Ford Escort MPG advice needed
 

Hi Guys , just started driving a 98 Escort 4 door, got 38 MPG first highway trip instead of the 27 for the 88 ranger, so am addicted, need to know a good tire choice for mpg and rain performance, saw that michelin makes a new mpg tire, also what spark plugs recommended, its a 5 speed and thinking of trying to change trans oil and repack rear bearings in red line bearing grease, seems extra slippery stuff. also what about spacer for O2 sensors , thanks for the help. i keep it under 60 most of the time. also will a rear spoiler help at all

Nice start...There are several people on here with Escorts just use the search function to see what they have done. Here is a thread you might want to check out http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...epa-18075.html
Think the 98 uses ATF in the transmission, synthetic might be a good bet in CT, would make for easier shifting in the winter.

I had a 97 Escort (base) with 5-speed. I miss it terribly. Part of the reason they do SO excellent on the road is because they have Ford's "SPI" system - Split Port Induction. There are TWO air pathways to the cylinders, one remains shut via butterfly valve almost all the time. When you get the revs WAY up (over 3000 RPM), the second one opens and you can feel the car "surge" with power. Stay out of that range, and your MPG will stay way up!

For tires, I'd recommend either Kumho Eco Solus of one nature or another, Bridgestone Ecopia EP422, or GoodYear Assurance FuelMax.

I also found out that mine liked platinum spark plugs a LOT! You should be able to start averaging 40+ real easy in it, and if you work hard, 50+ is achievable!

Thanks for the advice, I was going to see about the new Michelin High MPG tires because tire rack's distribution center is near my house, and they had a rebate, but still checking I noticed the power surge and wondered about it, way faster and sportier than i thought it would be, My ranger runs great with a rebuilt 2.3 and 5 speed but man there is some serious wind drag, my commute is 130 mostly highway miles at night so i could go pretty slow, was coasting down the other njght on a 65 mph highway and almost ran through radar going 35, !! they would have wondered about that one at 1 AM, Thanks again

I have a '97 Escort wagon with a 5 speed, keeping it at about 50-55 mph in local driving I usually get about 32-34 MPH without any other special modifications. My best highway mileage has been driving with the c/c set at 55 MPH on a cool summer day when no a/c was needed and was riding with the windows down and got 49.85 MPG. This was with the original Goodyear tires on it that had about 1/4 of the tread life left on them. I've since put BF Goodrich 70K mile A/S radials on it and the mileage has dropped to around 40 MPG under the same conditions. I do have a K&N air filter which most people say don't help their mileage, but on my '97 I think it gave me 1-2 MPG increase. I just recently put new plugs in my '02 Escort and used Bosch platinum, I've heard mixed comments on the Bosch platinum in this engine, some say they last good others say they don't, but I use them in my '88 Escort with the 1.9L engine and they usually last 100-125K miles.

Some say yes, some say no. I think the trick is not to do what the racing kids do. Their spoilers produce some down-force apparently and they therefore suffer a "drag penalty" apparently. Here's a thread to read:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...any-10434.html

james

Just to give you a little eye candy to think things over re: rear airfoils.:cool:
No real data here just a made up run, but you can see how even the smallest addition to a profile can have dramatic effects.

http://www.cqe-online.net/images/Airfoil-NoAirfoil.jpg

Enjoy

Kind regards

Subsonic

i love ngk for plugs, and i have had good luck with bridgestone tires for mpg. as for the spoiler i would say its a bad idea 95% of the time just cause they cause so much drag.

thanks for the input guys , i was thinking about a tiny lip on the back of the trunk lid, since it tapers so softly down to the taillights, I noticed on the 98 Taurus sedan they had a clear or red colored lip on the taillight itself, kind of gave me the idea.

1997 Ford Escort
 

Hi,

Just found this forum - I own a 1997 Ford Escort LX 4 Door with 5 speed manual transmission with 150k on the odometer - purchased new.

I have a ScanGaugeII that I have used for the last 50k miles and have fine-tuned my driving style.

