how to get better gas mileage in 2001 Ford Excursion?

[pgonza2723]

Originally Posted by tomfoolery

There are all the obvious ways....

turn the car off if sitting longer then 30-60 seconds
dont drive over 65mph
avoid "lead foot" acceleration

I have K&N filters on all of our cars, as do her and my parents (in total: 2 grand prixs, 1 jeep cherokee, dodge magnum, dodge dakota, chevy hhr, new mustang, firebird, dodge ram). Obvious car enthusiasts!!!

I cant say i notice a big gas efficiency with the filter, but it cant hurt.

Actually it can, it sure it flows slightly (and I do mean slightly) more than a OEM paper filter, but it also filters considerably less. That's where it will hurt, by letting more particulates into the engine.

Originally Posted by JhankG

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.

On a stock or mostly stock application, just an air filter, or a CAI, or exhaust have very little effect on their own. You have to remember, where the choke points are. You can uncork one side, but the other will still be the bottle neck which means gains are negligible. Also, you have to remember that the ECU tries to stay as close as possible within a range of parameters with fuel/timing maps. This is in vehicles that require premium fuel, you actually end up spending more money overall if you try to save money by using regular. More than likely the ECU will sense knocking (b/c of the lower octane) and will add fuel and retard timing to stave off pre-ignition thus causing the car to use more fuel while producing less power and lower mpg.

So initially, a CAI or filter will lean the a/f mixture causing a slight increase in power (mainly b/c vehicles run rich from the factory), but shortly there after the ECU will recognize this condition and add more fuel to the mix or retard the timing wiping out any gains. This is why most people who do full exhaust (header, mid-pipe, catback) and intake (CAI, TB, plenum if applicable, manifold) get tuned to take advantage of the extra air being put through the engine. Down side is that most of the time the bottleneck is the heads so there comes a point of diminishing returns on what mods will actually net decent gains for the cost. So according to tests peeps have done and tons of dyno sheets, a K&N nor CAI on it's own is worth the price of admission over a paper OEM filter. Especially if you consider the extra wear and tear of the extra particulates that will enter the engine with the K&N filters.

So back to the orginal question, there isn't a whole lot you can do besides the obvious. Keep the vechile in good working condition, drive 55-65mph, slight acceleration/deceleration, keep tires properly inflated (not over), get rid of extra useless weight in the vehicle if any, not heavy wheels or tires, and most important of all wax lots of wax will keep you aerodynamically slick

[billbrasky]

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?

yes start up is a default rich mixture for a few minutes.

Idle for 30 seconds or a minute off at a stop light doesnt save much, its the getting all that mass moving again after the stop light. Also makes me nervous people that shirt to neutral in autos to coast and other such sillyness, you can accidently get into reverse gear in many most cars, and blow up the tranny and cost yourself 2-3 grand. Which would pay for all the gas a H2 hummer would consume in excess of a little civic, so be safe, no coasting and switching gears in traffic in an auto. Half a click can cost you a couple G's.

if you have ever been in a car with a fuel meter that shows real time MPG its horrible pulling away from a stop sign, red light etc. Even in a high 20mpg or 30 somethign MPG car modestly pulling away from stops your MPG can be 6-10 mpg. If your smashing the pedal forget about it.

[dreydin]

take everything out of the inside and leave your seat, fill your tires to 40psi, drive 55 and wallah! 40mpg

[billbrasky]

gotta ask bietzal why didnt you get the 7.3 diesel ... 7.3s are great engines, V10 fords are ok, they pull pretty good, i have towed a bit with them, they can pull pretty sweet, but with big trailers, with a jeep on it .... milage is HORRIBLE, with the 7.3 milage towing same load is almost the same as an empty truck.

[Gravel]

The 7.3 is not exactly known for its mileage, it is known for its durability. That said, the insane amount that Diesel costs these days, the V10 ain't a bad choice.

[Pinedawg]

UPS plans all their routes to make only right turns unless absolutely necessary. All of their engines shut down after 30 seconds of idle; they cut millions of dollars doing just that. I know you're not UPS, but there are lessons to be learned there.

Planning your route efficiently and laying off the gas pedal will always help, on the downside you are feeding 10 cylinders, so you're never going to get the best anyways.

It's an Excursion, not a Honda Civic.....enjoy the room and the safety factor.....the little mileage you may gain here and there will be lost any time you haul a bunch of weight in it.

jmo

[Cupsz71]

Originally Posted by mongoose33

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.

3 vehicles here.
2004 Grand Am SE 3.4L /48K-(primary errand/city driver) 25city/31hwy
2000 Grand Caravan Sport 3.3L Flex /126K- (my daily/kid/crap hauler) 16city/21hwy
1994 Chevy Silverado Z71 5.7L /155K - (ATV hauler/garbage runner/deep snow buster) 11city/15hwy - winter=10/towing=12

- All are running MOBIL1 5W30 Synthetic that run 5000miles between changes and AMSOIL tranny fluids (truck diffs too)
- All have K&N air filters
- NONE use ANY fuel with Ethanol! Not cost effective! And very poor performance across the board. (don't get me started on that racket!)
- All have newer tires that are checked regularily for PSI and are alligned every spring if needed...and usually do
- All have new wires/plugs O2 sensors when every 65K rolls around

These new cars/vans/trucks tend to lead people into a false sense of "it's running....so everythings fine" mentality. Updated - forward thinking preventative maintenance is the key to keeping these things running efficiently and save on gas costs in the long run........

It's a pain, and having to insure/repair/license 3 vehicles, but I've found that since buying the wifey her Grand Am, and switching off myself to driving the magic bus and parking the truck unless I NEED it.....my monthly fuel bill(s) have decreased on avg about $75+ per month. Not to mention I drive ALOT less and a little slower too.

-ATV gas doesn't count....but it does get 20mpg if I drive it the 4 miles in the ditch to work.......oh it's an '08 Arctic Cat 650H1 TRV

Oh BIG HILLS and gravity helps.....at least 1/2 the time....
And as mentioned earlier......it's a brick....so it has the aerodynamics as such. Good luck.

[LKB3rd]

I just got a 50 cc scooter that does 45-50 miles per hour, and gets 91 mpg with fata$$ 235 pound me on it. I leave my Dodge v8 pickup in the driveway, and only use it when I need the carrying capacity.
The scooter is used for commuting to work, and pays for itself with gas savings costs for a couple of years, and is money in the bank after that. It's also more enjoyable to ride around on. In CT, you don't have to register or insure a 50cc vehicle, or pay taxes on it. No motorcycle endorsement on the license needed either. Technically, it is supposed to be 2 hp or less, and go 30 mph top speed, but they don't have dyno's out on the roads, and I have rehearsed my "jeez officer, I guess I had a tailwind" line From what I have heard, they don't enforce much more than the 50cc part.