help with gas mileage?

I got this 03 tacoma about two months ago and i freakin love it. its a v6, auto, rwd, trd package, 4 door. definitely a step up from my last car. its got about 75,000 miles. my only question is that it gets only about 16-17 mpg. is that normal? i kinda expected more with the v6. i'm usually pretty easy on the gas, and mainly drive highway to work and back. any suggestions?

 

New plugs and wires, fuel injector cleaner, properly inflated tires, synth fluids all around.

 

Our V6 will drink up the gas if you get into it . I like to featherfoot it around town-find that lil sweetspot just off idle and allow her to gain speed in her own time. On the freeway get up to speed asap and then hold it steady as possible. Above all, it's a truck..it sits higher than a car so windage is a factor. Tire inflation is key-I like to keep mine inflated to 3-4lbs under max pressure indicated on SIDEWALL OF TIRE-this gives best mileage. Also, believe it or not, keep the surfaces nicely waxed-you'll slip through the wind a little easier

 

My 2002 Tacoma had problems with lack of power and poor fuel mileage. 16mpg was what I considered good. Turned out to be the MAF Sensor was dirty. I wish I would have found this site before I sold her. Other than that just do like stated above and clean what you can and get new plugs and maybe wires.

 

Yeah, definately some TLC and maintenance and a few modifications to help.

Tonneau cover & upgraded (better flowing) air filter helps too.

My 96 tacoma had 110K miles on it when I sold it (3.4L manual) and it consistantly got 19mpg half/half city/highway for the 5 years I owned it. I bought it at 60K miles and did all kinds of maintenance (listed above) plus radiator flush, fuel filter change, all fluids including trans, transfer case, diffs, etc. K&N drop-in with deckplate mod (mostly open) and soft tonneau cover. Stock 31" tires with 2" lift.

 

I agree with all of the above. My 02 averages 19mpg with 3" lift and 33" tires. It's got 125k miles on it. Ive got a soft tonneau cover, K&N drop-in air filter and Mobile1 synthetic motor oil and gear oil. Country driving (not highway or city)

 

People on here keep mentioning maxing out or inflating just under the max pressure.
I do not recommend this. The max tire pressure is the maximum air pressure the tire will safely hold under normal conditions (i.e not towing or under load or high speeds). The max pressure is NOT the recommended pressure of the tire. When you max it out - you are making your truck less stable, greatly increasing the breaking distance and lifting more tread off the road than you should be.

One common problem is car dealerships sell cars with over inflated tires, becuase they know a lot of them will sit on the lot for an extended time. Always check the pressure after buying. The recommended pressure for the manufacturer supplied tires should be on a sticker attached inside the door jam with the VIN#. This pressure (along with the specified tire) has been tested to give the correct balance of safety with breaking, balance and fuel economy. Using another pressure can be dangerous.

Also, if you have your fuel changed at a Jiffy-Lube or other quick-lube joint - they often check and fill your tire pressure. Always check your pressure afterwards becuase they have been known to use the max pressure. (not all lube shops hire educated people).

When you buy new tires make sure you find out what the recommended pressure is.

I spent 3 years with a dealership doing Pre-Delivery Inspections on new vehicles after they arrived from the auto-maker. I also worked for a large, highly accredited tire company.

Do what you need to do, just be smart about it. Any modification you make can have a positive or negative effect, depending on how you educate yourself about it and make the appropriate decision.

 

One last thing..
If you guys remember the Firestone tire recall a few years ago.. This recall was based on the tires being overinflated and not properly checked. This caused accidents, rollover and worse when they exploded on the freeway.

 

The doorjamb placard wants 26PSI. I tried it and it not only handles like crap, it also takes MORE acceleration to do the normal stuff. That being said, I've been doing this as a regular practice for the entire 7 yrs of the truck's life-77,000 miles no problem. I will add that my tires are like new and have over 40,000 miles on them. THE REPORTS I saw on the Ford rollovers said the tires in question were UNDER INFLATED combined with the short wheelbase of the truck. In short, 3-4 lbs UNDER max pressure is totally safe and a nice medium between tire max and Toyota recommended. When I go to the dealer I request they DO NOT touch my tire pressures because I've caught them EXCEEDING my tires' 35PSI max pressure!! One time they had put 40 PSI all around! So much for dealer tech integrity

 

These are the tires at 40,000 miles, 32PSI. No tread lifting off the ground here

 

Obviously, max pressure affects tire wear. So - you wanna run atleast the minimum. I was running 32psi this winter and when I checked them again in the spring - they were 34psi. I left them that way.

You can check your tire tread wear by putting chalk on your tread the whole way across and drive the chalk line on the road. You should be able to see if the entire tread pattern is hitting the ground.

 

About a month ago, I did a little test. Driving at 70mph, I got about 16mpg. Slowed down to 63mph (my speedo is off) and averaged 18.5mpg. Slowed down to 60mph and got 19.3mpg. Not bad for a double cab with a ton of armor and 33-inch MTs on it. Just recently bought a scangauge, so I'll have to try the test again.

 

Are you all saying that adding long tube headers won't improve MPG on the 6cyl and an AFE air filter?
If so then perhaps the 2.7 is the way to go.

 

Umm, I think the Explorer's rollover problems were due to under-inflation, not over-inflation.

When a tire is under-inflated and rolling down the highway, it creates more heat, has more of a foot print on the roadway and actually squirms from side to side, stressing the sidewalls leading up to a catastrophic failure.

Running an over-inflated tire lifts the tread up off of the roadway surface, reducing its footprint thus running at a lower temp due to less friction. Here is a link I think is an interesting read.

http://fordexplorerrollover.com/explorer_rollovers/Default.cfm

OP, I apologize that it took so long to answer your question. But 16mpg isn't out of the normal range. You should expect 16-19mpg depending upon conditions and your driving habits. I average 16-17mpg combined and have enjoyed 19mpg on the highway with the cruise set between 65-70. It seems that when you go beyond 70mph, the mpg starts to drop off. I have an 02' DC, auto, 4x4, V6. I Hope this helps.

 

Mine with a bad O2 sensor and bad tires along with me having a lead food, I still average 15 mpg so I'm happy. Def do fuel filter change, plugs n wires, MAF sensor cleaning, throttle body cleaning, air filter change, etc. and you'll be good

 

Actually the rollover problem was the driver. The tire failing, that was underinflation. The softer the tire, them more flex the sidewall has, the more flex the more heat and overall wear. Put that together with a lot of miles, and the sidewall will fail.

If you freak out when you have a failure, you can roll. If you keep your head out of your anus, you pull over and change the tire.

 

Vacuum gauge, keep load to a minimum

 

Got an 02 double cab v6 auto. Ive done a lot of maintenence and im still having a bad gas mileage. Clean maf, new air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, wires and pcv valve (all oem), coolant flush with the timing belt job. Synthetic oil in the motor (religiously maintained) both front and rear diffs. Synthetic trans fluid replaced conventinal after a trans flush. New 02 sensors and properly inflated tires. Seafoamed at 99k mi in vaccume line, crank case, and gas tank. All this was done between 99k and 104k mi. I Keep it under 2k rpm. Im on 265/75 duratracs (c rating, not e) and have adjusted for larger size in odometer mpg calculations. I also have a light bar but cant quite see how the wind resistance could bri g me down so much.


Im getting between 13 and 14.5mpg. Last tank was 13.8 (all city)
Seriously out of ideas at this point. Im considering a motorvac job as ive read good reviews on a 4runner forum..