Mpgs went from bad to worse

The fuel efficiency has a tendency to tank above 65 mph.

Suggest to take it back to stock condition and ease off the speed a pinch. Assuming MPG is important to you.

Otherwise, you could start shopping.


FWIW, my '06 4.0L V-6, 4wd regularly gets about 350-360 miles on a tank, equating to roughly 19 mpg. But, keep in mind, the truck is stock on stock wheels and tires, no lift, no add-on performance mods or other mods.

It is common for mods and add-ons to decrease fuel efficiency. Even changing to "big, aggressive" tires will negatively impact fuel efficiency.

 

I don’t sound that far off of what you are gettting. I have a DCSB 4x w 275/70/17s K02s w 3rd gen suspension and 1/4” spacers w a shell. I usually get 15-16 on avg. with 70% of city driving, which I don’t think is that bad. I have gotten much worse too when i have a heavy foot. The best I can get is 18-19 with mostly hwy and I use cruise control and have a pretty light foot. You might want to try a battery disconnect to reset the ECU since you did a cleaning on the MAF. But be forewarned, for me, the first tank after the reset was pretty bad before it got better.

 

4 X 4 ...........

year ..............total miles odo


a regular loop driven under consistent circumstances reveal accurate mpg’s

miles driven ..........gallons used (simple math )

the dash computer is not as accurate

U dont mention ANY mods or accessories

lift

tyres

gearing

 

Read thru the thread it’s all there

 

I do mention tire size and lift

 

What have the temperatures been like where you are at? My old GMC Canyon got about 14-15 in the winter on stock equipment in the winter and 18 on a good day. All that at 70 MPH with about 30 PSI cold. That was the old inline-5 cylinder as well.

Yeah, the 3.5L is good as well! The 2.7L is more than most people need. I don't tow and seemed to find that to be slightly more reliable so that was going to be my choice.

 

Op this is what I use and my dad uses this too, it’s helped him get better fuel economy in his diesel on road trips and I’ve had luck with it on long drives too. I keep the smaller bottle in the center console and the larger bottle on the left behind the rear seats. Use the small bottle before fill up, then re fill it with the larger bottle and put away. Like I said before this isn’t a miracle chemical and it’s not always going to help nor is it going to make your truck have gas mileage like a Prius. However it may help get slight better gas mileage like it has with me. But like others have said it’s a truck, you’re not going to get great gas mileage anyway so don’t stress about it to much. Me being a broke college kid I try to just forget about it

 

"Miles Per Tank" is useless measurement because that means different things to different people. What is a tank to you: 21 gallons (a tank), 18 gallons (on the E line), 17 gallons (fuel light comes on)?

How Many Miles traveled between fill ups divided by the Gallons pumped in to fill up, is how you measure Miles Per Gallon.

My 4.0 V6 Automatic 4x4 Double Cab with 265/75-16 Hankook DynaPros, at 34 psi, 0.85" front suspension lift is always in the 15-18 mpg range with 16-17 most common... adjusted for tire size affect on the odometer.

The Tacoma is not an economy car, it is a solid work and fun truck. I have had three now (2001, 2005, 2010) and they all hovered around 16 mpg... new or old plugs... Chevron Techron added or not...

The only time my mileage universally increases was when my truck was in Mexico on 100% pure gasoline vs. the 10% ethanol diluted crap sold in California!

 

I appreciate this response the most, and yes I feel it I’ve been in college for 4 years to finish an associates because I like working too much hahaha

 

“wE nEeD A fORum rUule” go fondle some yota engineers

 

I am realizing because all the freeways where I live are 70 the taco doesn’t like it that fast

 

Simple solution. Set your cruise at 65 mph, stay in the lane that is all the way to the Right Hand side of the road.

Let 'em pass you and ignore their gestures.

 

Warning on the eco-boosts if you go that route, I see a lot of the 3.5 F150s, their MPG readings are usually in the 15-16 range. That is city driving and 75-80 mph highway speeds.

 

They tend to get flogged. 400+ Lb/ft of torque will encourage that. I’ve driven several eco-boosts as work trucks and they are easily capable of their EPA estimates if you aren’t testing the limits, even at left lane HWY speed. Both my previous 2.7 and current 3.5 are very efficient.

The biggest difference that I notice between them and my personal Tacoma is that I have to really think about speeds/gas pedal, etc. when driving the Tacoma to get 19.

with the ecoboosts it doesn’t matter. Pop it into cruise at 75 and show up to your destination after getting 20-21 mpg.

 

I hate california gas

 

I get about 16 average with my 2013 AC V6 Manual; my only "mods" are some Cooper tires. If I drive like Grandma and keep my spped below 65 I might touch 19mpg on the highway, but in the real world mixed driving it's never good.

 

my bone stock truck tanks mpg at anything over 70, maybe 65. I just traveled 80 miles at 75 mph'ish and averaged around 15 mpg. back and forth to work on back roads, 16-17 winter, 18-19 summer. Peaks of 20 in all the right conditions. I think that is your ceiling, and seems to be the norm for others as well. I dont pretend to know what tires and a lift do, other than what others post here.
What can you do, well a stock truck will get you the above. Its just what it is, IMO.

 

265/70/17 2 inch lift and 16-17 around town is normal. I am looking for lighter tires next time around. Wildpeaks are heavier than most.

 

Interesting that a manual is not better than an automatic for mileage. I guess a 4 cyl. motor would be the only way to get better than 20 mpg on the 4x4 models? Of course, to have the TRD bells and whistles, only a V-6 will do!

 

If you want to run a fuel system cleaner, make sure it has PEA (polyether-amine). Gumout Regane (choose one as long as it has Regane in the name), Techron, Royal Purple Max Clean and Berrymans B12 are the popular choices on BobIsTheOilGuy forums. PEA is the most efficient and effective cleaner for fuel systems and is the primary ingredient in OE Direct Injection system cleaners and top side cleaners if using chemicals vs media based cleaning. Gumout Regane and Techron are the 2 most popular as they are cheap and readily available.

If you end up looking an EcoBoost I would highly recommend looking at the 2.7L EB. My father in law has one and averages 20MPG as his run around work truck between job sites, he lets it idle quite a bit too while at the job sites. It's a fantastic truck!! Unless you are looking for big power at the drag strip the 3.5EB is almost not worth it. A tuned (ecu tune & bolt ons) 2.7EB and 3.5EB aren't far off from each other for speed and acceleration. Heck, if you want speed and you're already willing to throw some money at it just get the 5.0. Those with a S/C are low 11 sec trucks all day long.

As far as towing goes, a 2.7EB has more than enough power to tow anything that truck is capable of towing. Though with any new F150 I personally wouldn't tow 10k with one for long distances. Ya, they have the power to do so and you won't break anything. But with how light the trucks (all brands) are now a trailer WILL tell you where to go and at that point you're just along for the ride. Have you towed with your Tacoma? How was stability at speed? Not factoring power, just vehicle control. Imagine towing 10k lbs with a Tacoma.... Scary, right!? Well a new F150 is between 4600-4700lbs and your Tacoma is 4400-4500lbs.....ya, that 200lbs does nothing for stability when a 10k load is telling your truck where to go. But people do it and end up alive at the end of the day, so take the info for what it's worth.