ECO Mode ON/OFF experiment (with data) - Highway driving

[MikeS1942]

What value does driving in ECO mode actually provide? Sometimes I forget to turn ECO mode on, and I wonder how much MPG I lost during the drive.

Any experiment to compare ECO on/off must maintain minimal variation in all the other driving conditions, which isn't easy to do.

Last week I drove between Detroit and Montreal, along the 401 through Canada. 10 hours. The highway is practically straight and flat the whole way. Point east and drive. Traffic is really bad when I hit Toronto, but very light for hundreds of miles (or kilometers) before and after Toronto.

So I took data for a 150-mile segment that was extremely straight and flat. 50 miles with no ECO, then 50 miles with ECO, then 50 miles with no ECO. I had my adaptive cruise set to 75 mph, and avoided lane changes unless I absolutely had to. A/C was on, fan set at speed 2. With only three 50 mile segments, my data set is limited. I'll make this drive again in a few weeks, and I plan to take data for a much longer segment, and then run a paired t-test to see if ECO makes a statistical difference.

My preliminary data is below. With only (3) 50-mile segments, and attempting to keep all conditions as consistent as I could, the best MPG was with ECO OFF. However, that was also the segment with the least traffic (low adaptive braking) and no rain.

This very small data set says that there is no difference between ECO on and off: On=34.4mpg vs Off=34.4mpg (average) . But the data set is too small to make this claim with confidence! I'll repeat this experiment next week on the same drive for a much longer distance and report back.

Edit: I forgot to say I have the 2.5L Hybrid with AWD

ECO will make no difference at highway speeds---zero. ECO will smooth out acceleration at lower speeds, and the CVT doesnt shift so normal driving is the way to go.
I just ran a 120 mile trip on two lane secondary highways, so I traveled through some small towns and villages where the speed limit was 30 mph, and the highway speed was 60 mph in my 24 hybrid, and my mileage for the whole trip came out to 47 mpg in ECO. Again this trip was parallel to the 401 trip through southern Ontario, so it's all very flat countryside.

Sponsored

 

[Cherokee]

You have an Ecoboost which might be the difference (and maybe also just being newer), from what I recall most the people I've seen commenting about grabby brakes have a hybrid. I have a 2024 hybrid and my brakes are pretty smooth right up until I'm about to completely stop, at which time they tend to get grabby / snappy. I've always thought that was because of the transition from regenerative braking to the actual brake pads getting engaged, but I have no idea if that's true.

Also, I don't drink coffee and might have two glasses of soda a week, so definitely not an overly caffeinated issue for me.

I seem to remember my 2024 Lariat Ecoboost having grabby brakes for the first 2 or 3,000 miles.

 

[TedTX]

We got our own "boring" hell.... driving thru KS on I70..

Stuck behind a school bus on I70 unloading on a hotter than Texas weekday. The smell of pig poo filled the air. Worst two hours 20mile trip ever!

 

[Ecorydr]

Stuck behind a school bus on I70 unloading on a hotter than Texas weekday. The smell of pig poo filled the air. Worst two hours 20mile trip ever!

Get the same PU pungent smell going HWY 14 N to Marshalltown Iowa from I80. From my memory visiting a friend there back in the late 90's, it was ripe for miles!

 

[MavGeek]

These modes remind me of trying buy/sell the stock market at the right time. It rarely works. After having my hybrid for a couple of months I’m just keeping it in Normal. 39.4 mpg. That’s a huge improvement over my last ICE SUV. Am I really going to see much of an improvement by changing modes? I’m convinced No.

 

[Toddman45]

Never used it once in the 2 years I've owned my Maverick. The only driving mode I've used other than normal is sport.

 

[Tbone91]

Never used it once in the 2 years I've owned my Maverick. The only driving mode I've used other than normal is sport.

That's another mode I'm missing out on with the FX4 package. I probably would have actually used that mode lol

 

[Toddman45]

That's another mode I'm missing out on with the FX4 package. I probably would have actually used that mode lol

My favorite feature to use is the brake hold. My wife is scared to death of it the three times she's drove the vehicle she didn't want to engage it even after seeing me use it multiple times sitting in traffic.

 

[Tbone91]

My favorite feature to use is the brake hold. My wife is scared to death of it the three times she's drove the vehicle she didn't want to engage it even after seeing me use it multiple times sitting in traffic.

I haven't used that myself but we don't get too much traffic here. Unless there's an accident. I could see how that would be useful tho

 

[OJJR]

What value does driving in ECO mode actually provide? Sometimes I forget to turn ECO mode on, and I wonder how much MPG I lost during the drive.

Any experiment to compare ECO on/off must maintain minimal variation in all the other driving conditions, which isn't easy to do.

Last week I drove between Detroit and Montreal, along the 401 through Canada. 10 hours. The highway is practically straight and flat the whole way. Point east and drive. Traffic is really bad when I hit Toronto, but very light for hundreds of miles (or kilometers) before and after Toronto.

So I took data for a 150-mile segment that was extremely straight and flat. 50 miles with no ECO, then 50 miles with ECO, then 50 miles with no ECO. I had my adaptive cruise set to 75 mph, and avoided lane changes unless I absolutely had to. A/C was on, fan set at speed 2. With only three 50 mile segments, my data set is limited. I'll make this drive again in a few weeks, and I plan to take data for a much longer segment, and then run a paired t-test to see if ECO makes a statistical difference.

My preliminary data is below. With only (3) 50-mile segments, and attempting to keep all conditions as consistent as I could, the best MPG was with ECO OFF. However, that was also the segment with the least traffic (low adaptive braking) and no rain.

This very small data set says that there is no difference between ECO on and off: On=34.4mpg vs Off=34.4mpg (average) . But the data set is too small to make this claim with confidence! I'll repeat this experiment next week on the same drive for a much longer distance and report back.

Edit: I forgot to say I have the 2.5L Hybrid with AWD

Eco Mode is for surface driving. I live 15 miles from work. Since I get there early in the morning, there is no traffic while driving. I can travel on the surface streets at less than 40 miles per hour. I average 48 to 49 miles per gallon.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

That's another mode I'm missing out on with the FX4 package. I probably would have actually used that mode lol

Sport mode can probably be added via FORScan.

 

[Tbone91]

Sport mode can probably be added via FORScan.

Interesting, good to know. Thanks!

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Good luck.

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/fx4-owners-who-have-unlocked-sport-mode.26196/

 

[James K]

I feel eco mode on a ecoboost engine is more harmful than helpful. I’m sure it works the wastegate and transmission way harder. Dumping boost and extra gear hunting.

I'm not sure why a working wastegate would be harmful and as far as hunting gears, I haven't found that to be true. It seems to hold a gear, not hunt. Also, newer EB could benefit from more manifold injection. I've been wrong a couple times so if you have some facts, please share them.

 

[Mudduck]

Interesting, good to know. Thanks!

I added Sport to my 24 FX4, It works. I like that I can basically turn on all 4 wheels.

Sponsored