Over the last 5000k miles, I have averaged 42.1 mpgs combined with most local travel with some highway miles thrown in. My best mileage was a 53.3 mpg trip over 50 miles including time spent getting onto the interstate and time spent off it going to my folks' neighborhood.

My tire inflation is usually 38-40 psi and I run Goodyear Viva 2's purchased from Walmart (they are on sale now for $55.50 - just put a new set on after over 60k miles on the last set).

I strictly do posted speed limit or not to exceed 60 mph in 65 mph zones. I know the traffic light patterns in my area so I know when to coast and when to keep on the gasoline. I do hypermile where possible but spend time watching traffic behind me so as to never impede others' progress and always stay in the right lane where possible on the interstate.

There is nothing trick about my car - it runs 5w-30 oil as it did when new. I just think when I drive and combining trips and knowing the most efficient routes helps with the mileage tremendously.

This car routines gets over 47 mpgs on the highway with weather (wind/rain) causing 5% decrease in mileage from that.

It is awesome going over 540 miles on a tank of gas or stretching it to 1 tank per month.

Keep up the great work on this site - nice to see people who take fuel economy seriously!

Great milage, I get around 40 41 with my 98 5 speed lx, I do have bigger wheels that came with it , custom, I also recently diagnosed a bad front wheel bearing, I drive pretty slow also and coast whenever possible, Ive got to try the higher tire pressure like you did, any other mods beside tire pressure, I''m running the synth oil from walmart 5 w 30 also, just put in new plugs , had a close one there the last guy really over tourgued one, but luckily it came out, may try the disc wheel covers next 45 50 dsounds good when your commute is 130 miles,

You might be doing better than you think. Have you calibrated your odometer readings for the taller wheel/tire combination? Those taller wheels/tires will cause an undercount in your odometer readings and therefore give you inaccurately lower FE readings. The difference can be noticeable.

Update
 

Over the past week I have worked on streamlining the front of my 1997 Escort.

First, I used foam and filled in the places where most cars have their fog lights (my car doesn't have them) and then I used duct tape (body color) and carefully masked over the tape so that there were no ripples. As this is a test, this isn't intended to be permanent but I want it to look good anyway! Used a good tape and it cost $3 and change at Walmart.

Second, I went to Dollar Tree and got a firm weather stripping with one sided tape backing and used this to fill in the crack for the hood sides and over the headlights and grill area to close off the gap between that and the hood. Cost $1 Thankfully my car is white and the tape and weatherstripping are also white so it doesn't really stand out.

Over this past weekend I averaged 49.8 mpgs (via scanguage II) over a round trip of 90% highway and 10% mixed driving - total distance 120 miles. This is roughly 2 mpgs better than it got before the mods - I was averaging about 47 mpgs on the highway before - and the pickup in mileage also had me driving in more traffic than usual so I was really watching not to impede traffic with too much coasting down hills and light acceleration up them. I am sure I can hit 50 mpgs on average.

Next road trip I'll bump up the pressure in tires from 40 to 42 though I will watch pressure since the temps are now warming up and I don't want to overdo it.

Welcome! I recommend going for the cheapest/free mods to start with. Added tire pressure, weight reductions, dirty aero deletions are free ways to pick up a couple extra m'spg. Things like spark plugs and tires can make a small difference but aren't usually worth replacing for a more fuel efficient version unless you need to do it anyways. Make sure you read these 2 threads to get the most out of what you already have.
100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com
65+ Vehicle modifications for better fuel economy - EcoModder.com

If you are looking at new tires, go a size up.
example: 2002 Q45 stock 245/45/28 upsized to 245/50/18.
Kia Sportage 235-60/16 stock 235/70/16 size up

lowers rpm at highway speeds and is worth 2-3mpgs.

I've done what I want to do right now - I have been using scangauge for years and have altered my driving style so that now I just wanted to tweak the car to remove easy to fix drag issues. I will monitor this site to learn other techniques. To me tire pressure is such a big deal - I check weekly and of course adjust for change in seasons/temperatures.

Look forward to reading what others are doing and will report back if I do something that makes sense operationally without compromising the way the care drives and performs.

