Dreaded ECO GOAT mode??

[mike8675309]

You have to change your driving style with eco mode otherwise you will use more fuel. Normal I'm getting 20 mpg in my 2 door sasquatch manual. I haven't tried eco.

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[mpeugeot]

Run in sport almost always, Eco does not improve improve my gas mileage. Last 1750 miles I averaged over 21.5 mpg.

 

[TrailRaider]

My current cars get 15 and 12 MPG. My motorcycles 35 and 60. I doubt I will ever see eco mode, in theory, the Bronco, even the Raptor, will get better MPG than either of my cars. If I have to start working on the change jar for gas, I'll jump on the motorcycles for a few weeks

 

[Tricky Dick]

You have to change your driving style with eco mode otherwise you will use more fuel. Normal I'm getting 20 mpg in my 2 door sasquatch manual. I haven't tried eco.

That makes sense since so many people get worse mileage in Eco. I drive like a grampa anyway so it's always been effective for me.

 

[TheShark]

I drive in Eco when I remember, it's rather funny because when I'm running in Eco and turn the car off when I get back in and don't catch the message about "Do you want to continue in Eco mode" I'll depress the accelerator thinking I'm in Eco and woosh the car takes off. Well woosh as much as a 2dr Bronco with a 2.3 can manage. It is a noticeable difference. That's usually my cue to put it back in Eco.

 

[Bronco1971]

What's wrong with Eco mode? It's just another tool in the box you can use. Eco mode and some throttle discipline and your highway mileage can be surprisingly good.

 

[AZ_Liberty]

Key to best mileage is to stay out of boost. It's a lot like driving my old 71 Olds with the 4-barrel. Soon as the back barrels opened up you could watch the gas needle move.

On an automatic, Sport give best MPG because it keeps gears longer which keeps boost down. On a stick, you are shifting yourself, so all it really does is affect the linearity of the gas pedal.

 

[Coloradonatives]

Most of my driving is in town, on Colorado highways, and mountain roads. 2.7 BL. The overall lifespan mileage was 17.9, but the past 10 days in ECO mode raised that to 18.6 and probably will continue to rise. Definitely an improvement and I just flip to Normal if I need to pass someone quickly.

 

[Coloradonatives]

You have to change your driving style with eco mode otherwise you will use more fuel. Normal I'm getting 20 mpg in my 2 door sasquatch manual. I haven't tried eco.

So, if you haven't tried eco mode, how is it that you can give advice on this subject?

 

[mike8675309]

So, if you haven't tried eco mode, how is it that you can give advice on this subject?

Because I understand the strategy that automakers use for eco mode. I have direct experience in the control system used by automakers.

If you have a rabbit driving style, put the pedal down from stop light to stop light or stop sign to stop sign. Tailgate people where you have to suddenly slow down and suddenly speed up. Those situations applied to the eco strategy will result in more time spent at higher throttle positions than you previously would have had to do in normal mode, resulting in increased fuel usage.

 

[ScottyScooter]

Does anyone know exactly what the ECO mode does to try to save fuel? I would guess that the scale of the gas pedal is artificially altered, so the amount of throttle delivered is less than the actual position you are pressing the pedal with your foot. I would also guess that the wastegate is controlled to open slower and deliver less boost across the board.

Is that about right? Is there anything else that it does?

 

[PrincipalD]

ECO mode works best for people who “drive hard”. My wife is a hard accelerator and when she has driven on ECO, she has seen improvements around 2-3 MPG. I am a putter when I drove and my improvement is nominal - maybe about 1 MPG. In my OBX, you can hear/feel the difference when you engage normal, eco, and sport. You can also see the ECO tunes it down and reduces RPM. I was keeping the car at 45 mph and switched between the three GOAT modes. It was physically different and you could see it in the RPM.

 

[Coloradonatives]

Because I understand the strategy that automakers use for eco mode. I have direct experience in the control system used by automakers.

If you have a rabbit driving style, put the pedal down from stop light to stop light or stop sign to stop sign. Tailgate people where you have to suddenly slow down and suddenly speed up. Those situations applied to the eco strategy will result in more time spent at higher throttle positions than you previously would have had to do in normal mode, resulting in increased fuel usage.

That driving style would change mileage in EVERY mode- so what is your lecture about, exactly?

 

[Rayder]

I've been driving in mostly Eco for the last two weeks and I'm averaging 20.2 (Sas 4dr, 2.7). My average prior to that was 17.2. It makes the throttle less sensitive so you can stay out of boost. Obviously if you just compensate by adding more throttle it will do nothing for you.

 

[mike8675309]

That driving style would change mileage in EVERY mode- so what is your lecture about, exactly?

It wasn't a lecture. It was a fact. If you drive poorly and get terrible fuel economy, switching to eco-mode isn't going to give you great fuel economy. In fact, if you don't change how you drive, you could actually get worse fuel economy.

Some people think that if you just turn to eco-mode you will suddenly get 20mpg, but the reality is you don't get that without working with the system and not fighting it.

I just did a 50 mile highway trip on eco mode. I got it up to 22mpg with speeds between 60mph and 70mph. Though I don't trust that mpg number anymore as I've realized my speedo is off by about 1.5 mph compared to GPS. Best I got in normal mode with a similar route was 21.5mpg.

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