Very Surprised! Bone Stock 1995 Lincoln Town Car - 23.8mpg...

[JQmile]

Ok, a little update, I just made a trip up to my parents in Northern California along route I-5, which is about the flattest section of road you could think of. I drove the speed limit for most of the way, which varied between 65mph and 70mph. My average for the 443 mile trip (one tank) was 27.02mpg, and my average speed was 66mph. I drove with a mix of the a/c on (small amount of time) the side window all the way down and my arm out the window (most of the time) and the windows up (small amount of time).

I actually am doing well enough that I don't know if I can justify a commuter car over the free Lincoln, and I am continually impressed by the mileage. Stop and Go traffic in LA last time was 20.2mpg, with an average of 37mph (stupid "freeways"). Also, everything else feels like it rides like crap compared to the air suspension of the Lincoln

I still want 30mpg though, and might soon try and make some temporary mods to try and acheive that number.

Hope y'all had a good 4th!

Jason

[MetroMPG]

How many miles do you drive in a year?

[bandit86]

How about an engine swap? Take the diesel from the chevett, pop it into the Lincoln. Then take the Lincoln engine and put it into the chevette. Then post some numbers.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by JQmile

Stop and Go traffic in LA last time was 20.2mpg, with an average of 37mph (stupid "freeways"). Also, everything else feels like it rides like crap compared to the air suspension of the Lincoln

We picked up a 2000 town car with 66k miles a few months ago.
I get the same mileage in town with E10.
I was getting closer to 21 in town with ethanol free.

[slowmover]

Free kills a lot of arguments when one is "free" to spend money to bring the vehicle up to par as funds allow (book requirements, plus age/time issues fixed prior to breakdowns) versus a fixed monthly note.

Fuel cost isn't as relevant . . thus, you have a winner, mister.

.

[JQmile]

Ok, another update...I have decided to keep the car, and start modding it! By driving carefully (and leaving for work at 5am) I can get low 30s in the mpg on the way to work, and low 20s on the way back. On the way there, it is smooth sailing, on the way back, stop and go traffic.

In Los Angeles traffic, I truly think a hybrid is the only way to go. You have to floor it to keep the people behind you from rear-ending you, and then slam on the brakes to keep from hitting the car in front of you. There is no "pulse and glide."

For now, I am going to put some skinny wheels and tires on, and try some aeromods. After that, I have a 6hp continuous, 30hp peak electric motor that I may use to hybridize the vehicle, as it's been sitting around here for some time. On a recent trip up the Sepulveda pass, I averaged 8mph for 4 miles before traffic cleared...perfect for a hybrid!

Anyways, I'll start trying to update this thread more, as I make progress.

[darrylrobida]

Originally Posted by JQmile

My Grandfather gave me his Lincoln, a 1995 Town Car with a 4.6L 2V V8 engine. It has 145K, and is in generally good shape, but I wasn't expecting much, and was kind of hesitant on taking a 5000 pound barge for my 80 mile commute. Guess what? 23.8mpg for the trip! Not bad for a rolling couch

The craziest part is according to the electro-thingie on the dash, I only averaged 37-ish mph. Most was stop-and-go traffic, or 70mph, which made it all the more impressive. Any ideas for 30mpg??

I was at the top of the fuel economy heap with my diesel Chevette, but it was about as comfortable as a loud, rough-riding bed of nails.

Measure fuel with a graduated cylinder and distance with a calibrated trailing wheel, otherwise you can get confusing results. Just my opinion.

[svt98t]

I use fill up to fill up. The Tripminder in these Panthers can give you a decent idea of your current mileage and how your driving style effects your mileage.
Go find a front belly pan in the junkyard. They should be on most 92-97 Crown Vics and Grand Marquis'.
Cold air intake, full duals, aluminum driveshaft, plugs, bigger wires, and MSD coil packs won't hurt as well.
I'm working on aeromodding a 93 Grand Marquis, so this information can help the both of us, plus anyone else out there.
Keep it up!

-ryan s.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

At least the body-on-frame platform allows a higher flexibility for ecomodding. Replacing body panels for fiberglass-made lighter ones, aeromodding, among many other tricks.

Originally Posted by bandit86

How about an engine swap? Take the diesel from the chevett, pop it into the Lincoln.

Jokes apart, a Diesel swap sounds perfectly reasonable. A Volkswagen TDI can provide a decent performance, the only problem is to bolt it to the stock transmission.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

At least the body-on-frame platform allows a higher flexibility for ecomodding. Replacing body panels for fiberglass-made lighter ones, aeromodding, among many other tricks.



Jokes apart, a Diesel swap sounds perfectly reasonable. A Volkswagen TDI can provide a decent performance, the only problem is to bolt it to the stock transmission.

At that point an MT is feasible, heck a 6.2 and a 5sp mt would love that land cruiser.