Greetings new friends, Newbie need advise

[hungryhunter]

Allow me to introduce myself. I was an ecomodder before I knew what that was. I drove a Honda CRX HF for 4 years and averaged 60 mpg for city and hwy in central NJ. What a car! My wife made me sell her. Some nonsense about child safety seats bla bla or lack thereof. I offered to spot weld a bracket to strab a baby seat to but she wouldn't go for it. So this IDIOT sells the car to some kid that ended up putting a turbo V-6 in her and blowing it all up at Raceway Park. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I've been driving a 4X4 Explorer for the last 5 years with a 40 mile total commute and can't take it anymore. Now I can't find another UNMOLESTED HF anywhere. I bought a 99 Ford ZX2.
Not bad, Manual 5sp trans, windows and seats. I plan on converting it to non AC and manual steering. Rerouting a short belt to drive the alt and water pump. I installed 185 75 14 tires increasing the circumference by 6.2%. This car is still screaming on the hwy. I'm turning 2500 rpm @ 58.5 mph. My Honda was at 1850 rpm @ 60 mph. This with a 60 hp engine. If I can get the final drive ratio from 4.1 to 3.4 ( regular escot trans?) I'm hoping to get the rpm's down to 2090 @ 60 mph with my 75a.r. tires. Oh yeah, 45 lb of air in front and 40 lb in rear and ordered a scangauge. Too light in rear to put any more. I'm averaging 37 mpg withut any mods and hoping to crack 45 mpg ave with mods and summer temps. What do you guys think? Is this viable? I'm just doing common sense driving and coasting when it seems evident but not pulsing. Please feel free to comment.

[Gealii]

Welcome to EM.
Another ZX2 there great little cars and if you tell me its bright red in color
yea they scream on the hw, but 45 this summer should be easy if you pulse with eoc

and off to the left side under my zx2 is the ecomodder team for zx2s so you can see some more competitive zx2 owners mpg

[mcrews]

Originally Posted by hungryhunter

Allow me to introduce myself. I was an ecomodder before I knew what that was. I drove a Honda CRX HF for 4 years and averaged 60 mpg for city and hwy in central NJ. What a car!


My wife made me sell her.



Some nonsense about child safety seats bla bla or lack thereof. I offered to spot weld a bracket to strab a baby seat to but she wouldn't go for it. So this IDIOT sells the car to some kid that ended up putting a turbo V-6 in her and blowing it all up at Raceway Park. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I've been driving a 4X4 Explorer for the last 5 years with a 40 mile total commute and can't take it anymore.



Now I can't find another UNMOLESTED HF anywhere. I bought a 99 Ford ZX2.
Not bad, Manual 5sp trans, windows and seats. I plan on converting it to non AC and manual steering. Rerouting a short belt to drive the alt and water pump.
I installed 185 75 14 tires increasing the circumference by 6.2%.


This car is still screaming on the hwy. I'm turning 2500 rpm @ 58.5 mph. My Honda was at 1850 rpm @ 60 mph. This with a 60 hp engine. If I can get the final drive ratio from 4.1 to 3.4 ( regular escot trans?) I'm hoping to get the rpm's down to 2090 @ 60 mph with my 75a.r. tires.



Oh yeah, 45 lb of air in front and 40 lb in rear
and ordered a scangauge.
Too light in rear to put any more. I'm averaging 37 mpg withut any mods and hoping to crack 45 mpg ave with mods and summer temps. What do you guys think? Is this viable? I'm just doing common sense driving and coasting when it seems evident but not pulsing. Please feel free to comment.

nice job!!!
you hit all the basics!

The new rear ratio will be the ticket.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Your 45MPG goal doesn't seem impossible. Depending on how hard you'd go with the mods, could eventually break this barrier...

Originally Posted by hungryhunter

I've been driving a 4X4 Explorer for the last 5 years with a 40 mile total commute and can't take it anymore.

Is it also manual or automatic? Have you never considered some ecomods into the Explorer?

[hungryhunter]

Originally Posted by Gealii

Welcome to EM.
Another ZX2 there great little cars and if you tell me its bright red in color
yea they scream on the hw, but 45 this summer should be easy if you pulse with eoc

and off to the left side under my zx2 is the ecomodder team for zx2s so you can see some more competitive zx2 owners mpg

She's a black hot coupe (with air and p.mirrors)
Thanks for the comments guys. I'm going to make a grill block this weekend. Should I take it out when the weather gets warmer or just wait and see what happens. The final drive ratio drives me nuts but I hate to rip into a perfectly good running car. I'm still trying to sort out as to whether the taller available 5th gear (.717) would benefit me. It seems all ZX2's have a final drive ratio of 4.1. Pre 99.5 the 5th gear is .79. This would benefit greatly from a .717 5th gear. The 99.5+ has a 5th gear ratio of .730. In this case the improvement would be minimal at best. With gas at near $4.00/gal there should be a whole industry around taller 5th gears for fuel economy. With the Ford and many Mazdas the gear change is easy being it's outside the main gearbox and can be changed without removing the trans.

[hungryhunter]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Your 45MPG goal doesn't seem impossible. Depending on how hard you'd go with the mods, could eventually break this barrier...



Is it also manual or automatic? Have you never considered some ecomods into the Explorer?

The ZX2 is a manual 5 speed. The Explorer weighs 4500lb, auto trans, Mud/Snow tires, roof rack, deer carrier on back with hitch, shaped like a cinder block..............no I never consider mods to her. I do drive the vehicle very easy but since it's my hunting, off road camping vehicle I keep it like it is. BTW The Exp has the final drive ratio of 4.1 though, same as the ZX2. It's a ratio for off roading and racing. Doesn't fit well with fuel economy. That's why I need to mod my trans.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Apart from the stripping and transmission mods, what do you have in mind for the ZX2?

Originally Posted by hungryhunter

The Explorer weighs 4500lb, auto trans, Mud/Snow tires, roof rack, deer carrier on back with hitch, shaped like a cinder block..............no I never consider mods to her. I do drive the vehicle very easy but since it's my hunting, off road camping vehicle I keep it like it is.

What's the Explorer's manufacturing year? Did you never lurk about a Diesel swap? Well, since it's also used for off-road you could benefit not just for some fuel savings but also a higher dependability on extreme environments

[hungryhunter]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Apart from the stripping and transmission mods, what do you have in mind for the ZX2?




What's the Explorer's manufacturing year? Did you never lurk about a Diesel swap? Well, since it's also used for off-road you could benefit not just for some fuel savings but also a higher dependability on extreme environments

Never thought about it. What type of diesel would I put in it? I do know that Ford Australia is making a crew cab Ranger 4X4 diesel that gets 40 mpg.

[hungryhunter]

Originally Posted by hungryhunter

Never thought about it. What type of diesel would I put in it? I do know that Ford Australia is making a crew cab Ranger 4X4 diesel that gets 40 mpg.

Oh yeah, It's a 2001

[Gealii]

Originally Posted by hungryhunter

Oh yeah, It's a 2001

the explorer is a 2nd gen with either a sohc v6 or a 302, leave it alone if it was a 3rd gen then id recommend a diesel. 2nd gens were poor on fe but reliable as all could be.