How is your XR on gas??

[bw_krupp]

29 mpg city/36 mpg hwy. I'm a more lazy driver than most though, right foot doesn't see much action. Drive by the vacuum gauge and keep it right at 70 mph.

BW, I'm taking three guesses on this one:
1. This post was supposed to be on the Ford Focus form.
2. You've done the hybrid retrofit on your XR.
3. Those magnets taped around the fuel line REALLY DO work!

Come on, dude...give it up.

I really did (car isn't running at the moment) get that much. I did pizza delivery for a while in college and it would consistently get 29 mpg every fillup and the trip to home and back (constant 70 mph, no stops) was 36 mpg. Its easy to get better than average in any car if you know how to drive. Under normal driving, I never use more than 1/4 throttle (except merging on interstate for example). Always have the engine in vacuum and properly warmed up, NEVER BRAKE unless emergency or going 5 mph and cant coast to a stop. Always take every corner at the speed limit. Its easy if you try.

[xr4man]

that sounds like a boring way to drive. if i tried that while delivering pies, i'd fall asleep and kill myself.

[Ed Lijewski]

Always have the engine in vacuum..]

You deserve to drive only NA engined vehicles.

YMMV

[blugg]

25 mpg hwy in 5 speed, 27 mpg was best this past June from Carlisle to Chicago.

now Id love to see this data of 29 or 36 claimed. how, how, how?

[mangostick]

Mine in current tune makes low-mid 20's .. could probably make more if I leaned out the cruise and off boost portions of the maps.. but .. well that takes time and time I've not had. Oh well lol

[AMXSC]

25 mpg hwy in 5 speed, 27 mpg was best this past June from Carlisle to Chicago.

now Id love to see this data of 29 or 36 claimed. how, how, how?

Here is how.

Port the exhaust manifold and run 3 inch exhaust.
K&N air filter.
Port match the lower intake manifold to the head.
Polish the upper intake runners.
Run a ported N/A head.
Swap the small VAM with a large one.
Disconnect the knock sensor.
Bump timing to 15btdc.
Run 93 Octane gas or better.
Redline Oil 5w30.

I don't know why this works but drive the car at 65-70mph with the cruise control on, at 55mph the factory cruise control gives it too much gas to climb hills boosting the engine to mantain speed causing the PK computer to dump fuel into the engine. At 65-70mph it doesn't boost the engine as much and uses less fuel because of it.

[milehighXR]

In my auto XR with these mods:

K&N in stock airbox
3" exhaust turbo to tail, high flow 3" cat
Gillis valve at 15 psi
PK1 EEC
20 degrees BTDC spout out timing
91 octane gas
highmiling techniques

I got 27mpg to and from work. I call it combined driving as I get to run US highway that has some good stretch of open running, and some stops. I have data for it(although I am adding 1mpg for the K&N now, as it was only recently installed, and that is how much it went up with it).

In july of 08 I kept all mods(again K&N was only recently added) and changed to 46 lb hr injectors, and a home modded FPR(I love being a machinist) and converted to E85. I am now getting a best of 19mpg. Transmission issues force me to put other upgrades on hold and keep the driving of that car to a min. I must note before the flames start that I have done absolutely no tuning (with the exception of playing with base timing and adding some fuel, I have to put the gauge on it so I can remember before I forget...) to this E85 conversion. No playing with chips, no WB One of the local TFers has proven that with the right tune you can do only 10-15% less mpg on E85 over gas. And with today's price differential of about 30%(between 105 octane E-85 and 91 gas, gas being higher) it makes sense to burn booze.

[bw_krupp]

Always have the engine in vacuum..]

You deserve to drive only NA engined vehicles.

YMMV

For the most part I do. Daily is Toyota Paseo. The Merkur wasn't ideal for a daily, so it got moved to weekend toy.

[bw_krupp]

Merkur was (not anymore) pretty much stock for those numbers. Only KN Filter and custom air box. Adding IC and 3" exhaust dropped the mileage (did nothing to the tune). I also got similar numbers from a bone stock 87 TC.

[bw_krupp]

that sounds like a boring way to drive.

Maybe, but the car is quiet and the stereo is sounds good. And if some are getting 18 mpg and I got 36, my boring ride got double the mileage, so its a sacrifice worthwhile. My current drive, the paseo, will get between 32-50 mpg depending on how I drive it. 32 if I shift at 7000 rpm and cruise at 90, 50 if I shift at 2600 rpm and cruise at 60. I figure theres a time (midnight) and a place (Nelson Siding Road, 10 miles of crests and corners) to drive fast. The rest of the time sit back and relax.

[mtnXRti]

My last tank I saw 23 mpg. Not bad considering my XR has some issues at the moment.

91 octane
NOS offroad only octane booster
mostly in town, driving it likes it's about to break down on me.

[milehighXR]

Give me a ring later, and maybe we can find some time when I'm unbusy to help you out.

[olddog]

Was getting 18 or so in town 21 to 22 highway 70 to 80 cruise. With boost fixed getting 15 now and a rebuilt VAM, 15 to 17 and the same on the highway. All stock...

[hotrodtodd68]

I'm trying to figure out why these cars are comparitively bad on gas mileage. I'm thinking the reason is gearing.

My XR on a good day gets 22mpg on my normal commute which is about 25 miles secondary roads and 35 miles on the highway with typical connecticut hills. That's with the tires pumped up all the way to 44psi.

I have an 88 mustang, and with the N/A 2.3 setup I was getting about 25-27mpg with the same commute. It had the 3.45 rear axle ratio.

I dropped a 2.3T (IHI, LA3) into the 88 mustang, and with a 3.73 rear axle it was getting about 23mpg with the same commute.

Now I put a 2.73 rear axle in the mustang and I get 31 mpg with the same commute. It is a little overdrive overkill, but I downshift if I want to pass some idiot. It does fine on the highway hills staying out of boost most of the time. If I cruise at 80 my engine is down near 2300rpm. It is fine off the line in 1st but it doesn't smoke them like it did with the 3.73. I've kept the original 4cyl T5 in all setups; maybe if I got a T5 from a Tbird with the stump-puller 1st it'd be the best of both worlds.

So if I wanted to build up the '86 as a driver, maybe it'd be nice to have a highway gear to drop in to get good mileage on the highway, while still being able to have fun. Maybe one of these T56s with the 0.5 overdrive overkill and the stock XR4 gears. Anyone on here do such a thing?

Is the LA3 better on gas mileage?

Thanks

[milehighXR]

I think ghost has a a T56 in his XR, but I can't remember for sure. I do know from personal experience, that while gearing matters, it is less important than the hardware/software combo in the drivers seat. Before I converted to E85 I was able to get 26-27mpg out of my 86 auto XR with the 3.36 gears on the highway, and 24-25mpg in mixed to and from work driving. I have yet to optimize the E85 conversion, so no good data on that one yet.

My auto Scorps OTOH, get about 25mpg on the highway, and 22 mixed. Methinks a tune up is in order, and I haven't been as diligent in trying to get awesome mileage in one of those...