2004 Mercury Mountaineer Owner's Manual - Page 240

Maintenance and Specifications • You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if unnecessary shifting between third and fourth gear occurs. Unnecessary shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel economy. • Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may reduce fuel economy. • Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel economy. • Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving. Maintenance • Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size. • Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel economy. • Use recommended engine oil. Refer to Lubricant specifications in this chapter. • Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks found in your vehicle scheduled maintenance guide. Conditions • Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy at any speed. • Carrying unnecessary weight may reduce fuel economy (approximately 0.4 km/L [1 mpg] is lost for every 180 kg [400 lb] of weight carried). • Adding certain accessories to your vehicle (for example bug deflectors, rollbars/light bars, running boards, ski/luggage racks) may reduce fuel economy. • Fuel economy may decrease with lower temperatures during the first 12-16 km (8-10 miles) 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 windows for high speed driving. Flex fuel (E-85) cruising range Because E-85 fuel contains less energy per gallon than gasoline, you will experience an increase in fuel consumption. You can expect your Miles 240 REVIEW COPY: 2004 Explorer (exp), Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt) (own2002), Market: USA English (fus)