The Official "What's Your Gas Mileage?" thread (merged)

[James93726]

hey all,
my town car isn't getting good gas mileage, its got 108K miles and i did a tune up about 12K miles ago, should i do a tune up more since it passed the 100K mile mark? i just did a trans flush too. what else should i do to increase mileage? thanks.

[cason1]

Run synthetic fluids. Oil, trans, and rear gear oil all synthetic. I got an extra 2 mpg or so out of mine by doing those. Proper air pressure in all tires. I run mine at 35psi. If you are all city driving, I would install some 4.10 rear gears. If all highway and performance is of no concern I would find a Mustang guy that is upgrading his rearend and see if he will give you his stock 2.73 gears. Check the tech section for Seafoam use. It is good stuff and might clean your motor out a bit and give you better mileage. It has helped mine before. There are lots of other little tricks but those are the ones I could think of off hand.

[davzog]

What kind of mpg ar4e you actually getting???

[gadget73]

and under what conditions are you getting this economy? city driving, highway driving, at what speeds, etc.

[Dereck]

What else should i do to increase mileage? thanks.

Hi James93726

I find if I open up the drivers door, stick a leg out and scoot, I can increase my gas milage by as much a 5 miles per gallon :D

Regards

Dereck

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

Sticking a hose in your neighbors gas tank will also increase your time between fill ups :D

[Kielbasa]

Punt.......... ;)

[Newave Dave]

I have found a moon roof can increase mileage. Open the roof and hoist a sail! Arrgh matey, hoist the jibb, me land yacht be sailing now.

[towncar1]

I average 15-18 city, but as high as 27-30 on prolonged highway/interstate driving.

Dave

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

If we are going to add our own statistics:

18-20 City
26-31 Hwy (26-28 for shorter trips, 30-31 for prolonged ones) :cool:

[cason1]

If we are going to add our own statistics:

18-20 City
26-31 Hwy (26-28 for shorter trips, 30-31 for prolonged ones) :cool:


I have had similar mileage out of mine. I have averaged 33mpg on several long interstate trips as long as I keep my foot out of it.

[James93726]

sorry i been away for a while. but i'm kinda thinking that my float in the gas tank is messed up, sometimes i would get about 9mpg, sometimes 16mpg in the city. i always get about 23-26 mpg on freeway.

i take good care of my car except i have never drained the diff oil but i'm going to do that next weekend. i seafoam sometimes every oil change and i only use synthetic, royal purple every other oil change.

i hear that copper plugs are better, should i use coppers on my 96 town car?

I bought a K&N cone air filter, i'm going to replace the TPS and clean the MAF. drain the diff and do an oil change, maybe get copper plugs since i hear they are better. thanks for the input.

[JeepOwner]

I average 14mpg city..

[Loud94TC]

Rob, your car sux dude, I floor it all the time and maintain 17mpg city 24mpg hwy.

[James93726]

now,
i replaced the air filter with a cone filter and my mpg are much better than its ever been and my performance is much better as well. now i'm getting 17mpg in the city and i haven't checked it on the freeway yet. if anyone else is looking to get better performance and mpg i would recomend yanking the whole air box out and replaceing it with the cone type.

[wanga]

Hey!

I'm an owner of a 99 TC Exec 455k miles. If I'm lucky I am getting 9.9 MPG city. Is this normal? What can I do to improve gas mileage?

Thankies

[ABE]

Sounds like you are using twice as much fuel as others. Here are some of the things that worsen my fuel economy:

- Short trips where the engine does not reach operating temperature or cold engine is a high percentage of the trip;
- Warming the engine at idle instead of driving away after a couple of seconds;
- Idling the engine for longer than a traffic light stop;
- rapid acceleration from stops;
- not anticipating stops and braking hard for them;
- brakes dragging due to lack of maintenance;
- carrying excessive and unnecessary weight;
- low tire pressure;
- poor transmission shifting or torque converter not locking;
- poor engine tune: compression, plugs, wires, filters, etc;
- leak in fuel system: injectors, lines, filter, tank;
- not filling tank to same point between fill-ups;

[wanga]

- poor transmission shifting or torque converter not locking;
- poor engine tune: compression, plugs, wires, filters, etc;
- leak in fuel system: injectors, lines, filter, tank;

Only the above is possible. Any tips you can give on checking that or how I can go about getting someone to check that for me.

[ABE]

- poor transmission shifting or torque converter not locking;
- poor engine tune: compression, plugs, wires, filters, etc;
- leak in fuel system: injectors, lines, filter, tank;

Only the above is possible. Any tips you can give on checking that or how I can go about getting someone to check that for me.
The 2001 Town Car with the standard 3.08 axle and 225/60x16 tires will shift up on light throttle at the following speeds:
1st to 2nd at 7 - 10 mph
2nd to 3rd at 18 - 21 mph
3rd to 4th at 33 - 35 mph
and will downshift on a closed throttle:
4th to 3rd at 27 - 31 mph
3rd to 2nd at 15 - 19 mph
2nd to 1st at 9 - 12 mph
There are 4 ways of checking if the torque converter is locking:
- just before coming to a full stop you can feel the torque converter unlock by noting a slight tremor from the trans, but it cannot be felt in my TC;
- you may be able to hear the engine rev slightly in response to slight acceleration when torque converter unlocked but not when it is locked;
- with a tachometer you can see the rpm climb more than the speed when torque converter is unlocked, but the speedometer and tach move in unison when the torque converter is locked;
- a scan gauge can read the PCM and identify when torque converter locked or unlocked.

You will need a compression tester (less than $20) to verify the compression as the primary health indicator of the engine. You will be looking for 3 factors:
- how quickly compression is achieved, should be within 3 of 4 turns with the first turn giving 75% of total;
- how high the readings, minimum should be 100 psi for the engine to start and run, but 150 is fairly typical;
- balance is required from the cylinder compressions for the engine to run smoothly, such that the lowest is within 75% of the highest (if lowest is 100 then highest must not be more than 134).
If you don't know when plugs, wires and filters have been changed in 455,000 miles then change them all. If the plugs are darker than light tan and the fuel and air filters are OK then the MassAir Flow sensor may be dirty giving the PCM a false reading and incorrect fuel injection will result.

For the fuel system you can usually tell with your nose. The best time is after a run when engine is hot and fuel system is pressurized (including the tank - slightly) so put the car in an enclosed garage and check around everywhere with your nose. If you don't smell anything you probably don't have a leak. The fuel pressure is supposed to leak down to zero after a period of time. If you have a fuel pressure gauge you can see how long yours takes, if less than 20 minutes you have a problem.

[wanga]

I have a scan tool, i'll try to figure that out today.
I'm pretty sure I've experienced:
- just before coming to a full stop you can feel the torque converter unlock by noting a slight tremor from the trans, but it cannot be felt in my TC;

1st to 2nd at 7 - 10 mph
2nd to 3rd at 18 - 21 mph
3rd to 4th at 33 - 35 mph
^-- just about right

plugs / wires were changed 1.5 months ago, I'll check out the air filter later today, massair flow sensor I'll have checked this weekend. I hope my shop has a compression tester and can check that for me as I don't have one.

Do you think you can clarify when the torque converter should be locked/unlocked? I'm assuming unlocked @ accelration / locked @ coasting/deceleration
Thanks for all the help ABE you sir, are the man.

