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Winter MPG ?

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by george3, Dec 17, 2009.

  1. Dec 17, 2009 at 6:06 PM
    #1
    george3

    george3 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I've noticed on the Scangauge2 that my MPG has gone way down in the last week or so. It just started to get cold here in NJ. Does that effect it ? Do they put more of that useless corn gas in the fuel this time of year or should I be looking for something else ? :confused:
     
  2. Dec 17, 2009 at 6:43 PM
    #2
    Krazie Sj

    Krazie Sj Resident Jackass

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    Anti-freeze as well. All the above don't help.
     
  3. Dec 17, 2009 at 6:48 PM
    #3
    jandrews

    jandrews Hootin' and Hollerin'

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    Did you air up for winter? If not, your low tire pressure it probably a significant culprit.

    Also, remember, your fluids are colder, so there's probably gonna be some added resistance in the trans/diffs/engine (until operating temp), some added sapping of power by stuff powered by the serp. belt, etc.

    Cold air is more dense, so you get more aerodynamic drag.

    There are a bajillion factors, but the bottom line is mileage always drops in cold weather. I'd be more worried about road salt...be sure to wash the underbody!
     
  4. Dec 17, 2009 at 7:22 PM
    #4
    mcgiiver

    mcgiiver Well-Known Member

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    My scan gauge indicated about a 2 mpg drop , down from 23.4 mpg. Also from NJ. Oh, 4 cylinder.
     
  5. Dec 17, 2009 at 10:33 PM
    #5
    NMG

    NMG Well-Known Member

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    Cold weather definitely has a negative impact on MPG. In the summer, I was generally getting between 19-20 MPG in mixed driving. When fall hit, it dropped to around 17. Now that we've been getting into colder winter temps it's dropped another 1-2 MPG. My last tank yielded 13.3 MPG but that was also with temps of -30 to -40 C. That's probably about as bad as it could get unless I was also using 4x4 extensively at those same temps.

    Funny thing is, my old F-150 with the V8 generally got that same 13-14 MPG in ideal circumstances in mixed driving. In the really cold stuff, it would easily drop to single digits.
     
  6. Dec 18, 2009 at 1:09 AM
    #6
    george3

    george3 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thanks guys ! Glad 2 C I'm not nutz, well at least as far as winter MPG is concerned. :rolleyes:
     
  7. Dec 18, 2009 at 2:16 AM
    #7
    kevin1970

    kevin1970 Member

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    I definatly get worse MPG when it is cold.
     
  8. Dec 18, 2009 at 3:49 AM
    #8
    Simon's Mom

    Simon's Mom Wag More Bark Less

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    me too
    towing in winter :(
     
  9. Dec 18, 2009 at 4:03 AM
    #9
    Mark C.

    Mark C. If you want it bad, you usually get it bad!

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    I do too........and the 4 banger idles faster for a longer period when the temps are low (11 deg F this morning)
     
  10. Dec 18, 2009 at 4:15 AM
    #10
    MGH-PA

    MGH-PA Well-Known Member

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    Yep, a pretty bad drop here as well. Around 2mpg with cold weather and 10% ethanol.
     
  11. Dec 18, 2009 at 4:51 AM
    #11
    pataco

    pataco Well-Known Member

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    me to,its the winter additives they put in the fuel as well as all the other stuff mentioned.
     
  12. Dec 18, 2009 at 5:37 AM
    #12
    tim920

    tim920 Never seen Forest Gump

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    Horrible, just horrible MPG!
     
  13. Dec 18, 2009 at 5:43 AM
    #13
    george3

    george3 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I didn't think this post would go anywhere but pretty good response. Looks like we are all in the same boat or truck on this one.:(
     
  14. Dec 18, 2009 at 5:49 AM
    #14
    paulm09tacoma

    paulm09tacoma Well-Known Member

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    yup. im losing about 1.5 mpg in the late fall. i think its the mix of the fuel at the pump. also i let my truck warm up a little longer in the cold. i think its just the way it is. 6 cyl
     
  15. Dec 25, 2009 at 7:52 PM
    #15
    PA452

    PA452 Well-Known Member

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    Same boat here. Mine has dropped much more than it has in previous winters though. All within a tank or two of gas, I added air to the tires (and rotated), put in a new air filter, changed the oil to synthetic, and replaced the spark plugs. I'm hoping that will help a little bit. I was at 42K and still on the original plugs. They were opened up some, especially the NGKs.

    I keep close track of my mileage to help keep an eye out for indications of issues. This shows my steady decline since summer fairly well...

    rc1zj5_10f150988e77b6186a8d08c03b4bb39caf8ab7a3.jpg
     
  16. Dec 25, 2009 at 8:15 PM
    #16
    gjbonner

    gjbonner Well-Known Member

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    Haahaha.. I check my mileage every tank! its funny to see there is someone worse out there that is keeping a journal! i like it. I a good friend who did this with his Toyota. Its all in excel too! you are above and beyond good sir!
     
  17. Dec 25, 2009 at 8:21 PM
    #17
    PA452

    PA452 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks. :D

    My original intent was to keep it all on there. But I used to be in the Army and got stationed in Korea. I kept my Tacoma at my parent's house while I was gone, they took it out every now and then just to keep it running, and never kept track of it. So, I have about a 16 month gap.

    I keep all my maintenance events in the same file on another sheet.
     
  18. Jan 16, 2010 at 9:14 AM
    #18
    Snyperx

    Snyperx Seniore Marcos

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    My MPG is horrible also. In warm weather I usually get about 17.4 mpg and now with Winter going full tilt here in Wisconsin I am getting about 15 mpg. Sad thing is I have a 15 mile commute on highway and still only get about 15 mpg, maybe 16 mpg. I also recently drove back to see family which was a 160 mile trip and I never broke 20 mpg on the interstate. I have to admit with the mpg being this bad I have considered giving up my Tacoma and getting a Corolla or Civic or something. I can't keep shelling out $60 a week on gas. I don't even have a lead foot, I try not to cause the engine to go over 2k rpm when accelerating.
     
  19. Jan 16, 2010 at 12:07 PM
    #19
    pauldotcom

    pauldotcom Well-Known Member

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    When you cold start your truck, your air/fuel ratio is like 2parts air to 1 part fuel (2:1). Ideally when it's warm it runs at 14.7:1. BIG difference! So yeah, everytime you cold start the ECU is pouring a ton of fuel into the engine to get it started and warmed.
    Other factors such as tire pressure (should be checked everyone month because 3psi=1mpg loss), oil is thicker, etc..

    Also, in the cold more air is forced into the engine because it's more dense. Because of this, your engine needs more fuel in order to keep it's ideal mixture (14.7 to 1)
     
  20. Jan 16, 2010 at 2:51 PM
    #20
    flatlander

    flatlander Well-Known Member

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    Same here. Ya'll ought to look into fuelly.com. You get bar graphs, line graphs, ability to export to csv so you can import into Excel. Pretty cool.

    My gas mileage has also been on a gradual decline for the last couple of months.
     

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