J
Joe S
Guest
Have 2005 Ford Focus with 5 speed manual. Gets terrible (car this light should get better) 30mpg highway mileage. Don't want burning rubber in fast start. Want a slower motor for better mpg. My '82 (over 156,000 miles driven) and '93 (over 262,000 miles) Escorts both needed taller gearing. At least the 93 got 37mpg highway. What can I do to improve the '05 mileage? I've concluded regearing a 6 speed transmission would be either impossible or to expensive. Changing just the 5th gear would mean a tall step when shifting into that final gear and would still be an expensive internal transmission job right? Could I change the final drive gear? (I might not be using the correct term. I'm thinking of changing the gear for the wheels, not a gear in the transmission.) Just seems changing that one out of transmission gear would be the simplest and least expensive method. Overall I feel like the '05 (and my Escorts) needs another full step up gear above the top gear. Appreciate serious replies.