Awful Mileage?

1998 Tacoma
4x4
2.7 L
Tire Pressure Checked Regularly
K&N Drop-In


http://www.fuelly.com/driver/gonathan85/tacoma

Meh...should be better, right?

 

Depends on how much u accelerate at the wheel. I heard tht if u stay under 2000 rpms u save gas. Plus could be air filter if u haven't changed that in a while. Besides I didn't think tacomas got more than 20 mpg anyways

 

Definitely not great for a 4-cylinder. What kind of driving do you do? (mix city vs highway). Do you drive with a heavy foot? How about wheel size or lift?

 

Need to know tire size and type of driving, but your mpg doesn't seem that unusual for stop and go driving, specially with heavy tires or a heavy foot.

 

Nope. Doesn't sound to bad for a 4x4. I always seem to get right at 310 miles from 17 gallons of gas. That's 18.2 mpg and I,m runnin a 3 in lift with 33's and a tube bumper. 4x2, 2.7.

 

When I had my 99 (same specs as yours) and lived in texas, I would struggle to get 20 mpg.. Usually hanging out in the high 18 range. When I would live up in the North east where the speed limits were 55 instead of 70, and I was doing more rural driving, I would jump up to 24.

The truck is not a sports car (drag coefficient of .40 vs a car at .3 or .25 really makes a huge difference). It can not run efficiently at highway speeds. Slow down to 50-55 and it'll go up. If you really wanted to, you could find the sweet spot. If you pay attention, you'll feel a speed where you are constantly on and off the gas, then go a little faster and you'll be planting your foot and holding it there. That's because you're beyond the efficient operating range of the car. Below your sweet spot, you'll also be on the gas all the time, and/or shifting all the time because you're out the low end of efficiency. So much of fuel efficiency is in your foot and head. Anxiety and speed waste a lot of gas.
Next time you feel the need to break the speed limit by a few mph (or even just go faster than efficient on the highway).. just calculate how much time you'll actually be saving. Its probably less than a minute for the average trip. time=distance/rate you'll end up with a decimal portion of an hour.

PS: Don't stomp on it starting out, but get to your speed expeditiously. Accelerating sucks gas, even if you're accelerating slowly. Get to your efficient speed and stay there. Don't follow closely or you'll be constantly adjusting your speed due to the idiot in front of you. You should never have to use your brakes on the highway.

 

^^^ what he said

 

I get 18.2 in town V6 auto 2 K RPM works.

 

dont matter, i know i will have to pump it sooner or later.

 

Also, I do notice my truck seems a lot more happy with higher octane fuel. A few mpg at highway speeds anyway. Of course that is with my V6 and a few years newer. Check out your Owners Manual to see what octane is recommended for your vehicle and run a few tanks through it.

Of course it could just be in my head, but when a friend filled it up the other day, with out knowing what type of fuel he put in (or that he even filled it up), I knew it didn't feel right.

 

Hey guys, thanks for all your input.

Here are a few more items to consider.

1. Tire Size: 265\70\R16

2. No lift

3. I drive very conservatively...accelleration...and cruising speed.

4. I am driving 99% "Stop & Go" city miles.

5. I really do drive like a grandma.

6. I don't haul heavy loads regularly.

7. I change the fluid in my blinkers regularly .

Sooooo...is 17-ish mpg STILL acceptable with all of the above in consideration?

 

I'd say that's about right, maybe a little low but only by 1 or 2 mpg from what I get. Mine, with stop and go and highway mixed, averages around 18 or 19. I generally drive about 80 on the interstate, and I'm not terribly gentle on accel around town, so I might be able to coax another 1 mpg or so out of it. I think if you're staying around that mark you're good, if it drops off relatively suddenly then you may have issues.

 

If its completely stop and go (stop lights and signs... traffic isn't necessarily an excuse.. don't tailgate).. then yea. You're kind of snafu. And yea, that'll sap your mileage to about where you are. When I drive my scion to and from work, I can get 33mpg. If I ride my motorcycle to work and only use my scion for driving the kids to school (1 mile 5 stops one way) It drops to 25.

Try to maybe pick up your acceleration above grandma level and decelerate under compression more. Granma drives stupid. You need to drive efficiently. Slow does not mean efficient all the time. Its only a hard rule when you're talking 70 vs 55. Everything is more efficient at 55 than 70.
I mean... say you're in a 30mph zone with 1/2 mile between lights. Zip up to 35 at say "half" acceleration. Popping through the gears fast keeping the engine in its efficient operating zone. Probably about 2500-3500 on that truck.. Maybe a tad lower, and slowly let the car go back down to 30. i do not know if you have a DFCO in the 98 model but it still helps to be in deceleration vs acceleration. Be real light on the gas at cruising speed. I tend to make my wife sick gently on and off the gas all the time, vs keeping steady pressure. On the gas then 100% off. Not jerky, but on and off. Let the cars in front of you get a few hundred feet ahead so you can potentially avoid having to touch your brakes. Brakes are the opposite of gas. Every time you hit your brakes for something you were likely following too closely. I leave enough room for people to zip in and out of the space in front of me without causing me to adjust speed dramatically. Don't use the brakes at lights unless it would just be super rude to coast up (assuming 5 speed) and you may avoid more dead stop starts.

