Crappy Gas Milage & Black TailPipes

[ponder3]

I have 2.0 eco boost. I get better gas mileage in the city than the highway. I bought the eco boost for the highway miles because I commute 90 miles a day. I would have saved the 1k and got a V6 if I new FORD was liars.

I also have black tail pipes, they are suppose to be chrome. Any help on the black tail pipes??

This is my 1st and last Ford.

[Gimp]

How many miles do you have on your car, what is your highway MPG, and what is your highway speed? What is your city MPG?

 

What did your dealership tell you about the tail pipes?

 

Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, etc. don't get the luxury of making up the MPG results that you see on the sticker. They are all required to use very detailed test procedures that are documented in the U.S. code of regulations. Set procedures following an established standard driving profile that each company has to follow. The final results are approved by the EPA and only those approved numbers can go on the sticker. Ford can't lie about the MPG or they'd be in a significant amount of trouble with the government.

 

I just put about 15 gallons in the Ecoboost Edge tank today and ended up with an average of 28 MPG after a week of stop and go rush hour highway driving. Over about 7,200 miles of primarily driving the same daily route my combined average is about 25 MPG. From personal experience I can tell you that my optimal fuel economy comes between 55 an 60 MPH when I'm at a steady speed. It starts dropping very quickly as I increase speeds above 70 - 75 MPH.

[ponder3]

I have 3000 miles on it, i've been driving 70-75 on highway with cruise on at 22-23mpg.

City or country roads 45-50 25mpg.

I'm calling a service department tomorrow about the pipes.

Reading around the forum it seems the same for every one, the eco boost goes backward on highway.

[Gimp]

I was pondering your issue while on a 5-mile walk yesterday. It clearly doesn't seem right as I don't see those kind of fuel efficiency numbers with my vehicle. The one thing that came to mind was the active grille shutters and what kind of impact they would cause if they weren't functioning properly. I don't even know how you would be able to tell if they were working at all since there isn't any obvious sensation that I've noticed. The only other thing that I thought of would be how flat or hilly you highway drive is. I don't have to deal with any significant hills on my drive, but I do watch the fuel consumption meter and it really drops on inclines that I wouldn't normally even notice.

 

Prior to my purchase I did the math on the increased cost of the Ecoboost engine vs. a 3.5 engine and realized it would take me about 4 years of fuel savings (based on comparing the two combined MPG numbers) while driving about 20,000 miles a year. I was actually going to pass on it. Then I drove the Ecoboost and decided that I really liked the performance a whole lot better due to the transmission shifting and the obvious low end torque. That's what I spent the extra $1,000 for and I'm happy with my choice for that reason. If I'd spent that extra money with an expectation of getting 30 MPG I'd be a really unhappy person right now. I just updated my spreadsheet and at 7,213 miles (80% highway / 20% city) I've used 284.4 gallons of gas for a total combined average of 25.36 MPG. My first five fillups gave me an average of 24.4 MPG, and the last five gave me an average of 26.28 MPG but I think that the improvement has more to do with better driving conditions now that winter has passed.

 

My last thought would be the type of fuel that you are using. Out of 21 fill-ups my second to the worst was 22.4 when I decided to run a tank of premium. I don't have enough knowledge to know if the increased octane would have had a negative effect or a neutral effect on a vehicle tuned for regular. My worst MPG was 21.68 when I let my wife have the car for three days. She likes the sensation of the turbo kicking in so she really stomps on the gas peddle. The MPG would have been worse but I was monitoring the meter, figured out what she was doing (she was raving about the acceleration so that wasn't in question), and I borrowed my vehicle back.

[akirby]

First, 45-50 mph is not anywhere close to the EPA definition of City driving. It's closer to the highway cycle. You'll almost always get better mpg at 50 mph than at 75.

 

That said, your mileage sounds way low and sooty tailpipes could indicate a problem.

 

What was your last vehicle (specifically) and what was your average mpg with that vehicle?

[ponder3]

05 Nissan Altima 3,5 V6 75-85 MPH 27 MPG I could fly in this car and get better. And I do have some hills or mountains Tennessesse Valley in Alabama.

[carbonedge+]

05 Nissan Altima 3,5 V6 75-85 MPH 27 MPG I could fly in this car and get better. And I do have some hills or mountains Tennessesse Valley in Alabama.

And it weighs a lot less than an Edge...about 1500 lbs less...

[cpufixer1]

I too an completly disappoint by the mileage. I have babyed this thing and still only seems to get 17mpg city and 23 highway. I did pick up about a 1mpg more when the northeast switched over to summer blend fuel. But still disappointed. I also have a black tail pipe. Looks like its running rich like an old car.

