Max mpg s197 mustang build?

Forty61 said:

Love me a Falcon 4.0! Barra for the win!

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I have 2.
A sedan daily driver. And a Cheap wagon to tow the Race Car
The wagon actually has lower miles on the clock, but the paint is f**ed [typical car dealer "blowjob on the hood in the early years]

Seen here with me posing in front of it.


Another photo so I don't offend the Ford crowd

Nice, I definitely want the old Mustang.

Quite a collection! I grew up in Australia, always wanted a Falcon ute with the turbo Barra in it. Maybe one day I’ll find a way to import an XR6 or F6..

Once 25 years old you can. Without too much trouble.

DieHarder said:

Nice, I definitely want the old Mustang.

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Everybody wants the old Mustang.

I have an 08 GT/CS automatic, stock. I have been using full synthetic since my first oil change. Still running on original spark plugs.
I have 116k mile. I am averaging 18-19 local and 24-25 highway. Maybe could do a bit better on highway if I stuck to 55 to 60 mph. But who does that in a Mustang. I usually hover around 70mph.
Hope this helps

I have a 2010 manual GT that, when stock, would give 25-29 highway MPG, cruising 70 through hills, and light throttle, no cruise control (letting it slow down some uphill and gain speed going downhill, not moving my right foot). I should note that it came with 3.73 gears from the factory.

I had an '07 V6 manual that achieved 34.9 MPG averaging 55, with tons of neutral coasting and judicious throttle application. The 4.0L really wasn't that great for gas mileage, but it *could* do reasonably well if driven lightly.

Drove a highly modified (lightened, gutted, stiffened suspension, lowered, wider tires, bored block and skimmed head for higher compression, GT cam, no power anything or AC) '90 Escort 1.9L CFI manual for years that gave 36 city and 42 highway regularly. It was ultimately a slow tin can that could carry speed through corners, so I rarely had to use brakes on twisty roads. Very fun car despite the slowness, and topping out at ~110.

The best car I had for mileage was a '91 Tempo L. Totally stock, with the exception of a glasspack muffler that replaced the catalytic converter. 2.3L HSC manual with 255k miles on it. Two different times, when driving 512 miles on the highway, using the same gas pumps to fill up, same driving times (different months, but same season of same year, on clear days), I was able to use 10.06 gallons, which is just shy of 51 MPG, averaging 70 MPH. I don't know how I did it, but it happened. Otherwise, the car routinely gave 46 MPG, and would cruise at 120 doing about 4600 RPM. Sadly, it couldn't handle worth a darn, and I ended up rolling it.

Currently have a '13 Focus as my daily, 5 speed manual, and it gives about 32 MPG city, and 38-40 highway, cruising 70. Bone stock.

I've always found manual transmission cars to do well with mileage, when driven with a light foot and carrying speed through corners. I've also noticed that carrying speed seems to help tires last longer, as I don't have to change them as often as people who accelerate and stop quickly for cornering.

Anyone with a Track Apps Cluster can clearly see real time gas usage second by second in a 13/14 Coyote and it's not pretty with any aggressive driving at all.

Unexplodedcow said:

The best car I had for mileage was a '91 Tempo L. Totally stock, with the exception of a glasspack muffler that replaced the catalytic converter. 2.3L HSC manual with 255k miles on it. Two different times, when driving 512 miles on the highway, using the same gas pumps to fill up, same driving times (different months, but same season of same year, on clear days), I was able to use 10.06 gallons, which is just shy of 51 MPG, averaging 70 MPH. I don't know how I did it, but it happened. Otherwise, the car routinely gave 46 MPG, and would cruise at 120 doing about 4600 RPM. Sadly, it couldn't handle worth a darn, and I ended up rolling it.

Currently have a '13 Focus as my daily, 5 speed manual, and it gives about 32 MPG city, and 38-40 highway, cruising 70. Bone stock.

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I'll concur that both the cars do as described. I also had a 2.3 HSC Tempo 5 speed (mine was a 2 door coupe) and it got phenomenal fuel economy. And my current daily is a '13 Focus 5 speed manual that get 32-33 mpg over 2 years of average driving and I am not particularly easy on the throttle. If I reset the second mpg meter on the highway it shows 37-38 at a steady 70ish.

My '08 Mustang GT/CS is my DD. It's been upgraded with the Ford Hot Rod cams, BBK long tubes, and BBK high-flow cats. I can pull down 26-28 on my 2 mile daily commute. My prior '08 GT was bone stock except for a CAI. It could pull down 30-32 pretty easily. My friend calls the driving style you need to adopt to get max mileage 'Hyper-miling'. Good luck adopting that driving style, it takes some mental readjusting.

M1KESTANG said:

Maybe could do a bit better on highway if I stuck to 55 to 60 mph...

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Resist the urge. Please!

Pentalab said:

If a 2.73 rear gear was used, vs a 3.31 rear gear, on a 05-10 car in 5th gear (OD), at 50 mph, your RPM's would drop from 1500...down to just 1237 rpm. At 70 mph, (in OD / 5th gear), your RPM's would drop from 2100...down to just 1732 rpm.

IF you had to do some passing on the HWY, no big deal, just drop down into 3rd gear.

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Well said. I had an 86 Mustang GT 5.0 w/ the 2.7 rear end ratio, and it ran as you say. It also delivered 30mpg on occasion on long trips. I had a 93 LX 5.0 w/ the 3.08, and the revs stayed low as well. It often delivered 30mpg on long runs. Of course, both those cars were lighter than an S-197.

M1KESTANG said:

I have an 08 GT/CS automatic, stock. I have been using full synthetic since my first oil change. Still running on original spark plugs.
I have 116k mile. I am averaging 18-19 local and 24-25 highway. Maybe could do a bit better on highway if I stuck to 55 to 60 mph. But who does that in a Mustang. I usually hover around 70mph.
Hope this helps

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Original spark plugs; really? Good luck changing them.

M1KESTANG said:

I have an 08 GT/CS automatic, stock. I have been using full synthetic since my first oil change. Still running on original spark plugs.
I have 116k mile. I am averaging 18-19 local and 24-25 highway. Maybe could do a bit better on highway if I stuck to 55 to 60 mph. But who does that in a Mustang. I usually hover around 70mph.
Hope this helps

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Was your "08" GT/CS built before November 2007? If it was built after November 2007? your car has the revised 3v heads along with the revised 12mm one-piece design spark plugs.. If your car has brown coil boots, you have the revised 3v heads and spark plugs.. If it has black coil boots? then your vehicle was built prior to November 2007 and has the older style 3v heads that have the dreaded 16mm high-threaded 2-piece design spark plugs that are well known for separating inside the heads during the extraction process.