[LithiumCobalt]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but what do you expect for almost a half a million miles? Do you have synthetic fluids? It's not uncommon for me to average about 13-14 mpg in the winter with 95% city driving and mine only has 90k on it, so you're not too far off.

[mercman1951]

My '99 With 90,000 miles gets 18-20 in mixed driving, 14-18 ave. around town, and up to 25 in sustained highway 70+ mph driving. I surprise many people when I tell them this. I get better mileage than my GF's 2000 Grand Am 2-door V-6.

[wanga]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but what do you expect for almost a half a million miles? Do you have synthetic fluids? It's not uncommon for me to average about 13-14 mpg in the winter with 95% city driving and mine only has 90k on it, so you're not too far off.
Yes I am using synthetic.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

I'll have to agree with Lithium. If you have nearly 500,000 miles on that car, with the orig. motor, I'm suprised it is reliable enough for daily transportation. Not knocking the Town Car, but, that is a LOT of miles. If you are doing all city driving, with 455K, then, 10 wouldn't suprise me. Check out the MAF sensor, and all that ABE said, and see what's what. :)

[MrWalleyeTC]

Just wondering, is that what the trip computer is telling you, or is that the mileage you calculated between fill ups? I've noticed my computer is consistantly giving me a lower reading than actual, but not that low.

[ABE]

I have a scan tool, i'll try to figure that out today.
I'm pretty sure I've experienced:
- just before coming to a full stop you can feel the torque converter unlock by noting a slight tremor from the trans, but it cannot be felt in my TC;

1st to 2nd at 7 - 10 mph
2nd to 3rd at 18 - 21 mph
3rd to 4th at 33 - 35 mph
^-- just about right

plugs / wires were changed 1.5 months ago, I'll check out the air filter later today, massair flow sensor I'll have checked this weekend. I hope my shop has a compression tester and can check that for me as I don't have one.

Do you think you can clarify when the torque converter should be locked/unlocked? I'm assuming unlocked @ accelration / locked @ coasting/deceleration
Thanks for all the help ABE you sir, are the man.
The PCM controls when the torque converter is locked. When accelerating easily it will lock up in 2, 3 and 4 ASAP. When accelerating hard it will unlock to apply more power (higher revs). At steady speed (throttle opening) it will be locked, but release to give more power to climb undulations in the road.

If your scan gauge cannot find the torque converter lock/unlock indicator you can observe the effect using the rpm sensor. As you accelerate very slowly up through the gears you will see the rpm drop as the next gear is selected and then drop again as the torque converter is locked. This happens quickly so may be difficult to detect. Watch at just over 40 mph when in 4th you will see a noticeable drop in rpm as the torque converter locks and then the speedometer will move in step with the rpm as you continue to accelerate slowly. At steady throttle opening, come to a rise in the road and the rpm will go up to counter the extra drag and try to maintain speed.

Regarding the mileage on your car. Don't be too worried about it. It was probably accumulated in long stretches with a hot engine. A hot engine wears very little. Wear occurs for the most part with a cold engine. The oil cannot flow to the moving parts quickly enough and the wear rate is very high, aided by sludge buildup from condensation. Once the engine is up to temperature the oil maintains a barrier between the parts. Usually high mileage cars are well maintained. Short trips and poor maintenance will kill an engine quickly regardless of mileage. If compression is even and high and the oil pressure is good then the engine will probably last a long time.

[ABE]

I found this test (in the 2001 Lincoln service manual) for torque converter lockup. It may be helpful, especially the second part (after the note):

Torque Converter Operation Test

This test verifies that the torque converter clutch control system and the torque converter are operating correctly.

1. Carry out Quick Test with scan tool. For additional information, refer to the «Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis Manual». Check for DTCs.

2. Connect a tachometer to the engine.

3. Bring the engine to normal operating temperature by driving the vehicle at highway speeds for approximately 15 minutes in (D) position.

4. After normal operating temperature is reached, maintain a constant vehicle speed of about 80 km/h (50 mph) and tap brake pedal with the left foot.

5. Engine rpm should increase when brake pedal is tapped, and decrease about five seconds after pedal is released. If this does not occur, see torque converter operation concerns. For additional information, refer to «Diagnosis By Symptom» in this section.

6. If the vehicle stalls in (D) or manual 2 at idle with vehicle at a stop, move the transmission range selector lever to manual 1 position. If the vehicle stalls, see torque converter operation concerns. For additional information, refer to «Diagnosis By Symptom» in this section. If the vehicle does not stall in (D), refer to «Diagnosis By Symptom» in this section.

7. If the vehicle exhibits a vibration during the road test complete the Road Test Evaluation Form. This form will aid the technician in determining the source of the vibration.

Note:
The following is a list of common vehicle concerns that have been misdiagnosed as torque converter clutch shudder. For diagnosis of the following items refer to the appropriate sections of the workshop manual and the «Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis Manual».

spark plugs - check for cracks, high resistance or broken insulators

plug wires

fuel injector - filter may be plugged

fuel contamination - poor engine performance

EGR valve - valve may let in too much exhaust gas and cause engine to run lean

vacuum leak - engine will not get correct air/fuel mixture

MAP/MAF sensor - improper air/fuel mixture

HO2S sensor - too rich/lean air/fuel mixture

fuel pressure - may be too low

engine mounts -loose/damaged mounts can cause vibration concerns

axle joints - check for vibration

[Philip]

Hey!

I'm an owner of a 99 TC Exec 455k miles. If I'm lucky I am getting 9.9 MPG city. Is this normal? What can I do to improve gas mileage?

Thankies

Air filter
Fuel filter
Plugs (and wires if it is not COP ignition)
Injector cleaning

but then you've probably done these a few times already if you've run that many miles on it. This is just where I would start with any car before getting into mechanical stuff.

[wanga]

Fuel / Plugs changed ~2 months ago
gonna have the MAF checked, I know I need new cats, they're just too expensive :(

[Hensley]

I'm speaking to the '91 and up crowd..... I previously have owned late '80s Town Cars (21 mpg highway), followed by a Mark VII LSC (22 MPG), and have "graduated" to a '97 Town Car (25-27 MPG highway depending on my leadfoot). In my 3 weeks of ownership, I am continually amazed at the gas mileage this thing gets, especially on the highway.

My neighbor just bought a 2006 Explorer with the V-6 (not the V-8), and he is getting 15 mpg on the highway. He told me the window sticker showed 13 City, 15 Highway. Yet, I have the 4.6L V-8 and get 25 on the highway. Doesn't make sense. I know the newer vehicles weigh a little more due to newer safety features, but it still doesn't add up.

[nailfoot]

Ford installed a new Air Combustion gimmick. The car actually runs 100% on air, and all of the gas you put in it is teleported directly out into space for research on a new moonbase. That's where all of the Earth's gas supply is going, as most cars do this now.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

well, there are a few things I can think of. One, the car is a much more aerodynamic design over the 80's ones. Also, when driving 45-60/65 MPH, the car's engine isn't racing or anything to keep up with the speed, so it uses much less gas in this MPH range.


BTW, I average 29-31 highway :)

[gadget73]

aerodynamics, plain and simple. I think your cars are also a bit lighter than the box models. Boxes have awful aerodynamics. Its not all in the engine either. Compare a 1990 Towncar to a 1989. Same driveline, but the 1990 will use a noticeable amount less fuel just because its body shape is easier to push down the road.


