Gas Mileage

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steveb919

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I have noticed that many are geting lousy gas mileage. I can't understand this as my bird gets between 28 to 30 MPG on a trip using the cruise control. Usually around 65 to 75 MPH. Does anyone else get this kind of milage or is it just me?:)
 
gas milage

I bought my 2003 Thunderbird in June of '06. I don't keep track of milage nor do I drive this car everyday but I remember thinking to myself on more than one ocassion that this car does not seem to be bad on gas milage. In fact, I'm rather impressed. I thought I'd be filling up more often and was prepared for that fact when considering to buy it. I've been very happy with this car and intend to keep it a long time along with my '57 Bird. And I have people asking me about the car or thumbs up or "Nice car"..............My 'everyday' driver doesn't warrant a second glance. Plus I love that V-8 power. So I'm happy all around with this car...........including gas milage.
 
lucky you, my 2005 bird has never gotton better than 25MPG and the norm is 18-21. My 2006 V8 4 runner gets 19-20 so I'm not impressed with the MPG but then I never expected it either. sorry part about it is a friends of mine corvette gets better milege when we drive togther. :cool:
 
Could it be that you have more horsepower than the 2002? That might account for the difference:)
 
scriv said:
lucky you, my 2005 bird has never gotton better than 25MPG and the norm is 18-21. My 2006 V8 4 runner gets 19-20 so I'm not impressed with the MPG but then I never expected it either. sorry part about it is a friends of mine corvette gets better milege when we drive togther. :cool:
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Ditto, I get the same mileage. If I am on a fairly long trip, it may go up to 23-24 mpg, but that is the max.
 
I don't know why you lads in the USA are moaning about gas consumption when we pay about $7.50 a gallon here in England!! If you were worried about gas mileage, you should hane bought a Toyota Prius!
I enjoy every moment in my Thunderbird, and it is worth every cent! :)
 
Pudgey Roy said:
I don't know why you lads in the USA are moaning about gas consumption when we pay about $7.50 a gallon here in England!!
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Answer is simple, so we don't pay 7.50/gallon!
 
gas milage

I didn't buy it for the mileage but like everyone else would always like better mileage. fun to drive and I enjoy it, and if I drove it like an ole lady i might get better but whats the fun in that?;)
 
scriv said:
I didn't buy it for the mileage but like everyone else would always like better mileage. fun to drive and I enjoy it, and if I drove it like an ole lady i might get better but whats the fun in that?;)
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Actually I didn't buy it for the gas mileage either. Went by my 2002 setting on the lot for about a month, before deciding to buy it. It is yellow just like the 57 bird I used to own so I had to have it. Yes I probably do drive it like an old lady LOL by using the cruise control any time I can. The mileage I got was from Durham, NC to Montgomery, AL and back. 4 lane all the way. Was extremely pleased to say the least as I expected no more than 20 MPG instead of 28 to 30 MPG.

Have a great day,

Steve
 
Steve I hope I didn't offend ya by the "ole lady" comment I was refering to any slowwwwww driving. no fun but practical. not like the the "little ole lady from pasadena" which is how i mostly drive. pedal to the metal and have fun, did it with my "Z" and now with the T-Bird when ever i can wrestle it from my wife. driving to south padre last year top dowm and cruise control on 70-75 I got 25. most of the time its shorter trips and 18-20 is the norm. not complaining just joining the conversation. now the owners manual thats something different.:mad:

cheers

bill
 
I'm running about 22 MPG on the Bird and 19 on a 1976 280Z
 
ole lady

scriv said:
Steve I hope I didn't offend ya by the "ole lady" comment I was refering to any slowwwwww driving. no fun but practical. not like the the "little ole lady from pasadena" which is how i mostly drive. pedal to the metal and have fun, did it with my "Z" and now with the T-Bird when ever i can wrestle it from my wife. driving to south padre last year top dowm and cruise control on 70-75 I got 25. most of the time its shorter trips and 18-20 is the norm. not complaining just joining the conversation. now the owners manual thats something different.:mad:

cheers

bill
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Hey Bill,

No offense taken my friend. LOL Life is to short.

