Fuel Econ Build

[Wicked_Sludge]

cool. keep us posted

 

[Geeshik]

W.S. says, "93' standard cab, 4x4, 5 speed, flairside. 18MPG city, 22-24 highway.

peak torque isnt effected by tire and gear combos. your engine will get best economy around 3,000RPM regardless of your gearing.

however, proper gearing will help keep your motor in its "happy zone" more often."

Well, mine is an extended cab, and it doesn't have the plastic bed sides that yours has. It would be nice for fuel economy though. i always found i was too tall for the standard cab rangers. I have to have an extended cab. My '94 2wd extended cab with a 2.3 only got 20mpg. Maybe the extended cab is what makes the difference. (?)

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the extended cab only weights about 300lbs more than the standard cab, thats not enought to effect mileage THAT much. city mileage will take the larger hit...highway mileage will be very close to the same between extended and standard cab trucks.

the flairside beds are composite fiberglass and they are NOT light. a flairside bed actually weighs about 30lbs more than a fleetside shortbed.

20MPG for a 4 banger truck is low. even most 4cyl. 4x4 guys are getting mid 20's or so...and they are heavier and taller (more drag) than a 2wd ex. cab. my escort gets 34 MPG and it puts out 12 more horsepower than your 2.3 did...granted its considerably more aerodynamic.

 

[Geeshik]

I don't know what i'm doing wrong then. My 2.3 had a five speed and the only time i ever hauled anything heavy was the 4 80lb bags of sand i put in back in the winter for traction. Otherwise, i kept it tuned up and used synthetic oil with new trans and diff fluids as well. The truck had low miles and was always taken care of. The 14 inch tires were 8 inches wide though.

I didn't know the beds were heavier. i always assumed they were lighter. They look nicer, but i don't think i would like the reduced capacity. Can you still fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in there?

My escort only gets 30mpg if i keep it under 60mph. It is a 96 1.9 automatic though. It has a reman head on it and all new engine gaskets. It also has a brand new oil pump and timing belt. I do have a pesky EGR code and a bouncing speedo, but other than that, the car is flawless. Maybe it's better than i think because of the bad speedo cable.

 

[Kdawg532]

I installed the K and N cold air intake and throttle body spacer this morning. Took an hour to install both. It sounds great! The engine sounds the same at cruise and whistles a bit under light accel. When I floor it it really growls a lot more than it used to... There is a noticeable increase in accel. I will put the magnaflow 2.5 inch catback single exit on this afternoon. Hopefully I can still hear the intake over it cause I love the sound of it. It will be very hard to keep my foot out of the gas with how great it sounds. I have a 1/4 tank left. After this 1/4 tank I figure I will start driving for econ and see what kind of numbers I get. After 3-5 tanks I will put on the e-fan and underdrive pulley...

i didnt notice a damn thing when i put mine in, i did notice the noise but thats about it

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

i do enjoy the look of the flairside bed alot. a regular sheet of plywood does not lay flat in the bed, it has to lean against one bedside. fortunatly i dont haul a lot with my truck and the things i have hauled have fit in the bed. i also have a 6'X8' enclosed utility trailer i us occasionally when the need arises.

the later generations of escorts dont get as good of fuel economy as the older ones (my GT's are both '89's)....one of the deciding factors for me while i was shopping for ecobeaters. if you fix your EGR problem, your mileage will probably go up some..but low 30's at best. a bouncing speedo is usually a sign of a speedo cable in need of lube (although i thought the escorts had gone to electric speedometers by then, but maybe not). if this is the case, your odometer will still be correct.

 

[Geeshik]

Fuel economy.

My escort has a cable for the speedo. It also has been lubed liberally several times with not much improvement. Unfortunately, this is one dealer only part i need to fork over the money for. But as long as i drive it conservatively, i should be okay getting from point A to point B until i can afford it. This car gets better mileage than my wife's 2000 focus. i heard older cars got better mileage; less emissions equipment and often higher compression. 1.8 liter GTs are very economical; especially with a 5-speed. My escort was given to me by family with a bad motor, so i got it running again just for that reason.

i hope to get this ranger finished soon though. Regardless of mileage, i've always wanted a 3.0 five speed ranger extended cab. I just got my hands on it about a month ago, and i am looking forward to hanging on to it a long time. When i was in high school, i drove my friend's 93 3.0 2wd regular cab and i was amazed at how well it drove, handled, and performed. It was so great. It is still running and has had very little done to it since then. (i graduated 1999.) i almost bought it once, but i couldn't handle how little room it had for me to drive it. The only mods i wish i could give mine is 4 doors, a forward facing rear seat for my toddler's seat, and a 3.0 duratorq diesel. Maybe someday i will figure that out.

 

[piffsedge13]

My 99 Escort used to get 28-30 MPG and she was a 99. That is until my old mechanic forgot to fill the radiator , and I hit the freeway from his shop. She blew everything she had at 75MPH, and when I called him on it, he told me it wasnt his fault. Anyways, mine had an electric speedo, just for info/ Didn't mean to butt in