[3001SKAPE]

Ok guys need some guidance and wisdom.Ive got an 01 Escape XLT 3.0 4WD with 124,000 miles on it.Ive converted ALL fluids to royal purple synthetic,recently changed the plugs and upgraded to NGK iridium 9 plugs,ive got my own homeade cold air intake with a high flow filter,changed the fuel filter,ran several different fuel system cleaners through the system.Im currently only seeing roughly 200 miles per tank of gas and with a 16 gallon tank that equates to roughly 12.5 MPG.The only thing ive done other than stock is the tires,ive got FACTORY sized General Grabber AT2 tires on it.Can an all-terrain tire zap that much fuel mileage?This thing is factory rated at what 18 mpg city??My only thoughts are maybe changing out the o2s,there good for about 100k so its definetly time for them.Any suggestions as to where my gas is going lol,the thing runs AMAZING idles so smooth you cant even tell its running,yet its getting awful fuel mileage.What mpg are you guys seeing in the city??

 

[Mantruck101]

What mpg are you guys seeing in the city??

My dad drives an '01 V6 XLT 4WD with just about 100K and he gets 16-17 MPG in strictly city driving.

 

[pacificnw79]

I have an 02 that has the same problem, I can only get about 220 miles out of a full tank of gas city driving. I do drive agressively, but I do plan to change the o2 sensors to see if it helps.

 

[Domain]

You changed the fuel filter, but did you change the air filter?

 

[RobtRoma]

Are you actually putting 16 gallons in a tank? I usually fill up at around 1/4 of a tank and that's about 12 gallons. I'll usually have between 150 and 200 miles on the odo... 12-17 mpg...

I've had my Escape since new. I used to average around 18 mpg when it was new but that included at least one long highway trip a week. When the highway trips stopped, I lost 1-2 mpg per tank. After I changed my tires from the OEM Conti's to Goodyear Forteras, I lost another 2-3 mpg per tank. My guess is AT's would be slightly worse.

The actual MPG's of Escapes vary greatly, but one thing is for sure... if you have a heavy foot, your mileage around town will be terrible. I have a moderately heavy foot. In the winter, if I drive all city, I get anywhere from 11-13 mpg. All highway is around 18-19 mpg. In the summer time, I'll get 13-15 city and 19-21 highway.

 

[Domain]

The actual MPG's of Escapes vary greatly, but one thing is for sure... if you have a heavy foot, your mileage around town will be terrible. I have a moderately heavy foot. In the winter, if I drive all city, I get anywhere from 11-13 mpg. All highway is around 18-19 mpg. In the summer time, I'll get 13-15 city and 19-21 highway.

That was about what our 2002 got. And it had some mean, mean AT tires when we got rid of it.

Thankfully, the 2010 and 2011 we have are a lot better. And to think, I'm crying because I'm averaging in the 20s with short trips and my winter tires.

 

[Eryx-The-Escape]

Okay so random question and just thought I would throw it in here. Ean's book says he has the 16 gallon tank like every other Escape. I have driven him until the gas light comes on and then filled up. I can still only squeeze in no more than 13.5 gallons. I don't get it. Is that normal? I usually get about 280 a tank too.

 

[SandSpiderII]

When your gas light comes on it typically means you have at least 50 miles left before you're empty. Although I'm not totally certain for the Escape as I'm guessing it varies with different cars.

My previous car was a 2003 Nissan Altima that had a 20 gallon tank. I drove it once for almost 60 miles with the gas light on before filling up and it took about 19.5 gallons to fill. But its probably not a great idea to get your tank that low in the first place as I've heard it can be hard on your fuel pump.

 

[fotojack]

I wonder if anyone makes a bigger tank for the Escape. Maybe a 20 gal. tank would be nice. 16 seems a little on the small size to me. My gas mileage isn't anything to sing about either.

 

[Domain]

Okay so random question and just thought I would throw it in here. Ean's book says he has the 16 gallon tank like every other Escape. I have driven him until the gas light comes on and then filled up. I can still only squeeze in no more than 13.5 gallons. I don't get it. Is that normal? I usually get about 280 a tank too.

Where does your fuel gauge sit at?

 

[Eryx-The-Escape]

When the light is on? Right above the red line, but it touches it. Makes me nervous :lol: I don't want to be the fool on the side of the road who ran out of gas.

