2011 Explorer V6 Fuel Economy

[GaryG]

Hi All

 

I thought a thread should be started to let potential buyers and future owners see what kind of mileage to expect in the new Reinvented 2011 Explorer by us owners. This site does not have a Mileage Log yet, but maybe it should be something to consider as gas prices and environmental concerns are part of our future which should include all Ford Vehicles anyone wants to post about IMO.

 

In the meantime, Ford has worked with Wayne Gerdes the owner and developer of http://www.cleanmpg.com/ with the Ford Fusion Hybrid and he does maintain a Mileage Log for anyone who wants to share the mileage their getting and keep a Lifetime vehicle record of it. I've had a Lifetime Mileage Log there with my '09 Ford Escape Hybrid and you can view it here: http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG%28US%29&viewcar=2612 I just began a Lifetime Mileage Log with my new 2011 Explorer and you can view it here: http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG%28US%29&viewcar=3644 if you care or are interested.

 

We can discuss new and old techniques to help everyone improve their MPG or even discuss problems with using those techniques. The idea is to pick and choose what you want to do and maybe why.

[tomg4121]

Gary,

I have an interest on this subject. I looked at your MPG log and couldn't help but notice your tire PSI was bumped to 51psi, did I read correctly? I noticed this gave you a 3 mpg bump, but how confident are you of the safety factor? Also, is your Ex 4wd/FWD, trailer tow package etc?

 

Tom

[GaryG]

Gary,

I have an interest on this subject. I looked at your MPG log and couldn't help but notice your tire PSI was bumped to 51psi, did I read correctly? I noticed this gave you a 3 mpg bump, but how confident are you of the safety factor? Also, is your Ex 4wd/FWD, trailer tow package etc?

 

Tom

 

Absolutely you read correctly! I'm so very confident in the safety factor after years of not only running Max sidewall, but exceeding 44psi in my Michelin Latitude Tours at 50psi in both my '05 and '09 FEH. Did you know the temporary spare requires at least 60psi in your new Explorer?

 

The 3mpg bump will multiply as I learn other techniques and the tires break-in. As they say, this is not my first rodeo with hypermiling. Even if I lived in a place that most people need 4WD, I could make the FWD work fine with the right winter tire prep. So yes, my Explorer is FWD, I have the Tow package and Tow my boat anywhere I need, and it's the Limited 301A package with white plat paint.

 

I love how efficient this 3.5L is and it has all the power I need to tow my boat and get exceptional mileage at the same time. Gas prices jumped again today so be ready to learn about hypermiling or pay more.

[tomg4121]

Gary,

Just to reconfirm, is you Ex 4 wheel drive or just front wheel drive? You mentioned FWD but have the trailer tow package which I thought was exclusive to four wheel drive Ex's. I'm just comparing apples to apples (my Ex MPG' s to your Ex's MPG's).

 

Tom

 

 

[GaryG]

Gary,

Just to reconfirm, is you Ex 4 wheel drive or just front wheel drive? You mentioned FWD but have the trailer tow package which I thought was exclusive to four wheel drive Ex's. I'm just comparing apples to apples (my Ex MPG' s to your Ex's MPG's).

 

Tom

 

The FWD 2011 Explorer can be ordered with the Tow package also and that's what I ordered and have. It will be interesting to see what kind of MPG I'll get towing my 3,500 pound Boston Whaler to the Keys soon. That will be a challenge for me to beat the EPA towing a boat, but I'm optimistic with this new Explorer. With that extra weight, it should prolong fuel-cut coasting in "D" but still be very hard on MPG during acceleration. This may be the time to use SelectShift but only test driving will reveal the results.

[Marginal Economist]

Just as a quick add - I put 1100 miles on a 4WD limited last week - 20.8 MPG - mostly highway at 80-85.

[GaryG]

Just as a quick add - I put 1100 miles on a 4WD limited last week - 20.8 MPG - mostly highway at 80-85.

 

That's great! I'd love to see your MPG at 60mph for that same distance. Which wheels did you get?

[cg13]

i had no idea increasing the tire pressure that high would bump fuel economy. im gonna log mine too now if i ever get it!

[NickF1011]

i had no idea increasing the tire pressure that high would bump fuel economy. im gonna log mine too now if i ever get it!

 

Enjoy replacing your tires every 15,000 miles. Manufacturers recommend tire pressures for a reason. Exceed them by much and you're rolling the dice, despite what hypermilers will try to tell you.

[MyPart]

Enjoy replacing your tires every 15,000 miles. Manufacturers recommend tire pressures for a reason. Exceed them by much and you're rolling the dice, despite what hypermilers will try to tell you.

