10.77 mpg

[V8 Cat]

Re: 10.77 mpg

Our 05 only gets around 15 mpg in town, but does get 25 mpg on the hwy. It does get the worst mileage of any of the cars we own though.

[robpopper]

Re: 10.77 mpg

A bit more info on the 10.77 mpg... To begin, my wife is the primary driver and she does drive gently. Easy starts and stops. (Lots of them; but still 10.77 is pretty awful.) This was a one time mpg compute and it's entirely possible that the prior fill up was not very full, (Hopefully so). The car is regularly serviced by Ford and is due to go in Sep't 13th. Meanwhile I intend to pump gas myself to be certain of a full tank and accurate computations. Other than the mgp issue, the car does look andrun beautifully, with just 23K total miles.

[timbo]

Re: 10.77 mpg

Banar,
I believe the Ecometer guy was me. I've had mine for a few thousand miles and find it pretty accurate. I am constantly checking it against actual MPG. (milage/gal. used). I've recalibrated it 3 times to get it dialed in real close. I build and calibrate oil pressure and temperature instruments for a living so i'm kind of obsessive about measurements and accuracy. I have had mileage as low as 15.3 city only, and 25.6 highway only. Average for me seems to be around 18.3 or 18.4. Besides that the meter is fun to try to "beat." 10+ MPG seems pretty low to me. Better check it a couple of more times.

Tim

[MerlotBlue]

Re: 10.77 mpg

Something is wrong. I think you need to fill the car up yourself and then start over. I can't imagine it's that bad. I'd expect a trail of black smoke where-ever you go before it'd be that bad.

Still, these cars are not MPG champs.

They weigh more than you'd expect, they are automatics and maybe those hi-way gears and a small V8, that really doesn't develop much power 'till it's really spinning, are coming into play when "in-town" driving gets considered.

On the hi-way? Styling may be an issue too. In keeping with the 1950s theme the T-Bird may be the only domestic car of the last ten years that wasn't wedge shaped. Low in the front and higher in the rear.

Lot's of things to consider but it's a mystery for sure, especially when I stop and realize I get batter mileage from a car that shares garage space with the T-Birds and it has a larger 376cu inch motor making 430HP.

[robpopper]

Re: 10.77 mpg

No question, I'll do the fill up myself for a few cycles and re-check mileage and post back. Thanks to all for the info.

[Banar]

Re: 10.77 mpg

Thanks Tim, It is a real nice feature. I have not recalibrated mine yet. I still do the gasoline ticket numbers and tripometer calculations and they coincide almost perfectly. The ECO-speed is an almost exact match to the GPS, not so much as the speedometer needle- but it is close. The Tach seems to be the best game for contolling the consumption of fuel. I trust it without any hesitation.
We give the Bird back and forth, all the while boasting how high the mileage is now sitting. I am glad you do the same game. I am only a little better than Kim- but it is a fun little contest we enjoy playing now.
I hope you find some more nifty items to share.
I agree with the others. Fill that tank to the top, once it is on fumes. Run that car, no different than your normal driving. Mark your mileage results, and repeat as closely as you can- same style of driving and routes. One good tank should be enough to know, the second will tell how much work is coming your way. Good luck.
3rd Mate Banar.... I still recommend getting this item to every T Bird enthusiast!

[SugarDaddy]

Re: 10.77 mpg

I checked on the Autometer website for the Ecometer. But, according to their info, they do not make one for the 2002 T-Bird. They only make them for 2003-2005 T-Birds. Wonder why? We have an OBD port under the dash too.

So, I guess we'll just leadfoot it as usual!

[Lonestar]

Re: 10.77 mpg

I frequently get poor gas mileage “around town” but not as poor as less then 11MPG. I will too often jump into the Thunderbird and drive it a short distant and then drive it home. The coolant comes up to operating temp but the oil sure does not resulting on more drag on the engine and a huge hit to MPG. It typically takes driving appox 10 miles to get all the fluids to proper temp where you would see the best MPG. More then 10 miles in needed to be travel to get everything to operating temps in colder climates and temps.

