Fuel economy, v8 -vs- 4cyl

Five0 · 05-26-2002, 06:39 PM

Ok, my wife and me are having a little debate about what kind of gas mileage a 5.0 mustang gets.

Can a stock 5.0 get close to or as much gas mileage as a 4 cyl mustang and how close are they?

lx mike · 05-26-2002, 07:16 PM

I usualy get 23-25 mpg on the highway at speeds of 70-75 mph.
what i do is this: i live about 15-20 minutes from highway so i fill-up just before getting on the higway and the car is all warmedup and ready to cruise, i drive 70-75 and have gotten 26 mpg. around town is a diff story, then i think that the smaller engine can get better mileage.

tireburner163 · 05-26-2002, 10:00 PM

On average, a 5.0 gets about 200 miles to a tank, if you stay out of if. My 2.3 gets about 285-300 miles to a tank, getting on it(Lord knows you have to

)

84LX89GT · 05-27-2002, 02:43 PM

I've had two 5.0L mustangs and one 2.3L mustang here's what i had (all were 5 speed cars):
my '91 2.3L got 18-22 miles per gallon regularly (100k on engine)
my '84 5.0L LX got 16-19mpg regularly (150k)
my '89 GT gets regularly 17-21mpg (125k)
My GT also has 3.55 gears and a few mods that i would think reduces gas mileage (mileage is the same as when i bought it with only a few small mods).
The power differance easily justifies the purchase of a 5.0L over a 2.3L. I think the main reason i got the mileage i did was because a 2.3L has to work harder to move a 3000+ lb. vehicle so you have to floor it more which makes the engine pretty inefficient if it's trying to run richer for more power all the time. I used to have to wrap it out at full throttle and drop gears just to make it up hills, now i go part throttle in one gear and the torque just pulls it up hills.
i usually get 220-260 miles per tank of gas depending on when i fill up (hardly ever get to the "E" mark, but close) usually i fill up 10.5 to 12.5 gallons.

Unit 5302 · 05-28-2002, 01:13 AM

Both my 5.0's got better fuel economy than both my 2.3's.

88LX 2.3 Hatch A4LD 16-18cty/23-25hwy
88LX 2.3 Hatch A4LD 14-18cty/18-24hwy malfunctioning computer for most it's life.

88GT 5.0 Hatch 5spd 18-20cty/26-28hwy
87GT 5.0 Hatch 5spd 19-21cty/27-29hwy

I never get less than 225 miles on a tank. Usually, it's closer to 260 with a couple gallons left.

05-26-2002, 06:39 PM	#1
Five0 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: middleburg, fl, usa Posts: 1,134	Fuel economy, v8 -vs- 4cyl Ok, my wife and me are having a little debate about what kind of gas mileage a 5.0 mustang gets. Can a stock 5.0 get close to or as much gas mileage as a 4 cyl mustang and how close are they? __________________ James Cox RHC Member #44 nochevy@hotmail.com 1991 Mustang LX Dart iron eagle block, 4340 28oz 347 crank, 4340 h-beam rods, probe ultra light pistons canfield heads “race ported by Brent Frazier”, solid roller cam and lifters “custom grind”, kooks 1 7/8" race headers, and much more. Engine built by Brent Frazier.

05-26-2002, 07:16 PM	#2
lx mike Undescribable Join Date: Sep 1998 Location: Ft Myers Fla Posts: 1,539	I usualy get 23-25 mpg on the highway at speeds of 70-75 mph. what i do is this: i live about 15-20 minutes from highway so i fill-up just before getting on the higway and the car is all warmedup and ready to cruise, i drive 70-75 and have gotten 26 mpg. around town is a diff story, then i think that the smaller engine can get better mileage. __________________ Rice Haters Club Member #101

05-26-2002, 10:00 PM	#3
tireburner163 It's a lot like a race car Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Meridian, MS Posts: 4,130	On average, a 5.0 gets about 200 miles to a tank, if you stay out of if. My 2.3 gets about 285-300 miles to a tank, getting on it(Lord knows you have to) __________________ 1987 Buick T-type 1998 HD Electra Elide

05-27-2002, 02:43 PM	#4
84LX89GT Mustangs Join Date: Jul 2000 Posts: 1,938	I've had two 5.0L mustangs and one 2.3L mustang here's what i had (all were 5 speed cars): my '91 2.3L got 18-22 miles per gallon regularly (100k on engine) my '84 5.0L LX got 16-19mpg regularly (150k) my '89 GT gets regularly 17-21mpg (125k) My GT also has 3.55 gears and a few mods that i would think reduces gas mileage (mileage is the same as when i bought it with only a few small mods). The power differance easily justifies the purchase of a 5.0L over a 2.3L. I think the main reason i got the mileage i did was because a 2.3L has to work harder to move a 3000+ lb. vehicle so you have to floor it more which makes the engine pretty inefficient if it's trying to run richer for more power all the time. I used to have to wrap it out at full throttle and drop gears just to make it up hills, now i go part throttle in one gear and the torque just pulls it up hills. i usually get 220-260 miles per tank of gas depending on when i fill up (hardly ever get to the "E" mark, but close) usually i fill up 10.5 to 12.5 gallons. __________________ 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300-R 1980 Ford Thunderbird - 255 V8 ported heads, 5.0L ported stock headers, O.R. H-pipe and Flowmaster 2-chambers, dual roller timing chain hi-po Mack Truck hood emblem 1985 Mustang GT 5.0L T5, F-303, GT40p, headers, off-road h, flowmasters, MSD stuff, etc. Sold 02/06/04 1989 Mustang GT ET: 13.304@102.29 mph (5-24-03) Sold - 1998 Mustang Cobra coupe, 1/4 mile - street tires: 13.843@103.41 (bone stock)

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05-28-2002, 01:13 AM	#5
Unit 5302 Registered Member Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 5,246	Both my 5.0's got better fuel economy than both my 2.3's. 88LX 2.3 Hatch A4LD 16-18cty/23-25hwy 88LX 2.3 Hatch A4LD 14-18cty/18-24hwy malfunctioning computer for most it's life. 88GT 5.0 Hatch 5spd 18-20cty/26-28hwy 87GT 5.0 Hatch 5spd 19-21cty/27-29hwy I never get less than 225 miles on a tank. Usually, it's closer to 260 with a couple gallons left.