What's up with my horrible MPGs?

So I just got a 2007 4.0 liter last weekend. It's a nice truck and I'm almost in love except for some exceptionally poor gas mileage. It has an almost full tank when I got it, got down to empty, and then filled it up on Tuesday. I set the trip, and today was at about 200 miles and decided to get some gas and check my MPGs for the first time.

I figured I'd get a little over ten gallons in there.. NOPE, more like 12+ So I'm getting 16.5 MPGs.

-I've been driving like grandpa with a sore right foot
-I drive two minutes and get on the freeway, hit the cruise at 65 drive for 25 minutes and get right off and park it
-There are no big hills
-I warm it up for 20-30 seconds
-No 4WD
-6th gear on the freeway

I checked the air filter today and it looks clean as a whistle
It has 5w-30 in the engine
It's been between 20-30F, clear weather for the last week.
Truck's got 34k on her.

Is this common? I really expected to get more like 20 with my pussy acceleration and cruise control use.

I'll probably get an AFE pro dry filter some day here...

WTF?

 

Get use to it, i average 16.0-17.0 mpg for 2.5 years now

 

The joys of owning a truck and winter MPG are going to be lower than in the summer

 

better than me most of the time. When are you shifting? What's your tire psi? Is it stock?

If you're looking for better mpg a scangauge is a good tool because it tells you your mpg in real time.

 

Im getting about 15mpg combined city/hwy with winter gas, tires @ 36psi and I drive like a grandpa too

 

Welcome!

Full size truck payment, and fuel size truck fuel consumption - but in a smaller package!

 

Awwww bummer. I can usually beat the EPA tested mileage. I was really expecting 20.

Haven't checked the tires yet. what's the cutoff pressure for the pressure monitoring system? I'm guessing I still need to check my tires regularly.

I shift between 1500 and 2000 RPMs.

This is a huge letdown from the Tercel I was driving (~37 MPG!)

 

All stock

 

Not sure of the cut off pressure.

The shifting sounds about right.

haha. Sorry that the Taco isn't as efficient as the Tercel.

 

hmmm. Well I guess if you want to maximize your mileage look into a scanguage or the equivalent.

check out this thread

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/4-cylinder/34594-mpg-mods.html#post547096

 

Yeah that's one of the first threads I peeped when I got here. When I change the oil it will be to synthetic, and as noted I think the AFE filter is a good Idea.

I loooked into a scangauge, but I already know the habits to increase fuel mileage. I ritually check my mileage on my cars and bike every fuel-up, since the economy can tell you a lot about how the engine is performing. I don't feel that tool will save me any gas, and if it did it wouldn't displace the money saved on fuel. (Although I'm all for more data and cool gadgets)

At least I'm relieved to know this is normal. I feel like the early bloomer going through sex-ed a little late.

 

hahaha. There's still hope that you'll get a little better in the summer.

 

You have the manual tranny, according to toyota manual trannies get 14/18 and automatics get 16/20. This is the only case I've heard of where autos get better milage than manuals

 

Honda Civics and Accords are the same as well. Autos get better mpg per the sticker--and they really do.

 

i get around 18-21..... ?????

 

I find my trucks best mpg is 47-60 mph. I start averaging around 16mpg when I go over 60mph. Town driving for me is where I get really great mileage. However I have gotten very good mileage on long drives as well, however I was drafting behind my father and his camper. I have noticed you have to be really close behind another vehicle to actually benefit with drafting.

I am an automatic, 4x4 dc, V6. With 3" of lift and 33's. My mileage is calculated to correct all of this, so my numbers are real world, mileage and mph.

 

I have an auto V6 and I have gotten 18.5mpg overall since I bought it.
I have just got a Scangauge and it looks like I might improve my mpg.

There has been some good ideas presented so far.

Yuma Taco,

 

BTW, pre-ScanGage I got about 17, after ScanGage I'm averaging about 19-20mpg.

 

Scnagauge helped me confirm a couple of things I identified when driving before I got it... slow acceleration isn't always your friend and coasting makes a huge difference in MPGs. My truck (an auto) gets 10-14mpg even when accelerating lightly even in 4th or 5th gear. You really are better off getting up to speed reasonably quickly (no jack-rabbit starts) and cruising.

Cruise control is great, on fairly flat ground. Unfortunately it lags a bit when transitioning from downhill to uphill and too often causes a downshift... there goes all your hard-earned gas savings. On relatively flat ground I can't beat the efficiency of the cruise control but on even moderate hills I can, often by 2+ mpg.

I didn't get any better MPG after I got my Scanguage but it sure is a nifty toy to play with.