Mpg April 05, 2005, 08:18:31 AM the bird has 95K miles on the clock. i share the car with my teenage son (no job or car until his grades meet my standards) most of the recent driving (past 10k miles has been around town. We are west coast of FL no hills no excessive cold spells no excessive heat. right on the coast. when i drive the car full time i can get the dash computer to post an average of around 14.4 mpg. he drives less distance than me (less than 2 miles to school) and does most of the honey please go get me's that i used to do. the average is now around 13.2 MPG. This seems to be about the sames as the wifes 6 cyl mini-van. Somes of the post i've read on this and other sites seem to indicate that alot of folks are get in the high teens or low 20's. 87 t-bird 5.0 aodany ways to boost MPG??thnkxwalt Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #1 – April 05, 2005, 08:27:24 AM I'd just be happy you're getting that. It is a 20 year old car after all. And 13.2 beats my 9-11mpg that I get on my best day. Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #2 – April 05, 2005, 08:35:58 AM When I was a teen,I drove cars like OI stole them....so,I'm pretty sure the mileage on my mom and dad's car was lower when I drove also. Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #3 – April 05, 2005, 08:40:43 AM Quotepast 10k miles has been around townQuotehe drives less distance than me (less than 2 miles to school) and does most of the honey please go get me's that i used to doStarting a car up to warm it up for few seconds and then driving it 2 miles is NOT GOOD FOR GAS MILEAGE. I'm sure it's not a straight shot either meaning that there are probably a few stop signs/lights etc. That being said what kind of highway mileage are you getting? My car has quite a bit of work done to it with a set of 3.27's in the rear and I can get 24 MPG or so at a constant 65 MPH. If your getting somewhere in the mid 20's on the highway I'd say your ok. It is possible to get higher 20's MPG with a stock SO 5.0 AOD and 2.73's. Just has to be in good tune. Plugs, wires, O2 sensors, timing, no leaks in your exhaust system, no vacuum leaks, clean air filter, oil changed on a regular basis. Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #4 – April 05, 2005, 09:16:21 AM I get about 28 highway, 14-17 city in my mostly stock '88 5.0 Bird with AOD and 2.73 gears, so I'd say your city mileage is about right Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #5 – April 05, 2005, 11:37:57 AM I get 22-24 on the highway and about 18 around town average. I have an 86 with 5.0L and AOD as well. I'd recommend a good tuneup for your situation. Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #6 – April 05, 2005, 04:58:00 PM I let my dad borrow my 86 5.0 and when he cam back my mpg went from about 12 to 16 or 17 Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #7 – April 05, 2005, 05:26:37 PM When I put my new catalyst converter on to pass the ole emissions here in PA back in September my mpg has slowly gone from fluxuating between 17 and 19, I would really notice a spike up if i drove to philly or Jersey, mainly driving back and forth to work everyday, about 15 miles highway, all the way down to never anything higher then averaging 14.4. I actually drove for like 3 weeks last summer with a hollowed out cat and no pipes from there back and it was averaging 20-22. I say to myself, wtf these convertors kill you mpg that much? I just don't understand how using more fuel is better. And this is all with the avg speed being like 22 mph over quite a few months time. Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #8 – April 06, 2005, 01:30:39 AM Mine ('88 5.0) used to get 28 or better on the highway & around 15 in town, but that was back when it was relatively new, stock, & streamlined. Streamlining ended abruptly at ~65,000 miles, & highway mileage dropped to 24. The 3.45 gears dropped it to 21. Lately, with 177,000 miles, city mileage has stayed about the same, but on the highway it only gets about 16. Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #9 – April 06, 2005, 03:18:14 AM I checked mine Monday afternoon at fill-up and my average was just over 18. I drive about 75% Hwy at 68-70, usually with the cruise. I drop ALOT on weekends around town. Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #10 – April 06, 2005, 12:53:46 PM yeah, I was getting 27-29 highway, 17-19 city before last december where all of a sudden it dropped to 15-18 both city and highway Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #11 – April 07, 2005, 08:56:25 AM Quoteyeah, I was getting 27-29 highway, 17-19 city before last december where all of a sudden it dropped to 15-18 both city and highwayTake the sandbags out of the trunk, and release the parking brake. Quote Selected
Re: Mpg Reply #12 – April 07, 2005, 12:25:34 PM Quote from: MasterBlasterTake the sandbags out of the trunk, and release the parking brake.been over this :p parking brake cable snapped last summer (still haven't gotten around to fixing it) and the car/trunk's empty Quote Selected