Amusingly, the boxes were rated mid-high 20s on the highway. I have the window sticker for an 87 Stars and Stripes I've worked on, it claims 15 city, 27 highway out of the 5.0 tow package car with the 3.55 gears.

[CheeseSteakJim]

Don't forget the highway gears that Panthers take great advantage of, while the Explorer - not so much. Panthers are also 2WD while his Explorer may or may not be.

Also, an Explorer (in my opinion) is sort of underpowered by having a V6. It's like having a large, heavy carriage being pulled by 6 horses instead of 8. You have to feed the 6 horses more because they're working harder.

[Hensley]

Don't forget the highway gears that Panthers take great advantage of, while the Explorer - not so much. Panthers are also 2WD while his Explorer may or may not be.

Also, an Explorer (in my opinion) is sort of underpowered by having a V6. It's like having a large, heavy carriage being pulled by 6 horses instead of 8. You have to feed the 6 horses more because they're working harder.


Yup. I got a chance to drive the Explorer over the weekend, and it does work hard to keep up with traffic.

[LithiumCobalt]

Yup. I got a chance to drive the Explorer over the weekend, and it does work hard to keep up with traffic.

I'll agree. I hate the V6 that we got in our 2004 - it's very slow and very thirsty. It's the only thing that I wish was different about the truck other than the throttle by wire. Other than that, it's beautiful.

[Se7en VIII]

Wow you guys are showing awesome results on your MPG!!! I am amazed too! I am really beginning to wonder why my 95 Mark VIII is only getting 18-19? Considering that the Mark VIII is a really aerodynamic car.

[Hensley]

Wow you guys are showing awesome results on your MPG!!! I am amazed too! I am really beginning to wonder why my 95 Mark VIII is only getting 18-19? Considering that the Mark VIII is a really aerodynamic car.

Is that 18-19 around town? On the highway you should easily get low 20s (at least).

[luxuryrules]

Wow you guys are showing awesome results on your MPG!!! I am amazed too! I am really beginning to wonder why my 95 Mark VIII is only getting 18-19? Considering that the Mark VIII is a really aerodynamic car.

How long ago were the plugs changed, and with what kind of plugs?

How long ago was the fuel filter changed? Or air filter?

[mark95man]

The Town Car gets better MPG due to the torque curve of the 4.6L V-8. Many feel a V-6 or I-4 is the road to better MPG and it should be. However it's the right leg & foot that causes the V-6 or I-4 to rev up to its higher torque curve using more fuel. Hey, I have a small car that gets better MPG than your TC, more over! Zoom, zoom, zoom right into the gas station. Our former 95 GM and 96 TC always got in the mid to upper 20 MPG. My 07 Designer gets a strong 29 highway (of course that's in no traffic, around 27 in normal traffic) and 23 in town. Our 08 GM gives a little more due to less weight & mass. MPG will change as per the changing driving conditions. We thought about getting a smaller car--until we noted their EAP gas mileage rating--less than a TC or GM. Rather be in a RWD TC than a FWD Impala getting the same MPG!

[Dusty]

4.6s get better gas mileage and have more horsepower than 5.0s. I had an 89 Town Car before I got this 95 and the 95 is rated at 210 vs 150 hp and the 95 gets 3-5 mpgs more. As far as SUVs vs Town Car, aerodymanics and rear end gearing. Most SUVs have numerically higher rears to support their tow ratings. I changed gears in my 4.6 Tbird from 3.07 to 3.73 and lost 3 mpg on the highway. It sure has more get up and go and I did it 5 yrs ago when gas was cheaper. I know a guy that put 2.73 vs 3.07 in his 4.6 Tbird and gained 2 mpg on the highway.
When people see me in my Town Car they call it a gas guzzler and I have to correct them.

[Newave Dave]

Dusty, let us just keep it a secret. All then envious onlookers will figure we are rolling in dough or have family in Kuwait. Of course that image gets blown away when they come for a ride and say "Hey, whats that 22mpg average thing on the dash?"

[Se7en VIII]

I am not completely sure between what I get highway or through town. I calculate per tank, so I guess thats the avg. I did a tune up when I first got the car which was about a year ago, I believe I have autolite plugs, but I still have yet to change my plug wires. I did change both O2 sensors and that didn't seem to make to much of a difference.

Any particular brand of plugs and wires you guys prefer?

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

Any particular brand of plugs and wires you guys prefer?

OEM Motorcraft wires, and copper plugs. The 4.6's don't like the platinums very much. :)

[mark95man]

OEM Motorcraft wires, and copper plugs. The 4.6's don't like the platinums very much. :)
Agree on Motorcraft wires. My 95 GM and 96 TC had no problems with Motorcraft Platinum Spark Plugs---other brands I had issues with. Also the #1 spark plug wire was an issue (fried) if I did not use Motorcraft wires. Stay with OEM to save time & $$$$.

[04Ultimate]

Well I'm kinda sorta maybe "glad" to hear everyone else with a 6 banger Explorer is also enjoying crappy gas mileage :mad:! When we bought my wife's 96 a year and a half ago I was extremely disappointed in the 12 mpg we got around town in 2wd weather. Our 76 Marquis with a 460 & 4 barrel gets 10 for heavens sake. But the Explorer does weigh a lot (almost as much as our 04 Town Car) and yes indeed...it DOES have to work quite hard to get going and keep going at any decent pace. Of course we bought it for the winter and our snowy streets which it handles wonderfully with 4 actual snow tires (2 of 'em studded). I'd agree that the TC has it all over the Explorer when it comes to aerodynamics and I'm sure the gearing and power curve of the Lincoln is a major contributor too. We get around 16 in town :) but we're at 6,000' elevation & haven't taken her out on the highway yet. When we do we'll be heading up into the mountains and probably 10,000' but then its coasting all the way back down :D! I will post our results when we finally get outta town! One thing that doesn't exactly make sense to me is that we actually increase our mileage in town if I turn off the overdrive. Its seems we're always getting up to around 35 to 40 mph and the tranny seems to want to fumble around between 3rd & OD so I've been shutting the OD off & Eureka! the mpg goes up 1 to 2 mpg. Weird but nice...kinda like me my wife says... :p

[Steve Moran]

IIRC The owners manual says the OD should be shut off around town.
Sounds like a nice vacation/trip.

[CheeseSteakJim]

OEM Motorcraft wires, and copper plugs. The 4.6's don't like the platinums very much. :)

Eh? They all come with platinums now.

You could more accurately say the modular motors don't like any spark plugs very much, considering how they spit them out so often. :p

[skinhead]

I agree with all of you, we must all do something to decrease the mpg's that our TC's get... :p

[CheeseSteakJim]

I will do my best to contribute to this effort. Starting tomorrow I will be doing burnouts at each stop light. Not only will this decrease my gas mileage exponentially, but eventually I will also be spending quite a bit on new tires.

[Newave Dave]

Sounds like a good way to spend your "economic stimulus" check.

[gadget73]

A bone stock Explorer 5.0 in a box will eat a 4.6 PI motor for breakfast. I had the oppertunity to compare them just this weekend. Trip south in a 5.0 Explorer powered 88 Towncar with a wide ratio trans and a 3.55 gearset. Trip home was in a 2001 Vic HPP with the same transmission and rear ratios. The 5.0 was just a much more powerful ride. It does 22 on the highway too, the Vic owner told me he gets about 24 from his car.

