Ford Explorer: Driving Hints / Economical Driving

Fuel economy is affected by several things such as how you drive, the conditions you drive under and how you maintain your vehicle.

You may improve your fuel economy by keeping these things in mind:

• Accelerate and slow down in a smooth, moderate fashion.
• Drive at steady speeds.
• Anticipate stops; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
• Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
• Close the windows for high-speed driving.
• Drive at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph (88 km/h) uses 15% less fuel than traveling at 65 mph (105 km/h)).
• Keep the tires properly inflated and use only the recommended size.
• Use the recommended engine oil.
• Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance.

Avoid these actions; they reduce your fuel economy:

• Sudden accelerations or hard accelerations.
• Revving the engine before switching it off.
• Idle for periods longer than one minute.
• Warm up your vehicle on cold mornings.
• Use the air conditioner or front defroster.
• Use the speed control in hilly terrain.
• Rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
• Drive a heavily loaded vehicle or tow a trailer.
• Carry unnecessary weight (approximately 1 mpg [0.4 km/L] is lost for every 395 lb (180 kg) of weight carried).
• Driving with the wheels out of alignment.

Conditions

• Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy at any speed.
• Adding certain accessories to your vehicle (for example bug deflectors, rollbars, light bars, running boards, ski racks or luggage racks) may reduce fuel economy.
• To maximize the fuel economy, drive with the tonneau cover installed (if equipped).
• Using fuel blended with alcohol may lower fuel economy.
• Fuel economy may decrease with lower temperatures during the first 5–10 mi (12–16 km) of driving.
• Driving on flat terrain offers improved fuel economy as compared to driving on hilly terrain.
• Transmissions give their best fuel economy when operated in the top cruise gear and with steady pressure on the gas pedal.
• Four-wheel-drive operation (if equipped) is less fuel efficient than two-wheel-drive operation.
• Close the windows for high-speed driving.