Bad Gas Mileage

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Krib-Master

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I've got a 2005 LS V8 with less than 800miles on it. With normal driving I get about 13 mpg City. I've filled the car up 4 time since I've had it so I'm getting about 200miles per tank. Could there be something wrong or does it need to be broken in?
 
Depends on how much city driving you mean.

I have a 2004 LS V8 and I commute about 10miles each way, with no real traffic, about 8 lights, maybe 500 feet of elevation gain/loss. I get about 14mpg to maybe 16 mpg depending on how much I get it on the freeway. I do not pussy foot it, I like to zip around a bit so that will hurt mileage a little.

If I get about 100 to maybe 150 miles of freeway(70+ in So Cal) along with commute miles I average about 16 to maybe 17mpg.

This is very disappointing to me since I transitioned out of a 96 Chevy Impala SS which weighs about 600# more, is a 4spd auto, and an old technology 2 valve gas guzzling 350. I got on the same commute etc, about 13mpg to maybe 16mpg, not a lot worse as was expected. My SS in a different locale where I drove 20 miles flat, mostly freeway at 65 and little stop and go average 17 to 18mpg on that commute.

So, my high tech 4 valves dual overhead cam tiny V8 in a car with 5 speed auto and weighing less, hardly does better than my low tech iron. I had expected maybe 18mpg on my current commute, so I see why you are disappointed, I am too.

If you do long drives, I think you can get maybe 24mpg+, but then my old SS would get about 24mpg too on long drives.

I would guess our tiny V8s are just working too hard in stop and go and doesn't do a heck of a lot better at 70mph either. I think if the engine was maybe the size of the 4.6 it might do better in mileage getting this somewhat heavy car moving.

If you can do more non stop freeway driving I think it will get better mileage. If you do the short drive like I do, then the engine really doesn't get much chance to warm up. But I am still disappointed in how little improvement this car is over my horking huge SS.

With the small tanks on the LS I get maybe 250 miles on a tank, my old SS got maybe 350+ on a 23g tank.

Just my opinion, your mileage may vary,

Jim Henderson
 
In my city day-to-day driving i average 19.4 - LS V8, on a recent trip up north, i maxed out at 24.4mpg.

You can do some searches for gas mileage there were some previous posts where everyone listed type of driving they did compared to the gas mileage they received.
 
Good point about warming up. If the car never gets warmed up, that will definitely hurt gas mileage. I have a question - what car are you coming from? Assuming you did the same drive every day, how did that car compare to the epa numbers? This way, we can narrow it down to either the car or the trip.
 
brentalan said:
Good point about warming up. If the car never gets warmed up, that will definitely hurt gas mileage. I have a question - what car are you coming from? Assuming you did the same drive every day, how did that car compare to the epa numbers? This way, we can narrow it down to either the car or the trip.
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If you were talking to me, the specs are pretty much in my previous post. Current is 2004 LS V8 with most of the options.

Previous ride was a 1996 Chevy Imapala SS with LT1 350 V8, 4 speed auto, 3.08 gearing, typically taching at about 1500+ RPM or so at 55mph. I think the EPA numbers were 18 and 24 or maybe 1mpg less on the 18. Usually with most cars I have owned I got about EPA on my commute and Freeway driving. Sometimes maybe 1 mpg more on commute. I forget what the LS is supposed to have on EPA ratings but it still kind of shocks me that the car barely does better than my old heavy, low tech chebby on the same driving and identical route.

The LS is a nice car, but at least in my instance it gets far less mileage than expected. BTW, had it smog checked last week and it passed with flying colors, most readouts were something like .00001%, essentially all it was putting out was club soda. The Nox was 0 which surprised me, and the CO and HC was in the noise level. So I assume the state of tune on the engine is fine. This was a So Cal smog check so I assume a bit tougher to pass than most other states. I could understand the bad mileage if the HC was high but it was close to zero.

