My new to me, (65K) 97 Sportsmobile 4wd has just had a full tune-up by a good mechanic with new everything and is getting only 12 mpg on the freeway @ 70 mph. New street tires, quality gas, I will sell if I cant get better mpg. How can I do that?

 

A 97 4x4 Van? OOOooo, could you post some pics?

If that is indeed the case, with 1 ton axles and such, I suspect that 12 is about as good as it's going to get.

Where are you located? If you aren't too far away, I may be interested in that, should you decide to sell it.

 

I'm north of Seattle on Lopez Island, seems like it has been raised up a few inches, its perfect, I need better MPG, planning a few large golfing expeditions before I get to old. i have talked to the previous owner (s), and have all orig paperwork including Quigley sheets, it wont be cheap but it will be fair, thinking BAT,

 

Non-4WD versions get 13-15 MPG, so you getting 12 MPG with a 4WD is not unusual.

 

Ouch. Much as I would like to have one, you are on the opposite side of the continent from me.

There really isn't much you are going to be able to do about gas mileage. New plugs/wires/cap/rotor, if you don't know when they were last changed. (stick with copper plugs, these engines don't like the rare-earth fellers.) Maybe switching to synthetic fluids will get you a bit, engine oil, front/rear diffs. Tire size vs. gears are something else to consider..... Change to an electric cooling fan?

But, in the end, it's a big, heavy van, with the aerodynamics of a brick, powered by a largish V-8, that wasn't known for it's fuel efficiency, ever. If you mange to get 13-14, I would be very impressed.

 

if your gearing is 4:10 as i think , you can upgrade to 3:73 gear ratio , i m sure your gas mileage will improve significantly even more if lowering your average speed to 65 mph ; it is not a corvette Talking

 

Whattaya saying there?

I fixed the steering on my 96 2500 4x4, and it drove so nice, I sometimes found myself driving my truck like I did my Firebird..... Ooopsie.

For the money it would cost to change gears, I could buy a LOT of gas.

 

Factory gas mileage is 14mpg for rwd so the fat that youre getting 12 with 4x4 is pretty good actually Imo