[Trenton]

I'm getting 21 miles to the gallon around town in my 96 Lincoln Town Car.

How are you doing?

[mark95man]

My 96 Signature at 132K miles was still getting 22 in town and 27+ on the interstate. I started to use Mobil 1 5W-30 at 25 miles, changing every 3 to 5K miles (or 3 to 4 months) depending on type of driving.

[davzog]

I just changed the intake and spark plugs on my 01...plus I use Pennzoil Platinum 5w20 synthetic.

I generally get 23.5-25.2 in overall driving...

Funny thing, I drove up the river road after the repairs and kept the cruise at 55 mpg...flat terrain.

I reset the computer at the beginning of the river road and it actually went to 30.1 mpg for the overall trip....about 35 miles....

Probably never happen again...ah ha

[95pres]

I've been getting 20-25mpg over all with my 95 TC sig.
-mostly driven on the weekends only ,and mostly on the highway.
Which is awesome compared to my work truck (05 hemi P.W.) that gets about 13mpg avg.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

23 City
30-32 Hwy.

[no0c]

23 City
30-32 Hwy.

The first liar doesn't stand a chance !! HA HA

[18yr-old-w/-Town Car]

14 city
18 highway

[Largoyle]

Lillibell has 111k miles on her, and I get a CONSISTENT 19.2 in town, and at highway speed ( 70-72 mph with cruise control ) I can do 26to almost 27... did get 28 once.... this is with teh FACTORY plugs and wires... I'm afraid to change them, that the mileage will drop...LOL

[Largoyle]

:eek:14 city
18 highway

Somethings wrong with your car...or, its just your driving habits.. you should be getting much better mileage.. forgot to do this in my other post...lol

[bryanhbre]

just got back from my summer camping trip, got 25mpg going about 70mph with a trunk completely full of camping gear and 4 adults in the car. it was LOADED!!!!!! very happy with that mileage especially with all the weight involved.

[pkucan]

95 TC with 195,000
19 City
24 Highway

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

The first liar doesn't stand a chance !! HA HA

Ah, but I am not lying. Reason city is higher is because there is somestop and go, but not a lot. Just a lot of driving at 35-45.

Highway driving is what it is because of mostly flat surfaces.

so :p

[Sixlitre]

Lately my 90' (5.0 litre)

with it's huge custom Y-pipe, single 3" cat and optimized ignition has been knocking off 23 mpg combined and I've hit 27 mpg on a pure hwy trip.

I've done better on both, but lately I'm driving pretty heavy footed-ly (grin)

Sixlitre

[Johnny]

1991 Town Car with 4.6 and 3.27 in the rear end and I get 18.5 city and 24 highway. Car has 150K for mileage.

johnny

[Dereck]

Hi

Another gas mileage thread *yawn*

Regards

Dereck

[rj]

45 City, 50 Highway

Oh...sorry that's the Prius :)

[Jhands]

Without the AC on I can easily get 19 city, and higher...With the AC on I usually can get ~18. That is the computer readout on the digi dash BTW.

[Dereck]

Hi Guys

Here it is the definitive answer to "What is your gas mileage?" This is the first, only and last time I will ever calculate my gas milage so make the most of it.

Paramenters:

92 Town Car 170,000 miles, fully serviced and tuned to perfection, using bearly a pint of oil per 3000 miles.

4 passengers weighing in at a total of 720lbs

75lbs of luggage

70 degrees, virtually no wind, 75% humidity and the A/C set to 68 degrees

Brim filled the gas tank, reset the fuel computer and drove 282 miles with the cruise set at 73mph then brim filled the tank again.

Results:

DTE Lie-O-Meter said 23.9 mpg
Manual calculation said 22.3 mpg

So there you have it hopefully the final post on gas milage :)

Regards

Dereck

[vanakular]

any thoughts on this???

http://www.performancepartswholesale.com/storefront/?N=11008+4294966977+1657+11920+9316

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

^ They are a great way to blow 100 bucks. Most here will agree. If you want a minor increase in fuel economy, buy a bottle of acetone, and add a squirt or two to your fuel tank. That will help some. I haven't personally tried it, but others have. :)

[rj]

Be sure to get a money back guarantee and have a good weekend worth of time to kill. Not likely to give you the mpg claim.

[pkucan]

I really don't see how the air flow is increased? It looks like about 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. I guess if they made it a 1/2 inch thick you would get more???? Looks like a gimmick!!

[Jhands]

Best thing to do to improve gas mileage is to take that bottom plastic piece out of the bottom of the airbox that reduces the diameter of the hole from the factory. It's free, so whatever increase you get in mileage is effective immediately, not after you break that 100 dollar investment barrier.

[cason1]

now,
i replaced the air filter with a cone filter and my mpg are much better than its ever been and my performance is much better as well. now i'm getting 17mpg in the city and i haven't checked it on the freeway yet. if anyone else is looking to get better performance and mpg i would recomend yanking the whole air box out and replaceing it with the cone type.

The reasoning is the cone filter is pulling hot underhood air instead of cooler air from outside the underhood area. Cooler air makes more power, warmer air gets better mileage.

[Jhands]

Did the guy that installed the cone air filter just put it directly onto the manifold or into the box? Believe it was James. I am interested in trying this warm air intake style.

[ALPHA1906]

1996 executive/
on average city/highway combined 23mpg

[Night Wolf]

Not happy with my mileage yet again....

60-65 with no A/C I'll get 25-27

But, with the cruise set at 70 with A/C on... its getting barely 21mpg....

at 82 with A/C on it gets 18, if that...

I am more concerned about the MPG at 70 tho.... 21 is just kinda pathetic for 70mph. Car is fully tuned up.

[Jhands]

Agreed Night Wolf. I did 73 cruise on the way home from when I bought my TC and the computer read out was near 28 MPG...Is there perhaps a different rear end in it? Tow package? Maybe someone swapped it out before you bought it and didn't tell you...only thing I can think of if the car is tuned up good.

[Night Wolf]

More highway driving... another ~1,000 mile trip in 3 days.... thats why I own this car.

Normally when it's me, I don't mind going slower to get better MPG... but, I had some friends in the car who kept commenting on my speed, plus I do enjoy going faster now and then. Also, when I drive, I enjoy all windows down and no A/C (which is why I have a convertible itch) For some reason, A/C in the Lincoln takes alot of engine power and really makes a difference in MPG, moreso then any other car I've owned. For this trip windows were up and A/C on the entire time.

For all fuel mileage examples, I would reset avg mpg.... I75 between middle Georgia and all of Florida is pretty much completely flat, but these mpg ratings are also consistant with what I've been getting.

On the way down to Clearwater, FL I had the cruise set at 82, that was getting me 18mpg... which is, IMO pathetic.

Coming back I had it set at 75.... thats where I was getting 20mpg.... Sometimes when traffic was moving slower and I didn't want to do the constant lane change thing, I would go 70, and MPG was about 21.5 or so.

however thru construction zones I would go down to 65.... thats where I seen the bigger jump in MPG, it appears that the car gets best MPG between 55-65, however it just "feels" better from 75-90.

