AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

Yuuuup. Me too. Until I wire in my ABS disable switch.

I've used it to get me out of trouble .... and into trouble. Mostly it enables more fun by allowing me to spin the tires a bit more easy and practice sliding around on unpaved surfaces (gravel, snow, etc).

 

I think you are mis-remembering or just mis-quoting what was said. My locker has never been turned on just because the pavement turned dirt. This definition is for 4hi, not for 4lo and locked.

 

Are you still tracking your MPGs?

What's that looking like with all the added armor? Fully loaded/empty, highway/offroad, what kind of data do you have?

 

oh yes. He is. Like an obsessed crazy person. haha he refuses to go faster than...i think its 62mph or something on the highway because he gets optimal mpg at that speed hahaha thats why it takes him 20 hours to get anywhere cool


I can say that because he is on the road and can't defend himself right now.

 

oh shit that's right! hahahahaha


what a nerd

 

Is he tracking his MPG?! The US military tracks missiles with less precision.

 

Who buys trucks for mpg?

 

As someone who drives between SLC and Boise, you know that this isn't very much of an option.

That headwind is brutal.

 

I saw the pics when you posted them last week. Looked amazing.

 

Must be sailing

 

I do still track my MPGs, despite all the crap that these crazies give me. Tracking your MPGs is good IMO because it tells you a lot about how your truck is running. I knew long before I got a P0171 that there was something wrong b/c my MPGs dropped off. Turns out I was running super rich, which made sense. Plus, I think it's fun. I mean - why not do it? You're driving anyway and it takes no time. And as a competitive-in-everything-I-do kind of guy, I'm competitive with myself on getting good MPGs. Doesn't mean you can't go fast when you want to - I've caravaned with guys at 75mph or more, and I don't think there's anyone who would say I can't hold my own on the trails when I want to .

I track quite a bit I guess. Obviously the miles and gallons for each fill-up, but then also where I got the gas (brand), the octane rating, and the type of driving for the tank. I also calculate the actual (adjusted) MPGs based on the error between my odo/speedo and actual GPS speed. So yeah, lots of data. The truck isn't a DD anymore, so it's always fully loaded.

For me, the armor wasn't what affected MPGs - bigger (heavier) tires were the main problem, and then the lower gears meant that my revs were always higher (which some will say improves MPGs, but none of us - on either side of the argument - have any data to back up whether it's better to have higher RPMs and be in the power band, or lower RPMs to be using less fuel).

My average pre-mods was ~18. After front bumper, winch, sliders, and skids, was ~17.8 and post bigger/heavier tires I'm now at 16.27.

Here's the spreadsheet with the values (I've removed the formulas that build this all up because...dunno, IP issues).

Hahahahahaha, was fun seeing ya, and thanks for the pre-warning of all this. 62 is a great speed - not optimal MPGs there (that happens at 35mph in 5th gear with a tailwind) - but reasonably good in that I can generally get in the ~16.5-17.5 range in non-windy conditions.

And cool places are all far away when you live up in the corner of the country. I think you'd admit that you understand the desire to get out there. Glad for the shorter drive this trip though, compared to you anyway! (Hope you get home safe.)

Well, only sort of true. If there are two similar distance routes and one has a tailwind, I'll take it. But I mean, I don't get lost or add time to a trip for the wind. Just seems smart to me. Easier on the truck too, so less strain and stuff to fix over time.

Takes one to know one buddy.

^^^This. Zane knows where it's at.

Not me. But I have had the competitive bug for my entire life. I have to admit some satisfaction when I'm on a trip with all the guys giving me shit, and I put in 2 gallons less fuel every fill up. The money doesn't matter at all, it's the frustration from the other side of the pump that I love!

LOL. I despise...no, that's not the right word - I really just don't enjoy sailing - too slow and too much work. I much prefer a speedy boat or jet ski.

 

And I still got better MPG while using more skinny pedal with my little supercharged 4 banger haha

You'd have been proud of me though the other day when I was road tripping the cruiser. I got 17.6 out of a vehicle the EPA only rated for 13 while still going 75mph

 

Nice! Tailwind and high->low elevation change? And over what distance was this road trip?

That's the other thing that I always think is funny - "I drove 10 miles and got 24 MPG." That means little to me - I want to see averages over a few hundred miles. (And I know that when you say 'road trip' you don't mean 10 miles, hahahaha.)

And yeah, I did have two more cylinders to fill all the time when you had a Tacoma . Which none of us are happy about btw.

 

Whoa whoa...2 gallons more?? Pffff. Since when was comparing to the red head everyone? Haha if I recall. You and I are usually within a gallon or so. Which ain't bad considering I let mine idle much more than you and let be real...a little more aggressive with the skinny pedal.

Though in another year you'll be going faster than I can in Igor at this rate

That is until I redo the rear suspension ..

 

Low to high only 1000ft total change, it was the Indio grade. I went from Yucaipa to the AZ border on that stretch. I was going East and the wind was coming as a crosswind from the south. My speedo was dead on and I confirmed with my speed graph from my gps too. It was all cruise control locked at 75 and I occasionally slowed down instead of sped up to deal with encounters with other people. It was a pretty dead stretch of I-10. That was a 164mi trip, I was trying to avoid giving CA any money for fuel... Or anything else so I had to stop as soon as I reached the AZ border haha. But now that I know I can do that on the old cruiser EFI it gives me hope for mid 20s with modern EFI on it.

 

It's no fun to drive miserly anyway, you end up being hard on the truck too and grunting at low rpm with low knock threshold (important factor for the ping happy 5vz) from high cylinder pressure. At least in the mountains, on the highway who cares.

 

We both idle quite a bit, I'd say that it's on par except for mornings where you turn on to get your fridge going. An hour of idle is only .2 gallons anyway. And whether it's a gallon or two depending on the truck, doesn't matter to me, hahahha. We're all made out of the same competitive mold.

And yeah, aggressive with the skinny pedal is exactly what affects MPGs, that's the whole point . I never said that I drive the same as everyone - only that when I want to, I can. My MPGs at that point get just as crappy as everyone else - there's nothing about my truck that makes it better MPGs than anyone else's.

 

Time for an engine swap if that's the case

 

Sweet, thanks! I've been tracking my own MPGs on every tank (basically in the same format) since I purchased my new (to me) 1st gen taco and I knew you'd be the guy to ask about the change in fuel economy from stock to current. I agree, the data is fun to have and almost unique for this niche. I wanted a benchmark, despite your rig being a standard vs. my automatic.

 

@turbodb I write my MPG in a book every fill up. Lost mileage when I put 265 tires on. It seems to be true. Skinny tires increase mileage.