 

Funny, I've got over 67,000 miles on my stock '08 Ford Escape Hybrid tires. They've been above the door/Ford recommended pressure since the first week of ownership. They have even wear and plenty of life left. I expect I'll see around 80,000 miles before I need to replace them.

 

If you're tires are wearing out in 15,000 miles, you have a suspension/alignment problem and no amount of air pressure, up or down, will fix that.

[GaryG]

Enjoy replacing your tires every 15,000 miles. Manufacturers recommend tire pressures for a reason. Exceed them by much and you're rolling the dice, despite what hypermilers will try to tell you.

 

The stock Michelins Latitude Tours on my FEH's are about $200 each mounted and balanced and the new Hankook tires are in excess of $250 each. I want to get the most miles possible out of my tires so that's why I would NEVER let my tire pressure fall to the manufacturer's recommendation inside the door. I don't consider 6 pounds over the max sidewall on my Michelins excessive and I know I will get at least !00% more tire life than if I ran the 35psi in the door label. I originally raised my pressure above max sidewall in my '05 FEH Conti's Eco-Plus to increase my mileage and it did. When I found out those tires almost stop wearing with the higher pressure, I couldn't believe it. Others that have done the same, many that put much higher pressure than I do, say the same thing. Here is a quote a few days ago from Wayne Gerdes who is one of the top hypermilers in the World:

 

"Hi All:

 

5 to 10X's Max Sidewall to burst and over 120K on the Michelin's at 60 psi. They still have some left with even wear all the way across.

 

Wayne"

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38297

 

Wayne's '05 Gas Honda Accord has 120K miles with the original Michelin tires and has maintained 60psi in them. This is the guy Ford hired to help their Hybrid Engineers and Carl Edwards learn to hypermile the Ford Fusion Hybrid to get 1,445 miles on a single tank. Ford allows Wayne to review their new vehicle on a regular basis a few days at a time now.

 

Never mind MPG, I would waste much more money on tires if I didn't understand the facts about tire pressure. If I thought for one minute I was decreasing the miles on my Hankook's at 51psi, I'd lower the pressure. I now have years of personal experience and the experience of other professionals that know better.

[blwnsmoke]

The stock Michelins Latitude Tours on my FEH's are about $200 each mounted and balanced and the new Hankook tires are in excess of $250 each. I want to get the most miles possible out of my tires so that's why I would NEVER let my tire pressure fall to the manufacturer's recommendation inside the door. I don't consider 6 pounds over the max sidewall on my Michelins excessive and I know I will get at least !00% more tire life than if I ran the 35psi in the door label. I originally raised my pressure above max sidewall in my '05 FEH Conti's Eco-Plus to increase my mileage and it did. When I found out those tires almost stop wearing with the higher pressure, I couldn't believe it. Others that have done the same, many that put much higher pressure than I do, say the same thing. Here is a quote a few days ago from Wayne Gerdes who is one of the top hypermilers in the World:

 

"Hi All:

 

5 to 10X's Max Sidewall to burst and over 120K on the Michelin's at 60 psi. They still have some left with even wear all the way across.

 

Wayne"

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38297

 

Wayne's '05 Gas Honda Accord has 120K miles with the original Michelin tires and has maintained 60psi in them. This is the guy Ford hired to help their Hybrid Engineers and Carl Edwards learn to hypermile the Ford Fusion Hybrid to get 1,445 miles on a single tank. Ford allows Wayne to review their new vehicle on a regular basis a few days at a time now.

 

Never mind MPG, I would waste much more money on tires if I didn't understand the facts about tire pressure. If I thought for one minute I was decreasing the miles on my Hankook's at 51psi, I'd lower the pressure. I now have years of personal experience and the experience of other professionals that know better.

 

 

How many miles on your Ex now?? What is your MPG looking like on average?

[GaryG]

How many miles on your Ex now?? What is your MPG looking like on average?

 

First, understand this is my wife's vehicle and she is far from being a hypermiler. Second, the A/C has never been turned Off since delivery. Third, the average Lifetime MPG started from the assembly line and is the permanent OD reading divided by the gas added at the pump, not by the computer.

 

I'm the only factor that increases her average MPG besides the great engineering design of the new EX. The added tire pressure helps her MPG, but it really multiplies mine when I drive. My wife's commute is only 5 miles of city driving each way and she averages 19 -20mpg on average. With my driving, our Lifetime MPG average is 22.6mpg at this time with about 2,500 miles on our EX.

