Can you add power and get economy?
Holy smokes, gas prices are going through the roof! Predictions are we'll never see those "Dollar something" a gallon days. Is the performance industry over? Are we all subject to riding mo-peds or mass transit? Are V8 engines going to become extinct? Well, while everyone is running around saying that the sky is falling, let's take a step back and be rational and practical about the situation. Sure paying nearly $4 a gallon for fuel is tough on everyone, we pay for it in nearly everything we buy, but fuel economy and power do not always fight each other. In reality, a better horsepower to weight ratio often times provides better fuel economy during “normal driving conditions”. Ok, not all of our readers are “normal” so let's define “normal driving conditions”: Normal driving conditions are steady state driving such as highway driving or normal city traffic etc. Not Normal driving (albeit more fun) is 3rd gear wide open throttle passes on the highway, racing from light to light; anything using lots of "gas on demand". Let's look at a few examples where products achieve fuel economy and power improvements.
In the mid 90’s, I worked on the Explorer program for Ford Motor Company. One struggle we had was keeping powertrain performance in balance with power. Power for this vehicle translates into “fun to drive” and towing capability. With only a 4.0L 6-cylinder under the hood, our horsepower to weight ratio was not optimized – so we looked at the 5.0L engine. Now, there were several challenges with putting the 5.0L into the Explorer and with efforts of a great team, we achieve all 3 benefits – power, fuel economy and towing capability improvements. Yes, the 5.0L Explorer got better fuel economy than the base 4.0L.
As a Mustang enthusiast, you might relate to this example better. Remember way back to 2003 when we were celebrating the success of the 2001 Bullitt and launching about the 2003 Mach 1? One of the notable Mach 1 features was an improved version of the 4.6L 4V engine which made approximately 50 more horsepower, revved considerably and weighed more than the 4.6L GT 2V engine; in fact, the Mach 1 weighed more than a GT. Conventional wisdom would say the Mach 1 should get poorer fuel economy than the GT – not true! The Mach 1 Mustang can get over 30 miles to the gallon in steady state highway driving. This is great economy - better than my “economy car”! Ok, one contributor to the Mach 1 fuel economy is the premium fuel it uses. Premium fuel has more potential energy than regular fuel, so if everything else is held constant, you'd expect slightly better economy fuel performance. (Just a side note, you cannot add premium fuel to a GT calibrated for regular fuel and get noticeable fuel economy improvements).
So there you have it – 2 examples of increased power and better fuel economy! Now the key question: What can we apply to the Mustangs currently in our stables?
The same general rules of thumb apply to aftermarket power adders: Improve air flow, remove exhaust restrictions, reduce rolling resistance, decrease rotating mass, improve aero dynamics, keep the oil clean and fresh, ensure the alignment is correctly set and finally, refine driving techniques. Ok, this is a long list and I"m not saying you have to completely transform your car to get better economy. Here are the first 3 things I would do:
1. Give her a tune up! Clean the air filter often or purchase a low restriction air filter that can be cleaned. Change the oil and filter every 3000 miles, keep the tires inflated to 32-34 psi. If you see any unusual front tire wear, get the front end aligned, check for worn suspension components.
2. Next, I would have a little fun and install a cold air induction kit, high flow H-Pipe and an optimized tune on my Mustang. This will make a big difference in the fun to drive factor and improve fuel economy if I were to ever drive “normal”.
3. Learn how to drive economically. If you don’t have anything to prove, then accelerate slowly from a stop, shift early (under 2000 RPM) anticipate slowing or stopping traffic, begin to coast prior to braking where possible, and don’t over work the engine going up hills (instead, let a little speed fall off as you go up a hill). If you practice these driving techniques, I bet you will see a 3 to 5 mile per gallon improvement….that's huge!
There you have it, you don’t have to buy premium fuel and you don’t have to trade your car in for a skate board. Just pay attention to a few basics and have fun in the mean time. At the end of the day, if you need a little vehicular stress relief, you still have a V8 under the hood, so go ahead treat yourself, hit the peddle on the right! After all, we are what we drive!!!
- Scott Hoag
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