Thank you Maples01 for your response.

 

No problem, Cadillac was the first to do so, it was to combat overheating due to lack of coolant, power loss was high, it was a form of limp mode, the engines were a failure, face it, it's a waste of time, buy a better engine IE turbo 6.

 

I just made a pretty surprising discovery. Now that is getting cooler here in fla, my mileage has increased.
my van no longer exhibits such a slow down when climbing, it feels way more responsive and peppy, and my MPGs jumped significantly ( right now it seems to be about 2 mpg, though i haven't done enough driving to substantiate it)

If i get 18 + on the highway, it would make my trade even sweeter.

I traded an '02 subaru wrx with 83k for an '01 e150 sherrod conversion with all the goodies and 102k.
FWIW the wrx got no more than 22 highway and 16 around town.

Kinda makes the van seem quite efficient, no?

 

Racers ice down their intake, denser air equals power, face it, the design on vans have them drawing in hot air, as it doesn't circulate well in the engine bay.

 

I recently purchased a 2012 E-350 cube van, and I only get 7 MPG I tried 3 different gas stations and 2 different grades of gas. My 13 year old chevy got 10MPG all day. It's discourging to say the least I am looking into a sprinter because I spent $483 on fuel in Dec 2013. I would actually save about 2500 a year even after making the $50,000 investment in the vehicle .

 

a lot of factors come into play with MPG and I know only the vehicle in your scenario but 7 seems a little low. I suppose if you were loaded and traveling in mountain terrain and or against a stiff head wind 7 would be right. FWIW I get 8 with my 2003 E350 5.4 with ladder racks, loaded @ 8000 lbs plus towing a 16x8.5x7.5 high 4000 lb 2 axle trailer on flat ground 60-75 MPH. I don't ever drive with a light foot.

I remember my uncle telling me he got 7-8 MPG with his '80's cube with the 5.8l. It would be interesting to know what others get with newer cubes.

 

the van, 14' box stock Michelin's with 75 psi no ladder racks and 19k on the odometer. it has the newer 3 valve 5.3l with a torqshift. Where I live in NH I do let it warm up for 10min or so and I have a good deal of back road driving. Not sure if a tuner is going to give me more then 1MPG or so, Don't know what I'm going to do?? I took me a year to step up and buy this van it has windows,locks ,tilt, cruise and chrome trim, I love the utility just hate the mileage.

 

2013 E350, 5.4 v8, 3.73 rear end, 3 spd with over drive ( 4sp), 15122 miles, 12 pass.
In town, some hi-way miles, according to ford's dash readout, 13-14 miles per gallon true miles per gallon are 1-1.5 mpg lower.
I installed an ECO fuel monitor device that plugs into the OBD port, it help to show you where you can get the best mileage at best speed. Also shows, rpm, speed, inst mpg and total mpg.

 

My '05 V10 has racked up 120,000 miles and it's only job now is towing...I get 8mpg.

My boat/trailer are just under 12,000 lbs.

BTW - the rear window a/c mentioned in an earlier post has been flawless.

 

If it helps anyone to know: 2003 E350 extended cargo with 5.4L 3.73 rear 210k miles loaded with 3,000 lbs everyday and consistently gets 10 mpg. It does not have ladder racks. Michelin m/s 2's 60 psi front and 80 psi rear. Cool boat!

 

2001 E350 15-passenger van with the V10, converted the inside to mobile office/workshop. 126,000mi. I checked my mileage today. Filled up, then drove 25 miles to an office (a mix of city with 45mph speed limit, then some freeway at 70mph, then some city traffic), worked/idled for an hour, then drove the same route home, filled back up at the same gas pump at the same station, allowing the nozzle to shut off automatically once, then setting the nozzle lever on the lowest of 3 settings and allowing it to go until it automatically stops. The result was 12.57mpg.

Obviously it was just one trip and one fill-up, but I tried my best to eliminate any variables.

I typically get 9-10mpg, a product of the extended idling and the liberal use of air conditioning (I live near Atlanta, GA).

-Brandon

 

I am hoping to get 12-14mpg. Most of the driving will be rural highway at 55-65mph.

Going to pick the van up on Saturday. Its 300 miles away so I should be able to get an idea of the mileage.