Help me increase my Tacoma's fuel range

I have a 80mi/day commute...best is to just stop twice a week and deal with it, or buy a cheap beater civic that gets 40mpg

 

THE only good thing I have to say about my 1974 Chebby Cheyenne Super was the 2nd gas tank.... It really needed 2 tanks as the MPG was crap..... So bad that I parked it on days when there was a headwind.... Once I got 7 MPG into the wind...!!

But that extra gas was nice to have....!!

Too bad we don't have a 2nd tank option..!!

 

Wax the crap outta the truck.

 

I wonder how hard it would be to put an additional tank under the bed. One that pumps into hte other.

 

http://www.filld.com/

have them deliver the gas and fill it up while you are at work or at home.

 

Sit down and create a spreadsheet. Figure out the cost of all the options for increasing your range. Figure out EXACTLY the higher variance in your fuel costs if you fill in a less than optimum location / higher price.

Once you figure out your costs to implement your increased range vs the savings by buying fuel at the best price you can determine if this is worth the effort. Guessing the numbers is pointless. Big business makes decisions by the numbers for good reason. I once worked for a company who traded / sold vehicles at a very specific mileage because of the calculated costs of ownership. They knew the resale vs maintenance vs monthly expenses to the penny.

With the new emissions systems needing the gas cap to be tight or throw a code I wonder how you intend to address this when adding your second tank? How will you tie into the existing system? How will you seal the system so there is no “gas cap” issues? Most traditional secondary tank systems are vented to atmosphere which would essentially need to be shut off from the main tank to allow pressure in the main tank and not throw a code. So now you have to manually turn on a valve and turn off when drained into the main tank. How do you prevent someone from siphoning your secondary tank? The more you ask questions and actually sort the details the more complicated it gets.

As others have said fill twice and move on. Figure out the best places to fill and make it a routine.

 

I wish I only had to get fuel twice a week instead of almost daily. I drive way too much (~1000 miles a week)

 

Or put golf ball sized divots on the body. The guys over at Mythbusters did it and it increased mileage!

 

What tires do you have? Big heavy tires really reduce MPG

 

Tall and skinnys FTW! Just saying

 

I went from the stock 265/70/16's to 285/75/16's and only lost 1mpg. Depends on driving habits, city vs highway, speeds, etc.

 

I'd never get a diesel for range. Actually wouldn't get one period. Same with a bigger tank. If it were OEM, I would have happily opted for it, but not worth the headaches and cost.

Just strap a couple of gas cans in the bed, if driving to a gas station twice a week is too much of a hassle.

 

Suck it up OP, you're driving a pick-up truck.

 

I drive about 670 miles per week for work, no way around 2 fills per week for me. My previous vehicle was a TDi Jetta, and while mpg was twice as good ... the tank was 7 gallons smaller. I still filled up twice per week, which ... isn't even a first world problem if you ask me.

 

Range and MPG is about the most practical reason to get a diesel.

It's by far the primary reason I want Toyota to offer a diesel Tacoma. Not so much for commuting range (which would be a nice benefit), but off highway range. Bouncing along in 4WD and low range your MPG goes single digits in a hurry and it's more about running time. You might actually only get 5 MPG since you're idling a lot.

There's been trips where we need to eek out a couple of hundred dirt miles, which means 10 extra gallons of gasoline and you're still detailing maps trying to find towns. Many Canyonlands and San Rafael Swell routes in Utah, north rim of the Grand Canyon, trans-Nevada traverse, etc. With 25 MPG diesel you can count on 400 miles from a tank and those 10 extra gallons are another 200 miles and being in low range or idling doesn't hurt you nearly as much.

I've considered a swap many time but a factory option would be nicer to me.

 

I travel those areas quite often, as its merely 3 hrs from me. So I understand and appreciate range capabilities. However, switching to diesel brings too many compromises. Expense, for one. Diesel availability--I've noticed a number of gas stations in Podunk towns that didn't carry diesel. Reliability from all the diesel emission regulations (I hear new Canyon's are having some issues). Not to mention the extra maintenance expenses. No thanks.

I like simplicity. Strapping

$68 10-gal Class A Customs | T-1000 | One (1) RV Fresh Water 10 Gallon Tank, Grey Water

10-gal gas cans to the bed is stupid easy. I'll just stick with that.

 

Well "kick me in the shins and call me Hop-a-long" Damn, there's an app for almost everything nowadays..!!!

 

Difference strokes. Just wish I had the choice from Toyota. I sleep in the bed of my truck and have a topper, so until I have enough money for a swing-out I look like f'n Jed Clampett. Never did find a really suitable solution with the 'Nest. As far as fuel quality, I've gotten some pretty sketchy gasoline in little towns, too. I think that's a old-vs-new issue. Any EFI truck is going to want clean gas and anything made to pass U.S. emissions in the past decade or two is going to probably cry for momma and shut down with the slightest bit of dirt or lack of octane. The days of gravity feeding Coleman fuel into your 2F and idling out are long gone.

 

Cool set up. Wildernest were pretty cool. I'm assuming you didn't transfer to your current truck? If not, simple roof rack and gas can mount, plus something like Flo N'go would be nice. Run out of gas, unstrap the hose and fill'er up

http://www.flongo.ca/

 

I can't help you with changing the fuel economy, or tank range, but will offer you this advice.

Get yourself a girlfriend closer to work. Crash at her place a few days a week, that should stretch things out a bit.

Or, get a RTT and crash right there a work a couple nights a week.