12mpg. Hoping to improve my numbers...

I have been tracking my mpg and the last two tanks have been pretty much the same:

218mi from full to light =18gal= 12.1mpg

This tank was pretty much all around town, stoplight to stoplight. On highway tanks I am around 16mpg. I am shifting around 2200-2500rpm.

Here's what I have:

06 DCSB OR MT with 135k miles. Lifted about 2" on OME shocks and springs. Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 2 in 265/75/16 -e rated. Leer topper. In last 1k miles: spark plugs, air filter, all oils (engine/ diffs/ trans), pretty much all other fluids, ran a can of seafoam, cleaned MAF and throttle body, detached battery after cleaning everything out to let it reset/ relearn. Serpentine belt, idlers, pulleys, all done.

Is the mpg really this bad? I know it's the winter in the midwest, but I was getting 17-18mpg around town in my 08 4runner with same engine and auto trans. Didn't think it would be this bad.

I am thinking about checking fuel trims, but don't really have any other reason to buy a scan tool...

Ideas appreciated. My apologies in advance for another mpg thread.

 

Park it

 

good talk. thanks

 

too much unsprung weight

 

Know what really kills mileage? Your brakes.

Think of it in terms of grade school physics:
Brakes convert the energy of kinetic movement into heat, which is then dissipated into the air. The same kinetic energy that your engine just worked to convert from the chemical energy of your gasoline. Therefore, every time you touch your brakes, you're just throwing the contents of your tank out into the ether.

A tad hyperbolic to drive the point, I'll admit. But seriously, plan your route and change your driving habits to minimize braking (and also frequent accelerating) and your mpgs will climb dramatically.

 

Tires are killing me Im sure- they are brand new and came with the truck. Thought about getting something lighter and smaller, but figured it would take a couple years of driving to recoup the cost through mpg savings.

 

Could probably be done- I drive about 10miles to work at 5:30am so I could strategically avoid some lights...

 

E rated tires will destroy your MPGs

 

Well, anyone want to trade for some e rated 16in tires?

 

No way everyday braking is causing an approx 35 percent loss in gas mileage

 

Not sure if the Revo 2 is similar to the Revo 3 in this regard but the 3's are actually very light at 44lbs. That's similar to the weights of standard P tires in that size and significantly less than most of the LT E rated options.

Also, subscribing as I'd like to improve my mpg. New wheels/tires is already underway so we'll see what that does (by comparison, the tires currently on my truck weight 60lbs!).

 

I don't get great mileage being lifted about 2" carrying plenty of weight and an aerodynamically unfriendly camper. But I just went from 235/85R16 (BFG KO2) to 265/75R16 (Falken A/T3W) tires and lost a couple of MPG. Both are LT and load range E. It's only been a couple of tanks so I need to collect a few more data point but it appears I went from about 15-16 down to about 12-13. No other changes other than going to slightly lighter wheels, from plain steel wheels to Toyota aluminum, with similar weight tires. The 265/75 is of course an inch wider so there's bound to be a hit for the larger contact patch.

 

stock tires in 245/75/16 are 32 pounds use that as a guideline

 

My 4runner had Cooper Discoverer at3 P rated tires in exact same size and with the same exact lift on it. Weight difference between tires is listed at 7lbs each corner. That sounds to me like a significant difference, but 6mpg difference between that and different trans?

 

The Falkens I put on are 55 lbs and the KO2 I had were 51 lbs.

 

Put on new brakes all around too...one of the calipers was dragging when I got it.

 

So you unstuck it and mileage got worse?

 

I've been driving trucks and buying tires for them for over 40 years. I've never observed that.

The BFG Rugged Trail P265/7016's that came on my Tacoma weighed 38 lbs. The E rated LT 265/75/16 Pirelli's currently on there weigh 53 lbs, that's 15 lbs more. MY fuel mileage is exactly the same today as it was 13 years and 202,000 miles ago. I get 16ish in town and 19-20 mpg hwy.

The current E rated LT275/70/18 tires on my F150 are 20 lbs heavier than the stock tires. There MIGHT be 1/2 mpg difference. It is too early for me to say. I have less than 1000 miles on them, but both tanks so far have been within 1 mpg of what I got before. If there is any difference it is because the new tires are 1 1/2" taller and they have a much more aggressive off road tread.