High fuel usage?

[GenesisGuy70]

2010 Ford Taurus, 3.5L DOHC NA V6, 103K miles, zero mods.

So I've notice this engine is hard on gas, way harder than the 3.4L I had in the Grand Am.

Yesterday I drove a total of 8 miles around the city (no hard accelerations or long time idling) and according to my fuel computer thing, I went from 354 miles until E to 335 miles until E in only 8 miles of driving. That's a usage of 19 miles of gas in 8 miles.

This seems very high too me. What do you guys think? I run Lucas every fill up and when I first purchased the vehicle I ran some GumOut.

 

[zrxkawboy]

I think you need to check your mpg the old-fashioned (and accurate) way: Miles driven divided by gallons used (at your next fill-up).

 

[4wheeldog]

Those full time read outs of fuel mileage by computer are designed to keep your foot off the floor, not give an immediate accurate reporting. Like the guy ahead of me said, do it the old fashioned way, with the calculator on your phone.

 

[GenesisGuy70]

I did do that once over a highway trip, 160 miles and I used 5 gallons. So that's 32MPG, so I'll say it's good on the highway, even beat the EPA rating but in the city I feel like this thing just gulps the petrol down.

 

[Pontual]

Because a cold engine is thristy.

 

[GenesisGuy70]

Originally Posted By: Pontual
Because a cold engine is thristy.


I did attribute some of the usage to this. I guess I shouldn't be complaining since gas is so cheap now (to me at least

, but I'm only 21 ) . Cheapest it's ever been since I've had my license.

 

[datech]

Your computer calculates how much is left and then how far it estimates it can go using the current mpg. So if you drive a few miles in the city, at maybe 12 mpg, it figures how many miles the remaining gas will take you at 12 mpg.

So that big drop isn't just the amount you have used, it's also the drop in the estimate the computer is predicting for your tank.

And it does gulp it down in the city, especially if you are idling a lot. About the only thing you could do is maybe shut down at long lights (if your battery and starter can take it).

 

[spk2000]

Ford's Duratec engines 3.0 and 3.5 are better at highway mileage but use alot in town. I have a Grand Marquis with the 4.6 V8 and it is easier than my 3.0 Duratec in town.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: datech
Your computer calculates how much is left and then how far it estimates it can go using the current mpg. So if you drive a few miles in the city, at maybe 12 mpg, it figures how many miles the remaining gas will take you at 12 mpg.

So that big drop isn't just the amount you have used, it's also the drop in the estimate the computer is predicting for your tank.

And it does gulp it down in the city, especially if you are idling a lot. About the only thing you could do is maybe shut down at long lights (if your battery and starter can take it).


That right there.

Its estimating your miles remaining based on MPG
so you didnt use 19

you might have used "12" but it also adjusted your remaining miles because your average went down.

 

[CBR.worm]

That.

In my first 6 miles of stop and go traffic each day, I "lose" 30 miles on the miles left meter. The next 25 miles on the highway, the distance to empty stays the same. The DTE is based on a rolling average of the last XX miles economy.