33-35 MPG road trip in a 2004 Ford Taurus (rated 25 MPG highway)
 

Longtime lurker here, just wanted to post my story.

Recently, I took a trip from mid-North Dakota to mid-Wisconsin in a 2004 Ford Taurus. Speed was just under the posted speed limits (slower as you get east, faster going west), using the cruise control in the 2nd-from-left lane in Minneapolis/St Paul, letting off the gas well ahead of stops and turns.. The EPA estimate for the Taurus is 25MPG Highway, and according to the digital meter in the dash and math at the pump I was getting 33-35MPG.

We had just got the Taurus four days earlier with a complete tuneup and new tires, I changed absolutely nothing, except drove smarter than the common folk.

its not what you drive but how you drive it that counts!

I managed to get above 30 in my 3.0 Vulcan Taurus. The sweet spot for that car was 60MPH. Went on a long trip a few years ago (NY to Alabama and back), experimented for about 650 miles ... set the cruise control at 60. Got 34MPG at a steady 60.

Also, if yours has a Vulcan engine, it should have 3.99 gearing whereas my 01 vulcan had 3.77 gearing. It wouldn't make a huge difference, but a bit of a difference.

I'm not sure what the gearing in the Taurus is, but I set the cruise according to the GPS MPH and let 'er buck. To me, if you can feel yourself being pushed back into the seat, or pushed towards the dash, you're accelerating or braking way too hard.

We're going to make that same trip again in a month, I might try to some quick-fab grill block or something to see if we can creep over 35MPG.

Tauruses are "bottom breathers", the upper grille is mainly for looks. I'd block off the upper first (I can't remember if 2001s have the ford emblem on the grille) then most of the bottom grille.

My Focus has a 3 piece bottom grille - there are 3 openings. If I block off the two outers and leave the inner one connected, the car runs cooler!

Having an 04, you should have the digital display in it. I would bring it into "engineering mode" to get an actual reading of the temperature.

TO get into engineering mode:
Hold reset button
Insert key and start key
Keep holding reset button

Release after car has been on for 5 or so seconds.

You can cycle through by using the reset button - this will show you a bunch of things ... most importantly for grille blocking, the actual coolant temperature.

Miller, you got me excited! Went out, held the button, started it up, released the button.... and nothing. :(

I tried it again when I left the bank, holding INFO instead of RESET. Got the same results, but it didn't reset my tank MPG lol. Since her car is OBD-II (and my S10 is something GM called OBD-1.5) I'll probably just get a 'Gauge for it.

Was worth a try though!

Try this

Experimenting With Engineering Test Mode - Taurus Car Club of America : Ford Taurus Forum

(Excitedly waiting for her to return with the Taurus)

It's *extemely* picking about activating. On my 11 Focus, it won't turn on if I leave the parking brake engaged when turning they key on.

But it's really cool all of the things it can do. I"m not sure if the Taurses had it, but the Focus shows lifetime fuel economy.

The fusion rental I had showed idle time, engine time,

Held RESET, put the key in, turned to ON, release RESET. Does the Gauge Test, then pushing RESET cycles thru plenty of menus. Most of which aren't decipherable, but there's RPMs, true MPH, coolant temp (in Celsius), voltage, and several others. After you are in the menus, you can start the vehicle and it'll stay in there.

This menu allowed me to do a quick grillblock test. I started the car at 3:07PM, it was 20*C. By 3:09PM it was at 45*C. Went out on the highway, set at 65MPH (GPS confirmed) at 3:12PM. My coolant temp went from 88*C up to 94*C and back, just bouncing between there at 65MPH, ~2300RPM.

Put the cardboard grillblock on at 3:28PM, the temp was 86*C. Driving back towards town about 4 miles, it stayed a steady 90*C to 92*C. I didn't trust shuffling through town, so I disassembled it. Btw, it was approximately 78*F at the time.

So, does that sound correct, a grillblock keeping the temps 194*F-197*F, while unblocked it kept itself 190*F-201*F?