I am not sure what I got with my 2002 Focus on the highway (but I think it was around 28-29mpg). I now have a 2005 with the D20 engine and I usually get 30+mpg on the highway (...yesterday I was up in the mountains here in Colorado and got 41mpg!).

I guess you could make sure the air filter is clean, air intake isn't obstructed, tire pressure set correctly, alignment...at 59k miles, maybe try one of those engine cleaners...

 

Wow, I wish I could get 41mpg. :thumbup:

Now that you mention it, I have relatively new tires at all corners (only about 9k miles on them) and before I left, I filled them each to 35 psi to ensure I got better mileage.
I have a cone-style filter on my Mac Short Ram and it looked spankin new still.

Could it be an O2 sensor? I read somewhere that the focus has 2? Which one would cause the drop in mpg if not both? Cheap easy fix?

 

I typically average between 27-29mpg. Granted I travel a bit above the posted speed limit. But I've found that my ZX3 doesn't seem to care if I'm doing 65mph or 80mph. My mileage stays pretty close to the same.

I think you'll find that you're pretty much right in ballpark with the rest of us with the Zetec.

 

Don't forget about other factors, like the gas mixture being pumped in from stations. Since it is winter in areas of North America, the gas forumlation is quite different. Also, it could be something else like a malfunctioning sensor or a maintenance issue.

Unless mileage drops significantly, I wouldn't worry.

 

Ok, I guess that's what I was wanting to hear. The previous owners of my car were concerned when I told them that's the mileage I was getting. Granted I bought the car from my 68 year old grandparents :lol:

Thanks for the input guys!

 

How fast were you driving? Everytime I've taken a trip to northern Mich, I generally average 80+mph just to get up there... It's such a huge state, driving slower just takes forever. My point is... If you are driving FAST, gas mileage drops off pretty fast over 75mpg.

 

I know what you're saying about it taking forever, I'm probably as impatient as you are. But in this case, I kept the cruise at 75.

 

my 2002 zx3, manual, gets ~29 in the city and ~32/34 hwy (~75mph), i maxed out at 48 once in smokies (lots of cruising down the blue ridge prkwy. can't say i try to burn more than neccessary (easy on gas unless i want to enjoy some speed).

 

I get up in the 28-30 range in the winter if I keep it under 80. 26 seems low.

 

my car eats 1/4 tank of gas A DAY :lol:
I think thats just the philly traffic though

 

i get only about 22 mpg, and with premium gas, but what fun would it be if i was always driving around trying to conserve fuel?

 

i get only about 22 mpg, and with premium gas, but what fun would it be if i was always driving around trying to conserve fuel?

Good philosophy! I believe pretty much the same thing. Except, with gas prices topping $2.50 here in Michigan, and with my daily commute, I go through about 2.5 taks of gas a week. The cash adds up quick on my "college student" budget.
I'm just trying to save a few bucks.

Like FocusOnPunk said, 26 seems low to me when all other factors are in check. What else could I check to make sure my car's running right?

Oh, BTW, I have an ATX.

 

On another note...when I fill up, I let the pump go until it clicks itself off and then I go ahead and round it off to the next $0.50 but when I start the car back up, I notice the gas guage doesn't reach the FULL mark. Does anyone else's do that? Can it be fixed?

 

Teh SVTF nets me 8-9 mpg if I only drive to/from work all week. That's a 3.5 mile trek each way, twice a day. Probably due to the 1.5 mile hill climb/decent each way? But just to clarify, that's 8-9, not 28-29.

Greg

 

Teh SVTF nets me 8-9 mpg if I only drive to/from work all week. That's a 3.5 mile trek each way, twice a day. Probably due to the 1.5 mile hill climb/decent each way? But just to clarify, that's 8-9, not 28-29.

Greg

ouch

 

Yeah, I finally checked my fuel mileage on the SVT. 22. something or other. I decided I'm not going to really bother checking again.

Out on the freeway though, if I stay out of it, the SVT does pretty well. Over 300 miles on a tank, which was all I was asking of it anyway.

 

well, how fast were you driving... your cold air intake is making more fuel go into the motor, and it is also winter so it has cold air anyways.... that's my opintion

 

just drive it easy... lay off the gas... shift at 2.5k or less, drive 60 on the highways... you'll see a huge improvement in mileage.

that cai is probably making your foot heavier!

 

my car eats 1/4 tank of gas A DAY :lol:
I think thats just the philly traffic though

This comment has absolutely NO MEANING. Please save us the time of reading, The important issue is MPG. It's the only answer with meaning so others can maybe compare, or form a conclusion about their own situation.

 

My commute is 12 miles one way and I usually get around 280 to 305 miles per tank. I used to get less in winter times (like 270), but i found out that I can cut the car warm up times by nearly half by not using the heater at all in the first 3 minutes. I found my driving styles doesnt affect my milage much (whether i use a higher or lower gear), but the driving route does.

Still, I am getting like 270 miles this week. I think it could be either (1)bad gas quality (2)the gas station didn't pump extra gas after it clicks (3)extra cold temperature for longer warm up times (4)low average driving speed (too much city)
I think (2) is the more likely culprit.

 

that cai is probably making your foot heavier!

Most of the time, that's true. I do like the way the MAC sounds during city driving but on the freeway you don't hear it all that much so I don't mess around, ALL business and no pleasure there. I use the cruise control from the time I reach about 70-75 to the time I get off the freeway.

As for the bad gas comment, I don't know. Most of the time I use the same BP station because it's close to work and they are usually a nickel/gal under all the other places. Same for this particular tank. Maybe they consistently have bad gas at this station?

I was hoping to get about 300-320 miles out of that tank but instead I got about 260.

 

If you are getting around 26MPG you should easially get 300miles on a tank. Gas tank is 13.3 gallons. Even if you only use 12 gallons of gas (1.3gal left in the tank), before you fill up you should get 12gal x 26mpg = 312miles. Just don't fill up exactly when the light pops on. Pay attention to the location of the guage when the light goes on.... and live life on the edge like Kramer.

 

This comment has absolutely NO MEANING. Please save us the time of reading, The important issue is MPG. It's the only answer with meaning so others can maybe compare, or form a conclusion about their own situation.

sorry i wasted 5 seconds of your life.... or rather, 20 seconds since you took the time to respond...

to CLARIFY:
I average about 22-24 mpg, and thats on a stock motor with stock exhaust and just a KN panel filter. I typically get under 250 miles/tank, and most of my driving happens during my 30 minute all traffic commute from philly suburbs to conshohocken. Granted my alignment was off for a while (just installed new susepnsion yesterday) and got new spark plugs yesterday.

If your mileage is really suffering, routine maintenance could be the answer. Check alignment, check TIRE PRESSURE, replace PCV valve, clean air filter, check spark plugs, etc etc. Most of these how-to's are available at focushacks.com.

 

New development: I was at work yesterday (delivering pizzas) and while cruising down the street at about 45 mph I noticed that the car began to, for a lack of a better word, die-off. To try to explain...it kinda lost power/fuel and slowed then immediately regained power and surged repeatedly all in the course of about 3-5 seconds to produce a "bucking motion" :dunno: I might be changing my mind now about the O2 sensor being the culprit here.

Does this sound like a problem with the fuel system to you? Unfortunately it didn't throw me a CEL so I don't know for sure. The filter, maybe even the pump? I don't know if the previous owners had the pump replaced under the recall or not.

Thanks again guys.

 

sounds like a DPFE problem... do a search on the boards... or i think theres a sticky on top of one of them?