MPG Challenge. Finally hit 33.8 mpg

[V8 Yankee]

Good day all, after 3 months I finally broke over 33.7 and made it 33.8 mpg. This is long term mpg, 17176 miles, 672:40 hrs of driving. I never expected or even purchased my BS with mpg in mind but after making a few mods on the intake and exhaust it became clear the 1.5 was a great choice for a everyday commuter.

I understand economy is subjective and there are certainly more economical SUVs out there. Living in southern Florida provides a perfect environment for us perverbial hyper-milers. Everywhere is flat as a table, five feet above sea level and very consistent temperatures year round. Add in driving habits, yes I follow the speed limits. Also add in my mods, top tier gas (87 Chevron) and a few other tricks and tweaks the 1.5 turns out to be quite the fuel miser. Especially when considering the BS is as aerodynamic as a brick with wheels.

If anyone else is getting the mpg I'm getting share your secret. I'm now setting my sights to hit 34 long term mpg while not changing my normal commute routine which is 80 miles a day freeway and regular weekend city driving. If there is another tweak I haven't made to help hit 34 let me know. Happy Trails All

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[CactusBS]

. I never expected or even purchased my BS with mpg in mind but after making a few mods on the intake and exhaust it became clear the 1.5 was a great choice for a everyday commuter.

Awesome! What mods did you do to the intake/exhaust?

 

[V8 Yankee]

Awesome! What mods did you do to the intake/exhaust?

I installed a aFe Power, Momentum GT CAI with the Pro 5R Filter. The CAI uses the factory air intake duct so it's pulling in outside air. There are two filters avaiable, I upgraded the filter to the Pro model for minimum restriction and maximum air flow.

On the exhaust side I removed the factory exhaust starting from the rear Catalytic Convertor all the way to the back. I installed two 2.25 inch Stainless Steel Vibrant Resonators in place of the muffler and finished it off with two 3 inch exhaust tips. I also use Full Syn oil, Bell oil additive, Fuel Factor X fuel additive, increased tire pressure 4 lbs and drive conservatively. I'm not touching the programming as it's still under warranty.

There are some programming tweaks which may help increase mpg however that might open up a can of worms and affect the reliability.

 

[Dperry285]

Good day all, after 3 months I finally broke over 33.7 and made it 33.8 mpg. This is long term mpg, 17176 miles, 672:40 hrs of driving. I never expected or even purchased my BS with mpg in mind but after making a few mods on the intake and exhaust it became clear the 1.5 was a great choice for a everyday commuter.

I understand economy is subjective and there are certainly more economical SUVs out there. Living in southern Florida provides a perfect environment for us perverbial hyper-milers. Everywhere is flat as a table, five feet above sea level and very consistent temperatures year round. Add in driving habits, yes I follow the speed limits. Also add in my mods, top tier gas (87 Chevron) and a few other tricks and tweaks the 1.5 turns out to be quite the fuel miser. Especially when considering the BS is as aerodynamic as a brick with wheels.

If anyone else is getting the mpg I'm getting share your secret. I'm now setting my sights to hit 34 long term mpg while not changing my normal commute routine which is 80 miles a day freeway and regular weekend city driving. If there is another tweak I haven't made to help hit 34 let me know. Happy Trails All

I take afternoon drive on country mostly flat roads in ohio , speed limit is 55 I do 48 and use 92 octane and get 34/35 mpg, higher octane gives me better mpg with 87 I was only getting 32mpg

 

[ChadG]

Good day all, after 3 months I finally broke over 33.7 and made it 33.8 mpg. This is long term mpg, 17176 miles, 672:40 hrs of driving. I never expected or even purchased my BS with mpg in mind but after making a few mods on the intake and exhaust it became clear the 1.5 was a great choice for a everyday commuter.

I understand economy is subjective and there are certainly more economical SUVs out there. Living in southern Florida provides a perfect environment for us perverbial hyper-milers. Everywhere is flat as a table, five feet above sea level and very consistent temperatures year round. Add in driving habits, yes I follow the speed limits. Also add in my mods, top tier gas (87 Chevron) and a few other tricks and tweaks the 1.5 turns out to be quite the fuel miser. Especially when considering the BS is as aerodynamic as a brick with wheels.