I tend to not ever use my brakes in what others call "stop and go traffic".. its all about thinking ahead and timing your movements. Eyes up.. The car in front of you isn't as important as what's happening at the edge of your vision; drive like you have no brakes. You'll also want to keep the line of traffic behind and to the sides of you in mind as you can potentially cruise around a left turner or slow guy without touching the brakes.

But if you're truly in a stop to stop slow going situation you can never get into that efficient zone. Just try to pay attention to how much you're on the gas and again, drive like you have no brakes in as safe and polite a manner as you can. If you do it right, you can even keep your road rage up (if you have any) because you'll be so attuned to what's going on around you, you'll see the jerks and be able to predict and block their jerk maneuvers if you're so inclined, without looking like you are.

I do this all the time. I get awesome mileage in all the cars I drive (when i'm not feeling sporty). It also helps you out on the track (if you're into that). I learned the situational awareness on the track, where if you don't see all the cars/motos front and back you're going to end up in one of them or the grass and carried it to my motorcycle riding for safety and cars for efficiency/safety. I bet you can get it up to 19 if you're really anal. Maybe a bit more. I don't know exactly your driving situation.

 

01 2.7l 5spd access cab 4x4 w/ 155k miles. I get 21-22mpg around town since I got the truck about six months ago. On the highway, I have seen 26mpg. Truck has a 2.5" lift w/ 265/70/16. Pretty happy w/it overall. My 99 was a v6 auto and it did around 17mpg. Don't really miss the v6, except for the last trip to the mountains and the long steep grades. My buddies v6 Taco walked away from mine.

 

Mine tends to be in the 18-20 range, just about 100% stop and go. I also pull a trailer a lot of the time mine is also a 4 banger (2.4) but I have a 2wd 5 lugger. Despite what everyone else says, my "scanguage" reads higher mileage coasting in neutral rather than in gear (assuming again you have a manual). I've noticed the engine load drops more in gear but the mpg jumps more in neutral. I'd recommend something like a scanguage (mine is actually an app on my droid). It helps you be more aware of what your truck is doing.

 

I'll look up that scan gauge. But yea.. your truck is a completely different animal from his.

THe DFCO MAY not have been programmed into those engines, that's borderline era. If so, it might be better to coast, but the transition back and forth.. etc.. how much gas will you save over throw out bearings in the very long term? I'm being a bit facetious... But coasting isn't great. Pressure on the throw out or you're out of gear. Which is not the safest or great for the tranny long term.
Or at least its not great for SOME transmissions.

 

I've always been told its fine in a manual but a definite no-no in an auto...

 

I, living below work, thought about that quite a bit. I did figure out neutral is better than riding the clutch (throw out bearing is not designed to be used like that I guess. Though You can sit at a red light with the clutch pushed in for 10 minutes.. but why would you?

Its not deadly.. but I was warned against it by people smarter than I. I forget the specific reasons but that was also on a 6 speed with carbon syncros running atf. Maybe the vibrating stick not "locked" into gear is going to wear the transmission or detents similar to resting your hand on the shift stick? I dont remember. Its also a toyota not a gm.. And yours is still close to back in the "good ol" toyota days.

I would have to say if you don't have dfco or a crummy final ratio... go for it. Just be aware if you're in neutral you're not fully in control of your vehicle; and riding the throw out bearing is going to wear it faster.

 

I'll see what altering my actual driving mannerisms will do for the mileage. I tend to follow pretty closely to how island describes. I guess I should have clarified in what ways "grandma" and I drive similarly...hah!

Oh, would have been important to mention that I do, indeed, have a 5 spd manual transmission. Also, I'm just getting ready to hit the 150,000 mile marker.

Thanks, again, for all the great input. I'm going to try to squeeze another 1 or 2 mpg out of her this next go 'round. The main point for this thread was to figure out if I was DRASTICALLY far off from what other owners were experiencing in mileage. I see that I'm not too far from where I should be.

Thanks guys!

 

I meant to rep you that the Frank Zappa thing was too funny!!! You only got an 'F' from me before my fat fingers and new keyboard 'f'd me!!!