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I'm at 3400 miles and mine is averaging 16.2 mpg in mixed driving and idling. Best mileage I've gotten so far was 17.5 mpg and that was highway through the hills, worst mileage I've gotten was 12.7 mpg and that was when we had -50 weather and the truck idled almost an entire day.
Fsv: With gas mileage, give it some time. It should improve with mileage. Also, give it some run time on the expressway. I wouldn't expect you to have consistent gas mileage readings for at least the first 2-3000 miles.
To sws: this is the way I drive...
2 nvb - it looks like you know on what emotional stage I am.
I think, Toyota figured finally right segment to introduce hybrids - light commercial trucks. People at work care for efficiency; give them that. After all jet engine prevailed over piston engine in air transportation 'cuz it is much more energy efficient and reliable, resulting in greatly lower maintenance costs. Regarding alternative energy source - it might be, we are underestimating, how close they are. I have a friend in Germany, who is sort of, very closely connected to local oil/gas industry, specificaly to research - he says, we are VERY CLOSE to fuel cell introduction - that's meaning fuel cells heating our houses, powering vehicles, etc - e.g. for heavy energy consumption applications. Let's wait and see.
Thanks!
Nissan still uses a manual transfer case in the Pathfinder, not sure about the other models.
I was out playing in a foot of new snow with my 04 Explorer this morning. The highway wasn't plowed yet......gotta love Alaska.......so there was about 8 inches or so in the highway. I can tell you this, 4X4 Auto SUCKS......it can't make up its mind and throws the truck all over the place. So, I clicked 4x4Hi and it did great, no problem doing between 55-65 mph on the highway. I also have Bridgestone Blizzak DMZ3 snow tires on my Explorer and would be terrified to drive without them.
As long as the truck is locked into 4x4Hi its great, a little tank on these lovely roads. Our driveway has at least a foot of new snow in it and the truck got in and out with no trouble.
Its been snowing for over 24 hours and shows no signs of stopping, they are calling for another 3 inches today......which in Alaska terms means at least 6 inches. I still have to go out again tonight to pick hubby up.......my Explorer is pulling double duty since his Ram is in the body shop.
Keep your wheels down!
Steve, Host
On the flip side, I dunno about the Tanana, it froze pretty deep this winter with all the -30/-40/-50 degree weather we had. I think its going to be a late break up for everything including the river. We have approx 4 feet of snow right now I would guess and its still coming down hard.
Sure glad I bought snow tires for the new Explorer, can't imagine driving it with the OEM tires.
when it starts that power shifting between axles, i take as i hint to tap the 4x4 high button.
for me the auto mode works best when accelerating from a stop, going uphill in wet conditions; rear wheels spin for part of a revolution, until the front wheels get power, then the wheel spin stops.
My only real gripe about it at the moment is after driving through any deep snow at all I have little to no brakes. That's a lovely feeling, I have to jam on the brakes to get them to work. I know they are just ice glazed after driving through snow, but its still annoying. So what I do is ride the brakes for a little bit to get the glaze off, then all is fine. I've owned one other vehicle that did this and that was a 94 Mazda B4000 (Ford Ranger).
My Explorer (bought 1/6/04) will turn 4k miles this week. OUCH
Akangl,something must have been wrong with your engine, I have a 99 V8, and I've found it to have plenty of power, exp. when passing on the highway. It tows my boat without a problem. No engine problems at all (windshield wipers and door rattles are another story, don't get me started!!) I've averaged about 15.4 mpg in mixed driving since I bought the vehicle new. A lot of people have had good experience with Ford's 302.
I've driven many Explorers V6 and V8, both pre and post 02(I rent a lot of vehicles for work), and found in highway traffic the V6 keeps hunting for gears. Maybe I drive with a lead foot. The V6 has good power, but if I were buying now I'd pick the V8.
I'd like to see Ford come out with a 6 to match the power of GM's 4.0. A vehicle with the driving dynamics of an Explorer and the powertrain of the Trailblazer would be a sweet vehicle. Oh, maybe that's the new 4Runner.......
Now I took excellent care of it, but I did ask it to do things that Explorers probably aren't meant for......go down logging roads, drive through the backwoods, stuff like that, I guess it didn't like it. My 04 Explorer doesn't seem to have a problem with it though.
That would be the Lincoln Aviator. Improved handling, 302 horses and 300 on the grunt meter! Not going to see much that will beat that in this class.
Ford has always had the torque but is lacking on the mileage. I have never bought anything but Ford products and have always wished they would get the mileage the competion seems to find while not sacrificing much in performance.
I called a different dealer and they quoted $399. I called back the first dealer and asked them why they think they can charge so much.
The answer i got was it included a transmission fluid change which is about $100 since they need to suck the fluid out (no drain plug) and replace it.
I called Ford customer service number and they didnt have any idea if the car needed it or not, they said call the dealer.
