To hell with the 4:10 gears on my daily driver?

[blackened88lx]

Yea, cause Ford is CLEARLY the sharpest tool in the shed. There's no way you could ever improve on their design Sometimes I wonder if monkeys built these cars...But then I realise how insulting that is to the poor monkeys. My speedo was dead on with my gps back when I had the 26" tires Not saying the means it's perfect, but it's off now with the 28s so I don't even bother checking mileage.

 

[7upstang91]

i hate you all. 15.6 mpg in a 5 speed. With 3.73s

 

[MY 85 GT]

You know the saying...."Men lie about 2 things....their gas mileage, and..." fill in the rest lol.


Personally, i never beleive ANYONE's fuel economy...or my own. There are just way too many variables and people tend to lean towards the higher side of things. Most of us are running aftermarket gears, with different size tires, on speedometers that are nearly 20 years old. Plus unless you fill up at the EXACT same pump, there is noway to tell if the nozzle filled the tank to the same level as previously. When was the last time you had your speedometer certified? And pacing your friends car or driving past a speed sign doesn't count. I've calculated my MPG using the old fill the tank and hit the trip reset button method. My car also has a built in calculator. I once did it over 3 tanks in my G35, and came up with 23MPG on my own. I checked the car's computer, and it was 20MPG. So 3MPG difference right there alone.


Personally, i couldn't hit 20MPG on my fox if you towed me behind a prius. I find it hard to beleive guys are driving their modded Foxes like their is an egg between the gas pedal and their foot and getting 25MPG with them. Ford couldn't even get that back in the day. I think the EPA mileage was 23MPG with the AOD on the highway, and that was using the old standard which overrated it slightly. I would think if some simple mods like 3.73's, etc improved fuel economy by 3-5MPG and still passed emissions, Ford would have did it from the factory.

But every so often, you get the "I make 423HP to the wheels and get 27MPG!". If that were true...you should apply at Ford.

I know my speedo is off now with the gears i even changed the speedo gear out in the trans but i was told an AOD with 3.73's it would be off a little because they dont make a perfect replacement gear for it..But an average that i can guess to mate...lol is about 18.5 mpg....thats the best i can get..so i cant see people getting in the mid to high 20's So im with you on this one...

 

[Repostyle]

First of all, those all are pretty impressive numbers, but like 5L5 said. There are so many variables and once you change your gear ratio you change the mileage the car thinks it went, but even then, going from 273's to 373's like I did, it takes more fuel on the highway because of the higher RPMs and the odometer will turn less so it should actually get a lot worse mileage based on the numbers the car would give you. Fuel mileage is all about what you've done to your car and how you drive it. If you're looking for better fuel mileage sell your DD and pick-up a 4 banger stang, just as good looking and much better fuel economy.

 

[Shaun1212]

Go with 410's, you got a 5 speed. I have 430's in mine. My friend has a jerico 4 speed in his with 4.88's now that's screamin.....

 

[\\J//]

so im perfect where im at or should i drop down to 373's or jump up to something higher than my 4 10's?

the 4banger is a good idea BUT id hate to see these vtecs around my area spanking my ass UNLESS i trade my 5.0 for a svo but thats not what im looking for at the moment.

 

[Mustang5L5]

3.73's won't matter. I had them with my AOD and still got crappy mileage. I swapped to 5-spd though now

 

[87GT Drop Top]

All you doubters can doubt all you want. I know it's 24.1 miles for me to go to work. I've clocked in in my truck and my street bike. My car is right and my mileage is right 21-23 believe it or not.

 

[Notchbck93]

Everyone here knows how much gas 4 10 gears swallow but my main question is how much compared to stock 2 73 or 3 08? i also have a aod in it aswell so you know what that means.. What lower gear ratio should i go with this is my daily car i love the idea of the extra spins on the rear wheels and hate the fact ill have to settle for less due to the lack of money nowadays but if the gears play a big part in mpg i could use the little extra gas money to buy some lunch every day...

well.. hey, im just a broke college kid give me some pointers thanks!

How far do you commute?

What does your commute consist of...highway, all city?

Do you let your car warm up?

What is your timing set at?

What is your TPS set at?

What is the state of your ignition components?

Have you performed a cyl balance test or a cyl leak down test?

Fuel filter clean?

MAF Clean?

How old are the 02 sensors?

And most importantly, how is your driving style?

 

[90lxcoupe]

To the guys getting 12mpg, do a tune-up for christ sakes, my notch got 15mpg with 70% highway driving and i also made 4 mid 11 second 1/4 mile passes on that same tank. that was with a 26" tire, with the spedo +/- 1mph compared to my GPS. Call me a liar if you wanna. and this was by no means me being nice to the car, i was doing 75mph minimum on the highway, and around town i spin the motor whenever i get a chance.

there is no reason to get crappy mileage in these cars unless you have no overdrive. how much gas should you really be using if your spinning the motor under 2500 and going 65+ mph? these cars have alot of low end tq too, so its not like your hammering on it to get to speed on the highway

 

[FoxGT87]

i got 4.30's in my car now, bought a set of 3.55's and they are just begging me to put them in. car has been sitting due to an electrical issue that is causing smoking under my dash. havent driven it in 3 weeks =(. once i get the shop paid off im going to buy my rear end rebuild kit and slap my gears. my car is a T5 by the way and those short gears kill me daily driving

 

[5.0Torx]

I have broken 30 mpg many times in my 5.0.......But It doesnt do it consistently. Consistent mileage on the highway is 25ish. Those are summertime numbers for me. Winter drops that down quite a bit.

 

[Notchbck93]

i got 4.30's in my car now, bought a set of 3.55's and they are just begging me to put them in. car has been sitting due to an electrical issue that is causing smoking under my dash. havent driven it in 3 weeks =(. once i get the shop paid off im going to buy my rear end rebuild kit and slap my gears. my car is a T5 by the way and those short gears kill me daily driving

I enjoy my 3.55's on the street behind a t-5.