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What's everyone's drive mode?

G

glenpod

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#1
First time with a drive mode option, leads me to 2 questions. Is there a setting so then when you start your ST it reverts back to the drive mode you were riding last at? What do most of you all drive at? I like the cluster panel most at Sport so I tend to drive it in that mode but I'd probably like the gas mileage better at ECO or Normal better. Also sport seems to have some kick to it and I think drives a bit louder (if that makes sense). - thanks all
 

S

simes007us

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#2
No it defaults to normal on every start. And I would have been nice to them to put a button that goes directly to Sport mode.
 

D

dman624

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#3
An Explorer ST should just start in Sport Mode and you can select other drive options after that. Or at a minimum it should revert to whatever mode you had running when you shut it off.
 

jweakley

jweakley

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Response #2, S, is correct. It defaults to normal after shut off. I, too, like the sport mode, but mileage is better in normal. I’ve gotten used to turning off stop/start, and 3 clicks to the right on mode dial. Not a big deal.
 

KNTRDR

KNTRDR

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Normal. In my area, and for my purposes, Sport is useless.
 

bPRIME999

bPRIME999

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#6
Sport all day for me, wife keeps it on normal, until someone flexes on her, then I hear the wheel click over 3x...
 

JohnE

JohnE

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#7
I putt around town in Eco…easier on the equipment.
 

UNBROKEN

UNBROKEN

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#8
Sport 100% of the time. We put a lot of work into that tune to dial it in exactly how I wanted…something like 10-11 revisions.
 

Autoworker

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#9
Usually normal. I run my F150 in sport mode (Coyote) more then the ST.
 

JohnE

JohnE

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#12
st8 said:
I tried eco around town and it is very limiting.
Click to expand...
For sure it is. I had to get used to it but it is easier on the drive line. Don’t get me wrong, I like to go fast but not on city streets.
 

ZRX61

ZRX61

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I just did a 180 mile round trip up to Bakersfield in Normal & surprised the hell out of some chump in Charger on the 58. Managed to get 20.5mpg on the display after coasting down a hill for a while...

Tried Eco this morning & it felt like the brakes were dragging...
 

Last edited:
Chaseg08

Chaseg08

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#15
I've had my ST for a week now, driven about 80 miles a day. I have quite the elevation change going to town/work and returning home (8,900' at home down to 5,200' at work). I've been cruising in Eco on the highway and switching between sport and normal and occasionally eco in the city. Trying to get a feel for the mapping differences and MPG. I'm averaging 18-ish MPG after 1.75 tanks of fuel. I reeeeealllly want to just leave it in Sport but I do see a huge difference in MPG. I typically spend 400-600 bucks on fuel per month, so it matters to me.
 

C

Cdubya

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#16
I like Normal mode for the more linear throttle response and more control over gear selection (compared to Sport). Love my Livernois tune which makes shifting a quick and snappy in Normal mode.
 

ZRX61

ZRX61

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#17
I gave Sport Mode a workout in The Playground* today. It REALLY confused the transmission. It hung on to lower gears when it should have changed up & at other times changed down to a much lower gear than it should have. It was quite alarming a couple of times.
I can see why people do sway bar upgrades etc. Holy crap this thing is a handful. It really didn't like this road at all.

* Mulholland Hwy between Las Virgenes/Malibu Cyn & Cornell Rd, lower right corner of pic to upper left. Fewer than 4 miles.

Playground.PNG

Also: I've seen they claim up to 26mpg for the ST. Going down the 14 towards LA this morning I put it in Eco & managed to squeak it up to 25.8mpg. over about 40 miles. Average for the day was 22.4mpg tho.
 

Last edited:
MikeHTally

MikeHTally

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#18
Cmaximst said:
Normal around town, Eco on long trips.
Click to expand...
Same here. I just finished a 2,600 mile road trip. On Eco all the way. Average 24.4, best 26.2. I'm also going to try 87 for a while, since I'll be commuting for a few months.
 

B

Big Turk

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#19
Regularly use eco on the highway and sport in the urban areas. The rest of the modes are wasted on me. I do like how the vehicle in the adaptive cruise control array changes based on your mode.
 

S

st8

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Do you guys find eco mode makes a difference on highway? I have a 10 hr trip coming up tomorrow and I always thought eco was mainly for city driving. But I’m seeing a decent amount of people say eco on highway so I’m curious.
 

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