If anyone else is getting the mpg I'm getting share your secret. I'm now setting my sights to hit 34 long term mpg while not changing my normal commute routine which is 80 miles a day freeway and regular weekend city driving. If there is another tweak I haven't made to help hit 34 let me know. Happy Trails All

If you’re going by your dash mpg readout, I can almost guarantee you’re getting an optimistic figure. I’ve owned 7 Fords and Lincolns with dash readouts and all but one were inaccurate by 9 to 11%. My 1.5 is always 9-10% higher than when hand calculated. I had a Mustang in 2011 which was only 5% optimistic.

 

[Dperry285]

I only have 2,000 miles on my 23 obx and have done the hand calculations twice and the most I was off was .2 mpg using 92 octane.

 

[scaryhours]

I use 92 octane and hit 33+ regularly. Love my 1.5 because economy was my main goal.

 

[V8 Yankee]

If you’re going by your dash mpg readout, I can almost guarantee you’re getting an optimistic figure. I’ve owned 7 Fords and Lincolns with dash readouts and all but one were inaccurate by 9 to 11%. My 1.5 is always 9-10% higher than when hand calculated. I had a Mustang in 2011 which was only 5% optimistic.

Yes, the ECU is natoriously inaccurate up to a point. I calculated by hand every tankful since new right at fill-up. The ECU actually closed the inaccuracy gap to within 1% at around 3k. My average was calculated at over 17k, over 33 tank fulls of fuel.

 

[WildFord]

Got 29 mpg yesterday on my BL…20 miles drive with maybe 3 miles on local streets and rest of on highway with some traffic. I was in Eco mode for the trip… and really first time using it for a long time. It made a difference!! Also the lighter traffic on the freeway helped control the speed. Highest I ever seen it on a stretch of a drive after I put the Wildpeak AT trail tires on the car.

I also have a awning mounted on the Thule wing cross bars.

 

[wiyeti]

Best I've ever gotten with my OB was 558 miles on a tank of gas, or a little over 35 mpg on a road trip along the Mississippi with my wife. Rolling hills mostly 50-60 mph or through small towns.

 

[V8 Yankee]

I use 92 octane and hit 33+ regularly. Love my 1.5 because economy was my main goal.

Is the price of 92 octane worth the mpg gain? Have you tried 87-89 octane fuel. I mentioned this only because every few months I will fill up with 92-93 octane just get a feel for any changes in mpg. I only get less than a .5 mpg gain per tank. Not enough to offset the price of an additional 7 to 8 dollars per tank. Now if I had a lot of cargo inside or a cargo rack I would go for the higher octane. For regular commutes it just doesn't offer any additional payback for the small gain in mpg, at least for me. Where you live it is most likely a whole lot different.

Southern Florida is flat as a table, Rarely are there any headwinds or huge temperature differentials. Couldn't be a better place to maximize mpg other than a test track.

 

[ChadG]

Yes, the ECU is natoriously inaccurate up to a point. I calculated by hand every tankful since new right at fill-up. The ECU actually closed the inaccuracy gap to within 1% at around 3k. My average was calculated at over 17k, over 33 tank fulls of fuel.

Surprisingly, the FoMoCo vehicle I owned, regarding dash readout, was the one I bought primarily for better mpg. It was a Lincoln hybrid, the MKZ. During the 3 years I owned it, it was usually 20% inaccurate.

 

[V8 Yankee]

Surprisingly, the FoMoCo vehicle I owned, regarding dash readout, was the one I bought primarily for better mpg. It was a Lincoln hybrid, the MKZ. During the 3 years I owned it, it was usually 20% inaccurate.

20%, not good. Was that short term (1 tank averages) or long term, over 3K.

 

[ChadG]

20%, not good. Was that short term (1 tank averages) or long term, over 3K.

The entire time I owned it.

 

[Blue oval fan]

Mine usually reads 2 or 3 mpg higher than the actual calculation at fill-up. I'm not really tracking but will run the numbers every few fill-ups. I think the best I have seen, 100% highway driving at 78mph was around 26mpg actual, and that's with larger Falkon Wildpeak tires fitted. Was around 3mpg better with the stock Michelins.

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