I have a 2012 Ford Focus SLE and recently added half a can of Sea Foam, hoping to improve fuel efficiency. So far, I’ve only managed to get about 26-29 mpg on the freeway, and the mileage hasn’t improved much for regular street commuting.
If you’re mostly driving in the city, you’re probably getting as good as it’s going to get. My mom does all city driving, and that’s her average. I managed to hit 39 MPG on the highway.
You could try a full tune-up – spark plugs, coils, clean the injectors, and check sensors. But with a 12-year-old car at 140k miles, don’t expect huge improvements.
Ellison said:
You could try a full tune-up – spark plugs, coils, clean the injectors, and check sensors. But with a 12-year-old car at 140k miles, don’t expect huge improvements.
I drive a 2013 with 165k miles and get 36 MPG, so age and mileage don’t always mean bad fuel economy.
@Eli
I’ve got a 2012 with 112k miles, and it still has the original plugs and coils. I can get 40 MPG at 70 MPH, and close to 50 MPG at 55 MPH on flat roads.
I get around 27 MPG in the city with my manual Focus, but it jumps to 40 on the highway. Not great for a city car, which is surprising because it’s supposed to be a small commuter!
Maybe check your catalytic converter or engine? Mine still gets close to 40 MPG on the freeway even with a faulty cat system.
I’ve had better luck with B-12 Chemtool than Seafoam for cleaning.
I’m in Canada, and my Focus shows 8.1L per 100 km (around 12.5 km per liter), which isn’t great for an economy car. Not sure how to improve it, though.
Try cleaning the MAF sensor, throttle body, and maybe replace the upstream O2 sensor if it hasn’t been done recently.
In my 2011 Focus, I could get as low as 16 MPG just by commuting downtown in winter. It would still hit high 30s on the freeway, but city driving in cold weather can really tank MPG even if the engine is running well.
That’s the thing – sometimes you just can’t do much about it!
Check tire pressures, look for brake binding, remove any excess weight, get regular services, and take off roof boxes/racks if you’re not using them. Drive with windows up and turn off the AC if you don’t need it. These all help a bit, though I’m guessing it’s not a diesel – mine gets 65+ on long trips!
