I have a 2006 FWD Escape...no fancy extra screen, just the basic info.
I started out getting 32.7 mpg...it has now dropped to 31.8. I have two
things I would like to hear from others about:

1)On fill-up, my car insists I have 477 miles to empty, but at 31.8 mpg
the reality is 438...when/where is it recalibrating itself?!?
2)Some of the comments regarding oil changes-my dealer called and
offered me a free one, so I took them up on it, but I have no idea
what kind or weight of oil they used, and it was after that that my
mileage began to drop...this was at 5000, I now have 7500.

I live in CA (Bay Area) and know that the fuel blends change from
summer to winter, could that also be affecting my mileage?
If anything, I am driving smarter, having fun seeing how long
I can travel in my neighborhood on the EV. (up to 3 miles!)

 

31.8 mpg * 15 gallons is 477 miles so with a full tank, that is probably right. I have noticed mine dropping after the car has been driven a little on the tank. It seems to adjust to 13.5 gallons as the useable amount so 13.5*31.8=429

As for your mileage dropping after an oil change, it wouldn't surprise me if they put the wrong oil in. These cars are supposed to use 5w-20 so anything heavier than that would reduce efficiency some. Look at the slip and see what they claimed to put in. Many (all?) new Fords have been using the 5-20 oil since 2001 at least so the dealer should know what to use. Never know though.

The difference in the summer and winter blend gas should be offset by the increased mileage that you will get in the warmer weather. Plus your engine is more broken in so your mileage should be increasing.

Have you checked your tire pressure? That could make a difference.

By the way, I have noticed that my calculated mileage is always about 0.5 mpg lower than what the computer says. I don't have the NAV in either of my FEH.

Hope this helps.

Ray

 

Ray, I thought (and mileage stats concur) that winter blend gas has anti-gelling agents added that decrease its efficiency.... thus giving worse mileage in otherwise equal conditions.

Are you saying that winter blend is actually supposed to give higher FE?

 

My understanding is that the summer fuel is oxygenated for reduced emissions and smog and therefore results in lower mileage. I could be wrong though.

I know that when I get out of the greater Boston area and get the non-oxygenated fuel, my gas mileage increases by a couple mpg, winter or summer.

 

Winter fuel has additives to prevent freezing gas lines. Less actual gasoline is available to explode, thus more gasoline is required to get you down the road than if there weren't any additives to prevent freezing lines.

Put another way for example, not ACTUAL numbers: Summer gas is 100 parts gasoline, so 100 parts gets burned. Winter gas is 90 parts gasoline, 10 parts anti-freezing additives. In order to match the 100 parts summer gasoline, more winter gasoline is required. Thus lower MPG...not to mention the engine runs more to keep warm during winter, cold air is denser so more energy is required to push you thru the air.

 

Here is a real good article about the different blends of gasoline and includes information on the energy content, oxygenation and so forth.

Looks like I have always misunderstood (yes, that's an admission I was wrong ) when the oxygenated gas was used - I always thought it was summer but apparently it is more of a winter issue.

Anyway, here is the link:

http://www.ethanolrfa.org/objects/pd...lassic_car.pdf

I don't think the reduction has anything to do with anti-gelling additives since gasoline won't freeze until way way below zero. Seems like it is strictly an environmental thing.

I did hear on the news the other day that part of the recent increase in cost of gas is due to an early switch to the summer mix.

 

Just to add a tidbit, the idea is that the MTE reading isn't 0 MTE is empty, but to keep in mind that you need to get gas; you're going to run out shortly.

 

Hi everyone:

The oxygenated fuel (alcohol, methanol) kills mpg in the FEH. If I'm hitting 45mpg, I can expect a 5mpg hit. It screws up the oxygen sensors and adds way to much fuel to the ICE. It takes me a few tanks of pure gas to get back to normal.

