Tips to improve the Sports fuel economy

[omelet1978]

Sport has an engine that is .5 liters bigger. That's 17% bigger. It puts out 263 hp vs 240 hp for the 3.0 in the SE. That's 10% more horsepower. 21 mpg vs 22 mpg is only a 5% loss. I think that's pretty outstanding. More horsepower with a really negligible loss in mpg!

 

Re tires, AFAIK, the only cars that come with special "green" low rolling-resistance tires are some Hybrids and economy 4-cylinder models. 99.999% of the people who buy a V6 car are not worried about miniscule MPG differences.

 

 

Thats actually a good point. I've actually read several reviews saying that the Fusion Sport had a lot more put into it than the average sport model. Sport Tuned Suspension, 18 inch wheels, etc...

 

Now I looked at fueleconomy.gov at the V6 Accord which has the same weight, same size engine, and I think 270hp...its overall is 23mpg vs 21mpg for the Sport. I know its a different target group (nobody's going to buy a Honda Accord Sport!), but is their engine/transmission just more efficient or is it just the fact that the Fusion Sport has the bigger tires, etc...

[pcsgrp35se]

I think it has been accurately stated in a number of posts. Driving style is the first major contributor to mpg numbers. In NJ we use 10% Ethanol and I have yet to find a station that doesn't use it. I try to keep a few more psi in my tires to help on the highway but I got a sport because I wanted that zip if ever needed. I just got back from a trip and rented a Avenger with a V6. That car was a dog and while I didn't calculated the mpg I was getting, for the amount of driving I was doing, I don't think it was very high. All I care about is that I did better then my V6 altima which it does by 3-4mpg on the highway and I don't have to burn premium which is costing about 25 cents/gallon more then regular.

[Oldguy16]

+1

lol exactly, you want good fuel mileage don't drive like a nut and buy the largest engine offered.

[omelet1978]

lol exactly, you want good fuel mileage don't drive like a nut and buy the largest engine offered.

 

 

Well actually I said I drive aggressively, but I don't floor it all the time and most of the way to work is on cruise control.

 

Also, I've had 2 other cars on this drive at were rated at 21mpg overall just like the Fusion (long painful story btw). I had an 05 TL and 06 3 Series and they got around 24 mpg on this drive. Drove them the exact same way I drive this car too...

 

The Fusion gets 21-22. Was just expecting to get a little better gas mileage considering the other 2 cars I've driven this way got around 24mpg.

[onthewood]

Hi omelet. :D Let's try to answer your questions (and a question you did not ask) one at a time:

 

1 - "If I were to put green tires on my car would it be realistic to get 1 mpg more out of my Sport?". Yes, possibly. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less depending on your driving habits.

 

2 - "Would it affect the handling?" Yes, it would. Good handling and top mileage are pretty exclusive traits. A tire designed for good handling will be designed with a softer/stickier compound and a tread pattern designed for handling/grip. A high mpg/"Green" tire will be designed with a harder compound for lower rolling resistance and a tread pattern designed for low rolling resistance. You generally don't get the best of both in one tire. More of one trait generally means less of the other. Would it be enough of a loss in handling for you to notice? That would depend on what tire you install and how you drive. According to the tire and how "hard" you drive the car, you may never notice any loss in handling.

 

3 - Is the money I save on fuel worth the cost of the tires? You don't actually ask this question, but it is important. Let's say you install four tires at a cost of $170 a piece, mounted and balanced. That totals out to $680. If you save $250 a year on fuel, it would take you approximately 2 1/2 years to recoup the cost of the tires in fuel savings. That means those tires would have to last 2 1/2 years and 100,000 miles to break even. In general, most tires do not last 100,000 miles.

 

Therefore ,it makes little sense to take the new factory/stock off just to put them in the garage, because the fuel savings will probably not make up for the cost of the tires. But if you use the factory tires you have now until they need replacement, you can then replace them with "Green" tires in a year/year-and-a-half or so (at 40,000 miles a year, that is about how long they will last anyway), and realize some fuel savings for the life of those new "Green" tires tires.

 

In the end, it all comes down to your personal preference. If you want to save fuel, buy a set of lower rolling resistance tires when you are ready for new tires, not now. In my opinion, that will give you your best return on your money.

 

Hope this information helps.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

 

DITTO! Also the aspect ratio of the "green" tires will differ greatly from the "performance" tire. Taller sidewalls give a softer ride and SOMETIMES(with a harder compound) longer tire life and mileage per gallon.

[omelet1978]

I'm the OP. I went out of town a couple weeks ago and actually rented a 2011 V6 mustang. I actually had to do a lot of highway driving very similar to what I do on my 50 mile daily commute and I got like 26mpg...I drove it just like I drive my Fusion too.

