Highway Speed for 4 Cyl 5-Speed Manual 4WD?

I am planning on a road trip with my 2011 2.7L 4 cyl/5 speed. What sort of highway speeds should I do, without killing the engine? I can do 70mph, and the tach is only at 2,500 RPMs. Is 70 or 75 a reasonable speed for these engines and drive trains?

I will have some luggage and equipment, and probably a shell by then.

 

The 2TR-FE engine is designed to run at 5200 RPM all day, if you can afford the gas.

 

You don't realize how sturdy the 2TR-FE is.

70 or 75 is great if you're in 2WD. Keep it at around 2000 RPM if you want to use as little fuel as possible. As low as RPM as possible in the highest gear, but you'll be on the highway.

When needed I've had mine at 3000+ RPM for quite a while pulling a couple thousand pounds up and across a mountain range at highway speeds. I only got about 14 MPG. Looking back I probably should've chosen a longer route around the mountains that was flatter, but it was fine. I was very impressed. Subsequent service has shown nothing going on. (knock on wood)

That's an exception, not the rule. I normally baby it a little as you are except occasionally. No ill effects. Roll the windows down some, slide the back window open (maybe not if you have a shell), turn up your favorite music, and enjoy your road trip. Post pictures of you having fun with your truck.

 

Hold it at 65-70 for better fuel economy, but you can roll 80+ all day without hurting the truck.

 

^^^This. You can cruise well over this if you want but the 4 banger is more efficient run just below 2500 RPM at cruise in my experience. Enough power to take hills and low enough RPM to not suck fuel on the flat stretches. I've taken mine on many trips where I cruised between 70-75 but more recently I've been keeping it between 65-70 for the increase in fuel economy. It's a pretty solid engine.

 

The MPG difference is astounding.

My worst tanks have all been, with only a couple of exceptions, on the two trips I took to Texas. I don't get up to the legal limit of 80 in New Mexico and Texas.... Best I'll do is put the needle on 80 which is about 75 on the GPS.
At that, I'm running a solid 22mpg.

I'll do worse than 22 on some trips home from work when traffic is at it's worst, but those are 45-mile shots and are averaged out by the 65-70 MPH trips to work in the morning, where I'll average 24+, bringing my tank totals to the typical mid-23 to 25 that you find in my Fuelly link.

 

You'll be fine...

Do a fresh change of oil, pump up the tires, and enjoy your trip.

 

as previously stated...mine runs great at 70-75 and i have 31's and still get 22mpg

 

Mine is a little different setup (2.4 and a 2wd so taller rear end) I usually pin the cruise right on 70 (with my bigger tires it's about 74-75 on the GPS) going down interstate. There, I get 20-22 mpg. Bump it up to 75 (so 80 in real life) and MPG instantly takes a dump. I'll get 15-16 up there trying to hold speed and downshifting often. The best my truck has ever done was 24 on the first road trip I took it on when it was bone stock.

You're not gonna hurt these 4 bangers. Last month I moved from South Dakota to Iowa and was pulling a 5x10 trailer with my Ninja and a bunch of tubs of my junk as well as a a bed heaped up with other shit. I was trying to beat a snow storm (yes, in May :wtf: ) and was screaming along. 5th gear was pretty well untouched, I spent about 750 miles in mostly 3rd-4th almost always between 3500 and 4500 rpms. It didn't blow up on me and the coolant temps stayed under 180 (179.6 is what it runs at under normal conditions) and nothing exploded.

In short, you can cruise at whatever speed you want, just depends how much you wanna spend on gas and how loud of a stereo you have to drown out the 4 banger's shrieking

 

Drove mine on I-70 at 80 indicated, 77 on the GPS for hours on end with a 1300 lb payload, with a 20-30 MPH headwind a couple years ago and got 21.2 MPG. It is in my Fuelly log. did that for 1500 miles and the truck did not even seem to be working hard. The 2TR-FE is a tough motor with decent torque at 2500 - 3000 RPM's

 

You got that right. I never got very close to the spec'd mpg for this truck since I bought it until I started driving slower. I had a few things working against me for a long time like larger tires on stock gearing. Once I regeared for the tire size the power ratio was much better but the mpg only slightly improved. Most of my driving was city driving too. Then a few months ago I started driving from Nashville to Chattanooga and back each weekend, approx 250 miles rt. That's when I decided to slow down some to see if it would help save on fuel. Low and behold I get 24-25 mpg. I seem to remember in my last vehicle (99 pathfinder) that anything over 2500 rpm's seem to suck the gas too.

 

I zip along at between 100-120 KPH... its quite mountany around here... in the mountains. i don't let the engine drop below 2000RPM I have tried different rpms, gears etc. and found that medium to medium higher RPM works better then low.

ultra gauge says 12 liters per 100 KM's

 

Yep, no reason to think the I4 can't handle pedal to the metal for as long as you want to go.

 

?????

Lower rpm works better for everyone else. I rarely exceed 2000 rpm and get 30+ mpg.

 

If i dont go over 2000 rpm, I dont go up hill,


* i drive the exact same highway route every day, 110kms round trip. Plenty of time to tinker with driving,

 

We need real numbers to compare to, M-P-Gs, not maple syrups per hockeypuck or whatever silly made up units you guys use in Canada

 

+1

Might be possible on the manual, but it is nearly impossible to maintain below 2000 on an automatic.

 

He's got a manual. Must have steeper hills than I have in Colorado?

 

it's a Toyota 4 banger it could give two shits what you do to it

 

I've got an auto so I'm at a disadvantage. My local small mountain is kind of steep. It's still a mountain per the park service. My guess it climbs at least 1600 feet at a heavy grade.

I climbed it as fast as I "could carefully" without driving off a cliff to see how an auto could go up and over a mountain. My ears popped like crazy.

Driving with this post in mind I stayed no more than 2200 RPMs, constantly accelerating uphill because I needed to with all my braking and my ears popping. My truck was empty, unloaded, and not pulling a load which it usually has at least one going against it.

My RPMs are exaggerated as I was having to constantly lower my expectation of speed a little so I didn't go off the cliff. I was usually crapping my pants on the brakes.

Short story long, a 2.7 can accelerate nicely up a grade and still maintain an economical RPM IMHO. As long as I just had my foot maybe less than an inch pressing the accelerator my TCM would gear me down actually, and I'd accelerate.

I've tasked it pulling a load before for a longer period and it was different. I think I'll do it again being more controlled.