As far as the MTE gauge, it adjust based on your average mpg during the last 15min and how much fuel is remaining. If you burned 6 gallons of fuel from the time of a fillup, the system knows you have 9 gallon left at the present 15 min. average. If you start dropping or gaining, the MTE will adjust itself, based on the fuel that has been burned. For the most part, your MTE will continue to drop unless you start getting some great mileage jumps. Xcel did this in my FEH last week and the MTE increased at near 1/4 tank.

If you have the Nav sys and the scangauge, and reset for a fillup and 15min average on the Nav sys, the tank average and the 15 min average stay very close all the way down. The MTE on the scangauge is more in line than the dash MTE because of the fuel that can be added above the tank gauge I think till the gas gauge starts to drop.

Here is the present readings on both my gauges tonight:

Scangauge

Tank average 47.3 mpg

4.4 gal used

10.6 gal Tank To Empty

207 miles traveled

501 miles Tank To Empty

11.1 hrs driving

27.8 hrs left


Nav. and dash gauges

47.4 15min average

MTE 489

Trip 210.4

Everyday, you have a cold start and sometimes more. There is a point that getting 60+ mpg cannot help your tank average much and you continue to drop your MTE. In my opinion, the gauges are better than a reading at the pump.

GaryG

 

This is an email under a private message to me regarding my last post. Its best for me to answer here to save me from having to keep repeating myself. There is no name on my paste to keep him still private.

"How in the world are you getting that mileage?
Do you just drive 20 mph all the time?!?
Best I've gotten was 33.2 when I first got my FEH-
could the CA emissions requirements be different
from Florida's even on a hybrid?"

Response: That average is on the low side because of a few cold starts yesterday and taking my parents out for dinner and shopping. Its Spring Break and my wife and kid like to get someplace fast. The average should have been 48.5-49.5mpg at least on my tank. I'll need to do some serious driving Monday to get it back.

Most of my driving is city, but I do some highway a little. You would be surprised at how fast I drive, but I try to stay under 45mph. If I drove 20mph, these NY snowbirds and the locals would run in the back of me. There are two RPM's I use accelerating, 1,800 if I can with little traffic or 2,400 if I need too. Most all other RPM's are less than 1,800 and EV.

The CA. emissions I've heard are met with the same FEH that I have but I can't say for sure. The cold mornings and nights as well as the fuel may give you the disadvantage.

Notice I have set my scangauge to a 15gal tank, this is the same as the computer in the FEH. This is to compare tank information, but the tank will hold close to 17gal. if it is truely full. If I get gas on level ground, the FEH will be down to 2.5 gallons at 3/4 tank. The scangauge is reading right now, 4.4 gallons used and I'm at the 3/4 tank level with a trip reading of 210.4 miles. This is why I say the gauges are the best way to get your closes readings. Also, when I get down to 0 MTE, the gauges will make some adjustments but I still will have near 70-100 miles to go.

The article I wrote "Hypermiling The Ford Escape Hybrid" is at
http://www.cleanmpg.com/

This is how I get my averages. One person said it was to heavey for him, but if you have any other questions, let me know.

GaryG

 

As much as I hate to say it, because it goes against gut feeling... I also think the computer numbers are more accurate now than using gallons pumped divided by miles and doing the math yourself. I'm POSITIVE there is about 3 gallons of air space in your tank, and if you try hard enough, you can shove 18 gallons of gas in there. This is not worth the effort, and prone to spills, so stop after 2 or 3 clicks at the pump. Just know it is IMPOSSIBLE to fill the same way every time.

If you keep a log book, or track your tanks on this web site, your long term average should match your computer average very closely. If you don't reset, the on board FE will average the past 2000 minutes of driving. That it. This is about 3 tanks for most people.

BTW... going too slow will hurt fuel economy just as much as going too fast.
The sweet spot is between 40 MPH and 60 MPH. If you can do this speed the majority of the time, you will be in the 40 MPG to 45 MPG range without even paying attention. Good luck!
-John