I think my biggest problem ow is the new tires, I lost about 4 mpg by going to the softer yokohamas but teh old ones were shot and one had a bad belt in it, so now averageing around 38 with 34 pounds pressure, tire sidewall says 50 max so may try going to 40, I filled in the brake vent area on the bumper cover with some plastic so that should help a bit not flush mounted but recessed area is nnow blocked off, also think i need the other front wheel bearing also , not too bad once youve done one and I paint and clean everything up. I am using the new hammered finish from rustoleum , holds up very very well and paints right over firm rust nicely, painted the anchor chain on my boat and it was on the deck all winter in the slip and still seems pretty goodpainted up the spindle on the car and looks good also ,

Just aired up the tires from 35 to 40 cold and seems much livelier, first long 140 mile run to work and back tomorrow so we will maybe tell the difference but really seemed to help in the seat of the pants first test, psyched to go .

like !

Weird effect from tire pressure increase, took about .3 to .6 mile less to get to work due to the increased rolling diameter, Lol who woulda thought . have to verify this a few times normal trip approx 58.3 from gas station to job and yesterday 57.8 approx, figures to around 1 % taller gearing .

Weekend Report
 

I took the opportunity of great weather (70F and sunny) to polish and to wax my car - exterior is slick as can be now. Bumped up tire pressures a bit to about 44 psi and then set out to visit my sister - 120 mile round trip. Scangauge readings showed 52.2 mpgs for the trip up - includes all time spent BEFORE getting on interstate and all time AFTERWARDS to get to her house. I was so upset - at the end of the interstate I had a reading of 53 mpgs but caught every stop light on red cycle (unusual) and even shutting car off at lights I lost .8 mpgs off that trip.

On the way back I had better luck with lights but the trip back never produces as good a mileage reading as the way too - ended up with 50.5 mpgs which is the best I've ever had going this way.

This is also the first time I've ever had 50/50 mileage (50 mpgs both way) in this car.

It was kinda funny - being Memorial Day weekend, the interstate was well covered by State Police - it seemed they were positioned every 2-5 miles and they were busy - you'd think people would learn. I did my 55 mph and had not a worry in the world.

Saving gas doesn't cost a lot of money - I've spent under $6 to just make the front end more smooth without altering the profile. I do coast down all hills and where possible I will sacrifice some speed going up hill to keep some mpgs - my goal is to get .1 increase in trip mpgs after each hill and those add up - sometimes I can get .3-.5 and that really helps.

thinking about geting the ultra gauge. is this a good option ? , seems pretty cheap .

I have only used the scangaugeII so I cant answer, up any gauge will will. Kinda like playing a video game as you drive
The trick is the instant feedback.

Same state (Va), same technique, same vehicle manufacturer, 2011 Fiesta.
Took a ride down to the outer banks last Sunday to visit with the kids and grandkids. Reset factory MPG gauge before I started the engine. About 280 miles total, with 16 miles north once we got to Corolla.

53 MPG indicated. When I refilled the actual mileage was 50.06 429 miles on 8.57 gallons of Wall mart Regular at $3.199 per gallon, about 6.3 cents a mile in direct fuel costs. The Kuhmo Solus tires the Fiesta came with seem to do very well and I have made no mods, but I do keep it in my garage and waxed to the point where my towel slides off the front end and the car hardly gets dirty in the rain.

When I refilled the estimated range was 636 miles.

regards
Mech

I only went up to 40 psi on the tires from 34 , a bit afraid to go more than that but I guess some guys are on here, I also have spoke custom wheels about an inch wider than stock that came with the car so probably could really benefit from disc wheel covers and thinking about a tiny lip on the rear deck lid also, saw one on a caddy today . forget the model , when I bought the yokohama tires they cost me about 3 mpg over the old rock hard tires on there but much safer of course , right now seem to get 40 mpg at any speed i go up to my max cruise speed of 63 or so . I think the throttle restriction and lower speeds cancel each other out with the throttle more wide open and the air drag of high speeds , same thing the ranger does 25 mpg no matter what, although I did discovred but forgot to use the fact that when the rangers muffler started opening up I got up to 30 on the highway, a look at the replacements mufflers small internal tube showed me why, I think for highway driven cars a larger muffler is well worth it. so may go that route,

Another update - nearly 1k on the new tires and the start of the serious attention to inexpensive mods to increase fuel economy.

