Milan MPG - Still Beating the Numbers

"MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner" (montegoman562)
03/10/2016 at 09:57 • Filed to: MILAN, MERCURY, MOAR MERCURY, MIGHTY MILAN

So my Milan has over 102k miles on it. I’m about to do all new shocks/struts around the car and new spark plugs (i believe all of that is original from the factory, it’s time). So I was pretty surprised when I decided to get a baseline on my city driving MPG today.

21.6 MPG - no highways were involved. This is the V6 FWD model.

There’s the EPA stats. Even with all that mileage and old plugs. Highway is consistently 28-29.

Pretty good for a 9 year old car.

DISCUSSION (19)

JGrabowMSt > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2016 at 10:02

I do the same in the HEMIWagon.

Supposed to get 15 city/23 highway and 18 average. I average 20 consistently, even with getting into it.

I do fill with 93 instead of the 89 it’s rated for, and the supposed regular that the tests were done with (if the tests are even to be believed).

Not bad for a 5.7L V8. I drive in the ballpark of 100 miles a day, sometimes more.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > JGrabowMSt
03/10/2016 at 10:04

That’s a lot of driving.

I really wanted to get a baseline to see if I will get an improvement with the above mentioned upgrades. Which are in route to my house now from Rock Auto. First time ordering from them, holy shit the prices are great.

zeontestpilot > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2016 at 10:05

With hwy, I get 23.5 mpg. I'm suppose to get up to 28 hwy too...in theory...

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2016 at 10:07

rockauto FTW. My FiST is too new to get most of my parts through them yet :(

JGrabowMSt > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2016 at 10:11

Rock Auto is fantastic, I’ve never had an issue with them. What shock/strut did you go with?

Also, to be curious, what spark plugs? OEM equivalent or something different? The most I will ever go for is platinum plugs, but my old Neon ran a million times better on Copper plugs. With the SL I only run OEM equivalent, and the HEMIWagon gets Bosch Platinums. It’s a straight up punch in the wallet whenever I have to change plugs, but luckily I get a couple of years out of them minimum.

What I would seriously consider is a trans fluid change, just drain and refill, no flush. I would also change coolant and coolant hoses, and potentially the thermostat if need be.

When you do the struts and get the alignment done, it would be a great time to also consider what the tire pressure is on the door, and if you want to change it. I typically run 3-4lb higher than the door rating and while it can make for a bumpier ride, sometimes it can help with handling and gas mileage slightly. You may not notice it in 2-3 tanks, but longer term it can make a difference.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > zeontestpilot
03/10/2016 at 10:17

on the highway? That’s terrible.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > JGrabowMSt
03/10/2016 at 10:27

So I went with Monroe QuickStruts for up front, no spring compressor needed, direct swap out. Perfect for driveway installation (I say that now, we’ll see after I install LOL). In the back is standard shocks and I went with the OE Spectrum from Monroe. It was a combo suspension kit and cost $281 for all “four” pieces. Oh- and it qualifies for a $75 mail in rebate making it only cost 206!!!

For Spark plugs I went with Motorcraft Platinums, at $2.52 a plug I get platinum and it’s going to be right on factory style with Motorcraft.

I’ll think about the tires...I’m right around 35 right now on all 4 corners.

zeontestpilot > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2016 at 10:30

It really is....but I do fill up once a week with all the driving i do. So that's nice...

Party-vi > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2016 at 10:33

You should look into low rolling resistance tires (Michelin Primacy) if you want to see your numbers go up. I know that in my E46 I was regularly seeing 27-29mpg on my commute (70% highway), and now with the Pilot Sports I’m getting 24-25mpg.

JGrabowMSt > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2016 at 10:38

I’ve actually put in a set of QuickStruts before. To say they’re perfect for driveway installation is basically exactly what they were made for. They’re super easy to work with, just bolt them in and then head for an alignment. Even better price than when I got them several years ago, so not bad at all!

35 is a good tire pressure. My cars typically get 37-38, but 35 for a DD basic commuter car is great. Some little commuter cars will say numbers like 30 or 32/33, but I’ve always found the ride too soft and sometimes numb.

Are you going to do brake fluid while everything is apart?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Party-vi
03/10/2016 at 10:40

Nah, my General Altimax RT43's have barely any wear on them. They’re a bit over a year old. They do great in the winter because I do not run winter tires (big whoop wanna fight about it? It’s crazy flat here honestly) and I’m not interested in having two sets of tires for this car by running summers. That IS a big change though.

Also with plans on Rally Crossing having the all season thats M/S rated will be helpful.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > JGrabowMSt
03/10/2016 at 10:43

It’s good to hear from someone who’s done it before. I’m going to check on other stuff while I’m at it. I’m suspicious of the ball joints and the tie rods. And definitely headed straight to alignment. It needs one anyhow so it is the perfect time to do this.

I’ve thought about it. I’m going to check on the front brakes, they may need to be done, if they do I may just swap all that brake fluid this time. Probably going to have to swap out the trans fluid too.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > zeontestpilot
03/10/2016 at 10:47

I’m more of a 1.5 week fill up.

My commute varies pretty drastically depending on how idiotic people are on 275.

Some days I can do 20 minutes to or from work.

Some days I can barely get it under an hour.

Some days I say screw it and take the side roads and get a consistent 40 minutes

JGrabowMSt > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2016 at 10:51

The only thing to keep in mind is to check the wear of all the bushings before you reassemble, if for no other reason than if any are significantly worn, any reputable alignment shop should just tell you they can’t do the alignment. Been there, done that.

Ball joints clunk when you go over bumps, other bushings just rot out and make steering sloppy. Outer tie rods are difficult, you’ll see that the boot is worn, but you wont be able to really tell if it’s bad or not. I’ve had a ball joint basically separate in a driveway, luckily it didn’t happen on the highway. It was in a gravel driveway (pretty bad). Steering will feel really sloppy and if the ball joints are really worn, the car may have a momentary pull to it when moving.

Changing bushings is a bitch, and buying a new control arm with new bushings in it is often pretty expensive, which sucks more.

zeontestpilot > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2016 at 10:57

Mine commute is consistently 40 minutes to 50 minutes. Heavy traffic doesn't happen normally, despite being in EL.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > JGrabowMSt
03/10/2016 at 11:11

Yeah I’m suspicious of all those things. Michigan roads are not gentle on suspension components. And this car has lived in Michigan for the majority of its life (with me) and started it’s life in Wisconsin where I imagine things aren’t much better. The steering DOES feel sloppy right now. Like I’ve got almost 2 inches of play in the steering wheel before it starts doing anything.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > zeontestpilot
03/10/2016 at 11:11

yeah metro detroit is a traffic monster. Nothing compared to NJ where I grew up though

JGrabowMSt > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2016 at 11:14

Sounds like it’s time for a front end overhaul!

Kinja'd!!!

(I chose this because I know the guy who has the car right now)

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > JGrabowMSt
03/10/2016 at 11:16

hahahaha awesome.

But yeah, yeah it does.