new best city mpg April 07, 2014, 12:59:42 AM I've been doing pizza delivery as a side job lately in the cougar. been tracking my mpg's. previously my average on my old 87 302 aod bird was between 14 and 19mpg. i could usually count on 16ish.Yesterday i averaged 16.8, 90% city, 11 miles out of 120, and today i averaged 20 over 100 miles (15-20 miles freeway, i top off at the end of my shift so i can accurately judge profit for the night.)I really want to do some freeway driving to see what i can squeeze out of the old 190,700 mile engine. my guess is its gonna be 30+.i plan on pulling the 275/60's off and throwing a more stockish sized 235/65 out back. should help some, i might even throw on my other rims with 195/60's on them. cougar can't make enough power to spin the big tires, so it should help freeway driving.Another driver has a late 90's 4.0 explorer and he was turning down deliveries because they were more then 5 mile round trip because he "couldn't afford the gas". some people. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #1 – April 07, 2014, 08:17:44 AM When I was delivering 18mpg was always my magic number. My 83 302 cougar got 18mpg, and my 80 255 thunderbird also got 18mpg. The 79 2.3 Fairmont got between 18-21, but it was terrible for delivering. It wouldn't get out of it's own way. It was dangerous to pull out into traffic, like on blind hills. Once it was up to speed it was fine, but for the extra few mpg, it was not worth the aggravation. That and it ate a quart of oil every 100 miles (one night of delivering). So the oil cost ate up any savings on gas.I miss delivering. It's still my all-time favorite job. My wife worried too much about me though. I understand her concern, I wouldn't want her out there either. Have fun, and stay safe.Edit: I just noticed that part about the other guy turning down deliveries because he can't afford the gas. "Respect the rotation". That's all I would tell the other guys. When it's your turn, you take what comes up. No skipping around, no cherry picking. Make your manager enforce it. It's only fair. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #2 – April 07, 2014, 09:02:39 AM I've always been impressed with the mileage on these cars. For being decent sized, comfortable, affordable, and V8 powered, you really can't beat them.I agree with Coogar about your fellow driver. I've been working at Papa Johns for the last 16 years (not as a driver though) and that would not fly around here. It's his choice to be a driver and he needs to take what's up. I'd tell his ass to pound sand if I saw him cherry picking like that all the time. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #3 – April 07, 2014, 10:08:49 AM I've learned you can't control other people. my delivery area is a good bit, but none of its big enough to bitch about. i might be leaving unfortinately. its just i got a new full time job. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #4 – April 07, 2014, 11:47:45 AM Make sure you leave on good terms, notice and all, if you like the job. I have been back to work at the same pizza place probably 8-10 times in my life. It's a good safety net between jobs.Fun trivia, the same manager has been at my store since 1988, lol. He welcomes me back every time I need work. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #5 – April 08, 2014, 12:39:13 AM I just quit the pizza place. i worked 13 hours today, 7 am to 9pm. I'm beat. i am going to call the store manager and ask if i can still work weekends and try cover my next 4 shifts..i figured when they told me 40 hours a week id be offwrongfully by 3:30. I was wrongI'm really bummed out, but at 4 times the pay and 60 hours projected this week, i gotta look out for number 1. I just hope i can do it without burning any bridges. i just can't make the two jobs work, even though i still made good money doing pizza. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #6 – April 08, 2014, 12:46:30 AM I know this is a pizza delivery thread now, but just to jump back to the original thought of MPG. The Cougar is giving me 24-26 on the Highway, 14-18 in the city. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #7 – April 08, 2014, 01:15:10 AM Was that Fairmont auto or manual? A manual really brings those 2.3's to life, even the N/A ones! a 79 2.3 actually had about 5 hp more than a 3.3, since the 2.3 was a 2 barrel, and a 3.3 was only a 1 barrel. I average 23-24 in both of my 2.3 manual Rangers, worst I got in the 85 Cougar was 12, best IDK, 20? My mother thinks I'm joking when I tell her my 3.0 auto 2wd Ranger got about the same mileage as a 5.0. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #8 – April 08, 2014, 01:24:17 AM I'm not sure my freeway mpg, but I'm looking at 50 miles today and.the guage still reads above full. I'm shooting for 600 miles this tank. i have a 1 gallon gas can in the trunk since i discovered the bottom e-1/2 never changes. shoots straight to empty.after 5 days i should be over 250 miles, and hopefully it can last two weeks till my first paycheck. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #9 – April 08, 2014, 03:39:59 AM IMO, these cars have huge tanks, even a boxy body Town Car only had an 18 gal tank. In the Cougar, I was lucky to go 150 miles before the needle was on half, I can get to 200 in my 2.3 Rangers and those had 15-16 gal tanks. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #10 – April 08, 2014, 08:50:57 AM Quote from: White85GS;431959Was that Fairmont auto or manual? A manual really brings those 2.3's to life, even the N/A ones! a 79 2.3 actually had about 5 hp more than a 3.3, since the 2.3 was a 2 barrel, and a 3.3 was only a 1 barrel. I average 23-24 in both of my 2.3 manual Rangers, worst I got in the 85 Cougar was 12, best IDK, 20? My mother thinks I'm joking when I tell her my 3.0 auto 2wd Ranger got about the same mileage as a 5.0. That fairmont was an auto. I think it was abused before I got it though. It only had 80k miles on it, but it had bad oil blow-by. That 2.3 (auto) verses my 85 turbo 2.3 (also auto) is like the difference between firing a bullet and throwing it. My 85 turbo is fun to drive, that's why I thought maybe a 2.3 NA wouldn't be too bad. That car was nice looking and comfortable, but an absolute frustration to drive. I even had a 2.3 EFI mustang back in the day (1989 model, I think) and it wasn't too terrible. But that fairmont was just a dud. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #11 – April 08, 2014, 09:05:08 PM 95 Miles. still reading over full. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #12 – April 09, 2014, 07:27:46 PM Quote from: CoogarXR;431931The 79 2.3 Fairmont got between 18-21, but it was terrible for delivering. It wouldn't get out of it's own way. It was dangerous to pull out into traffic, like on blind hills. Once it was up to speed it was fine, but for the extra few mpg, it was not worth the aggravation. That and it ate a quart of oil every 100 miles (one night of delivering). So the oil cost ate up any savings on gas. I forgot to mention, but you wanna talk dangerously slow? The 2.0L (an under-bored 2.3) in the Stripped down model first gen Rangers, they barely made 100 ft lbs!! They only came with a manual trans & 2wd. Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #13 – April 09, 2014, 08:51:07 PM Quote from: White85GS;432028I forgot to mention, but you wanna talk dangerously slow? The 2.0L (an under-bored 2.3) in the Stripped down model first gen Rangers, they barely made 100 ft lbs!! They only came with a manual trans & 2wd.Story...a buddy of mine in high school rebuilt one of those...85 I believe....but it has been 20 years...LOL Anyways him and his father totally rebuilt it...engine, paint, interior. When I finally got a ride in it...it was the slowest thing ever....did look good though....he drove it for years....said it got 23mpg on the road....so slow....like watching paint dry.Travis Quote Selected
new best city mpg Reply #14 – April 09, 2014, 09:13:17 PM My old 2.0 b2000 would kill an n/a 2.3. I could chirp 4th gear. got 35+ mpg with or without beating on it.Also, i accidently drove 75 miles in drive today at 65-80 mph today, now I'm at 1/2 tank. whoops. Quote Selected
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