2.7 Trip Notes

Tojo and I recently completed our first serious road trip: 2129 miles from Dayton OH to Grand Forks ND via Milwaukee WI and return. This was a good test of the truck and its recently installed dual, remote, bypass oil filtration system.

Tojo hasn't been modified all that much. Besides the oil filtration mod, a K&N filter has replaced the OEM air filter, a tonneau cover helps reduce drag and tires are Bridgestone Serenity 235x60-16s on 6.5-inch aluminum wheels from TireRack.

Weather featured temps mostly in the upper 80s/lower 90s with not-so-helpful wind on about 1/3 of the route. Some hideously adverse wind was endured moving south from Grand Forks to Fargo ND AND east from Fargo into western Minnesota due to thunderstorms. Those winds were at least 25 knots. The huge flags at truck stops were stiff and pointed at Tojo's grille! At least we didn't have to endure heavy rain in association with those storms.

Cruise control set at 72MPH indicated/70MPH true was used whenever possible.

Light air conditioning was used during at least 75% of running time. I don't require much cooling.

Traffic was too damned much everywhere except North Dakota.

--lost 30 minutes at the I-65 north junction with I-80 west due to a work zone.

--lost 40 minutes to a work zone in western Wisconsin.

If you must transit Chicago on the 294 Toll Way, beg, borrow or thieve an "I-Pass" device! My brother was kind enough to provide me with one on the return trip. That's the way to handle Chicago! Tojo and I were doing 70 in a 55 to avoid becoming a target, with several miles at 80 or so, running with mostly Benzes and Cadillacs (After all, it IS Chicago!) in the left lane with an occasional bit of exotica, including a Maserati Quattroporte. The monster Audis were noticeable, especially after seeing too many reruns of Transporter flicks. A red, Audi (A-10?) coupe' was particularly attractive. Thank G-d Illinois doesn't time arrivals at toll points to levy speed fines!

We did the 405 miles from Milwaukee to Dayton in 6.7 hours -- including a rest stop! -- with that I-Pass gizmo.

There was no measurable consumption of my AMSOIL Signature Series 0W-30 engine lubricant during this trip.

I don't think that alcohol in the fuels found helped the MPG number. I inadvertently put some of that crap in at fuel stops at Milwaukee and Burton WI. The octane numbers were right but only after fueling did I notice the little, alcohol disclosure sticker on the pumps. I'll be more careful next time.

Fuel was least expensive in --- OHIO! --Shell "real gasoline", 93 octane!!! YES, my computer makes good use of 93 octane fuel!!

Tojo and I did 25.8 MPG for the entire trip. Tojo will move 500 miles on a fill, with a gallon or so remaining, under the conditions of this trip. I can't last that long. I need rest stops. The truck doesn't.

 

Damn ... you are as anal as I am .....

 

Wait , its Anal... crap now I am too , dang you.

Sweet mpg too

 

Good catch ... hey, I am still on summer vacation .....

 

I suppose some might say so. My Buddhist buddy says that I've achieved awareness.

Several decades of aviating has made me very methodical in my approach to transport tasks.

What truly bums me out are the endless discussions of MPG or range capabilities in this forum wherein members just throw out numbers without considering variables -- weather, speed, traffic, road conditions, A/C use, etc.

Did I forget to mention how my cargo mass varied on the outbound trip versus the return?

 

Dis thread make me all happy inside.

 

I knew you were a pilot as soon as I read that. My mother is a pilot and she says "knots" when measuring wind speed.

 

Continue to pay attention to Your Mother. You'll pick up on the difference between indicated and actual speed. Instrumentation errors can make life interesting.

 

My Garmin/speedomter drive me crazy .... I'll set the cruise at 60 and the Garmin shows 58 ..... I am sure the Garmin is correct but I can't/won't reset the cruise.

I have issues.

 

Unless your Garmin is a "TSO'd" aviation unit, the 2 MPH difference you observed is well within tolerance.

Tojo's speedometer has a fixed, 2 MPH error due to slightly sloppy installation of the indicating needle.

If your town uses "safety advisory" radars, they can provide clues. Ultimately, timing of sufficient distance -- five miles or more -- on the highway at a fixed speed will reveal your truck's instrument error.

 

My gps and roadside radar units have conspired to inform me that my speedo is 5mph high when it reads 60mph. The error is lower at slower speeds. The dealership tells me that up to a 5% higher reading is within toyota's guidelines.

 

Yeah, that's not unusual. Most cops and deputies that I know give folks at least 5 MPH when working traffic enforcement just for that reason.

Tire/wheel combinations can confuse things too. That was one factor considered when I chose the combination I did. The loaded radius of my tires/wheels are identical to the OEMs, within manufacturer's tolerances.

People ignore that variable too when yacking about MPG and endurance.

 

Where is the link and or write up on the dual, remote, bypass oil filtration system ? Thanks. Curious George

 

It's in here under 2nd Gen Tacomas: Remote Filter Mod -- No Leaks!

If I can figure out a link, I'll do that shortly. Old Guys aren't good at all this computer stuff.

EDIT: I couldn't figure out a direct link but it pops up if you search in 2nd Gen. Tacomas with the subject line above and my user name.

 

Florida law requires that a warning only can be issued for speeding 5 mph over the posted limit.

 

My GPS was saying 65 when the needle says 69mph . Easy to find when a nearly 4 hr road trip to my parents took about 15 minutes more. Only sad part was adjusting my fuel economy down as a correction.