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General => Lounge => Topic started by: 1BDBIRD on December 07, 2010, 02:56:40 PM

Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: 1BDBIRD on December 07, 2010, 02:56:40 PM
I went 365miles on 16gallons gas in my ole 1987 3.8bird with 177,700miles on the odometer!!!  Is this pretty decent for a car this old. My 06 gt gets about 23mpg also if i keep my foot out of it but its 20years newer!!!

What do your cars get for mpg??? i run 89octane 10%ethanol.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: Scott D on December 07, 2010, 03:07:49 PM
24 in the 'underbird
12 in the C-1500
35 in the Jetta
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: Thunder Bantam on December 07, 2010, 04:00:31 PM
i get 23 with my 5.0 bird
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: 1BDBIRD on December 07, 2010, 04:25:57 PM
So prob could be better then HUH?? I havent done a tune up or anything since i got it in October. Pretty much fixed the burned up alt wires,new alt,battery and changed the heatercore!!!
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: sarjxxx on December 07, 2010, 05:00:31 PM
wow those are good numbers....

when my 88 was running it was getting about 20 TOPS and about 18 average...
and my 96 gets about 18-20 most of the time too....

and their both 3.8's:dunno:

....course I do have a foot made of a certain poisonous heavy metal.....
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: Bruce M on December 07, 2010, 05:14:17 PM
When I first got my cougar it averaged 18-22 depending on driving. Now with 165K I average 14-16.5. That's after the 3.45 gear change, dual exhaust, and HO upper with HO TB. I think there is something wrong with it but it still runs good. When I sawped in the mustang AOD with shift kit is when I noticed the decrease in MPG. It does'nt slip at all, it works great. It's not rich eather. I thought that everything that I've done would increase MPG but the gear change.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: mcb82gt on December 07, 2010, 06:09:53 PM
I get around 20-22 in my 88 5.0 Cougar.  More highway I do better than that.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: tbirdsps on December 07, 2010, 06:11:02 PM
On my 85 Cougar I used to have the 3.8 generally gave me 28 highway and 19 in town  3.08:1 rear end.  My 92 Tbird with the 3.8 is 18 in town and 26 highway. 3.27:1 rear end.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: CoogarXR on December 07, 2010, 06:17:37 PM
83 5.0 auto gets about 18mpg mixed town and highway driving (116,000miles)
85 2.3 turbo auto gets about 20-22mpg mixed driving (42,000 miles)
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: 50tbrd88 on December 07, 2010, 06:49:12 PM
When my car was dead stock with 5.0 SO and 2.73's it would knock down mid-20's regularly.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: Thunder Bantam on December 07, 2010, 06:50:34 PM
Quote from: Bruce M;344870
When I first got my cougar it averaged 18-22 depending on driving. Now with 165K I average 14-16.5. That's after the 3.45 gear change, dual exhaust, and HO upper with HO TB. I think there is something wrong with it but it still runs good. When I sawped in the mustang AOD with shift kit is when I noticed the decrease in MPG. It does'nt slip at all, it works great. It's not rich eather. I thought that everything that I've done would increase MPG but the gear change.
my '88 has the HO 5.0 engine BBK 65 mm TB, headers with true dual exhaust, timing has been advanced and my AOD has a shift kit and i have 3.45 gears and i still get 23 mpg with it so i don't see why you can't get the same, what kind of tires are you running ? im running spoogeho ecsta's and i've always seen a lil increase in mpg with these tires.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: mcb82gt on December 07, 2010, 06:57:48 PM
Quote from: 50tbrd88;344886
When my car was dead stock with 5.0 SO and 2.73's it would knock down mid-20's regularly.

 
What does it do for mileage now?  If...... you can keep your foot out of it??

Mine is stock now and will be fairly modified later.:evilgrin:
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: mcb82gt on December 07, 2010, 06:58:51 PM
Quote from: Thunder Bantam;344888
what kind of tires are you running ? im running spoogeho ecsta's and i've always seen a lil increase in mpg with these tires.