Jim Henderson
 
Frogman said:
You ever done that? Man, it's dangerous to go out on the higway and jump around. Too mant fast moving vehicles!

lmao
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Mant? You mean many? Sorry had to get on you from your previous thread, but let me say that was quite funny!! :N :Beer
 
13 mpg is ridiculous in any type of driving environment. I filled up on a Driday and drove all around my city nonstop for about 5 hours,,, alot of stop and go and still averaged almost 17mpg. BTW mine is a 2004 V8 with almost 22k.
 
brentalan said:
Good point about warming up. If the car never gets warmed up, that will definitely hurt gas mileage. I have a question - what car are you coming from? Assuming you did the same drive every day, how did that car compare to the epa numbers? This way, we can narrow it down to either the car or the trip.
Click to expand...

I'm coming from a Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. I drove that thing a lot harder than I drive the lincoln and got 16-18 mpg on my city commute. I got an 04 Mercury Mountaineer V6 and after a year of driving that I passed it on to my wife because I've always had "sporty" cars and needed to get out of the SUV. Even in that thing I was getting about 16mpg.
 
there is a "breakin period" on a new car. u wont see your best mpg untill u reach higher the 10G, so ford says. but i think 13mpg for a new car is a lil low. it might be just your driving habits during break in. i could see if you were always heavy on the gas u might get #'s around there. but im sure if u reset your mpg.. and went on the highway it would sit at 23-26
 
Ford products just don't cut it in the mileage department. I currently have an '05 LS with a V6 which I really enjoy driving. Around town I'm getting 19-20 mpg. On the highway I'm getting about 24 currently which I'm hoping will improve as the odometer climbs a little. (3000 miles on the clock)

By comparison, I had a Focus ZX5 which never got better than 22 mpg on the freeway. I drove that POS for 18 mos and got rid of it. A 2 litre motor should get way better than that. I also have a '99 C5 corvette that gets me 19 around town, unless I'm hot-doggin it, and 33 on the highway at 80mph with the AC on. (27-28 mpg at 120mph) No gas guzzler tax at purchase time, either.

Like I said, Ford just doesn't make it in the mileage dept. :Bang
 
didjital| said:
In my city day-to-day driving i average 19.4 - LS V8, on a recent trip up north, i maxed out at 24.4mpg.

You can do some searches for gas mileage there were some previous posts where everyone listed type of driving they did compared to the gas mileage they received.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what my old 01 LS8 did for mileage. But what's weird, my old 97 Mark VIII would knock down 28 mpg on the highway all day long a t 85 mph. My folk's Mark did the same thing. Aerodynamics I guess.
 
Mileage

Krib-Master said:
I've got a 2005 LS V8 with less than 800miles on it. With normal driving I get about 13 mpg City. I've filled the car up 4 time since I've had it so I'm getting about 200miles per tank. Could there be something wrong or does it need to be broken in?
Click to expand...

The 2004 V8 is rated by Lincoln as 17 City 23 Highway.

My LS has 17K miles and I see 17 to 19 city and 23 to 25 highway (75 mph)
The least mileage (14 city) was after trying 89 oct fuel. The rattling was not music to my ears either. :slam
 
I have a 2002 V8 Sport with 32,000 miles on it. It has always gotten 13-14 in stop and go city driving but I get 29 mpg on the interstate driving.

z1069 said:
Krib-Master

Any improvment yet?


:steering



:cool:
Click to expand...
 
Krib-Master said:
I've got a 2005 LS V8 with less than 800miles on it. With normal driving I get about 13 mpg City. I've filled the car up 4 time since I've had it so I'm getting about 200miles per tank. Could there be something wrong or does it need to be broken in?
Click to expand...

what city do you live in? I used to get about that in atl.
 
13 is way low, in my experience. Around town, I average 18. Highway pushes 27 mpg.
 
Frogman said:
You ever done that? Man, it's dangerous to go out on the higway and jump around. Too mant fast moving vehicles!

lmao
Click to expand...
You need to watch Bowfinger. It is a movie with Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy. There is a scene where Eddie does exactly what you say and he does just fine. Of course all the drivers were stunt drivers, really ;^)

Very funny movie Spoof on Hollywood.

Jim Henderson
 
that sounds like the mileage that my 02 was getting in mostly city driving when I got it in dec.
Is it an selectashift transmission, if so try this.
take it out of D5 and shift the car yourself, with my wife shifting it instead of just using d5, the mileage went from 13mpg to 18mpg on her 49 mile oneway 90% stop and go city driving commute.
 
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