At 65, my MPG would go to 24, which to me is OK for the car with A/C on.... it would just be nice to get that mileage at 75 instead of 65.

Then, around 55-58 with A/C on that is when the car will peak, which is 26mpg..... but 55 on I75 which has a speed limit of 70, and most everyone is doing atleast 75-80, or above... is actually dangerous and annoying. Slowest I would go is 60, which even then is slow.

My car does have the Ride Control Package, which adds 3.27 gears in place of the 3.08 stock.... I like the extra performance, but I do not know how much that effects MPG, and if maybe thats why others say they are getting similar MPG I see at 75, instead of my 65?

Car just turned 115k on this trip, I've had it just under a year and a half, got it with 93.8k on it. Like I said, pretty much everything that can be tuned up, has been. Not very long ago at all I put in new Motorcraft wires and Autolite copper plugs, I may replace the coil packs, which are physically cracked around the mounting holes, and I think at the same time I'll put my personal favorite plug in... NGK V-power and see what that does.

Overall it's not that big of a deal, car is paid off and I like it, it would just be nice if it got the mileage others say their cars are getting.

[Jhands]

When I achieved 28 MPG highway, I came from just outside Winter Haven back to Tampa. I had the AC on. I'm pretty sure I have the ride control package as well seeing as how mine is a Cartier, but I can tell you I'm definitely getting at least 25 hwy mpg at 70-73 MPH. I dunno how yours is so low.

[boss429]

I'm getting 27-32 hwy and 17-18city. Got 33.2 on looooooong trip from Kansas to Florida(interstate only) with three adults on board+ lots of luggage. 17.2 on alchohol mix gas and 18.1 on straight petro gas-driver only in town.

[shoehorny]

1997 LTC Signature with 167K miles - I've been getting on average 20MPG - mostly highway miles. I recently replaced cats and O2 sensors on both sides. Mileage went over 22MPG today after light driving. Car was tuned up last year.

Cheers!

Mike

[Jhands]

Recently tested a tank without A/C use and confirmed I am definitely getting 19-20 MPG all city, no highway.

[Davitox87]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but what do you expect for almost a half a million miles? Do you have synthetic fluids? It's not uncommon for me to average about 13-14 mpg in the winter with 95% city driving and mine only has 90k on it, so you're not too far off.

I have 432k miles and i get 17-19 city and 22-25 highway :eek:

[93cartiertc]

Yes get NGK V-POWER coppers from Advance auto parts (www.partsamerica.com). Part# TR55. Excellent plug for the money! They fire very well, especially in cold weather!sorry i been away for a while. but i'm kinda thinking that my float in the gas tank is messed up, sometimes i would get about 9mpg, sometimes 16mpg in the city. i always get about 23-26 mpg on freeway.

i take good care of my car except i have never drained the diff oil but i'm going to do that next weekend. i seafoam sometimes every oil change and i only use synthetic, royal purple every other oil change.

i hear that copper plugs are better, should i use coppers on my 96 town car?

I bought a K&N cone air filter, i'm going to replace the TPS and clean the MAF. drain the diff and do an oil change, maybe get copper plugs since i hear they are better. thanks for the input.

[bigham1989]

car say's 21 and i have no over drive

["C"]

To the few that haven't visited the tech section, one way I learned to make my engine run even smoother, have a lil more power, and possible increase MPG's, is using a fuel system cleaner such as B12 Chemtool sucking through the PCV valve while the engine is running.

Putting this stuff in your tank might not be enough in really dirty engines, so it's vidal that you try the PCV valve method, and see if works for you, I'm sure it will. It will help clean out the intake system that probably has been choking your engine for all this time, and could be the sole cause of your low MPG's.

If you have replaced everything you can think of, plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter, tires etc and you still can't think why your car is still returning such weak fuel economy, what's next? You can't think of what else it could be, because you have replaced every part in the book, then your fuel system could be dirty or partly clogged up with gum and varnish.

It really worked for me, I posted a thread on it because I was so excited with my results. I even put some Chemtool in my 61 Lincoln, as well as using the PCV as a source for the cleaner, and yet again it cleaned up my engine and made it run smoother, and now I don't have to pump the gas pedal 30 or so times just for the 61 to start up. It only takes a couple of pumps now!:)

[Trenton]

Here are a couple of things I did to boost gas mileage in my 96 Town Car Cartier--197,000 miles.

I use only Chevron gas now, and I try not to drive over 55 mph. Stops and stars are smoother. I try not to brake hard and rapidly accelerate. Doing all of these things has increased my gas mileage about 2.5 to 3 miles per gallon in the city. On my next long trip I'm going to keep it right at 55 and see if I can break 30.

A buddy told me you get 10% better gas mileage with Chevron gas, but I didn't believe it, so I checked it out for myself. He was right. I checked Chevron, Costco and Arco. Chevron was the best, and then Costco with Arco the worst.

For what it's worth.

[rascal]

I have a 2000 Town Car Signature, 170k, air filter is stock, oil and filter changed every 3k (+/-), all plugs are new, all COP are new, the only thing I added to improve gas mileage was the Tornado Fuel Saver few years back.

And in my opinion, IT WORKS! Before installing it, which is very easy, the best I got was 23 mpg/highway. Now I’m getting 27-28 mpg/highway on a weekly basis and I’m very happy with that. Most of my driving is 65-70 mph, highway.


http://www.tornadoair.com/

[Dereck]

.....the only thing I added to improve gas mileage was the Tornado Fuel Saver few years back.

And in my opinion, IT WORKS! Before installing it, which is very easy, the best I got was 23 mpg/highway. Now I’m getting 27-28 mpg/highway on a weekly basis and I’m very happy with that. Most of my driving is 65-70 mph, highway.


http://www.tornadoair.com/

Hi Rascal

Whoahahahahahaha! :rofl: It's not April 1st allready, is it?

Regards

Dereck

[rascal]

No, why?

[Dereck]

No, why?

Hi Rascal

I am just busting your balls about the Tornado didn't think educated people actually bought them until I found one at the shop last week fitted to a Chevy van. :)

http://lincoln.superstitiongold.com/pictures5/TornadoPower.jpg

Regards

Dereck

[Largoyle]

hey all,
my town car isn't getting good gas mileage, its got 108K miles and i did a tune up about 12K miles ago, should i do a tune up more since it passed the 100K mile mark? i just did a trans flush too. what else should i do to increase mileage? thanks.

Lillibell still has the factory plugs and wires from '97, at 113k miles. The last trip I took 3 weks ago, I did 28.7 mpg, roundtrip. Here's some info on the trip, however. 2 lane road for 260 miles,round trip... gentle rolling hills in SE Tennessee..( Hwy 411 for the locals ). Speed limits of 45-55 mph, and I used the cruise control, ambient temp of about 60 degrees and sunny. And I ran with the drivers window open because I smoke. Tire pressures of 32 lbs in the front, 35 in the rear (35 in the front makes her "twitchy and drifty".) These are factory recommended pressures according to my sticker on the door. It's a Signature Series, and I do have the ride control/handling package/touring package... whatever the term is, with the larger axle ratio. I run regular 5w30 oil, and normal fluids, non synthetic, and change them at regular intervals.
I consistantly average 19+ mpg around town, and until this trip, have done 26-27 mpg.... apparently the moons were aligned just right and I got exceptionally good mileage on this trip ! You couldn't PAY me to do a tuneup right now... I'm afraid my mileage and performance would drop !!! LOL Besides, she runs like a Swiss watch.
P.S. She had just gotten a bath and wax job the evening before....we all know clean cars run better !

