I special ordered Two (2001) Ford Excursion Limiteds. Both of them are identical and have the same options. They were actually built "back to back" down the assembly line. The VIN #'s are 1 digit off. I have never really had them on a very long trip. I am planning on taking one of them on a 1,850 mile round trip road trip to Miami, Florida. My question is to those who have went on road trips in there Excursions. At what speed do you find your Excursion to get the best MPG? I am leaveing in December for my trip, and I am gonna leave out with plenty of time to spare, so I am not trying to set a world record on getting there, I am just trying to get there and back in a fuel efficent mode. I know this has alot to do with what engine and rear end you have. Both of my Excursions are powered by the 7.3 Liter Powerstroke Diesel and have the 3:73 limited slip rear end.
I gotta say, these are the BEST vehicles I have ever owned. I really hate the Ford is going to discontinue these. Since I have heard the news about Ford cutting production, I am gonna be special ordering me two 2004 model Excursions with the new 6.0 liter powerstroke.
If anyone is interested in a 2 used Excursion Limiteds, they will be for sale in Feb or March 2004. Right now, one has 24,000 miles, and the other has 27,000 miles.
Jeff

 

From all reports I've heard...keep it below 2000 rpms and you should get the best mpg....

I usually can't drive that slow -
all the crazies MAKE me drive to keep up with the traffic...
but the '02 7.3L Ex 4x2 I had would still get 19 MPG at SPEED and loaded...

The '03 4x4 Ex w/ 6.0L has not fared as well even after 12K miles
the BEST I've gotten is about 17 MPG at SPEED...

I typically take the time to air the tires up to near max to compensate for the load and speed which should lessen the rolling resistance a smidgen...

But given it's near 8K, I didn't buy it for the fuel mileage !
I got it because it's the BEST travelling vehicle I've ever been in !
And 12K miles in 5 months shows that I do travel well !
(yes, my other car is a Lincoln LS V8)

 

Ford actually decided NOT to kill the Excursion. It will live on. So you don't have to worry about buying right now just to have "the last of the breed". That's what was eating me, but I'm cool now. In response to your question, the best economy is found between 55 and 63 mph. Alot of it also has to do with the where the RPMs are. If you're between 1600 and 1850 rpms you'll see the best mileage. At about 1900 or 2000 RPM, the turbo starts working harder to keep the vehicle moving and it kills your mileage. Just stay below 1900 and you'll get great mileage out of your X. A fuel additive also helps with mileage. Stanadyne is what everyone recommends, but it's hard to find. Power Service's "Diesel Kleen" (sillver bottle, summer formula) or "Diesel Fuel" (white bottle, winter formula) is a safe alternative that helps every bit of the way. It cleans your injectors and boosts the cetane levels in your fuel. In case you don't know what cetane is, its the equivalent but opposite of octane in gasoline. The higher the cetane level the better things run. It also boosts the power all througout your rig. You'll get smoother acceleration and a slightly quieter engine. Power Service's products can be found at Wal-mart for about $4-$6. I hope this helps.

 

I know exactly how you feel! It's worse here, Houston drivers are among some of the worst. BTW, How fast were you going to get that kind of mileage?

 

On our annual elk hunting trip I towed a 24 ft covered trailer with 7 thousand pounds. My 2000 7.3 Ltd with 3.73 towed it up most grades in overdrive. When I turned overdrive off the rpms ran awfully high at 70mph. I would like to use the overdrive off button for towing but it is not currently needed.

My question is if keeping rpms below 2000 is the key, do bigger tires accomplish this. When I measure my stock 265s with 55psi, the radius from center of hub to road is 15 inches. ( I realize the actual diameter with the tire off the vehicle is more than 15"x2-but the 15 I measured is the rolling radius) If I wanted to go from 65mph at 1900 rpms to 75 at 1900 I'd have to measure closer to 17-1/2 inches. Just curious if bigger tires which give higher speed at lower rpms result in better mileage. And has anyone figured out the rsultant speed increase from 275, 285, 295 & 305 tires?

Thanks - Dan Ward

 

Have to agree with you about Houston drivers...
not sure what it is, but they've had better training at it than these - How do they call the? "Cocain and Boob Job Crowd'" in the DFW area

And how fast did I go with my 4x2 - I'll never tell, but the 7.3L liked the SCMT and would do quite well with power and fuel...
My 6.0L is still basically stock and would get that well until that mid-June flash and I lost 3 mpg AND power!!!
The latest flash got my power back - but haven't seen the fuel return... Going on a 16 hr trip this weekend, will see how it does...

 

Read the news!!

The X is now good through MY 2006!!!

 

I have a 5.4L Excursion, I have to go to Houston Texas from Florida 4 times a year to get treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital. I just returned from my first trip out there with the Excursion checked the milage on every tank of gas. At 2250 rpms it got 15.5 where it was flat, 14.7 were it was hilly. At one area were there was road work and I had to drive between 45 and 65 I got 16.8. I got the same milage on my trip to the Keys from Central Florida. I get about 13.9 around town. As far as the drivers in Houston, they are bad, I would say = to Dallas, but you have not seen anything till you go to South Florida. On the same trips with my Suburban I got 19 in the Keys, 20.5 on the Trips to Texas, but I had to put two Transmissions in in 100K miles Pete

 

Is there some kind of a chip to improve the Mileage? Pete

 

1st part. Yes. But it is offset by the need for more fule to get up to that speed + more rolling resistance. Unless the tire is thinner.

2nd part. You can determine that road speed and RPM at Randy's Ring and Pinion. Check out the FAQ in the Super Duty section, there is an address for the calculator.

 

There is, but from what I've heard and read, you'll need to start using premium fuel to compensate for your engine's newfound power. Although I could be wrong. Can anyone contest my statement?

 

At about 55mph i recive 26mpg on my 2001 X with 7.3L dsl riding empty

 

WOW how do you guys get such great MPG???
I was just getting ready to ask a question about that very same subject!!

MY question is that...I own a 2000 EXXY limited with the V-10 When i first bought it about five months ago according to the computer it was getting about 11.5 MPG I then installed a K-N airfilter And went on a short trip about 400 miles and the MPG went up to about 12.2MPG!! Sence that trip the MPG has dropped alot back down to 11.4 MPG!! "According to the computer inside"
When i do the math and figure it out on a piece of paper it comes out to about 8.5 MPG???? Are the computers off that much?? I guess i should also mention The truck had aftermarket exhaust on it when i bought it, I thought that would help with the MPG also??? Also i do alot of in Town driving,Butt shouldnt the computer show the Mpg regardless of were i drive?
So i'am looking for MPG improvements, Besides keeping my foot out of it!! ( cause those pipes sound awesome)
Any help would be greatly appreciated...Thanks ...Jason

 

A V-10 is a LOT of enigine and there are limits to waht you can do to improve the 'fuealage' rate...

The 7.3L Ex I had got MUCH beter mielage than the current 6.0L Ex and I REALLY am having a difficult time not jumping Ford's case because ot their claims of smaller displacement with better milage and power...

And NOW they've taken away the pilot injection which makes the 6.0L almost as LOUD as my 7.3L was !!!!

NOT the vehcile I bought !!!

***************************8
But STILL the best vehicle for travelling...
On our trip from DFW to Losing-Annie this weekend were in a hurry going and got about 16 mpg @ VERY FAST cruise around 90 - (I KNOW - but, very straight and safe interstate with LITTLE traffic)

On the way back - not as fast - 80 or less cruising and got 17.7 MPG.... very happy with that !

 

Keep hearing about the K&N air filter... is really worth the $50. other then paying for it's self over the next 3 paper filters? I thinking about getting one today.