First MPG concious vehicle...and Im LOVIN it!!!

[66sprint6]

I am a Mustang guy at heart, Ford fanatic to say the least and an all around Automotive NUT. I have always been drawn to big power, street/strip monsters and have been toying with power since I could afford to mod my car. Ive always, in the back of my mind, messed around with the idea of getting a simple, reliable and fuel efficient vehicle as a daily driver so the Mustang could sit and be worked on whenever needed. After buying vehicle after vehicle that met every requirement BUT being gas friendly, I finally broke down and went on the hunt. My search came to an end on Nov. 10th when I worked a deal on my latest project.



She's a 93 Ford Escort LX, 4 door, 1.9 liter, 5 speed manual with 193K miles. She runs like a top and looks pretty decent I think. The only maintenance and work Ive done so far are steering and brake related. I still need to tune her up and start makin some Ecomods, but I didnt have time so I filled the tires to max and put some new wipers on it. I played around with shift points and coasting, but that was the extent of any technique I put into it. I just filled up for the second time after a very hectic weekend and saw 338 miles on 10 gallons used!!! Im beyone happy!!! I not only killed the EPA avg mpg, but squeeked past the hwy number as well on a mixed tank!!! I woulda be more than happy with what the EPA stated cause thats 2x what my truck gets, but this is phenominal! I am not working on shifting around 2K rpm religiously and learning to coast a little earlier. Im also waiting to start the car until Im 100% ready to go and EOC into parking lots and driveway. I plan on doin a tuneup very soon as well as replacing tires and struts. Aero-mods are floating thru my head as well, but I want them to be tasteful so I have alot of research and questioning to do before then. Just thought Ide share my triumph...altho small compared to all of yall, you gotta start somewhere!
Matt

[Ecotoyota]

Sounds pretty good I'm at the same point, but I have started to make some mods for my car.

[Tygen1]

Just wait till you get the hang of it, then 33mpg will seem like small potatoes

[JRMichler]

Originally Posted by Tygen1

Just wait till you get the hang of it, then 33mpg will seem like small potatoes

And that's before any mods.

[FXSTi]

Originally Posted by 66sprint6

Aero-mods are floating thru my head as well, but I want them to be tasteful so I have alot of research and questioning to do before then.
Matt

What could be more tasteful than attached airflow?

Kirk

[deathtrain]

Originally Posted by Tygen1

Just wait till you get the hang of it, then 33mpg will seem like small potatoes

or the day when you get pissed and try to figure out why it so low...

[66sprint6]

Bein a car junkie, I really do look forward to modding this thing, but instead of seeking power and lower ETs, I look forward to seein the gas needle move slower and slower and my savings go higher and higher. I dont plan on goin extreme, but I would like to do subtle mods to give me a bit of an edge.
Matt

[Ladogaboy]

My family used to have a '94 Escort wagon with the 1.9L and 5-speed manual. IIRC, our actual highway mileage was 35-38 mpg. I never checked on the rated mpgs. Anyway, that car should get tremendous mileage with just a few basic modifications and driving techniques. My guess is that you'll be hitting >50 mpg in no time.

People used to frown on the fact that it was only a ~110 hp motor, but even the wagon only weighed in at ~2,600 lbs and was a blast to drive. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

[66sprint6]

Shoot, 40mpg would blow my mind, 50 would be insane for me!!! Like I said, Im not gonna go extreme driving wise, but I am gonna slow down, leave earlier, coast when I can, shift at 2K, EOC when I can safely and start car only when Im ready to go. I will mess with P&G and EOC on the streets when noone is around etc. Aerodynamically, Im lookin at doin a simple/clean chin spoiler and some tire spats up front. The car does NOT run warm at all, I believe the emergency bypass built into the Escort thermostat housing is open cause it runs super cool. I plan on checkin that out, puttin a stock thermostat in then lookin at blocking the lower grill possibly as well. Ide like to think that with a full tuneup this thing might have more in store but it runs so well as it is...maybe it wont LOL. We shall see!!!
Matt

[66sprint6]

Originally Posted by FXSTi

What could be more tasteful than attached airflow?

Kirk

I would love to add a few things to help out, but I wanna keep it looking as if it came from the factory that way. I love fabbing stuff and have access to plenty of tools and materials, so this should be fun!

Matt