[white lincoln]

I just got back from a 3000 mile trip with a fully loaded trunk and two adults and maintained a steady 21mpg. That included a lot of mountain driving as well as highway.

I usually get 22mpg in town and 25mpg on the highway. I have 160k on my 95.

[MB_W]

Lillibell still has the factory plugs and wires from '97, at 113k miles. The last trip I took 3 weks ago, I did 28.7 mpg, roundtrip. Here's some info on the trip, however. 2 lane road for 260 miles,round trip... gentle rolling hills in SE Tennessee..( Hwy 411 for the locals ). Speed limits of 45-55 mph, and I used the cruise control, ambient temp of about 60 degrees and sunny. And I ran with the drivers window open because I smoke. Tire pressures of 32 lbs in the front, 35 in the rear (35 in the front makes her "twitchy and drifty".) These are factory recommended pressures according to my sticker on the door. It's a Signature Series, and I do have the ride control/handling package/touring package... whatever the term is, with the larger axle ratio. I run regular 5w30 oil, and normal fluids, non synthetic, and change them at regular intervals.
I consistantly average 19+ mpg around town, and until this trip, have done 26-27 mpg.... apparently the moons were aligned just right and I got exceptionally good mileage on this trip ! You couldn't PAY me to do a tuneup right now... I'm afraid my mileage and performance would drop !!! LOL Besides, she runs like a Swiss watch.
P.S. She had just gotten a bath and wax job the evening before....we all know clean cars run better !

I'm happy to hear the mileage you're getting since I have basically the same car. Mine is a 1996 Signature with the Ride control / Touring package and figured the mileage wouldn't be that great due to the 3.27. Plus I'm sure I have the original wires and plugs in mine, since it only has 59,600 miles on it (I just bought it). I thought I'd have to change them just due to age but hey, if it works for you maybe it'll work for me too. I

[white lincoln]

The 3:27 rear end is excellent for better gas mileage. I have that rear end on two of my Fords and both get great gas mileage compared to other cars of the same make / model with a different rear end.

[blessedtech]

I went to walmart and spent 20bucks on the fuel system cleaner I couldn't belive it was 20$ everywhere else in town is 60-100$ my gas milage went from 14 to 24 mpg thought I would share that

[MB_W]

I went to walmart and spent 20bucks on the fuel system cleaner I couldn't belive it was 20$ everywhere else in town is 60-100$ my gas milage went from 14 to 24 mpg thought I would share that

Wow that is an incredible improvement in MPG. Which product did you use?

[Largoyle]

I'm happy to hear the mileage you're getting since I have basically the same car. Mine is a 1996 Signature with the Ride control / Touring package and figured the mileage wouldn't be that great due to the 3.27. Plus I'm sure I have the original wires and plugs in mine, since it only has 59,600 miles on it (I just bought it). I thought I'd have to change them just due to age but hey, if it works for you maybe it'll work for me too. I

Oh yes, I get what I would truly call "great mileage"... mind you, I drive the way one should drive a Town Car...lol ...aka "The Lil Ol' Lady" driving approach. I do like to run up through the mountains here and take advantage of the touring package's handling, but for the most part, I'm pretty sedate in my driving habits....I live in the South, you know...hehehehe. With 59k miles on your car, you won't need to tune it up unless the squirrels chew your wires. I'm of the opinion that "if it ain't broken, don't fix it, but DO preventative maintenance"......best of luck to you and your new car !

[MB_W]

Oh yes, I get what I would truly call "great mileage"... mind you, I drive the way one should drive a Town Car...lol ...aka "The Lil Ol' Lady" driving approach. I do like to run up through the mountains here and take advantage of the touring package's handling, but for the most part, I'm pretty sedate in my driving habits....I live in the South, you know...hehehehe. With 59k miles on your car, you won't need to tune it up unless the squirrels chew your wires. I'm of the opinion that "if it ain't broken, don't fix it, but DO preventative maintenance"......best of luck to you and your new car !

Thanks a lot. I want to drive the Town Car the way one should drive a Town Car but that damn Ride Control package keeps getting in the way. It makes me think I have a sportier car. That in turn causes me to subconsciously whale the throttle every now and again. I keep telling myself I'm going to stop. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem.

[unirok]

I went to walmart and spent 20bucks on the fuel system cleaner I couldn't belive it was 20$ everywhere else in town is 60-100$ my gas milage went from 14 to 24 mpg thought I would share that


Whats fuel cleaner is $80 to $100 bucks aside from what the dealer charges?

[unirok]

Thanks a lot. I want to drive the Town Car the way one should drive a Town Car but that damn Ride Control package keeps getting in the way. It makes me think I have a sportier car. That in turn causes me to subconsciously whale the throttle every now and again. I keep telling myself I'm going to stop. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem.



How do I know if my 92 has ride control or was it not available in 1992?

[Pipsta]

Two weeks ago when I bought my TC the average said 16.8 on the message center. I've put on maybe 1200 miles in the two weeks since, yea I know I've been doing alot of driving, and I've got it up to 18.2 with my more conservative foot. It seems like every day it ticks up another .1 or with me driving about 100 miles. I just notice the tires are a little low on pressure maybe 5 pounds a piece so I filled them properly and will see if the up trend continues at the same pace. I'm hoping with my economical driving habits along with the right tire pressure I could see close to 20mpg ave. by the time it's all said and done.

Does anyone know how the message center tabulates the average MPG? How far back in miles does it account for? Doesn't look like it goes tank by tank or anything like that. It appears that it must go back at least 1000 miles if not more. Watching the instant mpg quite a bit I notice I spend alot more time driving with the mpg at 25-30mpg than I do below 20mpg.

Does it make sense that upon acceleration when the car is getting something like 5-8 mpg it take 4 times as much time at 25-30 mpg for it to balance out to 20mpg not just an even balance of time spent in the respective mpg ranges? That was my thinking. Of course I could be wrong and it wouldn't be the first time....or last time...and depending on who you ask *cough*mygfriend*cough* it's where I spend most of the time.

[Dereck]

How do I know if my 92 has ride control or was it not available in 1992?

Hi Unirok

Don't know & don't know :(

Regards

Dereck

[Dereck]

Does anyone know how the message center tabulates the average MPG? How far back in miles does it account for?

Hi Pipsta

It takes an average over the last 500 miles

Regards

Dereck

[ABE]

Two weeks ago when I bought my TC the average said 16.8 on the message center. I've put on maybe 1200 miles in the two weeks since, yea I know I've been doing alot of driving, and I've got it up to 18.2 with my more conservative foot. It seems like every day it ticks up another .1 or with me driving about 100 miles. I just notice the tires are a little low on pressure maybe 5 pounds a piece so I filled them properly and will see if the up trend continues at the same pace. I'm hoping with my economical driving habits along with the right tire pressure I could see close to 20mpg ave. by the time it's all said and done.

Does anyone know how the message center tabulates the average MPG? How far back in miles does it account for? Doesn't look like it goes tank by tank or anything like that. It appears that it must go back at least 1000 miles if not more. Watching the instant mpg quite a bit I notice I spend alot more time driving with the mpg at 25-30mpg than I do below 20mpg.

