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

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.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...int6/035-8.jpg

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

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

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

And that's before any mods.

What could be more tasteful than attached airflow?

Kirk

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

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

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!

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

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

Shoot, I play that game in my truck every time I fill up. I swear its got more in it but it seems like this sucker doesnt care if you coast and go easy on it or hammer it all the time...13mpg is where it sits lol
Matt

It might be tough to detect gains via mpg, since the move from 13 to 14mpg would represent a 7.7% increase in fuel economy.

Someone getting 50mpg would jump to a much more detectable figure of 53.9mpg with the same percent gain.

Thats very true and I only started givin the old truck credit when I saw how high % wise I was over EPA rating. I still think she has more in her but I dont care anymore, the Escort is the new MPG project now so I can start enjoyin the truck for what it is again.
Matt

dont forget to do the belly pan. no one can see it ad you will get some gains so it fits your tastefull rule you have.

Side skirts might also fit that criteria.

Ive considered doin the GT sideskirts and front bumper but Im diggin the LX look for whatever reason. I might have to figure out a way to sneak some sideskirts on there tho. As for a Belly Pan, Ive toyed with the idea. I might try a partial front clip pan and go from there.
Matt

Does the OEM rear wing on those cars hinder C/D that much? Mine has a built in 3rd brake light inside of the wing so keeping it would be nice.

Mine doesnt have a spoiler, just a clean deck lid and the 3rd brake light is on the rear package tray.
Matt

So I hit the highway on the way to get some door speakers and made a bit of a discovery. Using mile markers (i get bored easy lol) I determined, over a 10 mile and followed up by a 6 mile drive that my Trip Odometer is off a bit more than I thought. I lost an entire mile over the 10 mile ride and went 5.5 miles on the 6 mile ride. With that in mind I actually was lookin at 35mpg rather than 33 lol. I will one day get a better method to determine but itll do for now!
Matt

Hmm. Tire size other than stock, perhaps?

The easiest changes are the lower grill block and solid wheel covers, like moon disks.

The grill block alone is worth 3% improvement at hwy speeds.

I did the griill block on my 2006 mazda 5, blocking no more than would still let the car run at normal temps during summer use,( about 2/3rds blocked) and I still saw the 3% gain, going from 30mpg to 31. ( cars rated 27mpg hwy).

That jumps my hwy range from 450 to 465 miles, which is like getting a free extra 1/2 gallon of gas every time I fill up.

The tires are bigger making the odometer .054 off, but the trip meter is off by even more at .1 off. Grill block is def. on the list but I need to replace the thermostat and housing first as it barely even comes close to warming up even in 60* weather.
Matt

Well, figured up my 2nd tank this past weekend and got 34 mpg! This time I drove mostly city (bout 90%) and it rained quite a bit but I still coasted every inch I could and worked on religiously shifting at 2k etc. I DID make a mistake and zero-ed out my trip meter while workin around my dash but I used the actual mileage to get my difference. I am now writing that down (like I used to have to in my truck with no trip meter) so I can keep better records. After the tank Im currently on I plan on doin a tuneup and then grill block, chin spoiler and tire spats after that, see what I can muster up!
Matt

Welcome to the ecomodding club 66sprint6! I too once was all about the power... always tinkered on Camaros. Finally came to my senses as well and realized similar fun can be had tinkering to max the mpg's.

Sounds like you have a good road map to improved mpgs laid out, good luck with it. You'll be into the 40mpg range soon.

I sure hope so!!! If I could hit consistent 40s with a few mods and some decent driving Ide be BEYOND happy. My main goal was mid 20s around town and see if I could crack 30 on the highway and Ive already destroyed that expectation!!! 40s or bust LOL
Matt

The thermostat should help significantly. Pirce original equipment before you just go get aftermarket. Sometimes the OE stats work much better, faster warmups. Gauge should read just below the halfway mark when it is warm.

regards
Mech

While I do really like my full sized truck, it *is* nice to take a trip to see relatively distant friends, get back, do some shopping, and put 5 gallons in, as opposed to 15-20.
Have fun with your "new" car!