Have a great day,

Steve
 
George said:
I'm running about 22 MPG on the Bird and 19 on a 1976 280Z
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Hi George,

I just wonder when they added the extra 25 HP in 2003 and up that that may have made some difference from my 2002. I have noticed a decrease in mileage when not using the cruise control. The window sticker on mine said to expect 17 city and 23 hwy and I just figured I would get less than advertised. What a surprise when it got better.

Steve
 
How do you measure

I have found many people report mileage differently. You are probably comparing apples to oranges in this thread.

Do any of the T-Birds give instant gas mileage on the dash? Mine does not. So my calculations require me to fill up the tank, drive a long ways (rarely a consistent style) fill up again, and do the math. And it makes a difference how level the ground was when I filled up both times. So it is difficult to get a good datapoint.

Also, are we talking ragtop up, hard top, or top down. This makes a difference to gas mileage.

Have you checked your Spedometer against a GPS? My speedometer reads a bit high. Speed affects gas mileage. Someone mentioned their mileage driving between 65 and 75. I guarantee you, your mileage is not the same at 65 as it is at 75.

My commute to work is 2 miles, so the engine hardly has time to get to a good operating temperature before I am there. I live in a small town where it is ten minutes to the other side of town. I drive agressively. So if I go through a tank and do not leave town, I get bad mileage.

I have measured as low as 16.

When I travel, I set the cruise on the speed limit (I don't push it, and I don't waste time/energy watching for or worrying about police) and drive a very constant speed. This contributes to good mileage.

On a 5 hour roadtrip, I have gotten 27 with the top down, over flatlands (Mississippi delta mostly), and keeping the speed right at 65. At lower speeds, I am sure I can do better than that.

On a longer roadtrip with the top down, I averaged 25, but it was either through Arkansas mountains or 70MPH interstate speeds.

Most gas tanks are a mix of highway and city driving. This puts my average mileage closer to 20 or 22. But that mix only has meaning for me.

Based on what I know about differences between the 2002 and 2003+ Thunderbird, I would not expect any measurable gas mileage difference between them. The 03+ engine is more powerful, but most of that gain is at the top of its RPM band. To see a difference, you need to spend enough time in this RPM band to make a difference. If there is a difference in the lower RPM bands, I would expect the 2003 to have better mileage than the 2002. Not worse.

Your mileage may vary.
 
gas milage

Actually i checked it on a trip to Montgomery AL from Durham NC and back. Used the cruise control all the way except going through atlanta all in all about 1200 miles. checked each tank and got between 28 and 30 mpg had the soft top up for the trip.

Steve
 
Pudgey Roy said:
I don't know why you lads in the USA are moaning about gas consumption when we pay about $7.50 a gallon here in England!! If you were worried about gas mileage, you should hane bought a Toyota Prius!
I enjoy every moment in my Thunderbird, and it is worth every cent! :)
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Pudgey Roy: You are aware that your GOVERNMENT is directly responsible for your outrageous gas prices, aren't you?

From an old article:

Taxes account for about 66 percent of the pump price in Britain. Of the current average price per gallon of $6.48, about $4.27 goes to the government, while U.S. drivers pay an average of about 46 cents per gallon in combined state, federal and local taxes, according to the Tax Foundation, an independent organization in Washington.
 
Steve and curso----- I generally use cruise control because most of my driving miles have been on highways going to work 50 miles each way or to events in New England.
To answer that question, No there is no new Bird that show instant mileage on the dash
 
mileage went from 23 to 26 after i changed mufflers to flowmaster on my '02. i also have an '03 my wife drives with the additional 25 hp, and it gets 25. i can live with that.
 
mufflers

dchamb said:
mileage went from 23 to 26 after i changed mufflers to flowmaster on my '02. i also have an '03 my wife drives with the additional 25 hp, and it gets 25. i can live with that.
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Hey bud how do they sound? Would like mine to sound a little throater.

Steve
 
I have Borlas on my '02 and the mileage suffers when I want to hear the roar:)
 
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