[mrdave]

Do you mean your tailpipes have soot on the tips, and are therefore black? This is very common with turbocharged engines and does not necessarily indicate a problem.

 

I'm on my 3rd vehicle with a turbo, all with healthy engines, and all 3 had/have black soot on the tailpipes.

[c_bova]

running rich seems to be a common ground with direct injection turbo motors. my mazdaspeed6 that had a direct injection 2.3L turbo motor ran very rich from the factory, good thing there were tuning devices.

[ponder3]

@ CarbonEdge+ only 700 more, and had 4 people in the car, Yes mrdave soot, they should have put black tips instead of chrome.

Dealer on Thursday will see what they say!!!

[carbonedge+]

@ CarbonEdge+ only 700 more, and had 4 people in the car, Yes mrdave soot, they should have put black tips instead of chrome.

Dealer on Thursday will see what they say!!!

My bad, I pulled the weight on a 4 cyl Altima and I was thinking the Edge was nearly 4400 lbs.

 

At any rate, the Altima rated at 250hp weighing 3300 lbs vs the Edge EB rated at 240hp weighing maybe 4000lbs...still less effort on the Altima in turn, better mileage; and less wind resistance I'm sure...

 

So, are you implying that you drove 75-85 mph with 4 people in your Altima over hills and mountains and still got 27 mpg?

[11edgelimited]

My bad, I pulled the weight on a 4 cyl Altima and I was thinking the Edge was nearly 4400 lbs.

 

At any rate, the Altima rated at 250hp weighing 3300 lbs vs the Edge EB rated at 240hp weighing maybe 4000lbs...still less effort on the Altima in turn, better mileage; and less wind resistance I'm sure...

 

So, are you implying that you drove 75-85 mph with 4 people in your Altima over hills and mountains and still got 27 mpg?

 

Your also forgetting one very simple thing. The Altima is a car the Edge is a Crossover SUV. Aerodynamics plays a huge role as well. I have the 3.5 V6 and I do 70-75 on the highway and get 22mpg regularly.. around town I get 19-21mpg. I have found slow take offs play a huge roll as well.

[ponder3]

I got 27-32 mpg in my ALTIMA till i got a tune up and mistakenly cleaned the throttle body with carb cleaner. Then the dealer had to adjust idle and it dropped to 24-25 with 150k on it. This morning AVG was 25.1 on the Edge but still that's nursing it.

I swapped my ride and I might just swapp back Mike Rowe.....

[carbonedge+]

Altima: Edge....apples:oranges

[Eatinitup]

My 07 Edge SEL with after market 22's gets better than that. I average 24-25 @ 70MPH on Florida Highways and Interstates when going out of town. Thats with a Cold Air Intake and a recalibration of my speedo. I have an SCT tuner but haven't used it in a while as I have been doing numbers to see if I get better MPG while not tuned opposed to being tuned.

 

Question: How are you using your air conditioning? Max A/C? Recirculate on or off? Windows down?

[carbonedge+]

I think comparing our V6 Edge and his I4 ecoboost are comparing 2 different kinds of apples...

[Eatinitup]

I think comparing our V6 Edge and his I4 ecoboost are comparing 2 different kinds of apples...

 

Possibly but at the end of the day, its still an 07 that is geared for 18' wheels without the towing package and is running 22's that are about 70lbs each and is getting considerably better gas mileage... And I drive like a dick at that, I am not scared to push my peddle.

[ponder3]

The jury is in, and as expected I feel like a christmas turkey with all the smoke blown up my tailpipes.

Dealer says :Customer states vehicle seems like its running rich, black soot on tailpipes and poor gas milage....................

 

1 mile changed on odemeter, could not verify concern, vehicle gets good gas mileage, over 36 mph hwy cruising avg 26 mph city gas turbo motorsrun a little rich as designed, vehicle is ok at this time. I should have unhooked the battery before i left to clear computer

 

Hey put this in the manual!!!!

mr dave and c bova was spot on

So don't waste a day at dealer if you have same problem.

I was waiting for my shuttle and there was a 2012 eco boost demo there, and guess what black pipes

[Eatinitup]

The jury is in, and as expected I feel like a christmas turkey with all the smoke blown up my tailpipes.

Dealer says :Customer states vehicle seems like its running rich, black soot on tailpipes and poor gas milage....................

