tips for driving for better milaege?

[Foxfan88]

ok my gas guage doesnt work so i have to figure my mpg, i havent done in in forever since i had my old AOD, i just be on the safe side and say i get 10mpg

anways, i filled my tank last nite, ran for 30.8 miles, easy driving, hardly ever had the rpms over 2k.... used OD alot and shifted real early
filled up and got 2.8 gallons in, which equals 11 mpg

WTF doesnt seem right?, car is a stock engine, with all the lil things that would improve milege a bit, elec fan, pullies, free flowing intake and exhaust.

i would think i would get a little better. the car doesnt seem rich, never smelt any gas smell.

only thing that might hurt it would be the 3.90s, but people say that helps in town, and with my 2.95 t5, with the .63 OD, i turn 2k rpms at 65, so it isnt bad at all. I have no idea!

whats the correct way to drive for better milage??? could keeping the rpms too low hurt it and waste more gas?? doesnt seem like its being lugged, witht he gears and all. no idea

any ideas?

also how hard is it to fix my gas guage?? and where can i buy the parts?

 

[RMODEL65]

i get 28mpg? i got stock 273s i turn 1650rpm at 65! maybe u need o2s? also have u bumped ur timingthatr will help!

 

[Roland69]

what bumping the timing helps

 

[HISSIN50]

30 miles is entirely too few miles to decide MPG upon. Had the pump clicked off a little sooner or later, the numbers would have changed radically. Ditto if the pump from the last fill-up clicked off early or late.

Keeping manifold vac high while driving helps milage. However, in town driving and extended idling really kills milage. That's where the beauty of the newer on-demand systems are outstanding.

 

[Roland69]

When I check my MPG I fill it till it just about spits out than I know exactly how much gas I've used.

 

[poneypower89]

Its the simple stuff that matters

1: Proper tire pressure in all tires
2: Good clean air filter
3: proper and working spark plugs
3: keeping everything tuned up (oil changes etc)
4: keeping ur foot off the gas as much as possible and still mainting a good speed... this means avoid stop lights, heavily stop sign littered roads, etc.

 

[Roland69]

buying a 4 cyl (hopefully a Notch) for a DD is a thought I have been pondering for a while.

 

[LX302]

HIssin is right.
You have to run a full tank of gas to actually measure your MPG's.
But with your guage not working, then it's hard to do.
It's hard to diagnose your gas guage problem, but you might wanna start with the fuel sending unit in the gas tank. These tend to wear. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1987...emQQcategoryZ33556QQitemZ8065643653QQtcZphoto

 

[5spd GT]

JT is dead-on again... Try running further than that...take more of a road trip, if you keep your foot out of it, you'll get that mpg up...I promise. Go try and see!

 

[1mild88lx]

I took my 3.73's out and put my 2.73 back in, now I get 26-27 mpg!
View attachment 470144

 

[865.0HO]

My last fill up I averaged 23.7mpg in the GT. 30% city 70% hwy.

I would like to break 25.

 

[Dean85GT]

I get about 5km to a litre which is roughly 11.7mpg driving easy with my carb and 4.10s

 

[TRWXXA]

Well, the 3.90s are not helping you with your mileage. If you're really concerned with mileage, you should ditch the 3.90s for 3.55s or even 3.27s. You'll gain 1.5 to 2 mpg for each step down in gear ratio.

Other than that, keep your foot out of it, coast up to stop lights and signs, avoid heavy traffic, and make sure your car is tuned well. A good tune up can make great changes in your mileage, but your driving behavior will do even more.

 

[Repostyle]

Three simple steps to keeping your fuel costs down:

1. Remove keys from ignition
2. Place keys on kitchen counter
3. Walk

Of course, all three of those are pretty hard to do when you have a 5.0 sittin there. So, if you can't follow those simple steps then just do what I do, don't watch the pump as it fills up, it just hurts more.

 

[vristang]

FoxFan88,
Have you looked at your trouble codes?
O2 sensors can cause some bad fuel economy, and sometimes there is no noticeable loss in power (wot won't lose power at all).

As mentioned by JT, you need to use a full tank to check MPG.
Changing out your gears may not be a bad idea?

jason

 

[RMODEL65]

yeahbumping the timing helps but the new found power is hard to resist! lol

 

[MustangLX-5.0]

Make sure you don't have any vacuum leaks or that the smog pump isn't suckin in more air than it should.Any of these could cause the O2 sensors to over compensate due to the extra oxygen pulled in.The sensors would treat it as a lean condition and dump more gas down the tubes.

 

[MustangLX-5.0]

Oops..double post

 

[Foxfan88]

hmm i might try and replace the o2's, havent replaced them since i have had the car, just didnt think they might be bad, car runs great and strong. Maybe they may cause it.

btw today i checked again, i started with a full tank, and then ran for about 60-70 miles, would be a little more accurate. i got about 10.7mpg, mixed driving, easy on it but occasionl WOT. It just doesnt seem right. the car runs smooth as silk, doesnt smell rich, or run crappy. runs great but crappy ass MPG. my freinds car has a full HCI engine and seems to get more mileage then i do.

 

[sunil6784]

I'd start by pulling the codes, then follow with a tune up, including O2's if they have been neglected.