To accurately test MPG w/o a device it is advised to go to a gas station and park by a pump where the right side of the car is higher then the left – the perfect situation is the RR or the car being higher then any other part of the car when parked. Fill the car until you can see the gas in the filler neck – very hard to do with today’s gas pump filler hoses and nozzles for these usually click off when the tank will hold as much as 2 more gallons. The next time you fill up use the same pump, park in the same place, and fill until you see gas in the neck. Only then will you be able to accurately figure you MPG w/o using an add on device.

[CVCashmere]

Re: 10.77 mpg

Bob:

Our Cashmere gets 19 MPG around town.

On the weekends, some gas stations with older pumps will somehow change the readout so you get less gas per gallon paid.

Happened to me last year and once before that. They don't do it on the weekdays. Some of the latest pumps are all electric and more tamper-resisitant.

Check your next tank and see if you still have a problem.

thanks!

A bit more info on the 10.77 mpg... To begin, my wife is the primary driver and she does drive gently. Easy starts and stops. (Lots of them; but still 10.77 is pretty awful.) This was a one time mpg compute and it's entirely possible that the prior fill up was not very full, (Hopefully so). The car is regularly serviced by Ford and is due to go in Sep't 13th. Meanwhile I intend to pump gas myself to be certain of a full tank and accurate computations. Other than the mgp issue, the car does look andrun beautifully, with just 23K total miles.

[jerrym3]

Re: 10.77 mpg

My 2004 LS has the same engine/trans has my 2003 TBird. Weight is pretty close.

We just did a 400 mile trip from Paramus, NJ to Wildwood, NJ and back with the A/C on and the car loaded with "stuff", including around town driving in Wildwood and Cape May.

Average-24 mpg.

Now we intend to go back in September for the Classic Car Boardwalk auto show with the 64 Galaxie.

I'll be happy if we get 12 mpg.

[robpopper]

Re: 10.77 mpg

Whew... Just re-filled the tank at the same station using the same pump. Computed the mileage at 16.2. This is mostly around town and not much highway driving. My wife's initial figure at 10.7 must have been to an incomplete fill prior to her figuring the mpg. It appears problem is solved in the best possible way. Never was a problem! haha

[Gobird]

Re: 10.77 mpg

Bob, Sounds good. That's about adv. I think for most psople that have this car for around town. The most I have ever got, and this was highway, was around 25 mpg.

[rstaples]

Re: 10.77 mpg

What's happening? My wife's 'bird, (a gorgeous '05 Cashmere) just went 159 miles and the fill-up was for 14.76 gallons. That's 10.77 mpg EEK! True we are talking about in town mileage, (New Rochelle, NY) with the a/c on; but really shouldn't we be doing better?.

I own a 2003 Thunderbird and my mileage is as follows:
1. 14- 17 in town with an occasional stoplight heavy foot to hear my Borlas sing and for fun.
2. I averaged around 22 to 23 mpg combined driving when I used it to commute to work in combined city/ highway driving.
3. I get 25 mpg plus on the interstate but I have seen as much as 27 mpg plus a few times when using cruise at 65 mph but without the air conditioner.

[EllisonCal]

Re: 10.77 mpg

I drive my car almost every day around town and even when I'm doing jack rabbit starts at every opportunity, my mileage is always just a bit over 15mpg. When I drive it like my wife is sitting next to me, I get close to 16mpg. It's more fun to goose it, so 15mpg is what I usually get.

On the highway, it's usually above 22-23mpg and on a few occasions when it was all Interstate like when I drove to California, my mileage approached 24-25mpg.

It's a lot more fun than a Prius though.

Cal

[DKest3963]

Re: 10.77 mpg

Hi All
Have a Cashmere 05 w 16000 miles. Drove it to Dearborn & Back 2900 miles . Got 24.7 entire trip on interstates and back roads. Thought that was great compared to my Pickup @best 17.
See you at Texas Thunder May 2011
Dennis