I always try to use Ford stuff when replacing stuff if possible. I love my truck, but I HATE not bein able to go anywhere without havin to pay for it. I can drive and drive and drive with this little thing. I can go 100+ miles further per week on 6 less gallons! I drove the truck this weekend to get my Christmas tree and used a half a tank...insane how I put up with that for so long.
Matt

Amen, same here. $120+ a week in gas back in the day with my truck. There's lots of folks still doing it and they don't care....

I made an Excel Spreadsheet that keeps track of total fuel savings vs. if I had driven my truck for those miles. It really puts things in perspective as you track the dollars vs. your truck. For me, its $5200+ in fuel savings so far, basically everytime I fill the Civic I pocket $75 vs. my truck, you may find similar numbers for your rides.

With the truck I would budget 1 tank per week. At 16 gallons I was usually fillin up around $50 a week. Then I was limited to 216 miles on that tank if I really tried hard. Using the average local gas prices today (which is cheaper than usual yay) of $3.05 I can determine:

Truck fill up 16 gallons = $48.80
Escort fill up 11.9 gallons = $36.30
If I go the easy route and just compare tank to tank I already save $12.50 right off the start, but then we factor in how far I can go. If I keep my weekly range to that of the truck, 216 miles, then the saving start to add up.
Truck 216 miles = 16 gallons or $48.30
Escort 216 miles = 6.17 gallons or $18.82
Savings = $29.48 per tank

Now, in reality, I DO tend to go further than 216 miles in a week since I can actually get away with it, so my savings are still a little lower than $30 a week but I find myself being able to stretch tank to a week and a half rather than a week and therefore saving myself almost 1 fill up per month which in the truck would be a free $50! I love being able to go places now too which is another immessurable (sp) gain! Im actually taking the gain out of my fuel budget to pay myself back for what I bought the car for lol, another little game to try and add some motivation to get better and better MPG!
Matt

Good stuff man. I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I am getting a new car soon and I keep wanting to get the bigger faster vehicles lol. I just gotta suck it up and get a gas sipper like you did.

Compare 10 MPG to 40 MPG. 2500 gallons versus 10,000 gallons per 100 k miles. At $3.50 per gallon in 100k miles you have $3.50X7500. $26,500 in 100k miles is sucking up money! I know the example is extreme but it gives you a real idea of how you might reconsider even the idea of sucking up anything but cash.

Now consider that the average wage earner loses 30% of their pay to taxes, social security, etc. Also consider that if you can write off the mileage you can deduct 50 cents a mile from your taxes.

This means you can survive on less income, and or you can get a tax subsidy for sacrificing the urge to buy a gas hog.

Also consider that most efficient vehicles (like a Hyundai Elantra) do not carry a price penalty that offsets the savings, another plus for changing your priority to conservation. More savings.

There are many more reasons but these should help you understand that the real fun is sticking it to OPEC, at least for me.

regards
Mech

That...or you could use your savings to buy a gas hog hotrod that you only drive on the weekends or (like me) to the track and back. Ive got a 66 Mustang with a turbocharged inline six, 90 Mustang LX soon to have a 393 stroker and the 88 F150 4x4. I LOVE not having to drive those suckers everyday now for a couple reasons.

