Better Gas Mileage

tony1963

Well-known member
Well, the old Ford Granada 1981 model runs just fine. I've checked the gas mileage and it is only posting about 18 in mostly highway. I wasn't even using the AC.

What do you all think? Typical for this model or do I have any upside that is unexplored?
 
Seems reasonable. Unless you had one of the tiny cars you did not break that 20mpg until they got the overdrive transmissions with locking torque converters.
 
8) 18 is about right. both my falcons and my fairmont wagon all got between 17 and 21 mpg. my falcons had the 170 3spd combo with 3.20 gears, and the fairmont had thw 200 C4 combo.
 
Now if you upgraded to an overdrive tranny you will see huge improvements :),

My T5, mostly stock (2 barrel, MSD ignition with DS2) 200ci gets 25mpg highway, which honestly shocked the hell out of me but hey it works for me :)

Things you can check would be to make sure its in tip top shape as far as the tune goes, timing, plugs wires, a good ignition system is a solid foundation, from there if its running rich lean it out a little.
 
I saw dramatic gains by installing the Pertronix I with Flamethrower Coil, Platinum Plugs gapped to 0.050", full Synthetic Oil. Just make sure the oil has an adequate Zinc content.

The Synthetic Oil is now nagging me. Since I din't check for Zinc content, I may have damaged my stock cam/lifter combo. :( I'll soon correct that possible mistake with my new cam/lifter combo from CI. :D

By the way, putting the top down costs me about 1 1/2 MPG at turnpike speeds (70+).
 
Well, I'm probably doing the best that I can with the current drivetrain/technology. I thought about an AOD transmission, but not sure if it will even bolt up let alone the costs to retrofit this thing in the driveline.

I had an 88 Ford Crown Victoria with 5.0 and AOD. It was fuel injected and would get 24 MPG on the road, no problems.
Of course, it was geared so high that if the wind blew, it couldn't keep up and had to downshift into 3rd or it would not keep speed. On hills, the cruise would disengage from the load, too.

If I spend money for fuel mileage, it has to be cost justified. If I saved 2 MPG with fuel at $2.20 gal and drove 15,000 miles, my savings would only be $183.
 
tony1963":2q4iikqp said:
Well, I'm probably doing the best that I can with the current drivetrain/technology. I thought about an AOD transmission, but not sure if it will even bolt up let alone the costs to retrofit this thing in the driveline.

if the starter is below the oil pan gasket the aod will mostly bolt up.four out of six bolts.hooking up the tv cable is a pain.
 
It is turning in a consistent 18 MPG. Today I realized that the car has larger tires than the factory spec'd so that is, in a way, creating a slight change in fuel economy due to a slower running engine at the same speed.

I read the article about the Duraspark II upgrade. I guess this thing has a Duraspark II distributor. I'm thinking of pulling the distributor and doing the thing.
 
If you have a Granada you should already have Duraspark II. Ford stopped using points sometime around '74. If you already have the Duraspark the most beneficial upgrade on top of that would be something like a Crane or MSD ignition box. Some of the Duraspark mods like the GM modules and stuff aren't so much an "improvement" over Duraspark as an alternative to it for easier/cheaper/more original look install on the older cars.
 
BIGREDRASA":bf0q9wt6 said:
I saw dramatic gains by installing the Pertronix I with Flamethrower Coil, Platinum Plugs gapped to 0.050", full Synthetic Oil. Just make sure the oil has an adequate Zinc content.

The Synthetic Oil is now nagging me. Since I din't check for Zinc content, I may have damaged my stock cam/lifter combo. :( I'll soon correct that possible mistake with my new cam/lifter combo from CI. :D

By the way, putting the top down costs me about 1 1/2 MPG at turnpike speeds (70+).


ZINC content, where am I getting that?
 
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