake, which is different than the air filter. The intake does actually help with increased HP, but the air filter has only minimal effect, if at all.

[Gravel]

Yup, I had a noted difference with the FIPK on our 5.9 Durango.

[Ride the Lightning]

The single best way to get better gas mileage is to drive in a manner that achieves that. The second best way is to make sure your vehicle is running properly in a great state of tune. Beyond that, there's no magic bullet for increased economy. Tire pressure gets talked about a lot, but unless they are low enough to make the car drive poorly you won't get any measurable gain from it. Intake and exhaust systems haven't helped mileage in over a decade, nor has changing parts just because they have some miles on them. You could try every trick in the book and you might get 1mpg better for your $$$$ investment.

That said, it takes roughly double the power to go 70 mph that it takes to go 55. If you have luggage racks, bumper gaurds, antennas, etc. sticking out you can pick up a little on the highway by getting rid of them. Most of the drag from pushing a big box through the air is from the turbulence behind the vehicle as the air tries to vill the void. If you can find a way to put air in that area artificially it might help. I've always wanted to try some kind of pointy tent that would stick out the back at highway speeds, but I have never done it.

[Carnivorous]

Originally Posted by JhankG

I think I have heard that it takes more gas to start the car up than it would to sit there for a couple of minutes. Has anyone else ever heard this?

Yeah, but it's a myth. Your engine runs very inefficiently in idle, and does not use much gas to start up. The current top-line hybrids, such as the Prius and the HCH, all turn off the engine when stopped at stoplights to add MPG.

[mongoose33]

Originally Posted by beitzel15

Just bought it... lol

needed a bigger SUV than the 07 pathfinder. I dont know what it gets yet but I've read where people get 12 city/20 hwy.. and some people average 16mpg.. the pathfinder gets 17mpg so upgrading to a SUV this size and getting 1-2 mpg less wont be that big of a deal...

Well if increasing the airflow wont help any, might as well save the $260+ that the air intakes cost.

You can't do much w/ the Excursion; however, if you set it aside and use it only when you need to haul a lot, and find a more fuel-efficient vehicle to use otherwise, that may be your best solution.

My family has 4 vehicles:

1. A Dodge Caravan for long trips or carrying a lot of people (or for things like schlepping my daughter back to college this past weekend).

2. A Ford Focus, which we use for any trips of moderate distance if there are only a few of us traveling, plus it's my everyday get-around car.

3. A 2000 Ford Escort, a nice little very fuel-efficient car for the kids to drive, or my wife if she's looking for something easy on gas.

4. A 1992 Dodge Dakota pickup, which I drive rarely. It's a gas eater (13mpg is pretty much it), but I drive it less than 500 miles per year, for moving stuff around, hauling dirt, this and that. I bought my truck for $1200, and insurance is only $106 every 6 months (my kids don't drive it).

I believe lots of people are starting to do this, have multiple vehicles for multiple purposes.

People have to balance these things out, but in our case, I missed my S-10 club cab 4x4 (and I still do). But I couldn't see spending the money on gas I was spending.

So you might consider it your workhorse vehicle, and get something else in addition.

[So Flo]

Originally Posted by SgtWKPII

Sell it.

As a what?...book end, paper weight?

[Mercmar]

Originally Posted by Gravel

Again though, be cautious of the offset of fuel savings to wearing out the center of the tires prematurely. Tires a ****ing expensive and reducing their lives by 25-35% is gonna be felt in the pocket book.

Yep, I'm watching my tire wear closely. Seem to be wearing evenly, so far. On a vehicle as heavy as the Excursion, he'd have to pump those tires up pretty hard to cause center tire wear.

[Gravel]

If he has E rated tires, they go to 80 psi.. On my Super Duty, I have to be real careful of tire pressures or I wear the centers. I keep the front at door jamb levels and the back even with the front when no weight, that is about 20 lbs less than jamb levels.

The weight difference between the excursion and my truck is insignificant.

[Brickboy240]

Mongoose is right.

Many people have multiple vehicles these days. It did not make sense back when gas was under 3 bucks a gallon but at todays prices (and you KNOW its going to go back up again) it makes more sense.

I may have a V8 Tndra Double Cab with a 2.5" lift, but my daily commuter car is an old 91 240 Volvo. I bought it for 2000 bucks about 4 years ago and slowly re-did certain parts that needed attention. It really did not need THAT much work. The Volvo gets around 24mpg since its a 4 banger and liability insurance runs me about 24 bucks a month. A cheap ride that is safe and reliable. More roomy than an old Accord or most other small Japanese cars, too. (and its RWD)

I have several neighbors that own fullsize pickups and also bought a 2-3 grand beater to use as their everyday commuter car.

My brother has an 07 4wd Tundra with a 6 inch lift and the 5.7 V8, but he bought a 91 318 Bimmer in great shape for 2500 bucks and that is his commuter car. Its a 4 cylinder with a 5spd so it gets good mileage.

Yes, if you ask me, I think that if you do alot of driving and will always have a need for a fullsize truck...a 2-3 grand beater commuter car as an extra makes alot of sense. Buy something that is known for reliability and that you can work on, though. Does not make sense to buy a basket case or something that will break down often or needs serious work.

This requires some research and footwork....but I swear...I will always have 3 cars around our house. We never need a rental if the others go in the shop (which admittedly is very rare).

- brickboy240