Sgt1411 Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Good points, I think I will be somewhere between 38-40PSI depending on how harsh the ride is. Today we had 4 inches of snow and after switching the 4WD Terrain Management System (TMS) to the snow/ice setting I must say Im very impressed. I know others on this forum havent been happy with these tires but considering they aren't designed for snow use I think they arent too bad. Combining the 4WD TMS with a good set of winter only tires on steel wheels would make this Explorer unstoppable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mksg Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 GaryG- What is the ave fuel economy increase you are seeing with a 51 psi? I know you mentioned 28 (In a 2+ ton vehicle-wow!) but mostly City or Highway? Sg1411- Also what fuel economy with your 40-42psi? Also, do you feel fairly confident with the stock tires, or may want to get the snow tires sooner given this weather? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryG Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 GaryG- What is the ave fuel economy increase you are seeing with a 51 psi? I know you mentioned 28 (In a 2+ ton vehicle-wow!) but mostly City or Highway? My first tank of mostly city driving by me, my wife and 19 year old son came in at 20.7 with tires at 42psi. Right now I'm about to finish my second tank with a projected 420 miles. My wife takes the new Explorer to work but I put most of the miles on this tank which was mostly city but about a third highway. About 200 miles on this present tank (I think) I increased the tires to the final 51psi I have in them now. My OEM MPG gauge says my average is 23.3mpg but I think that is a little low. My SGII is reading 25.9 but I think that is high and will need to be adjusted after a few tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt1411 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 GaryG- What is the ave fuel economy increase you are seeing with a 51 psi? I know you mentioned 28 (In a 2+ ton vehicle-wow!) but mostly City or Highway? Sg1411- Also what fuel economy with your 40-42psi? Also, do you feel fairly confident with the stock tires, or may want to get the snow tires sooner given this weather? Im very confident with these tires. As an example I worked my regular shift driving a 2011 Crown Victoria 11 hrs around in the snow with good snow tires. (Firestone Firehawk) Got around ok but hills with a bit of ice were a challenge, not inspiring confidence. When my shift was over I jumped in my Exploder, switched the Terrain Management System to Snow/ICE and cruised with almost no slip. On an un-plowed bridge onramp with a bit of an incline covered in 4-6' fresh snow the Exploder cruised without any slip or loss of traction. That said, snow is rare on West Coast so if I had the weather conditions like eastern Canada and US I might go with a good set of winters, mounted on steel wheels. Regarding mileage I honestly havent been keeping track because of how bad we are being ripped off for gas in Canada. Today it was $1.28 a Litre for regular. 3.87L in a US gallon = $4.95 gallon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!........and thats why everyone here drives to the US to buy gas and save $30-$50 a fill up. I can drive to the US, fill up, and take the family to Olive Garden for dinner and still spend less then a fill up in Canada. I will start to check mileage now and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryG Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 My 2011 FWD Explorer is very fuel efficient at 60mph on the highway where I'm seeing 35mpg using cruise control and having 51psi in the tires. If I use a P&G and slightly accelerate to 65 (P) and coast (G) down to 60mph in Fuel-cut, I can bring the average up to 40 - 45mpg. It's all about planning the routes in city driving and 45mph with the least amount of stops can yield 40 - 45mpg with P&G. This helps me recover some of my wife's average MPG when I drive. I don't have any cold weather issues to deal with this time of year, so I'm at the top of my game till next November. By then, I should know much more about hypermiling this Explorer and my tires should be broke-in much better. The 2011 Explorer is everything I expected in MPG and more in every other aspect. The MPG will most likely be even more than I expected by next year. I absolutely love the tires and Limited rims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbytony Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 That is some nice mileage, I am getting 15.6 MPG so far in my first 2K miles on my Limited 4WD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryG Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 That is some nice mileage, I am getting 15.6 MPG so far in my first 2K miles on my Limited 4WD. The type of area you drive in plays a big part in the MPG you will get. I've visited Boston and the driving conditions were not good. Just went to Manhattan last month and took taxis everywhere. That had to be the worst driving conditions I've ever seen for MPG. Those hybrid taxis I bet were not even getting a 14mpg average. One taxi driver told me he burned $40 in gas a day in his '08 Ford Escape Hybrid (FEH) cab. I live in Jupiter Florida along the Southeast Coast and most of my driving is either north or south. I have over three choices in the routes I can take without driving any longer distances, so my choice is always the best route with the vehicle I'm driving. Avoiding routes with lots of traffic lights is my main goal but DFSO can be used when you have to slowdown or stop in the Explorer and newer Fords. I have not driven my '11 Explorer without the A/C, but I do know running the rear A/C drops my MPG. The '11 Explorer has a new low drag compressor but if the demand is high to run the rear system, the drag will increase and lower MPG. I really don't see the internal front seat A/C dropping MPG though. Still loving the Hankook tires! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2NEWEXPLORERS Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I don't work for Ford, but I wouldn't be surprised if they stay with Pirelli's as that is what is currently on the Explorer and they have been putting them on other trucks as well. The Pirelli tires are an upgrade option on the 2012 models. We opted not to get them. I forget how much the upgrade was, but it didn't seem worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryG Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 The Pirelli tires are an upgrade option on the 2012 models. We opted not to get them. I forget how much the upgrade was, but it didn't seem worth it. I just looked at the '12 Explorer order guide and the standard Fwd V6 has a 3.16 gear ratio like I have in my '11 Explorer. The 2.0L EcoBoost comes with a standard 3.36 gear ratio. What's interesting is, the EcoBoost can get an optional 3.51 ratio and it's included in the Limited Fwd EB 303A package. Also, the Limited EB 303A package comes with P245/50R20 Pirelli™ Tires on the standard Limited rims. I have the same rims with P255/50R20 Hankook tires. I wonder which tire is lighter weight or taller and has the better LRR? I love my Hankook tires, but if the Pirelli's are a better tire, they must be real nice. I don't think the polished 20" rims are available for the EB. Too heavy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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