Tips for achieving high MPG in 3rd Gen OR?

Tupac the goat!!

 

Lowering your cruising speed makes a huge difference. I've gotten 19.9 MPG in a lifted '19 4Runner with 295 MT's and full armor at 55-60 MPH. I get 12-14 at 80+ MPH.

I'm not sure if this translates to the Tacoma as well, but being too light on the throttle during acceleration doesn't seem to help. I try to keep the engine in the RPM range where it's starting to make some power. This is between around 1800-2500 RPM's on the 4Runner, but might be a bit higher with the 3.5.

Whatever you try, don't run your tires at maximum inflation. The extra .2 MPG will be offset by your tires wearing prematurely.

 

I actually don’t agree with the driving slower on the highway. I noticed that when going slightly down hill then onto a flat if I get going 65-68 I can still hold a light throttle and hold that speed with the fuel bar at 30 mpg. It’s all about the pressure on the skinny peddle. Now trying to hold that speed going slightly up hill is a different story. That is when I have a light peddle and let the truck slow to around 60 before pushing the peddle to maintain 60mph which is the speed limit. Then use the flat or down hill to gain speed back. It’s an art and some people are just in a hurry so this style isn’t for everyone.

 

I filled up gas up in a mountain town near the desert and on the way down the mountain, I was getting 45 mpg because I didn’t need to gas the pedal at all but probably wore out my brakes more than usual.

 

I'm talking about cruising speed, not picking up momentum on a hill. The difference in fuel economy between cruising at 65 vs 80 will be significant.

Try driving exactly as you described, but going 80 on the flats. I bet you won't see that fuel bar hit 30. Then try it at 85.

 

Been trying to see if I can keep MPGs above 18 recently in my lifted 17' with 285 ATs. It's tough. Through experimentation I found it gets the best MPGs with the auto in "D" (not 5th) and in Normal mode (no magic button). You have to drive like a grandpa, and it's very frustrating if you are a really impatient person. Also... turning the engine off in the drive thru, at long lights, and in traffic helps.

 

i got over 415 miles on a tank yesterday, almost entirely highway, generally around 65-70mph. and it's not exactly flat around here.

 

Narrower tires
Increase psi in tires to max

 

Well, at least adjust/change your driving habits so as not to launch any vehicle from a stop all the time. Being an aggressive driver may also contribute to fuel consumption with all the start/stop motions.

But let me stress this point...my feedback is only opinion and not set in stone.

We each control our lives. The day-to-day activities requires some "slow your roll" moments before "pulling chocks" and going on that mission.

I have to remember to take my own advice because I have hurried along when I'm running late...hence, have a plan to avoid running late! lol

 

Maybe, by simply keeping it in the sweet r.p.m. spot and out of the lug/bog rpm range which would make your engine work harder ?

 

This is what seems to work the best for me, as well.

 

87 octane? tune? that's about what i got when i was running 93 octane. but it got pretty expensive. i get about 315 on a tank with 87.

 

the engineers really like the tacoma to lug around everywhere. it's kind of annoying.

 

Walk

 

I guess I'm glad I have a 4runner then. I would have thought the Tacoma would be similar, even with a different drivetrain.

It sounded like like others had a similar experience to mine, though.

 

87, bone stock including Defenders. i could have babied it more if i was really trying but was basically just taking it easy while occasionally punching it up to 80 for a few minutes at a time just to get clear of traffic. but never really under 65. the last "trip" of the tank was 171 continuous miles and the dash reported 25mpg for that stretch. which certainly impressed me. i usually lose a couple mpg on my way home as there's a net increase in elevation, but not this time.

 

Well, adding armor and e rated 33s isn't the way. Tried that.

 

I noticed the same. It's strange, isn't it? Every other vehicle I've ever had always did better with the cruise on.

 

To tell the truth I really hate the logic used on the Tacoma's cruise control. It has to hold the set speed to the decimal, where other vehicles have a little bit of wiggle room. Next time watch what it does on the downhill; it won't let you coast. That's where it sucks the mileage from you.

 

Yeah my wife's old Subaru (2018 Crosstek) had multiple cruise control modes. I think they were Eco, Normal, and sport or something. All affected how the cruse reacted to inclines, traffic, and inputs to speed. Was a nice feature.