 

So with my Fusion Sport I get like 22 when I'm doing my commute, 20 if I have a few days off and just drive around town. Pretty frustrated with the car to be honest considering my gas bill gets pretty high with the commute and driving a Mustang with 40 more HP instead of this car would save me like $60 in gas alone each month.

 

Also, I've had problems with it driving straight, the heat exchanger, BLIS, not working right,etc...could there be something wrong or off with the engine as well?

[geost1]

I'm the OP. I went out of town a couple weeks ago and actually rented a 2011 V6 mustang. I actually had to do a lot of highway driving very similar to what I do on my 50 mile daily commute and I got like 26mpg...I drove it just like I drive my Fusion too.

 

So with my Fusion Sport I get like 22 when I'm doing my commute, 20 if I have a few days off and just drive around town. Pretty frustrated with the car to be honest considering my gas bill gets pretty high with the commute and driving a Mustang with 40 more HP instead of this car would save me like $60 in gas alone each month.

 

Also, I've had problems with it driving straight, the heat exchanger, BLIS, not working right,etc...could there be something wrong or off with the engine as well?

Dude I've been reading this thread and find it interesting that you don't want to accept the simple fact everyone is trying to tell you. You bought the performance model of the Fusion that clearly states on the Window Sticker it has an average MPG of 21. Also every road test I've found of the Fusion SPORT has reported the same mileage, +/- 1 MPG. You can change your driving habits and make modifications to the car but I wouldn't expect it to improve much. If you want to keep the SPORT model then expect to pay the price at the pump, sorry but that's the reality of it.

 

Now if gas mileage is that big of an issue to you, and you really like the Fusion, then trade in your SPORT model for the HYBRID one. If you aren't that attached to the Fusion, then buy another vehicle altogether with better gas mileage.

 

Concerning your final complaints of other issues, isn't the car still under warranty? Take it back to the dealer and get those problems fixed. If you decide that the SPORT model isn't for you after all you'll have to make a trip to the dealer anyway.

[omelet1978]

Dude I've been reading this thread and find it interesting that you don't want to accept the simple fact everyone is trying to tell you. You bought the performance model of the Fusion that clearly states on the Window Sticker it has an average MPG of 21. Also every road test I've found of the Fusion SPORT has reported the same mileage, +/- 1 MPG. You can change your driving habits and make modifications to the car but I wouldn't expect it to improve much. If you want to keep the SPORT model then expect to pay the price at the pump, sorry but that's the reality of it.

 

Now if gas mileage is that big of an issue to you, and you really like the Fusion, then trade in your SPORT model for the HYBRID one. If you aren't that attached to the Fusion, then buy another vehicle altogether with better gas mileage.

 

Concerning your final complaints of other issues, isn't the car still under warranty? Take it back to the dealer and get those problems fixed. If you decide that the SPORT model isn't for you after all you'll have to make a trip to the dealer anyway.

 

I think as soon as its feasible for me I'm going to get rid of my Fusion. Ford gave me an extended warranty to 75k because of all the issues I've had. Right now though I'm at 65,000 miles in a year and a half (long story why I decided to by new with this drive), so the trade in value is going to suck. I would have to find a really good used car which can be difficult...so I might be stuck with it.

 

As for the mileage, they released the car in Spring of 09 which was about 8 months after gas hit $4 a gallon, so I can't believe they didn't do a few tweaks to get the mileage up in that time. I understand its the Sport model, but its still a Fusion and its not like its a Dodge Viper or an M5. I had a BMW 330i and that car was rated at 21 and I got 24-25mpg with this drive...

[Fusionpursuit]

I drive about 50 miles everyday round trip to work, some 25mph roads, some 55 mph highways and some stretch of 65mph highway, often with no traffic each way. I get around 23-24 average on the trip computer.

 

on one trip I drove with it reset and a full tank of gas and went straight on the highway after about 3 miles on 25mph streets, and went 35 miles till I had to once again turn on a slow 25mph road at the exit. I got 29.5 mpg on the trip computer that time, I knew it would have went up higher if I had more highway to finish.

 

and I love my V6 I am just more concerned of rock chips on my highway commutes than mileage

Edited September 10, 2011 by Fusionpursuit

[drolds1]

I think as soon as its feasible for me I'm going to get rid of my Fusion. Ford gave me an extended warranty to 75k because of all the issues I've had. Right now though I'm at 65,000 miles in a year and a half (long story why I decided to by new with this drive), so the trade in value is going to suck. I would have to find a really good used car which can be difficult...so I might be stuck with it.

 

As for the mileage, they released the car in Spring of 09 which was about 8 months after gas hit $4 a gallon, so I can't believe they didn't do a few tweaks to get the mileage up in that time. I understand its the Sport model, but its still a Fusion and its not like its a Dodge Viper or an M5. I had a BMW 330i and that car was rated at 21 and I got 24-25mpg with this drive...