Does it make sense that upon acceleration when the car is getting something like 5-8 mpg it take 4 times as much time at 25-30 mpg for it to balance out to 20mpg not just an even balance of time spent in the respective mpg ranges? That was my thinking. Of course I could be wrong and it wouldn't be the first time....or last time...and depending on who you ask *cough*mygfriend*cough* it's where I spend most of the time.
The distance to empty in the message center is based upon the computer's calculations of average economy over the last 500 miles and is not resetable. The average fuel economy in the message center is user resetable and keeps calculating the average until reset. In your case the average economy is the average of your driving and the previous owner's driving since the last time it was reset, more than 1200 miles ago. You are a very economical driver to have brought the average up.

For your purposes, you need to reset the average MPG. To do this obtain the Owner's Manual from this site:
https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/owners_manuals/default.asp
Then go to page 23 (PDF page 28) to get a description of the '97 Message Center operation. On page 27 (PDF page 32) there is an explanation of how to reset the average fuel economy display.

You will get a lot of good information from the Owner's Manual.

[Tman70]

Soon you'll be up to me!

[Pipsta]

The distance to empty in the message center is based upon the computer's calculations of average economy over the last 500 miles and is not resetable. The average fuel economy in the message center is user resetable and keeps calculating the average until reset. In your case the average economy is the average of your driving and the previous owner's driving since the last time it was reset, more than 1200 miles ago. You are a very economical driver to have brought the average up.

For your purposes, you need to reset the average MPG. To do this obtain the Owner's Manual from this site:
https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/owners_manuals/default.asp
Then go to page 23 (PDF page 28) to get a description of the '97 Message Center operation. On page 27 (PDF page 32) there is an explanation of how to reset the average fuel economy display.

You will get a lot of good information from the Owner's Manual.

Thanks for the great info. I do happen to have the owners manual, it's still in the glove box. I sort of skimmed through it when I first got the car and then looked closer at a couple of things in particular. I didn't notice that about the average mpg resetting. I'll look again for it. I'll just sit down with it tonight and give it a thorough reading. I've been very busy lately but I think I can devote an hour or so to it tonight. I doubt that the mpg average has ever been reset. A woman owned it for the first 81k and then this guy owned it for six months and I doubt either had reset it. It only had 83,7ish when I bought it and it's just a smidge shy of 85k now. So would the average be for the total mileage on the car then? That would be hard to believe that I could put that much of a dent into it with only 1200 miles.

I wouldn't be surprised if my mpg average is above 20mpg then just going by what I see on the instant mpg display. The 'miles till empty' vs. 'gallons left' always seemed to suggest I was getting 25mpg but I just assumed it wasn't the case and just the nuances of the imperfect system calculations. The only time I spend below 20mpg is when I accelerate and the occasional hill. I'm in Phoenix, AZ so the upgrades are few and far in between with not much % to speak of on them. There's one decent one from downtown to where I live in NPhx but it's not much more than a mile long and I usually find myself at about 17-19mpg going up it.

I have yet to see the instant mpg go higher than 99mpg at any time. Is it capped out there for mechanical reasons on the display? I know the display goes higher that two digits as there are three digit numbers it displays but maybe the instant mpg doesn't allow it to show more than two digits. I've been keeping an eye out for it but have yet to spot it.

Has anyone tried a hydrogen helper unit on their TC?

Thanks for the responses. Very helpful.

[Pipsta]

After reading how easy it is to reset the mpg ave I'm sure it was done at least once before. Probably not by the guy who I bought it from he was pretty clueless. I bet he has on more than one occasion uttered the phrase 'Dude, where's my car?'

I reset it and did a 30 mile round trip to see the parade of lights(xmas type lighted floats parade at night) with my gfriend and her two boys. Good mix of about half freeway, half city and about 10-15 mins of creepin' traffic in the crawl out of the neighborhood where we and half of everyone else who went to the parade was parked.

Got 22.5 mpg on that trip. I got 25 mpg in my mid 90s honda I just recently sold and it was not nearly as nice of a ride. I'll take the TC and lose the 2-3 mpg anyday.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

Over the last 400 miles, my AVG. MPG now reads 25.2.

[ABE]

I have yet to see the instant mpg go higher than 99mpg at any time. Is it capped out there for mechanical reasons on the display? I know the display goes higher that two digits as there are three digit numbers it displays but maybe the instant mpg doesn't allow it to show more than two digits. I've been keeping an eye out for it but have yet to spot it.


If you look on page 22 of your owner's manual you will see a 3 digit display with a decimal between the second and third digits from left. That will display a maximum of 99.9 mpg. Instant and average mpg should display all 3 digits according to the manual with the decimal.

Distance to empty may not have a decimal displayed so it could go to 999 miles to empty.

If you cannot usually see 3 digits, perhaps you have a defective display.

The display seems to work the same as on my car.

[Pipsta]

If you look on page 22 of your owner's manual you will see a 3 digit display with a decimal between the second and third digits from left. That will display a maximum of 99.9 mpg. Instant and average mpg should display all 3 digits according to the manual with the decimal.

Distance to empty may not have a decimal displayed so it could go to 999 miles to empty.

If you cannot usually see 3 digits, perhaps you have a defective display.

The display seems to work the same as on my car.

Yea, I read that when I got to the message center section. I guess even though the display goes three digits deep the mpg inst only goes two deep for whatever reason.

Thanks for the reply. My display is working fine.

[no0c]

Over the last 400 miles, my AVG. MPG now reads 25.2.

And you believe the LIE-O-METER ? :eek:

[Icaptn]

I've put about 600 miles on my 91 since I got it at Thanksgiving. I haven't got many ALL highway miles on it but the trip home was highway and I got 24.8 mpg.

My intown has been 17.8 the last two fills (below freezing temps)

[bubbaD4life]

i've been averaging around 34.5 over the last few fill ups using the exact same pump doing the math at every fill up. however, that is not in a lincoln. when i had the 1992 lincoln i only got about 17.4.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

I average around 21 or so city now, and around 26-27 highway. Summer is better.

[scotty13]

And you believe the LIE-O-METER ? :eek:

I've checked my message center average with against a calculator over several tanks of gas and on several individual long trips. Maybe it is just mine, but it is dead on accurate.

I've always tracked all of my car's mileage religiously with the calculator method and for the first time, with this car, I've stopped because the dash tells me the same information with no effort by me.

To answer the OP, my overall average is 19.8 but I drive 90% city. When on a trip I average somewhere between 24mpg on hilly driving, like Seattle to Eastern Washington and as high as 31mpg on a mostly flat roadway like Seattle to Portland.

[lincoln]

i got 600 k out of a tank on the highway before

[DEXRONIN]

91 Cartier... no major mods... intake snorkel removed, cold air intake elbow installed, what cats?, running reg gas, recent tune up (standard plugs, wires, air filter, 32psi in tires, seafoamed, etc), heavy footed around town, I get about 14 MPG city (17 MPG if I REALLY try to keep it in the green)... Last 3000 mile round trip vacation I averaged 22 MPG... She'll smoke the Michelin tires from a stand still... I might get a K&N eventually but not much more than that as she's my daily driver...