1) I can work on them anytime and if I dont finish in 1 day, oh well I dont need it to get to work
2) I dont get tired of the car/truck, I only drive it when I need it and the love and enjoyment is renewed again each and every time I take em out.
3) I only fill em up when Im out and using them, so instead of lookin at it as a weekly fuel cost, I look at it as $20-$40 towards entertainment or utility

Matt

Just finished up the tuneup and doin a few small ecomods. I swapped out the thermostat housing cause the plastic failsafe was def. melted out causing my warmup issue. She runs like a champ now and heats up like a normal car should. Im hoping that alone will be worth a bit of MPG. I also took some insulation strips and sealed the hood to headlight/grill gap, the headlight/grill to bumper gap and the gap between the headlights and the corner lights. I also removed the front license plate bracket and mudflaps. Hopefully I will see some changes without changing my driving which I will do for the next little bit, then I will look into a little more aggressive driving MPG wise. I also noticed that the odometer and trip odometer came up with the same distance on the last tank which means my 2nd tank actually may have been closer to 37mpg than 34. Im gonna confirm this over the next couple tanks and better fine-tune my calculations. Hopefully I wont have to keep editing anything from here on and I can start getting consistent feedback lol. I will post pics of the minor mods when I get a chance! Oh, this tank I got 34.8mpg all city which Im very happy with!
Matt

That sounds good, those numbers are starting to come up!

Here are a couple pics of the minor mods I made...not sure they are even that big of a deal but figured, why not!!!

Removed garbage

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...nt6/012-15.jpg

Gap between grill/headlights and the hood sealed up

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...nt6/019-16.jpg

Same stuff eventually put around the entire headlight and between headlight and corner light.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...nt6/018-11.jpg

Again, the car now has HEAT which is awesome and she warms up pretty quick, but I might try a small grill block and work my way up till Im comfortable with the heat. I also noticed last night that I can shift at 1500 rpm and the next gear doesnt bog like it used to. I love driving this car now, super smooth.
Matt

Finally got some time to mess with V2 of the chin spoiler after aborting V1. This time I went with yalls suggestions on using lawn edging and after a bit of fighting, trimming, screwing and cussing I got it on the car close to how I want it. It was cooooold so she didnt wanna work with me much but I got it well enough to see if its worth keepin.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...int6/chin1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...int6/chin2.jpg

I dont like how the ends by the tires are sitting so I might fab a small straight bracket to flatten them out. I also dont care for how rough it looks where its mounted, but this particular lawn edging had to be trimmed and the top bent over to get the look I wanted. Good enough for now at least.

I grabbed a roll of garage door insulation while I was at it, but decided it was much too small for a good chin spoiler. Instead of takin it back I tried to make a windshield wiper spoiler out of it. This stuff ended up bein the sucky stuff the import guys complain about not stickin to double sided tape so alot of shoegoo and some clamping later I was ready to go. Its a very small spoiler, barely noticeable unless your lookin for it which keeps with what I want for this car...dunno if itll be effective at all but its worth tryin.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...nt6/Wiper2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...nt6/wiper1.jpg

One thing I noticed drivin it around after the mods is road noise...or lack of it actually. I thought it was the old crappy tires makin all the noise but after these small mods I can actually hear a VERY noticeable drop in noise. I also swear I can coast further to lights and turns than before, Ive had to start re-learning my coast points on my way to work lol. What do you guys think, any feedback would be appreciated!!!
Matt

Yep, decreased "road" noise and increase coast distances are all by products of the work you have been doing :D

Thanks...I was pleasantly surprised to tell the truth. Ive learned from modding my Mustangs and even my truck that most individual mods may not add much by themselves, but add up when put with other mods. Sometimes I will work all day and not be able to tell a danged thing, but these simple little mods really made a difference in the sound and a noticeable difference in coasting.

OH...I forgot about this little mod, doesnt look like much but this sucker has already got the car into the mid 30's and Im hopin itll continue to add improvement as times goes on!!! I recommend this mod to ANYone I meet thats lookin for better efficiency and MPG.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...int6/Decal.jpg

Matt

Another observation I forgot to post up is the lack of hood movement on the interstate with the front gaps sealed. When I first bought the car I noticed on the way home how the hood would bounce pretty violently towards the front. I even pulled over and checked that it was latched properly lol. Now it barely, if at all moves, and when it does it so minute that I can almost not tell. Before it was enough that it would catch my eye even when I wasnt lookin for it. Gotta be worth somethin!
Matt