 

[slavrenz]

Okay so random question and just thought I would throw it in here. Ean's book says he has the 16 gallon tank like every other Escape. I have driven him until the gas light comes on and then filled up. I can still only squeeze in no more than 13.5 gallons. I don't get it. Is that normal? I usually get about 280 a tank too.

I don't know about the Escape, but I also own a 2001 Mazda Protege, which has a 14 gallon gas tank. According to a TSB I saw a few years back, the gas light comes on when there's 2.5 gallons of gas left. In that case, assuming 30mpg, I'd still have 75 miles to go before I was totally empty.

I would imagine that the Escape would be similar, albeit with lower mpg

 

[3001SKAPE]

Hey Rob you might have some insight on this.Since youve owned your Escape since new have you noticed that the addition of the ethanol to the fuels has made your fuel mileage worse?This has been a topic of great discussion between me and my buddies at work.Because in theory isnt Ethanol harder to burn then regular gasoline and therefore less efficent for fuel mileage and what not?? Thanks for all the replys, geuss my mileage isnt because somethings wrong then.I think my main problem is my drive to work is only 2 miles and i NEVER get to do any highway driving lol

 

[slavrenz]

Hey Rob you might have some insight on this.Since youve owned your Escape since new have you noticed that the addition of the ethanol to the fuels has made your fuel mileage worse?This has been a topic of great discussion between me and my buddies at work.Because in theory isnt Ethanol harder to burn then regular gasoline and therefore less efficent for fuel mileage and what not?? Thanks for all the replys, geuss my mileage isnt because somethings wrong then.I think my main problem is my drive to work is only 2 miles and i NEVER get to do any highway driving lol

Ethanol, by its very nature, has fewer btu's than gasoline, so you need to burn more to get the same amount of energy as gas. For this reason, it will lower your fuel economy, although by how much depends on the specific blend you're using (E85 can lower your gas mileage by as much as 25%!).

A 2 mile commute...hmm...maybe you could improve your mpg by walk :yes: ing

 

[RobtRoma]

My commute is only 5 miles each way and all hilly, northern NJ suburb driving. I pass a lot of schools and deal with a bunch of traffic signs and lights so it's all stop and go... Your commute is only two miles? That might have something to do with it since your Escape doesn't really get time to warm up... especially in the winter. As for the ethanol, I do see a slight decrease in mileage in the winter months when we get the "Winter Gas" here in NJ. However, I'm not sure how much of that is due to the gas and how much is due to the longer warm up times (in my driveway and as I drive). In the winter, it can take 2-3 miles of my drive for the car to warm up. In the summer time, I'm warmed up in less than 1 mile. From what I've read, 10% ethanol will reduce your mileage between 1 and 2%. I seem to lose closer to 6-8% in the winter. Again, my guess is the short commute and the longer warm-up times are hurting my mileage more than the gas formulation...

 

[SUVord]

The 16 gallons Escape V6 tank still has about 2.5 gallons when the refuelling light comes up.It will safely keep going for about 30-35 miles before it runs out, driving it conservatively.
As Rob said before, the shorter the daily trips the bigger the consumption.

 

[3001SKAPE]

I think i found a solution to my gas mileage problems!! I just added 3 coats of turtle wax ice to my paint,so now im gona slip through the air like butter and get better MPG!!! :woohoo:

 

[RobtRoma]

:lol: Good luck with that! :thumb:

 

[joehadams]

i have a 30 mile round trip commute to school every day. about 24 of those miles are highway and i have been getting 17-20mpg and more than 250miles per tank (i don't let my gas light come on). if i fill up my tank to a dangerous level, i have found out that i can go 40 miles before my needle leaves the F and about 150miles at the 1/2 mark.
I try my best to keep the RPM needle around 2k as much as i can but when i need to get up and go i don't hesitate to floor it.
would putting a chip in help gas mileage?

 

[ltlredscape]

since i drive only 10 miles to work and back, and there is allot of hills, stop signs, stop-n-go traffic, etc and my escape is not warmed up when i get to work, i avg 200-215 miles per tank, i fill up when the needle says 1/4th left. 2 trips to the gaz station for me a week.
i dont really have a lead foot but i do pull out fast into traffic sometimes when theres a break in traffic for a few seconds