 
Do they have flubber in them or something??
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: Bruce M on December 07, 2010, 07:16:55 PM
I'm running 215/65-15 BFG touring T/A at 32psi. They measure 26" tall. I'm going to pull the motor and replace the gaskets, seals, timing chain, oil pump, GT40 heads, and a HO cam. When I install the motor I'm going to replace all the sensors and cracked vaccum hoses. Maybe that will help. It's weird because it runs good. I havent checked tps voltage and the EGR is blocked off but if eather of those were the problem I would think it wouldnt run as good.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: Thunder Bantam on December 07, 2010, 07:26:10 PM
Quote from: mcb82gt;344891
Do they have flubber in them or something??
nope just nitrogen lol
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: RunninWild on December 07, 2010, 07:48:30 PM
My Explorer gets 16-17 (4.0 OHV), and My Tbird gets about 19ish. However, I once managed to get 29 on a 100-ish mile trip.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: Bruce M on December 07, 2010, 08:05:08 PM
My explorer was about the same. The best I ever seen from the cougar on a road trip was 28.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: sarjxxx on December 07, 2010, 08:06:18 PM
Quote from: RunninWild;344904
However, I once managed to miscalculate on a 100-ish mile trip.

oh yeah? thats cool;)
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: 20thanniver-ls on December 07, 2010, 08:39:02 PM
Quote from: RunninWild;344904
My Explorer gets 16-17 (4.0 OHV), and My Tbird gets about 19ish. However, I once managed to get 29 on a 100-ish mile trip.

My old Explorer got around 11 MPG's....... That thing had issues.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: daminc on December 07, 2010, 09:04:37 PM
My E-250 goes through about 40 gallons (1 tank) on a 6 hr trip....... Just thought I would toss that in there
And that's with it empty... It's about half with the 2000 lbs of tools in it
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: crystal on December 07, 2010, 09:25:45 PM
I eat up about 2 tanks of gas a week but I also drive like 700 miles/week. Not sure on the mog but it's not good, running rich and trans is slipping. All I know is the second that aod goes, it's getting a 5 speed!
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: 50tbrd88 on December 08, 2010, 11:28:59 AM
Quote from: mcb82gt;344890
What does it do for mileage now?  If...... you can keep your foot out of it??

Mine is stock now and will be fairly modified later.:evilgrin:

 
I've never checked it to be honest.  I will find out this summer when I take it on Hot Rod Power tour....should be a 800+ mile trip.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: blain_gatterdam on December 08, 2010, 11:56:17 AM
I averaged 32 once in my 5.0 going to pittsburgh a few times in a row. Its a highway car runs maybe 8-900rpm at 65mph. My uncle only drove it between the wal mart stores he operated which was hundres of miles a day, by the time I got it, it has like 263k miles, all highway.
'twas the days before my cell phone camera, noone ever beleives me.

Granted around town, its like 16-19

Either way is better than my 4.0 explorer, it maxed out 21mpg going to cincinatti a couple times in a row...
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: 87cougar on December 08, 2010, 01:04:37 PM
I got 35 mpg in my 87 cougar with a 3.8L bone stock.  That was driving like a granny and 55mph(1500 RPMs).  That was just to prove I could get good mileage.  But most of the time I'm getting any were from 30-23mpg highway.  But my car only has 35,000 miles on it now.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: jpc647 on March 10, 2011, 02:34:17 PM
Quote from: 87cougar;344965
I got 35 mpg in my 87 cougar with a 3.8L bone stock.  That was driving like a granny and 55mph(1500 RPMs).  That was just to prove I could get good mileage.  But most of the time I'm getting any were from 30-23mpg highway.  But my car only has 35,000 miles on it now.

My 3.8 could get 33-34 on the highway. Driving it sparingly. The 5.0, well it gets 26-28 on the highway driving it carefully.
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: mcb82gt on March 11, 2011, 08:45:25 AM
Quote from: blain_gatterdam;344960
Its a highway car runs maybe 8-900rpm at 65mph. ...

 
So...... you idle down the hwy??  LOL

I always heard idleing was wasting fuel??
Title: MPG!!! My 1987 Bird 3.8 gets 22mpg. Is this the Norm???
Post by: Haystack on March 12, 2011, 01:20:42 AM
Driving real careful, I got 35mpg a couple of times according to the computer. My overall best averages were when I was sticking to 60-65mph and way loaded down. Best calculated from the pumps was about 33mpg on a 100 mile round trip, about 90% freeway.

Generally, 22-28mpg freeway, and 14-19 city. I did alot of driving city using my thunderbird for pizza delivery for about 8 months.

This crown vic  me off. It has lower gears, and weighs slightly more then the bird, but with the same engine and tranny combo, I would still think it would get close. Itshiznitting about 14-16 city and best so far of about 22mpg freeway. I basically average about 18mpg no matter how I drive it. There is something not running right with it, but it passed emisions with flying colors. Just haven't gotten around to it.