Only 143 miles on first tank of gas...
 

I've had my 95 GT (auto tranny) for about a week and a half and went through my first tank of gas and got only 143 Miles!!! (on regular octane, 87) That seems way low. It's all City miles. The emission test showed no problems at all. Should the overdrive be switched off for city driving?, would that make that much of a difference? The car is bone stock at this time.

I think I should be getting much better mileage. Any ideas why I'm getting such brutal fuel economy. I am heavy footed, but this is ridiculous.

Thanks

143...stop complaining!!!:mad: I get like 120 or so.:rolleyes: oh well. But that's with 3.73's...

You can't get an exact mpg figure using your gas gauge. It's not that accurate.

You gotta fill it up, note milage, drive it, fill it up again, note milage, then divide the miles traveled by the amount of gas used between fill-ups.

MPG
 

Velvet:

According to your numbers, you're getting about 9.5 mpg city driving, which is too low, even for an AOD Mustang 5.0.

I suspect your gas gauge is off as most are.

FYI: The tank holds 15.4 gallons.

Use the mpg-estimating method outlined by Maroon 5.0 LX in a previous post to determine your actual mileage.

Warning: Being 'heavy-footed' in traffic situations will kill your gas mileage. The 5.0 is rather unforgiving there, but check the mpg - the right way - again. You should be seeing low-to-mid teens for city driving.

Thanks for the tips...

So should I have the overdrive switched off for city driving?

Thanks

I noticed an increase in fuel economy in the city with my 3.73's. Of course my highway mileage went south. :)

Ha! Drive it easy for a whole tank! I have tried to do that many times and i can't. LOL This car is to much fun!!

I usually get like 190-200 miles per tank all in town. that is usually like 14.5-15 mpg

WOW, I usually get around 225-a little less than 300, and I drive in rush hour in bad Seattle traffic. And yes it is a 5.0 bone stock. I guess I am just lucky.:D

Man that sucks, it could be worse you could get about 80 to 100 miles per tank like mine did.

I suspect you could use a good tune up and k@n filter. I also suspect you do alot of engine revving, seeing as you just bought it. I got 24 hwy with my aod vert(5.0) when stock and got almost 28mpg after a good tune up, msd box and a k@n. I got around 15-17 around town(from what I can remember) depending on how I drove it.

Oh and don't use od in town(alot of stop and go traffic).. someone may disagree with me but, take my word for it.

I just have to add that... that is absurd! You are getting about the same mileage my car is seeing.. If you check the mileage and the gauge is right and you do a tune up and that doesn't help.... I'd be looking for a gas leak.

One other thing... Is your speedo right??

The car was supposed to be given a tune-up by the dealer, I will confirm tomorrow morn.

I don't rev the engine.

I will definately spring for the K&N, will it make that much of a diff though?

How do I know if my speedometer is off?

The k@n won't make a great deal of difference unless the one you have in now is all clogged up... Check the cap and rotor and see if it looks new.

Speedo, you would probably know if it was off alot but... get someone to ride behind you and flash their headlights when they hit 55. The reason I asked this question is to verify the odo is correct and the car doesn't have gears or a wide ratio kit in it.

I checked the speedo against a friend's nearly new Focus and it's bang on.

A K&N filter element in itself will not improve your performance or gas milage. I can see no benefit in spending $40+ for an element. Sure, you can clean it and reuse it.

Why hassle with all that, when you can get Motorcraft filters for about $4, and don't have to mess with cleaning and re-oiling? When mine gets dirty, it's going in the trash and I will replace with a Motorcraft.

A K&N air filter allows for less restrictive flow of air into the engine. That allows the engine to run more efficiently and make better power. Since the engine is making better power, you don't need to get on it as much. Less rpms = better fuel economy, to a certain point. It's not like you're going to see 5mpg with a new K&N, but you could possibly see 1.

I got 19/21cty 27-29hwy with my 87GT hatch, and right now, I'm getting about 19cty with my 02 GT Coupe. Both were 5spds.

Well I got 168 miles on the last tank of gas (almost all city miles). I was careful not to be so heavy footed and I also had the o/d switched off. This is a definate improvement but I still think it's a little low. I'm taking it in for a tune-up tomorrow.

Thanks for the suggestions... though I must agree that it's really hard not to be heavy footed with this car...