Toyota Tacoma "Real World" Gas Mileage

19.9 gallons to fill up. Averages out to 16.48 miles to the gallon.
Conditions: 184K miles on my 2006 V6 PreRunner. This tanks was mostly freeway.

 

My results for 1st tank full , 2015 V6, AT, access cab, 4x4 = 16 mpg. This was staying under 50mph for 1st tank, no freeways, no jack rabbit starts.

 

I am getting 22.6 fairly regularly. But...I have to admit it is 90% freeway and I am always 5 mph UNDER the speed limit. I have played around and found that the gas mileage really takes a nose dive above about 2k on the tach.

 

My last tank I got 20mpgs with a 2.7L 4x4 (265/75). This included a 300 mile trip in Appalachia. Mountain after mountain WOT 4th gear topping them at 65mph, about two hours of 75-85mph on the interstate and the rest of the tank was driving for a week to work which is a half mile trip with plenty of drive thru waiting and 5 stoplights each direction.

 

I agree. I noticed my gas mileage really nose dives if I drive how I like to on the interstate ( 82-83 mph, 14mpg). Now if I drive under 2k on the tach and in my test I went down a 55 highway at 60mph and I got 21.5mpg so big difference. I will mess with the under 2k on the tach to see if I can stand driving a little slower on the interstate if it can help that much on gas mileage.

 

I did another test today at 76 mph and only got 16.2 mpg. Less than 2k on the tach is definitely going to be the sweet spot for the 20-22 mpg rating I think. That would put my truck at 70 mph which is 5 under on the interstate in Kansas. Don't know if I can do that when I actually have a heavy foot. Going to test 70 to make sure but I bet it is about 20-21mpg.

 

Looking for a sanity check:

My 2015 DCSB 4x4 TRD Off-Road Automatic (ToyTec 3" Lift, 265/75/16 BFG AT KO2) has about ~1500 miles on it at this point. I'm driving it like a baby, and probably 70% of those miles have been highway at 68-72mph.

However the MPG I've averaged on the 4 fill-ups I've recorded are:

15.61
16.47
16.15
15.04

Is this the new truck break in period I've read about? Or is this what I should expect with my set-up?

 

Expected. I average 17 in my access cab, 4x4 on 265s.
Stock tires and staying around 60 on the hwy might get you 19-20, but I wouldn't expect too much more. I would take the claims of a lifted 4x4s with big tires getting 20+ with a grain of salt. Some reason people like to exaggerate their mpg, or just don't know how to calculate it.

These trucks don't get that great of gas mileage stock, so anything you add to it will cause a hit to the mpg. (Why you see a lot of people switching to full size. Same, if not better mpg, more room, and more power.)

 

It may get a little better, but with the lift and tires I have no idea, I'm guessing not.

My 2007 got slightly better after initial break-in. I bought it in Febuary '07, and my best mileage numbers were that summer. I was consistently doing better than 20mpg. After that summer 20+ became very rare, though to be fair my driving habits probably changed some too. This is with the stock tire sizes, all seasons, and no lifts. No serious mods in general really.

I have a spreadsheet that I've kept with every tank of gas I've put in it to track the trends.

 

I find that the only way I can get half decent (for these trucks) mileage is by running P-metric tires, and keeping speeds below 100km/h (62mph). Load range E, subtract 10%, go 70mph, subtract another 10, at least, that's what I've experienced. Last week, I came within less than a half mile per gallon of my all time best, this in Winter. I run P-metric 245 winter tires, and 265 BFG AT in the Summer. I never go more that 100km/h, even on 110 limit roads. My time just isn't worth that much money...

 

200 miles hilly freeway driving

 

I love the post from the peeps that have pics and everything else in there post except the most important thing. Listen up folks ! 4 or 6 cyl may be a good thing to add.

 

18.8 mpg last 3 tanks average. Winter time driving. Last 2 tanks had at least 100 miles each in 4x4 climbing around unloved roads. 4.0 v6 at

Staying right at 65 mph on the interstate will really help your mpg. I usually travel 65 mph constantly even in the 70 mph areas. 65 vs 70 won't get you there much slower.

 

@EVE Designs,

How accurate is that device? I find that those thing are usually off by 10 to 30% when you calculate the mileage yourself (distance/fill amount).

It appears you are on a '13 TRO, same as myself. In winter I get 14-16, and in Summer 15-19. Does your truck have the 265's as well? I think those things are killing me.

~Shea M

 

Just did a 400+ mile road trip, first 20 miles drops a couple thousand feet in elevation then pretty flat....Placerville area to Redding, Ca. Return trip was the same except you went up the hill coming home. Did fill ups on slow until it clicked off and figured mileage with a calculator (odo is dead on as per gps and road markers). Mostly on cruise at 71mph with shitty winter gas......18.90gpm. Trip out was stock truck, return trip was with a Snug Top XTR cap installed (used 1/2 gallon less coming home even with the hill climb for 20 miles at the end so the shell may help, or I got better gas in Redding).


Also....my Scan Gauge II shows pretty damn close to what I got with the calculator, but I took the time to re-enter actual gallons for each fill up. Was off at first, but pretty darn close now. If you do a lot of sit and idle to warm up etc that will affect the Scan Gauge, but if you pretty much get in an drive they are pretty accurate after a few tweaks in the early stages of setting it up.

 

2010 4x4 SR6 driving mostly freeway-type roads. I drive at or below the speed limit and I'm getting 16 mpg. Hoping to find a chip or something to improve on that.

 

2012, I don't race the engine, I don't have a lead foot and do speed limit , check the air pressure yada yada yada. 15.9 mpg on fuelly. I attribute the low numbers to warm up idleling in the winter and Blizzaks.

 

Have had ScanGauge almost 5 years. It is extremely accurate compared to pen and pencil with these requirements :

1. Adjust it so the odometer reading (in the SG) is correct.
2. Buy gas from the same pump 2 or 3 times to adjust the fuel correction setup.
3. Be aware it will vary some due to different pumps and summer/winter gas - ie pump pressure, and how full the tank is. To give you an example, from when the pump "clicks off" the first time, I can put in up to 2.5 gallons. Usually I put in 1 gallon more, but it is a variable you need to be aware of (this also affects pen and pencil calculations - hey, it's not a perfect world).

 

Save your money for gas. The only thing improved with a chip is the seller's bottom line.

If improving fuel economy were as easy as a $xxx dollar chip, you'd have to ask yourself why manufacturers don't do it from the get go, rather than chasing those fractions of MPG with plain tread tires and goofy air dams and millions spent in wind tunnels...

 

Looks dead on.

I average 17.5 and drive 75% highway.

09 4x4