[lwhite171]

Funny, I've got over 67,000 miles on my stock '08 Ford Escape Hybrid tires. They've been above the door/Ford recommended pressure since the first week of ownership. They have even wear and plenty of life left. I expect I'll see around 80,000 miles before I need to replace them.

 

If you're tires are wearing out in 15,000 miles, you have a suspension/alignment problem and no amount of air pressure, up or down, will fix that.

So if I am understanding this correctly... it is felt to increase the tire pressure to 51 psi and you will get better fuel mileage?? In my previous vehicles, I have kept the psi close to manufacturers specs and made sure that I rotated my tires every 7,000 miles. So... to get the most life out of the Explorer's tires, I should increase the tire pressure to 51 psi and rotate every 7,000 miles??

[Ralph Greene]

Ford makes their cold tire pressure recommendation based on handling requirements, roll stability, tire traction, tire life, tire safety, and ride quality and other requirements of vehicle dynamics (understeer/oversteer qualities, etc). Tire pressure is also the final extension of the vehicle suspension, so spring, shock, and strut rates are figured into their tire pressure equation. Ford engineers have vehicle goals other than MPG and long tire life. To get vastly increased life from your tires, you have to give up something. And who wants the ride to feel like the tires are hard rubber?

 

I admire what the hyper millers do, but a few lbs over the cold door jam recommendation is enough for me.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Ralph Greene

[MyPart]

Well said, Ralph. To each their own. I personally don't mind a stiffer ride and will keep my tire pressure above the Ford door number and below the Max side wall number from the tire manufacturer. Build date: 5/11/11

Edited May 6, 2011 by MyPart

[blwnsmoke]

I inflasted the tires from 40psi (came from the factory this way) up to 48psi to see what the gains are. So far I'm at 21.8mpg after my 3rd tank of gas. Will be running a few tanks with the 48psi to see if there is much difference. I can say though that I have not felt any type of decrease in ride quality.

[GaryG]

I inflasted the tires from 40psi (came from the factory this way) up to 48psi to see what the gains are. So far I'm at 21.8mpg after my 3rd tank of gas. Will be running a few tanks with the 48psi to see if there is much difference. I can say though that I have not felt any type of decrease in ride quality.

 

All three of my last new Fords came with 40psi, which I thought was 5psi higher than the door sticker. It turned out after 5 years, the three different analog tire pressure gauges I had were all reading 5psi high. I keep a gauge in all three of my vehicles and my daughter used one and it got lost. The tire store I use kept putting 5psi over my request and they used an expensive digital gauge to set the pressure.

 

Since I had to replace the lost gauge, I searched for a digital gauge with a flexible foot long hose like I always buy. None of the stores I went to had what I was looking for. Finally I found a nice one on the internet made by Loneacre Racing Products and there was a Racing Equipment store a few miles away that had it in stock.

http://www.winecountrymotorsports.com/product_info.php?cPath=137&products_id=787&osCsid=d16fb69a7c2a8bf111cb77ce6e41255f

 

Great gauge and it confirmed my analog tire pressure gauges were all reading 5psi high. After posting this at Cleanmpg.com (Hypermiling site), many others there claimed they had the same problem with their gauges. Blwnsmoke, you may want to check if your gauge is 5psi high! I got this new pressure gauge a few days after I got my '11 Explorer and raised my tire pressure to the real Max sidewall on the low profile 20" Hankooks at 51psi.

[blwnsmoke]

Thanks Gary, I'll take a look, I have a gauge in each vehicle as well, I'll have to go by my tire dealer and have him check it to see where I'm at compared to the analog gauge I have ($1.99 special lol)

[Ralph Greene]

I doubt if I would run 51 lbs in my tires cold, but increasing air pressure and thus reducing side wall flex and heat build up, will inprove fuel economy and vastly increase tire life.

 

The best way to improve economy, other than some of the common sense things mentioned above, is to just slow down.

 

Engineers know that for roughly (very roughly) every 5% in RPM (about 100 RPM) you reduce cruising speed, you increase MPG by about 1.

 

So if you were really serious about getting great MPG on trips, 60-65 (or better yet 55-60) is where you cruise. Slowing down is where the easy and big gains are. And in urban driving, being very careful how you accelerate and slow down can also make big gains. I bet Gary is very good at this.

Edited May 7, 2011 by Ralph Greene

[GaryG]

I doubt if I would run 51 lbs in my tires cold, but reducing side wall flex and heat build up, will inprove fuel economy.

 

The best way to improve economy, other than some of the common sense things mentioned above, is to just slow down.