Before this period, with 6k traveled, the car was averaging about 41.9 mpgs. Now it is averaging 45.9 mpgs doing the same type of travel.

This car (1997 Escort) continues to impress me with its fuel economy. Most significant impact on fuel economy was the tire pressure of 42 mpgs and closing off those side ducts where some models have fog lights. Those two changes really have impacted the coast down length of travel. Sealing off the edges of the hood with Dollar Tree foam with peel off sticky side has not caused any overheating issues (trapping heat under the hood) which was my one fear. Made several trips with temps at 90 degrees or higher as a test.

Last four trips back and forth from my home to Virginia Beach and back have averaged over 50 mpgs and that includes the non-interstate travel to get to the interstate and off the interstate to my folk's house. Head wind performance is a steady 47 mpgs instead of 45 mpgs as before.

I hope this gives others confidence to do inexpensive modifications to their vehicles to save money. There is no need to buy a hybrid when you can drive smartly with a conventional product and easily beat EPA ratings by 10 to 15 mpgs without having to tailgate tractor trailers or to impede traffic flow. I make it a point to respect all drivers and to drive in the slow lane at the posted speed limit (though I will not exceed 60 mph in the 65 mph zone). By learning your local traffic lights and anticipating when red will turn green (if you know how the other lanes are flowing you'll know where you are on the cycle), you can really coast and save money - or if you arrive early in the red light, you can turn off the engine to save gas (something I do regularly). I also have a great memory knowing benchmark mpg figures on certain regularly traveled routes to know if I am driving well or if I need to improve.

Fuel economy driving is very relaxing to me and it is indeed like a game. I actually love driving more now than when I was a lead foot. Any idiot can get to a place by speeding. The joy is driving efficiently and arriving at the same time the lead foot did.

Great results, I think the mountainous area where I live affects me quite a bit, i closed off the brake cooling ducts, Like you did but did not fair them in, I am averaging around 40+ or - a bit, I think my oversize wider wheels that came with the car are affecting me a lot right now very open spoke design and stick out past the front bumper cover a good inch, have seen how Honda's have bumper covers that go past the front edge of the wheel , may try to remove the mount screws and bend them out a bit and construct a sheet metal bracket to hold them. thinking about removing the right door mirror and partial rear wheel skirts as well. and should really try to make some disc wheel covers, . as i drive 130 miles round trip to work it will help . I try to average around 58 mph thanks for the advice, also am running soft yokohama tires right now with about 5000 miles on them at 40 psi. may bump it to 42 .

I was also thinking of spacing the whole hood up a good inch and making a fairing piece to match to fender, not sure if I will but raising the panel may help. also a rear spoiler ala the ford scorpio is on my maybe list.

Hi. Have you taken into account how oversized wheels/tires will affect your odometer and speed? Depending on how much bigger a 5-10% undercount in the distance your odometer records could result. That would make your fuel economy SEEM lower. You are probably traveling further on your fuel than the odometer indicates. Speedometer would be similarly off, unless the factory designed for a speedometer overcount.

Well a weird thing I noticed was its around .8 miles less going to work ( in a overall distance of 63 miles with a 34 to 40 psi pressure increase in the tires, or around .5 miles per 40 less revolutions of the tire.

quick math on that around 1.25 % less revs at the higher tire pressure

Your tire pressure, I'm told, should not change revs per mile THAT much (steel belts will only stretch ever so little). If you have a GPS unit, use it to calibrate your odometer distance versus GPS distance. If you don't have a GPS unit, do what I did and head over to ridewithgps.com and plot your commute very carefully and then drive that exact route several times and see what the difference is. Your commute sounds like it's a good candidate. I did this and discovered a 5.5% undercount. I have since checked and confirmed it with a borrowed GPS.