 

1 mile changed on odemeter, could not verify concern, vehicle gets good gas mileage, over 36 mph hwy cruising avg 26 mph city gas turbo motorsrun a little rich as designed, vehicle is ok at this time. I should have unhooked the battery before i left to clear computer

 

Hey put this in the manual!!!!

mr dave and c bova was spot on

So don't waste a day at dealer if you have same problem.

I was waiting for my shuttle and there was a 2012 eco boost demo there, and guess what black pipes

 

Sorry to hear that brother... I didn't really think the eCoBoost was going to be that impressive when reading about it for the Edge model to be honest. However, I am an avid fisherman and I boat quite often and I can tell you one thing.. Those eCoBoost motors in the F-150 are down out right nasty as hell.. I know guys who own them and not only are they getting 25MPG, they are getting that while towing a 23' Center Console Grady Whites with T-Tops and cruising at about 60MPH... Those F-150's are putting out some SERIOUS power with the Turbo motor... I think in this situation, the Turbo eCoBoost motors are more for power in towing and certain situations like that than they are for CUV's..

Edited April 27, 2012 by Eatinitup

[Limited59]

I think direct injection engines run a little rich in general. Both of my GMC Terrain V6s (3.0 Direct Injection) had sooty tailpipes from day 1. Always kind of annoyed me.

 

My Edge on the other hand has totally pristine tailpipes and has since day 1.

 

Unfortunately, in general and with Ford, small displacement forced induction is here to stay because DI removes the need for the premium fuel required in the past. I read it over and over in the Terrain/Equinox forums how people who went with the four-banger were not getting anywhere near the EPA mileage. Personally, I don't feel a four cylinder has any place in a 4,000+ pound vehicle.

[mrdave]

Sorry to hear that brother... I didn't really think the eCoBoost was going to be that impressive when reading about it for the Edge model to be honest. However, I am an avid fisherman and I boat quite often and I can tell you one thing.. Those eCoBoost motors in the F-150 are down out right nasty as hell.. I know guys who own them and not only are they getting 25MPG, they are getting that while towing a 23' Center Console Grady Whites with T-Tops and cruising at about 60MPH... Those F-150's are putting out some SERIOUS power with the Turbo motor... I think in this situation, the Turbo eCoBoost motors are more for power in towing and certain situations like that than they are for CUV's..

 

I completely agree. The 3.5L Ecoboost is an awesome motor, but it's a completely different animal. In my personal opinion, the 2.0L Ecoboost is just too small to efficiently push a large Edge through the air at 70+ mph efficiently, not to mention hills and whatnot. I'm sure it's perfectly capable of doing so but it's probably working too hard (i.e. it needs boost) to keep the heavy and relatively non-aerodynamic Edge at speed, which could be why the OP isn't seeing the excellent mileage he was expecting. I bet if the speed were kept down to 60mph or below, the mileage would be much better. And yes, I realize that 60mph isn't usually an option if you don't want to be a road hazard.

[Brock79]

I assume it is the way you are driving your Edge. I have just over 1300 miles on mine and the highest MPG I have seen is 32 on a flat highway at 55. The lowest I have seen is 18 and that was in New York City traffic and with about 10 minutes of idiling besides the stop and go traffic. I average a little under 25 MPG all together and I have never seen any soot or black on my tailpipes. The only issue I have encountered so far is with the Sync kicking my phone off and constantly turning on my Ipod. On the other hand my GF has a 2011 Altima 2.5 and averages 28 on the highway doing 70-75, at those speeds I see my Edge running at 24-26 all the time. And once you give the Edge any real throttle it drops the MPG right down to the 17-18 MPG fast. You have to baby the throttle to keep the MPG high or use the cruise control.

[cal3thousand]

Look at the frontal area on an Edge versus your Altima, no comparison.

 

And how do you expect to get the EPA estimated mileage when driving a good 15% faster? Remember that drag is an exponent of your velocity. Double speed = 4 times the force required.

 

You want to compare that Nissan with a Ford? Try a Fusion Want to compare a Nissan to this Edge? Look at Murano.

 

I haven't heard of anyone else here with black tail pipes. Obviously something is not right with your particular vehicle. Have pics?

[ponder3]

This may be the gas blend in our area, noticed yesterday soot on the altima that my son is driving now, but it has 175k on it.

Like I said even the eco 2012 demo at the dealer had the same sooty tailpipes. Someone told me about a cooling timer of the turbo before turning vehicle off? Could be unburned fuel when you then start vehilcle up. Anyone ever heard of this?

EPA should get out on the Inerstates where you can't drive 55 mph.....

But overall I still love me Edge................