 

Engineers know that for roughly (very roughly) every 5% in RPM (about 100 RPM) you reduce cruising speed, you increase MPG by about 1.

 

So if you were really serious about getting great MPG on trips, 60-65 (or better yet 55-60) is where you cruise.

 

Hi Ralph

 

I find every vehicle has its sweet spots as far as MPH but hypermiling techniques is where the rubber meets the road. The 51 pounds is the max sidewall pressure for the Hankooks but there profile is so low there is not much give left to cushion the ride. Those that run door sticker in these tires will wear them out so quick its not funny.

 

There are a lot of meths about tires it's almost like the manufacturers want you to wear them out so you will purchase them more often. The top hypermilers experiment constantly and when they discover an improvement in MPG, they often find it to be more economical than just the gas savings as well as an improvement in safety. What I've discovered, is by knowing how my vehicle performs, I know when something is wrong with the vehicle. In addition, I can tell when I get an improvement in MPG what was the change that occurred. Tire pressure is part of a hypermiler's vehicle set-up to fine tune all the other techniques in our bag to optimize MPG at what ever speeds we are at.

 

An example, my first oil change in my '09 FEH, I changed from 5W-20 Motorcraft Blend (factory) to 5W-20 Mobile 1. I saw a drop in MPG by 2-3mpg as soon as my next drive and I could not believe it was the oil quality. I have changed the oil myself in my '05 FEH since new and knew the MPG always stayed the same between Motorcraft and Mobil 1. It turned out my oil level was too high because the wheel ramps prevented the old oil from draining over a quart of oil which gets trapped in the new '09 FEH 2.5L engine if the vehicle is not level. I've now solved many other FEH and Fusion Hybrid owners problems with that same engine by asking them did they just change the oil. Most of the problems were exhaust smoke coming from the back during acceleration and it was a Ford dealer that overfilled the oil most of the times.

 

The best investment to increase MPG at any speed is a Scangauge and monitoring Instant MPG with the digital read out. The '11 Explorer OEM graph is useless to me. Common sense is one thing, but seeing your Instant MPG in a digital read out constantly teaches you what works and what doesn't. My friends at Cleanmpg.com were given a F-150 3.5L EB by Ford to drive across the Country and they are getting over a 32mpg average as we post. The F-150 is loaded down with drivers and camping equipment to boot.

[mattbult]

I was not able to get that link to work, ans was wondering what gas you use, premium?

[GaryG]

I was not able to get that link to work, ans was wondering what gas you use, premium?

 

Try later, the site has been down all day for some reason.

 

Only use premium if your vehicle manufacture requires it. Premium has additives to delay combustion in higher compression engines to prevent pinging. The additives lower the BTU than regular 87 octane. The higher the BTU, more energy is produced, so use what the manufacture recommends. I use only 87 octane in my 2011 Explorer which is recommended and it gets the best MPG possible. All hypermilers know this and know cheaper gas can be better for MPG. I would never buy a vehicle that requires premium fuel myself.

[ClutchTime]

So far, the wife and I have been swapping between the new cars so I hadn't driven an entire tank out of the Explorer myself until this week. I had bumped the tire pressure up to 51 psi halfway through the last tank. This was a drastic difference in handling compared to the 40 psi it came with. At first, I wanted to put it right back down but I got used to it quickly and left it alone. This time around, I managed a combined average of 27.48 mpg in a base model 4WD. My single trip best was 28.5 mpg over 65 miles.

[UltimateX]

So far, the wife and I have been swapping between the new cars so I hadn't driven an entire tank out of the Explorer myself until this week. I had bumped the tire pressure up to 51 psi halfway through the last tank. This was a drastic difference in handling compared to the 40 psi it came with. At first, I wanted to put it right back down but I got used to it quickly and left it alone. This time around, I managed a combined average of 27.48 mpg in a base model 4WD. My single trip best was 28.5 mpg over 65 miles.

 

You are rolling on about $1200 to $1600 worth of rubber, why would you over inflate the tires to squeeze a couple of extra MPG. An under inflated tire will not apply the proper pressure to the center part of the tread and the edges will wear out before the center. An over inflated tire will have so much pressure, that the center will bulge and wear prematurely.

 

Lets say that the properly inflated tires are good for 50K miles and the over inflated tires only last 25K. To cover the same 50K miles you are going to spend $1200 more, That would buy 300+ gallons of gas or enough to drive 6000+ miles. Now lets throw in a couple of other factors, the ride is terrible and you don't have the proper contract patch so your braking is compromised. Stick with the manufacturers recommend pressure or maybe 2 PSI above.