Best speed for MPG performance?

[P52Ranch]

Like several others have said, turn on the boost gauge on the gauge cluster and keep the Bronco from generating boost. I have the 7 MT and running in fifth with no boost gets better fuel economy than running in sixth with boost. If you can run in top gear without boost then that is optimal.

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[kodiakisland]

Like several others have said, turn on the boost gauge on the gauge cluster and keep the Bronco from generating boost. I have the 7 MT and running in fifth with no boost gets better fuel economy than running in sixth with boost. If you can run in top gear without boost then that is optimal.

Yep, maintain 2500-2700rpm and stay out of boost, on the 4cyl MT anyway.

Really though, stop worrying about it and enjoy the trip. When the tank gets low, fill it up. Things outside your control will affect gas mileage as much as your speed. Strong head winds/cross winds are worse than driving 85mph+.

 

[BlueOvalBandit]

Yep, maintain 2500-2700rpm and stay out of boost.
Really though, stop worrying about it and enjoy the trip. When the tank gets low, fill it up. Things outside your control will affect gas mileage as much as your speed. Strong head winds/cross winds are worse than driving 85mph+.

This. I can get 20+ mpg on long distance trips just driving and that includes speeds up to 80 mph. This has been going from Southern CA to Central CA or to Vegas and both have big grades along the way.

I have also been in some 30+ mph sustained head winds with 60 mph gusts, even going 60 mph it was absolutely ridiculous. I was pulling a constant 10+ psi of boost just to sustain that speed in 5th. You can guess how bad my mileage was that day. Went from 22 mpg to...... 13 mpg....

Your pedal habits will dictate biggest factors in mileage that you can change

 

[SuperDave150]

I’m getting ready to take a trip to Florida for a week, ~1000 miles, mostly flat. What should I set cruise to to maximize MPG? I’ll be hopefully going to Texas Offrodeo later in year, ~2000 mile round trip, will be using this first trip to set expectations.

The best MPG is the lowest speed you can maintain in top gear without constant downshifting. Which is roughly 40 MPH. But of course that’ll drive you crazy.

Try this practical alternative - air up the tires to max as printed on the sidewall, put an egg between your foot and the skinny pedal, engage Eco mode, and drive a couple of MPH under the posted speed limit. Oh and keep your windows closed; go ahead and enjoy the air conditioning.

 

[DoubleK]

The difference between 65 and 75 on a 1000 mile trip is less than 15 minutes. The difference between 65 and 75 mileage wise can be 5 mpg+. So which is really worth more to someone? By the way I'm a profesional commercial driver of36+ years. To answer the op's question 65 mph is a good speed for economy and safety.

Your time calculation is WAY off.

 

[kodiakisland]

Your time calculation is WAY off.

I don't know that it's way off, but drive faster and end up stopping one more time for gas than the person driving slower and see how that works out for you. I just don't worry about it. I'll get there when I do and I'll fill up when I get low.

 

[Who iz]

If you are going 1000 miles, make sure to have windshield replacement coverage on your insurance. That will likely save you more money than watching your speed?

 

[JerryC]

I don't know that it's way off, but drive faster and end up stopping one more time for gas than the person driving slower and see how that works out for you. I just don't worry about it. I'll get there when I do and I'll fill up when I get low.

Broncos aren't full electric, yet

IMHO the trick is to time fuel stops with meals and bathroom breaks.

Doing them at the same time is way better than doing three seperate stops.

 

[kodiakisland]

Broncos aren't full electric, yet

IMHO the trick is to time fuel stops with meals and bathroom breaks.

Doing them at the same time is way better than doing three seperate stops.

No doubt. I used to be a drive straight through kind of guy. Now I'm an old, small bladder kind of guy. I just don't worry about it. I do several 900+ mile days every year. 5 in the last 30 days and I'll be doing another 2 next week. I just don't worry about time and gas mileage. I drive at my speed, fill up when I need to, and stop when I need to. I'll get there when I get there.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Yep, maintain 2500-2700rpm and stay out of boost, on the 4cyl MT anyway.

I can vouch for this also, as did a few others above.

It's been a while since I've calculated it, but after adding the 35's to my 2.3/MT 2dr Base, I saw right away that highway speeds were calling for a LOT of boost in top gear.
I dropped to 5th at 78mph and got better mileage than I did on the stock 30's.
2700-ish rpm, depending ...
I was , and still am stunned by that.
I forget exactly, but my calculations were over 20 MPG.... on 35's

Do these automatics have a manual shift mode still? Try dropping out of the top 1 or 2 gears until you see RPM's of 2500 to 2700.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

The best MPG is the lowest speed you can maintain in top gear without constant downshifting.

I've heard that and similar.
I've read "A motor is most efficient at the moment of peak torque."
...and then there are the drag/speed equations.
I'm not an engineer in any of those fields.... LOL

I've experienced with this turbo and a turbo diesel, it's all about RPM's and keeping them out of boost.
When I had the 7.3 Powerstroke, I was also active in the 66 to 77 Bronco community.

The "How do I increase fuel mileage in my Bronco?" question was always popping up.

My standard answer was to put it on a trailer and pull it with a 7.3 PSD.
It was in reality, not a joke as I got better mileage in the truck while pulling the Bronco on a car trailer than I did driving the Bronco under its own power. LOL

 

[Pseudoko]

Draft a big rig and hope it doesn’t throw rocks at your windshield but in all honestly there’s factors like wind, sea level, incline, etc that can all come into play. Best thing to do is not worry about your mpg and just drive safe.you didn’t buy the bronco for the mpg. You bought it to have fun with it.

 

[2fast4u]

My Bronco Wildtrak is my good MPG Car

 

[Eroc88]

Just drive it. If you are that worried about fuel economy, I think you bought the wrong vehicle.

 

[Sherminiator]

1000 ÷ 65 = 15.3846153846

1000 ÷ 75 = 13.3333333333

So two hours difference. Two hours is worth the extra gas money when it's my vacation time.

To argue that point..it's your average speed, not a fixed speed..in the grand scheme of things you will not being 65 or 75 100% of the time. So in actuality it would be closer to 50-60 when considering any local driving not on the highway.

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