Well I am starting to wonder if VW did the programming for our trucks...

I am pretty particular about tracking my fill ups and I stumbled across something today when I finally put them into my excel sheet.

I have 13,591.5 miles on the truck so far and kept track of the receipts as I went. So here is the quick math for you guys.

2015 F150 Crew Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost 3.55
Total Miles: 13591.5
Computer Gallons total: 914.3
Pumped Gallons total: 946.056
Difference in Gallons: 31.756 (or in my mind my truck has consumed a full tank of gas that it doesn't know about)
Using Computer MPGs = 14.87 mpg
Using Pumped Gallons MPGs = 14.37 mpg
AKA off by around 1/2 mpg.
Truck averaged 0.42 MPG Worse than the computer showed per fill-up


2012 F150 Crew XLT 3.5L EcoBoost 3.55
Total Miles: 51127.1
Computer Gallons total: 3154.5
Pumped Gallons total: 3190.75
Difference in Gallons: 36.25 (at 13,593.7 off 8.655 gal)
Using Computer MPGs = 16.21 mpg
Using Pumped Gallons MPGs = 16.02 mpg
AKA off by around 1/4 mpg.
Truck averaged 0.08 MPG Worse than the computer showed per fill-up

So 2012 vs 2015
Avg MPG 2015 = 14.37 mpg
Avg MPG 2012 = 16.02 mpg
Computer Error 2015 [(pumped - computer)/pumped] = 3.4%
Computer Error 2012 [(pumped - computer)/pumped] = 1.1%

This sure is raising some questions in my head...

 

ORLY, you no say?!?

Seriously my man, there's a thread everyday on that, yes your computer is optimistic, been discussed and bitched about at length.

I dont care, some folks think it's worth a class action against Ford, pick your battles...

 

Seems you need to put about 800 pounds of sand in the back of the 2015 to get the mpg up closer to the 2012.

But if my mpg computer was as close as yours I would be happy.

 

I thought a forum was to share information and results so that people could make informed decisions.

I was told that my truck was performing as it was designed and when I compare my 2012 and my 2015 it is definitely a loss so I want to make sure that people know that.

Did I buy a truck for MPGs no. Was the information that was provided by Ford part of my decision making process yes. Did I expect a lighter weight truck to do worse than a previous model of similar specs? Heck no!

The fact that this truck drank an extra tank of gas in the first 13k miles is of concern to me because that can have several effects other than my pocket book. Were is the gas going? Why doesn't the computer show it correctly? Is my fuel map changing because of the fuel I run? Is there an issue coming up with the engine that I need to watch for?

Being an automotive engineer it was driven into me to keep track of simple things that can be monitored as is can lead you to diagnose a major problem.

Did I say that everyone should run out and go for a class action law suit no. Did VW screw with their computer to make results show what they needed yes. Could Ford being doing the same? Absolutely we have already seen other shady practices by them on other topics.

 

Mine is off too. However, if you look at the per fill up mileage the change in MPG is more substantial. Obviously when you compile more more data the discrepancy gets smaller, however, with almost 14k miles on your truck it looks like the new and improved computer systems are generating 3x the amount of error.

I wonder if it only calculates gas consumed while driving vs idle? If the gas pump was a gallon off when you are pumping gas it would brings heavy fines I would assume.

 

Except that no one is charging you based on these readings, so you dont get hosed in any way.
I dont think the EPA relies on dash displays to publish their ratings, do they? So yes that number is optimistic for whatever reason, to make the average Joe feel (or fill ) better.
Unlike VW, Ford did not cheat the EPA or anyone by showing these numbers. Maybe they did by other means, but not by showing optimistic numbers on a fancy dash.

 

You are right but why is it that my 2012 did better than my 2015? Maybe the point of this post isn't flaming Ford and trying to start a class action? Maybe the point is why is it that the 2015 is not performing as well and why is the computer cheating the results to look closer to my 2012...

The computer lost track of 31 gallons in 13k miles... That is OK? Like Jason said would it be OK if the pump lost a gallon each time?

There are differences on these trucks and honestly one of the big selling features of the 2015+ is lighter weight so better MPG. Pretty sure that isn't happening.

I am just shocked how these things big or small can be wrong with our trucks and guys so quickly jump on the it's not Ford's fault, or who cares it doesn't matter story... I understand there is a percentage of error that must be assumed but WHY is the 2015 over 3 times the error on measuring fuel consumption than the 2012?

 

Some guys here report very accurate mpg readings, others "very off" readings, both with new and older trucks. Maybe your 12 was on one end of the scale, your 15 on the other?
Would you think your truck has a problem if the display wasnt there? I dont think so. As someone said in another thread, too much info is not always better.

I think we're looking at 2 different separate issues here:
- did Ford tweak the mpg readings to cheat the EPA? No.
- does your 15 get worse mileage that your 12? Yes. Why? I dont know, brand new truck, winter driven mostly so far, etc... Maybe it'll climb up again i n the summer?

Oh, and the pump analogy still doesnt hold. If the pump measures 2% too much fuel, you pay for that. Your truck could show 3mpg or 43mpg on that fancy display, it still wouldnt change its ACTUAL mpg, ie. your costs to drive it.

 

So I went to the pump and filled gas at half a tank basically according to the gauge in the truck. I for one would like that gauge to be accurate for starters.

I reset Trip 1 whenever I fill gas. Here is the picture of that screen.


Here is the pump display.



So the truck was telling me I got 14.9mpg. But if I figure based off what the pump told me I put into the tank vs the miles driven I end up with 13.9mpg.

I think the pump analogy is important. If the pump says you pumped 13 gallons of gas but only received 12 gallons in your tank you are paying for something you didnt get. If pumps were rigged like this the government would be all over it. When gas prices skyrocketed several years back there were news reports of this happening.

Is it illegal that the truck is telling you it used 12 but you had to put in 13? No, but if the computer systems or measuring systems have this kind of error and lack of precision built in what other systems are lacking in precision and accuracy? The tire system? The crash avoidance? The range system on the back up sensors? Just saying.