In any case:
Does anyone know if it is necessary to replace the transmission fluid at 30,000 miles, or when is it needed? (granted the transmission on this thing sucks to begin with, bad shifts, rattle, i've already had it adjusted twice).
Thanks.
haven't had your lack of brakes experience, but they are really good about plowing around here. 20 inches of snow, you can get to work at least by the next day, if you have a car. of course, we don't have the distances that need plowing that you do!
Oh well, next time its V8/AWD again I guess, hopefully the 4.6L V8 will have more get up and go then the 5.0L V8 did. I have had the truck since 1/6/04 and already have over 4500 miles on it. I like it and normally for the driving I do its just fine, only rare occations am I left wishing I bought a V8.
After fueling up, driving the 300 miles to Anchorage, driving around Anchorage, and then back to Wasilla (40 miles), I fuel back up in Wasilla, gas mileage was right at 18 mpg. I haven't fuel up since Wasilla and will head into Fairbanks today, still over 1/4 of a tank at 250 miles. Not too bad especially considering we drove 75-80 the whole way home last night.
Did you have the O/D on or off?
My next question would be your driving habits previous merging into the on ramp. The vehicle's transmission computer senses your motions, acceleration, deceleration, etc. and will tailor your shifts accordingly. If your driving quite aggresive (always with me), then you will notice the shifts kick in quicker, snappier, and take awhile to upshift since it senses your in a "sporting mode".
If your driving decently, mellow, la dee da, then the opposite will occur. And that might be my 2nd guess as to why the vehicle might be having a harder time accelerating on the ramp.
Overall at moderate depression on the accelerator, should give you around 3000RPM, and continue to upshift @ 3000RPM till you reach your designated high speed once on the highway. (that's your Max torque level) I would say, press a bit harder see if you can hit 5000RPM (by 2nd shift it should drop to around 4000RPM, (then stay there a bit into 3rd shift) where horsepower will be the one to help you.
Horsepower= is most useful for passing, when your at speed.
Torque= the oomph that gets your vehicle to take off.
So by testing the above, I'm seeing if instead of relying on torque... if maybe horsepower could help you moreso in this situation.
Another point: The axle ratio of the vehicle can help quite a bit. You can option it for a 4.10 final drive ratio. Most come with a 3.73. A higher gear ratio will allow for quicker acceleration since the wheels turn a bit more upon the same revolution, in turn, your highway MPG suffers just a tad.
As for how I drive the Explorer, I'd say fairly aggressive, just depends on my mood. That was the first time the Explorer has failed to respond as quickly as it usually does. Its ok, I rarely drive in Anchorage (only once every few months) and I still like my truck. I don't expect a race car that's for sure.
My husband drives a 1999 Dodge Ram 3500 V10, even it has its wheezy points, but it can darn sure pull a house if need be.
The best advice I can give you in my opinion, is try both for size. Depending on your needs, and most other's needs, an Explorer ST will do quite well. Acceleration with the 4.0L V-6, and 4.10 drive ratio is quite quick as well (0-60sec. 8.4 last I remembered).
As for the cargo cage, if you hauling something that your afraid might slip thru the holes, I've seen some place planks of partical board to section it off for hauling. I saw someone do that for hauling pipes.
FSV: I mentioned that, but she wants an open bed in the back or I may be cut off for years...she is a rural farm girl from Mississippi, has driven regular cars for years with me, is now asserting her rural roots...I thought the Sport Trac or Avalanche might be a useful compromise (I have also posted to Avalanche board)...at first, the ST bed seemed tiny at only 4 ft long, but the cage makes it 5.5 feet, the same length as a standard pickup short bed on a GM or F150... always looking, always thinking, trying to make her happy...if she is happy, my life just might be worth living, if not, my life becomes...:):):)
iaaj "Ford Explorer Sport Trac" Feb 19, 2004 6:25pm
Steve, Host
Okay, now my questions. First of all, does anyone know what the name of the burnt orange color that was on the '99-'01 XLS? I know the '01 Sport's have a brighter orange, but this is more of a reddish orange. I'd like to get the technical name. Also, has anyone ever put dual exhaust on their explorers? I've seen a few V8 explorers with duals, but not a V6. I've decided to y pipe it from about halfway back and have the tips turn down and out at a 45 degree angle behind the back wheels. Even if you haven't, does anyone know of any websites that I could go to to see what it would look and/or sound like? Sometime back, when the Sport Tracs were first getting popular, I found a website with sound bites of a Sport Trac with duals. Anyway, just thought I'd ask. I apologize for this being so long, I won't let them be this long again, but I hadn't posted in so long I thought I'd update everybody! Also, has anyone put a spoiler on their explorer? I've seen the spoilers on the '02 and newer explorers, were are cool, and the '01 and older models have more of a wing kinda thing. Thats another reason I'd like to know the name of the color, so I could match the paint if I were to get a spoiler. Thanks in advance for any input!
IDNTNVU
tidester, host