 

Your logic really escapes me. With the kind of mileage you put on a car, if MPG was a concern, why would you buy this car in the first place? Thinking that they could have done a "few tweaks" 8 months after gas hit $4/gallon indicates a fundamental lack of knowledge of how things work in the industry. Each powertrain combination has to be certified by the EPA before it can be sold. That takes months. Once it's certified for that MY, any changes would have to be re-certified by the EPA. That's just not going to happen once a model is on sale. They cannot wake up in the morning and respond to changes in the marketplace by the afternoon. You've heard of lead time, haven't you? And comparisons to the Viper and M5 are disingenuous. Both are subject to the gas guzzler tax.

 

You BMW may have eked out a few more mpg but IIRC, required premium fuel. The Fusion does not. The slight advantage of the BMW would be washed out by the increased fuel costs.

 

So now you have a car which you are at least familiar with and a warranty for 10K more miles and you want to trade it for a used car that could be a gamble. This makes no sense IMO. What are you going to trade for that will give you substantially better MPG? Go out and see what you can get on a trade without out-of-pocket expense due to depreciation. Let us know.

Edited September 10, 2011 by drolds1

[omelet1978]

Your logic really escapes me. With the kind of mileage you put on a car, if MPG was a concern, why would you buy this car in the first place? Thinking that they could have done a "few tweaks" 8 months after gas hit $4/gallon indicates a fundamental lack of knowledge of how things work in the industry. Each powertrain combination has to be certified by the EPA before it can be sold. That takes months. Once it's certified for that MY, any changes would have to be re-certified by the EPA. That's just not going to happen once a model is on sale. They cannot wake up in the morning and respond to changes in the marketplace by the afternoon. You've heard of lead time, haven't you? And comparisons to the Viper and M5 are disingenuous. Both are subject to the gas guzzler tax.

 

You BMW may have eked out a few more mpg but IIRC, required premium fuel. The Fusion does not. The slight advantage of the BMW would be washed out by the increased fuel costs.

 

So now you have a car which you are at least familiar with and a warranty for 10K more miles and you want to trade it for a used car that could be a gamble. This makes no sense IMO. What are you going to trade for that will give you substantially better MPG? Go out and see what you can get on a trade without out-of-pocket expense due to depreciation. Let us know.

 

I got 21 highway driving the other day, last week when I had a few days off and didn't have the commute I got 19 overall. That's ridiculous. I had no idea how long I was going to do this drive, so the reason I bought this car was just to get a good reliable car with DESCENT fuel economy rather than get like a Prius or something. So far it has done neither.

 

The car isn't reliable, so I'm thinking I'm going to pay a lot of money in repairs after the warranty is out. It had a right turning issue when I first bought it. The car is supersensitive to tire tread (as in if the tires are not exactly the same tread) it will zoom off to the left or right, The heat exchanger in the dash has been replaced twice and its whirring again so its time for a 3rd, the steering wheel had to be replaced, a shock had to be replaced, the BLIS system malfuntions and has had to be replaced twice, the Advance Trac system warning light went off just yesterday saying it needing service.

 

So basically if I see an opportunity to walk away I'm going to take it unfortunately. Like I said though, buying used can be dangerous so I'm probably stuck with it...

[geost1]

...get like a Prius or something.

 

That really sounds like what you should have bought, you would have been happier with it. Maybe you got a lemon given all the problems you are having.

 

So basically if I see an opportunity to walk away I'm going to take it unfortunately. Like I said though, buying used can be dangerous so I'm probably stuck with it...

 

I don't think you're ever going to be happy with this car. So the decision you must now make is either to take the hit on trade in on a new vehicle or accept what you have. As EVERYONE is trying to tell you this car is not really going to get much better gas mileage. And if you did get a lemon then more problems are probably on your horizon.

 

Good luck for whatever you decide to do...

[omelet1978]

My car's value has plummeted bc I'm at 65k miles in a year and a half, so I'd be lucky to get 17k for it...I might toss it on autotrader just to see what happens though.

 

I've actually been looking at my options and unfortunately come to the conclusion that if I were to buy a more fuel efficient car in a lot of cases its a matter of spending thousands to save hundreds. My fuel bill while driving 3700 miles a month comes out to $600 a month. If I were to get like a used Camry hybrid for like $21,000, got 35mpg, and sold my Fusion for $17000, it would take a year and a half to break even assuming I got like 35mpg. And then I would probably have to replace the battery which would probably push the break even point to two years...