[tdub]

97 sig touring i am geting 18.5 city

[93cartiertc]

sorry i been away for a while. but i'm kinda thinking that my float in the gas tank is messed up, sometimes i would get about 9mpg, sometimes 16mpg in the city. i always get about 23-26 mpg on freeway.

i take good care of my car except i have never drained the diff oil but i'm going to do that next weekend. i seafoam sometimes every oil change and i only use synthetic, royal purple every other oil change.

i hear that copper plugs are better, should i use coppers on my 96 town car?

I bought a K&N cone air filter, i'm going to replace the TPS and clean the MAF. drain the diff and do an oil change, maybe get copper plugs since i hear they are better. thanks for the input.I have been using NGK V-power copper premium plugs, they are an excellent plug for the money (part #TR-55 Advance Auto Parts). They fire very well, especially in very cold frigid weather!

[Jhands]

I have a 95 Cartier. I took the intake snorkel off. I am getting about 400 miles before my tank reads Empty. When I fill up, it will only take about 18.5 gallons before overflowing...do the math I am getting 21.62 MPG. I am assuming that the reason there is 1.5 gallons of residual is to give the not so smart individuals a chance even after the meter reads E to get to a station. That MPG is a combination of city and highway driving, with about 75% of the driving being city. I am very impressed with this car and have been since I got it about a year ago.

[greggyc]

I'm getting 21.8 in my 2000 TC with a fresh tune up and new tires and alignment. It has 170,000 miles on it and mostly interstate driving. My 1992 Grand Marq, with recent plugs and wires, TPS, coil packs, IAC, filters, trans. fluid change, induction clean service, new true dual exhaust, and two new O2 sensors I'm getting 25 on the interstate at 75mph avg. with the AC on. My former commuter Suzuki Reno only averaged 26 with half the engine. I'm about to change the O2 sensors on the TC. Still runs great though.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

I think something is wrong with my car. It's only averaging 20.3-20.4 city. :(

[MB_W]

My 1992 Grand Marq, with recent plugs and wires, TPS, coil packs, IAC, filters, trans. fluid change, induction clean service, new true dual exhaust, and two new O2 sensors I'm getting 25 on the interstate at 75mph avg. with the AC on.

Can I ask you was the induction cleaning done at the dealership? What's actually involved in that?

25mpg at 75mph w/ AC is very good. What gear ratio do you have in the GM?

[greggyc]

I'm not really sure what gear ratio my Merc has. Tell me where to find that information on the car and I'll gladly look. I even have the original window sticker too...my grandparents bought this car brand new.
The dealership did the induction service because I didn't have time and I just didn't want to fool with it. They told me it would clean the EGR channels and intake. He said they hooked something up to the car, like and IV that would send a solvent chemical through the EGR and all it's passages while the car is running. I don't know what all happened after that but my Merc runs as smooth as my TC now, can't even feel the engine running whereas before it had a definite miss that I couldn't pinpoint, it was missing before plugs and wires and continued after, so I broke down and went to the dealership. When I got the car from my grandmother in December I was getting 21-22mpg before anything was done. I think the car just needed to be driven...you know how granny's drive on those two lane country roads.

[MB_W]

I'm not really sure what gear ratio my Merc has. Tell me where to find that information on the car and I'll gladly look. I even have the original window sticker too...my grandparents bought this car brand new.
The dealership did the induction service because I didn't have time and I just didn't want to fool with it. They told me it would clean the EGR channels and intake. He said they hooked something up to the car, like and IV that would send a solvent chemical through the EGR and all it's passages while the car is running. I don't know what all happened after that but my Merc runs as smooth as my TC now, can't even feel the engine running whereas before it had a definite miss that I couldn't pinpoint, it was missing before plugs and wires and continued after, so I broke down and went to the dealership. When I got the car from my grandmother in December I was getting 21-22mpg before anything was done. I think the car just needed to be driven...you know how granny's drive on those two lane country roads.

I actually don't know where to find out the gear info on a GM. I only know that my Town Car has the 3.27 gears because it comes with the Touring Package.

I appreciate that information about the induction service. I'm also glad to hear it worked out so well for you. I will probably take mine to the Lincoln dealer and get that done. Hopefully they won't charge an arm and a leg for it.

[greggyc]

Mine waws $273, including the diagnostics for the miss. Not as bad as it could have been, at least I didn't have to mess with it...and the work is guaranteed. Now I need to get the O2 sensors done on my TC, I'm sure they need it.

[CruisinFL]

160K miles, 18-20 in town (i go easy on the gas pedal) about 25 on the highway

[thegreenbean]

Rob, your car sux dude, I floor it all the time and maintain 17mpg city 24mpg hwy.

me too dude and my car has a 3/4" alum cam and platinum plugs :D

[white lincoln]

Mark VII - 18 - 20 in town, 22 - 24 highway.
Town Car - 20 in town, 24 - 27 highway
Cougar XR7 - same as Town Car but w/ a V6; image that.

[edgardop73]

Im getting 18.1 in town (DC area) and 20.9 in Highway. But highway up here is as driving in the city, just as faster speeds. Its a stop and go thing

[OnebadLSC]

10-11 MPG around town. (NYC driving with a light foot)


Just took it on a road trip yesterday at managed 24 at 70-72 with the AC on.

[AACoPD05]

I just got 25 mpg's (highway). I'm excited because this is the most I've ever gotten since 2006 when I got the car. 405 miles, it took 16.2 gallons to fill...awesome. I took a trip for Maryland to New Jersey last week, I ran mid-grade in the tank. I'm very happy, but I dont know what contributed to the high mileage. I recently changed the oil (regular 5-30), new air filter, checked the tire pressure (it was what the door sticker said). Not sure, I had three people in the car, a trunk full of luggage, and I ran the A/C the whole way up and back. Could my recent addition of duel exhaust and the installation of the air suspension system contributed? I don't know, but I'm happy. I guess its back to 17-19 mpg's around town.

[white lincoln]

Dual exhaust always helps...

[Big80sclassic]

In my 1997 Cartier (dual exhaust), I haven't reset the trip odometer or disconnected my battery since the day I got it in August of 2008. The dash computer reads an average of 19.4mpg. I generally drive in the suburbs, on short trips down the freeway throughout my city, and in dowtown areas. No road trips.

[gortiz3]

my 94 reads 205,3xx

[95EFTC]

I have a '95 with 135K. It gets 26mpg Hwy @ 60mph, 18-19mpg in the city.

[BigHappy55]

'93 TC on 13" 100 spoke wire wheels, hydraulics (10 group 31 deep cycle batteries in the trunk) I just did a tune-up in Phoenix i've been getting about 14-16 mpg. couldnt say hi-way miles since i've done the tune-up.
'96 MKVIII mileage is about the same in the city.

My '99 TC did about 25+ hi-way miles, same for my '93, and my '96 MKVIII
Lincoln V-8's do great on the hi-way but leave much to be desired in the city. Its a small price to pay for looking so damn good when your out rollin':D:D:cool::cool:

[silvertiger]

1995 TC 247,000 miles 21.4 city. 24.8 hwy.

[Dereck]

1995 TC 247,000 miles 21.4 city. 24.8 hwy.

HI Silvertiger

Welcome dude :cheer:

To get that city figure you must drive like grandma :D

Regards

Dereck