2012 owners Post your MPG's

[Fleetwood158]

Originally Posted by csvt2060

E85 is not supported on the 2012 Focus, it's "late availablity" right now. Don't put E85 gas in a Ford vehicle unless it has the "yellow" ring around the fuel filler.

Dang! I was under the impression it was a Flex Fuel! Can you post a link to support this? I cant seem to find recent news on it - but plenty of news from late 2010 saying 2012 Focus will take E85.

http://media.ford.com/images/10031/2..._DI_Engine.pdf

[lrbr30022]

Originally Posted by Fleetwood158

Dang! I was under the impression it was a Flex Fuel! Can you post a link to support this? I cant seem to find recent news on it - but plenty of news from late 2010 saying 2012 Focus will take E85.

http://media.ford.com/images/10031/2..._DI_Engine.pdf

What is E85?

[Dgc333]

E85 is 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline.

Most fuel you buy these days is E10.

[lrbr30022]

Originally Posted by Fleetwood158

Dang! I was under the impression it was a Flex Fuel! Can you post a link to support this? I cant seem to find recent news on it - but plenty of news from late 2010 saying 2012 Focus will take E85.

http://media.ford.com/images/10031/2..._DI_Engine.pdf

I found something in another forum that was posted by Ford Customer Support. It says if your car has flex fuel, it will show it on the window sticker. I don't have it, but given no gas stations by me carry it - I don't care.

So folks that are getting the really HIGH milage - what grade gas are you using?

[Tony407]

Originally Posted by Fleetwood158

I achieved 48.5 mpg on my commute to work this morning!!! My Focus is the Titanium model with the 18" sport wheel package.

Could you check your tire pressures and let us know what they're at? My Focus came with 39 psi (recommended by the decal on the door jamb) but I found the ride too harsh so I reduced it to 32. I'm wondering how much of a difference 7 psi will make. I've heard of others who have had well over 40 psi in their tires from the factory.

Tony

[Tony407]

Originally Posted by Fleetwood158

It is my understanding that any gas above regular unleaded is entirely unnecessary - the engine is built to run a lifetime on regular (and E-85!).

Well, I agree with you that it's entirely unnecessary in terms of having a decent-running engine. But I've never compared grades of fuel to see if it gives you different mpgs. Since most of my cars that I've owned require supreme, I've never had the chance to play around with it.

Tony

[CharlieRose]

Yeah, I didn't see anything about E85 in the owner's manual, so I'd steer clear of that.

And speaking of the owner's manual, I think I remember it saying the car may perform better and get better mileage if you use premium gas. That's why I've been using it for the last few tanks. I have gotten about 1.5 MPG better mileage since I started using 93 octane, but since every tank of gas is driven differently, it's hard to know causation. I'm going to keep track over the next several months to determine if it helps.

By the way, I did the math and the difference I've experienced between 87 and 93 octane would only make financial sense if premium gas were less than $3.71 when regular is $3.55 (like it was last time I filled up). Premium isn't cheap enough here to make it financially smart to use it (I think it was about $3.85 recently). Obviously the cost benefit of premium begins to tilt in its favor when the spread increases between the average MPGs you're getting, OR when the price of gas goes up.

As for the variation...I gotta think it's due to a mix of the driving environment and driving habits. For those of you averaging in the 20s, what does the Eco-Flower display tell you about your shifting, speed, and anticipation habits?

[Joeywhat]

Manual calculation last trip - 27.12 mpg, computer shows 32.3

Not impressed, was mostly highway driving, some spirited driving mixed in a bit of city. Cruise control on at 70 mph most the time, back roads doing 55-65 without a ton of stop and go.

87 gas.

[chantspel]

Hey All. Figured I'd throw my data point out there. Just filled up the first tank, the computer said 37mpg and manual calculation was about 39. This is about 75% hwy and 25% city/suburbs driving. I was driving pretty easy as well, so that's probably why the numbers are decent.

This is a SFE model as well.

[Fleetwood158]

Originally Posted by Tony407

Could you check your tire pressures and let us know what they're at? My Focus came with 39 psi (recommended by the decal on the door jamb) but I found the ride too harsh so I reduced it to 32. I'm wondering how much of a difference 7 psi will make. I've heard of others who have had well over 40 psi in their tires from the factory.

Tony

Just checked (for the first time) - my tires are at ~40-41 psi. It is a harsh/stiff ride, but that is part of the fun of the handling package! While waiting on my Titanium to arrive, the dealer loaned me a base SE model for a week. The ride was quite different - softer, smoother, and quieter! I will lower my pressure to 38-39 now that I know I've been running a little high.