Fuel economy...

I'm really starting to think people are fluffing their numbers...

 

On average, 60% of people lie once every 10 minutes. 100% of people lie every day, even to themselves. Pretty sure the internet does not make people quit lying haha.
I drive a lot. I average around 20 mpg completely stock. The weight and the aerodynamic drag of your topper is why you are not getting the same mpg as others. Any weight added and any external mods like a topper, roof rack, lift, tires and even a light bar will adversely affect your efficiency. It's physics.

 

All I've done to mine was go to ATs, and I'm only getting 16-16.5. Surely that's not enough weight to drop it from like 18-19...

 

I was just trying not to accuse members of lying lol. My topper may contribute a bit but the miles I put on it without the shell were not much different at all . I get it the air drag is the big problem as I can get 22 or 23 when I drive at 60 or below on a rural highway with hills . But driving at 75 to 80 and get over 18 , nooooooooo way.

 

I didnt bother to read every comment but the one stating the sport gets far better mpg. I cann contest thats not true as i have the sport with the air Dam and my MPG are absolutely terrible. Ive removed my air Dam as i prefer the looks better without it and having better offroad clearance. I have done alot of driving to find the results negligible. If the air Dam does make a difference for MPG its is very very minuscule and most likely less than half a gallon difference and thats being generous! Also when you compare the sport to the offroad at the dealership they both show the exact same MPG on the info sheet.

 

Well, right now you are losing about 1-2 mpg because of winter gas. You will start to get that back in March. AT tires, depending on the weight, width and tread pattern (aggressive KO2 versus Michelin LTX AT type) can cost you another mpg or so. If you go up in size, then there's you another half a mpg. Even running stock tires at 27 psi versus 32 psi will lose a half mpg because of rolling resistance. It does not take long to add up!

 

There was. And it’s a few blocks from home as well. It’s a safe way to get a feel for how far I can push the truck if it comes down to it.

 

Lab testing versus real world testing.

 

From what I read a lot depends on the weight of the new tires. the rotating mass and all . The Wrangler Kevlars that come with the OR stock weigh only 32 pounds ? When i look them up there is the OEM tire at 32 pounds and a replacement tire of all the same specs but weighs about 5 pounds more . Other tires may weight in the mid or upper 40 to over 50 some pounds for "E" rated tires all for the same size.

 

To be honest i doubt very much testingg was done. Just look at the ECU tune on this truck! OVTUNE has shown proof their tune was absolutely terrible and just thrown together. They most likely slapped this on and did a smoke test to see how it pushes air around fhe truck and didnt a tually test if it makes a miliage difference. Also as i stated both the OR and SPORT are advertised by toyota with the exact same MPG

 

I guess I did get them right when everyone switched to winter gas. We'll see what my mpg does in the summer. It should be a rule to state if your mpg is with winter/summer mix.

 

My mpg sucks at 80 too. Here is a great read on why https://physics.info/drag/ and here is a handy table to show what happens at speed:

According to studies backed by the department of energy, the average car will be at its advertised MPG at 55 mph. But as the speed increases:

- 3% less efficient at 60 mph
- 8% less efficient at 65 mph
- 17% less efficient at 70 mph
- 23% less efficient at 75 mph
- 28% less efficient at 80 mph

So, as you can see, our trucks at 55 mph get the rated mpg. At 80 mph, they will only get around 70% of their rated mpg. If you have any mods, you gotta take those into consideration as well.

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/the-truth-about-epa-city-highway-mpg-estimates basically, the manufacturers test their own vehicles and the EPA tests some. However, the vehicle manufacturers had better get it right or (see Fords screw up on their Cmax vehicles) the OEM's will get in serious trouble.

 

This is just what I get for mileage and the #'s above work out also. So if anyone really does get 28 at 75 to 80 mph for an extended trip , well

 

Stock SR5 is a daily commuter in congested Seattle Metro with hills. Calculated mpg is between 20 and 21 per tank. Surprisingly onboard comp is pretty accurate, compare to my other Toyota

 

I'v seen this for at least a year here. Guys will fill up then drive 2 miles at 45mph and take a picture of their Average MPG saying "27.5mpg" and guys will fall all over themselves asking how it's possible, but the OP keeps his mouth shut.

Even the trip MPG that comes up when you turn off the truck is misleading. Yesterday I drove to church... 27.5 miles at down the interstate going 75, 70, then 65. Average trip mpg was 21.1, but I also had a 30mph tailwind and it was 18 degrees. Going home I stayed at 70mph and got 15.1.

I think next time I warm my truck up at work and drive it the mile home, I'll post my 7mpg and watch everyone poop themselves.

 

In the Same Boat as OP, I Have a DC SB OR. I have a Soft Cover on the Bed and Average around 18.5-19 on Highway going about 70-75 (Not Flat). I feel like if I step over 60 or 65 I lose the 19-20mpg. I have a little under 700 Miles on the Truck, I still haven't tried ECT on it yet or the Sport mode to better control the revs. I've been running on Premium gas (93) and haven't seen much difference. I'm hoping for that 1.5k to 2k break in where magically the mpgs might climb a bit. 21mpgs would make my eyes water 22 would make me cry and anything higher would make me sleep with the truck every night.

My Daily Commute is 23 mi one way BTW if anyone was wondering, 95% Highway 5% in Town.

 

My commute is 18-20 miles from philly suburbs to the city, plus trips in town for errands.

I can’t get this current tank over 13.5

My last tank was 17 and that included me adding +2 psi over recommended tire pressure as all the tires were real low, plus it was significantly warmer that whole week and I did a lot of OT which meant more highway driving!

My 6 tanks prior were low 14’s!! Terrible. Granted that whole stretch was the extreme cold snap we had here in the NE plus as mentioned above seemed my TP was low due to the cold.

Oh and my truck is a Stock 2017 trd Off Road DCSB...Only mods are bed extender (weights next to nothing) and spidertrax spacers, besides some cosmetic crap.

My best tank ever in 5k Miles of ownership was 18mpg (temperate early fall, no heat/ac use taking it easy) Seems mid 16’s is avg for me. I have gotten low 20s on drives to or from work, but add a Few daily errands around town and the tank average Always quickly drops down below 17 and usually lower.

Any amount of city driving and short trips really kills mpg in our trucks, add to that a frigid winter (heavy heater use) and that kills it more, plus winter blend gas.

But to get 20+ Mpg’s consistently Per tank like others say they have or are getting I’d prob have to turn off the heater/AC set my cc at 45 mph on I95 and then roll through or blow every stop sign / Red light on my commute to and from philly. Ain’t gonna happen.

It would be a whole hell of a lot easier to get good mpg though if you lived in a temperate climate, didn’t have to use the heater or air conditioner much or at all, and travelled country type roads with stop signs and stop light few and far between.

 

I'm not sure about 3rd gens but I would advise against using cruise for better MPG's. If you drive at the speed limit and don't burnout at every stoplight you will see better results.

 

Agreed completely . the 3rd gen's CC tries to hold the speed exactly what you are doing . My old CC's on other older vehicles would allow it to drop 1 or 2 mph up a hill without shifting and let it come back on its own . I believe all the extra shifting with extra gears vehicles did not use to have drop the mpg . I also believe if the Tacoma's exhaust is noisy . If it were more quiet the extra shifting would not be heard and not be as annoying . I cannot imagine an after market air intake and an even louder exhaust on the truck and listening to all the shifting/rpm changes with the automatic trans . A manual would be a different story because the driver controls the noise and all . With a manual it can pretty cool .
Oops , sorry to ramble .