Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

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Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

June 04, 2007, 06:10:11 PM

After I posted here about the '84's incredible gas mileage, I noticed a lot of people adding their fuel economy figures. Thought it might be a good thing to start a new thread in a place where more people might see it. Feel free to post your fuel economy here (engine, regular or premium fuel, highway speed, etc.). Maybe we can even start a Top 10 list, by engine...? We know that the 2.3 guys usually enjoy regular decent fuel economy, but some V6 and V8 people might challenge that.

Anyhow...with gas at around $3/gallon in the U.S., it's kind of important to know what we can get out of these older cars. Some of them might just surprise you. :)

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #1 – June 04, 2007, 06:16:01 PM

My '96 4.6 gets 26 mpg on the interstate at an average of 72 mph, but I've witnessed returns of 28-30 mpg in ideal conditions.
I have no idea what the '86 averages due to the way I drive it. It seems as if 50% of the time I've got the throttle wide-open, and the car rarely sees interstate travel.

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #2 – June 04, 2007, 06:24:04 PM

My best fuel mileage figure with the HO so far is 28mpg on regular gas, and in a mix of city and highway driving. On average, I get 22-24mpg.

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #3 – June 04, 2007, 06:44:15 PM

88 5.0 Regular gas

Down and dirty, stall and crawl, worst case city 12-14

Average 19-22

All highway 30

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #4 – June 04, 2007, 07:09:29 PM

My trip to and back from carlisle avg. at 90 mph was 20.5
93 octane.It was mostly all highway.

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #5 – June 04, 2007, 07:25:13 PM

84 5.0 (needs tuned)
In town when driving nice-12
Highway-75mph-22

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #6 – June 04, 2007, 07:26:31 PM

Highway - Bad

City - Badder

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #7 – June 04, 2007, 07:33:38 PM

im still waiting to burn a tank of gas since the exhaust and pulleys. i got about 18 mpg before, at about 250 miles to the tank(not completely empty of course). but already ive gone 150 and burn ed between 1/2 and a 1/4 tank. im guessin gim getting about 21 mpg now (still not excact figures tho) but thats not back considering i drive like a lunatic.

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #8 – June 04, 2007, 08:23:00 PM

90 Crown vic, 324-xxx miles, between 17-18 MPG all city driving.
84 Fila - God only knows

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #9 – June 04, 2007, 08:25:41 PM

Tripminder usually averages right around 27.0. I reset it every time I get gas. Its usually the average of 150-200 miles.

I can get a good 34mpg or more on a nice straight road doing 55mph. Or 28-30ish on an interstate doing 70-75.

I used to think 20ish around town but I think its closer to 25.

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #10 – June 04, 2007, 08:40:05 PM

i havnt reset my fuel econ avg guage in a very long time. i'ts driven to north carollina and back to ga 8 times, when i was going to and from school (hellish traffic) and then down here with a slipping transmission i still average 21.9-22.3mpg at an average around 45-50mph (havnt reset the avg speed since the economy either. and i go through back roads 80% of the time running 60-65-70-75mph. btw, non catted y piped SO with smog pump still on and even a non working ac compressor. and i dont run anything but 87, specially when 87 is ****in 3.50 a gallon (and since i have a digital read out of litters and gallons, the pumps are ripping you off. i have a 22 gallon tank. i stop to fill up and got 7 gallons in the tank. but some how i pump in 19 gallons of gas. wheres the 4 gallon reserve tank on these tbirds?)

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #11 – June 04, 2007, 09:25:20 PM

The absolute best I ever did was a 40 mile trip on a hilly back road. I had just installed the tripminder and was trying to see just how good I could do. The temp was about 70 degrees, I drove at no more than the 55MPH speed limit except when coasting down hills, and when I was going up hills I only gave it enough pedal to keep moving - I actually slowed down quite a bit on the uphills.

This was in my '88 T-Bird, 5.0 V8, the only mod being catless 2.25" true dual exhaust with stock manifiolds, 2.73 rear gears, and the A/C running.

The result: 34.8 MPG, as indicated by the tripminder. I've never actually figured it out by filling the car, driving it a certain distance, then filling it again - that would be the only accurate way of measuring, but I'll have to go by the tripminder.

Normal driving I got 28-30 highway, 12-15 city. Don't know how the 3.55 gears will affect that because I haven't actually driven it yet - I suspect city will go up, highway will go down.

The sickening thing is that I only get about 25MPG highway with the Volvo with its bitty little 5-cyl turbo, and city is about the same as the Bird's 12-15. Hard to believe a 1988 V8-powered domestic car gets better mileage than a 2000 5-cyl powered European car...

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #12 – June 04, 2007, 09:30:00 PM

Quote from: Autocat;151878

(and since i have a digital read out of litters and gallons, the pumps are ripping you off. i have a 22 gallon tank. i stop to fill up and got 7 gallons in the tank. but some how i pump in 19 gallons of gas. wheres the 4 gallon reserve tank on these tbirds?)

I would guarantee the pump is a lot more accurate than the gauge in your car. The "4-gallon reserve tank" is the amount of gas between when the gauge indicates full and when it actually is (and if your gauge is working correctly, there will be a further "reserve" between when the gauge indicates empty and when the car actually stops). When I had the disco-dash equipped '87 Sport I'd fill the car before visiting family in Yarmouth (200 miles away) and drive about 90-100 miles before the gauge indicated that I'd used any fuel at all. Once it started going down, though, it would do so quickly.

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #13 – June 04, 2007, 10:14:03 PM

The only time I ever checked my mileage was the summer of 1988. My neighbor had a 1987 Thunderbird with a 3.8 and he kept bragging to me how he was getting 28 mpg with it on the highway.
I had planned a trip to visit my sister in Boston so I decided it would be a good chance to check my mileage.
On the trip I filled up near Buffalo, NY and heading East through NY state, with three people in the car and the air running I got 32 mpg. This was when the car was completely stock.
Needless to say, I was sure to tell my neighbor about it when I got home. ;)

Brent

Your Fuel Economy - Post Here

Reply #14 – June 04, 2007, 11:11:44 PM

That's a cool story, Brent.