Quote:
Originally Posted by fud2468
Regarding using the cruise: I use cruise as long as the road is perfectly flat. I shut it off on slight up-and downgrades, keep same pressure on pedal, let the car slow down over the crest and pick up a little speed going down the other side, just like the truckers do. Works on my Dodge Stratus, 34 to 36 mpg, no mods.
Ray Mac
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thats what i do with my cruise as well.
fellow explorer owner chiming in here.
you have the SOHC motor, btw, just like my '01. but you have the stick shift, which is going to be an advantage (i have the auto). since you have the lower (4.10) gears, you can probably step up in tire size a little to get your rpms down on the highway. but your speedometer will be off, and your odometer. its easy to calculate actual mileage, though.
my explorer sport (2wd) is lifted on 31" mud tires (which will fit stock too), and i've broken 20 mpg more than once. so far all i've really done is bump up the tire pressure to 40 psi (tires are rated up to 45), removed the roof rack (rails and all are easy to remove), all synthetic oils, and adjusted driving habits.
i think your goal is easily attainable.
i would follow some of aldive's mods such as some of the pulleys and the electric fan.
lots of good ideas in this thread. partial grill block would be a good start. the wheels are aluminum and only 7 inches wide, so i'd keep them.
not sure about your sport's body style, but mine (01+) has a nasty grill-to-hood gap. i can see the hood flexing from the wind while going down the highway. i plan on finding some type of seal to close that gap.
oh yeah, explorers sit butt-low from the factory. you can drop the front end about an inch to level the truck out (which should help aerodynamics as well). check out the lowered/sport section at explorer forum (where aldive's stuff is) for more info on that.
btw, reading all the driving tips on this site got me my first tank of over 20 mpg with no mods to my sport