 

I ruled out a Prius or Civic hybrid bc IMHO they are too small and might not hold up too well in a crash with a larger vehicle. Another option I considered was to get a Jetta TDI Diesel which would be perfect for my drive considering it gets like 45 mpg, However, I've heard they aren't particularly reliable and my friend had one that started falling apart at 75,000 miles...so that's out.I also looked at some older cars with 4 cylinders like a 2004 Honda Accord but it only gets 24 overall, so its not really worth it.

 

I'll probably take it in to Ford next week though. When I first got it and it wouldn't drive straight they gave me a warranty to 75k. Maybe i can get them to extend it to 125k since its constantly been having issues...

[acdii]

Well first of all, if your alignment is off it will cut down on your MPG drastically, and it sounds like your alignment is off. Second, to put low rolling resistant tires on the Sport you will need to replace the rims with 16 or 17 inch rims, you will NOT find low rolling tires in 18", at least not in a size that will fit the Sport.

Second blaming the car is going the wrong way, you are getting EPA. You say you drive 79MPH uphill, well there you go, slow down! I can get 32 MPG in the Sport doing 65 or less, go over that and MPG drops. My average daily driving is between 21 and 23 and I too drive 100 miles a day. I dont blame the car, it gets what I expect of it since the day I bought it. I went from a Camry Hybrid to the Sport, I hated the Camry, Love the Sport. The OEM tires were crap but did get better MPG than the Eagle GT's I replaced them with.

 

However, due to gas still at $4 a gallon here, and our gas bill is $700 a month I am giving serious consideration trading it in for a 2010 Fusion Hybrid. I have a friend at a dealership looking for one now. I dont have any complaints on the Sport, well just one, the seat is a bit uncomfortable, but I deal with it. I love how it handles, the performance under the hood. the styling and it has been very reliable for the 41K miles we put on it so far.

 

But it looks like I can get a loaded 2010 Hybrid with 14K on it for a bit less a month than I pay now, and that combined with the savings in gas should add up to about $200 a month, plus it would be under warranty, where my Sport is no longer. My other car is a Flex Ecoboost, so when I miss Giddyup go I just take it for a spin.

[FusionDiffusion]

OK, here are my mileage tips:

 

1. Use the cruise control as much as possible and set it as low as you can stand (try 70-75 mph in your case). Try to keep it on the whole time you are on the freeway.

2. Check your tire pressures often. I use 37 psi in the front and 35 psi in the rear. You might start to have wear problems if you go above 40 psi.

3. Windows up and A/C on above 50 mph (more efficient).

4. Buy gas without ethanol if you can find it (http://pure-gas.org/). This can make a 10-20% difference, especially if your old cars used ethanol-free premium and you're now using E10 87.

5. Put a bottle of Techron in the gas tank every 6 months (more often if you use cheep gas).

6. Lighten the load. Empty the trunk. Take the spare out if you dare.

7. Draft behind trucks on the road. MythBusters saw a 10% improvement at 100 feet, but it is not recommended since the driver can't see you and you loose your reaction distance.

6. Wash/wax your car. Dirt clumps (even small ones) are not aerodynamic. Also confirmed by MythBusters (in an extreme instance). As an added benefit, you car will look sexy.

 

If your alignment if off (specifically the toe), you could be seeing a big mileage drop since you are using your gas to wear down your tires. If it doesn't drive straight with the wheel level on a flat road (most roads are crowned so there will be a slight right pull in the right lane), I would get the alignment checked first. I really don't think low-rolling resistance tires will help you here. Even if you could find a 18" tire that fits, your driving style will quickly negate the benefits. Driving style is the single greatest detriment to any car's fuel economy. Hybrid/Prius drivers learn this quickly when they have the big MPG meter in their face. Any sort of aggressive driving in this car will sap the mileage rapidly. I drive 74 mph on the interstate (with the cruise on) and get 25 pump-measured MPG (FWD Sport). I've seen the electronic meter get up over 30 on the freeway, but it's artificially high. If I drove 65 and took my time on the ramps, I could probably get the rated 27 mpg on the highway with good gas.

 

I'm sorry you aren't pleased with your car. Mine has been perfect so far and I couldn't be happier. I think most of us Sport buyers willingly sacrificed mileage when we decided to buy this awesome car. It could be a couple mpg higher, but the mileage isn't that bad. The WRX is rated at 23 mpg and the EVO is at 22 mpg. Chrysler's new 200 with the Pentastar engine gets about 29 mpg thanks to both intake and exhaust timing (ours only vary intake timing). But I think you've crunched the numbers and seen it's not really worth it.

 

It would be cheapest to keep the car, drive slower, and less aggressively. Take it for a "fun" drive on the weekend, but otherwise drive it conservatively. Put the MPG meter up and keep it above three bars. When the tires wear out there are better choices among the high performance types and you might get a slight mileage boost.