Fuel Saving Modifications and Maitainance

I know there are a few threads about saving fuel but havent found anything mechinacal. 2005 TRD OR Auto Prerunner getting 14mpg at best. Its mostly city and traffic driving. I have also noticed when driving on the highway (60mph) the needle drops really fast. When I goto school in the evenings, 22miles, Ill go through over 1/8 tank gas there and back (50 min if driving) Just filled up couple days ago and already on half tank with not that much driving. I have been trying to drive with a light foot.

I had Can Tire do a tune up, spark plugs and serpentine belt. Should have gone to dealership, dont really trust them do check anything else. Replaced air filter in August with oil change. Any ideas on how to improve fuel effiency. Drop in air filter/intake? Fuel injector cleaner (quoted $120 by can tire) Anyother maitainance I should be checking. 85000 Miles. Need to replace brakes, should I take it to dealership so they can check everything out?

Thanks

 

1.Slow down
2.Accept the fact you drive a truck and be happy that you actually get halfway decent gas mileage for a truck.
3.Budget yourself for more gas and you won't feel bad everytime you fill up.
4.Buy a car

 

Ok, but I am at needed maintainace period, what machinical things maybe effecting fuel econmy. Can I do anything or is anything recomended. I know I drive a truck, Im asking about maintainance

 

Sounds like you covered the bases on the maintenance front.

$120 for a fuel injector cleaning? BWahahaha, what a ripoff. Just go buy a bottle of sea foam and pour it in your gas tank. It will clean your injectors for about $7.

 

Tire pressure make sure that all of your tires that the same amount!
Fuel filter, Air filter, Spark plugs/Wires, Radiator flush, Trans-flush Thous will help.

 

search http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/4-cylinder/34594-mpg-mods.html#post547096

 

Only drive downhill. JK
They pretty much covered it.
Driving habits (Ultragauge or Scangauge will help correct)
Air pressure.
Synthetic oil in engine, tranny & diff
Air filter

 

Go to Advaced Auto and ask them to put the diagnostic meter on the maintenance plug and let you know if there is anything that shows up. If not mistaken, it is a free service because they want to sell you parts.

 

It is the seasonal fuel mix or ECO (Green) fuel mix (using corn or ethynol) in the dyno (petrol.) fuel... 'gasoline', that robs mileage, compared to using pure gasoline. In Mexico, I easily get 19 mpg on the highway even with a heavy load, because there isn't any ethynol or orther crap in the gasoline. This is with 87 octane.

I have a 2010 DC 4WD Off Road... and at 32,000 miles, with new plugs, Techron treated fuel injectors, new air filter, good tires that are fully inflated... no rabbit starts or super fast highway driving here in SoCal: Today's fill up = 15.4 MPG. City/Hwy. combined.

This is a true mileage figure compared to a year ago when I had the stock tires that ran the speedometer too fast (and I usually got 16+ MPG then).

If I do a long country drive or pure highway driving... I will get 18+ mpg. It is stop and goes at red lights and stop signs that seem to really rob the mileage.

I am thinking of trying Premium again (91 octane here), but when I tried it before, there was no difference... but that was awhile ago. I was bummed after dumping a bottle of Techron in and the next tank mileage dropped to 14.5!

Pure Gasoline is the ticket (if all other aspects are correct, ie. tire pressure, plugs, air filter) IMO!

 

You could also get a Scan Gauge.This will not give you better MPGs but it can help you change your driving habits to get better MPGs.

 

Intrensting, found some calaulation. Most vehicals gain 3-4mpg using Ethanol free fuel including tacomas. Went to many sites and found that to be the average amoung trucks. I am going to test this by filling up ethanol free or shell 91 (specific station) next time.

driving 1000 miles
14 mpg - 71.4gal x $3.80 - $271.32
18 mpg - 55.5gal x $4.10 - $228.66

So I actually save $400-$600 a year using ethanol free. The truck burns cleaner and lasts longer. Increase in power and performance. I have a friend with a 87 jetta, he was using 87 when he bought it and had agressive vibrating and starting problems, switched to 91 pure, no problems since. Adding fuel cleaner is a must though every 3 months because of the lack of cleaner in the fuel.

 

Looks good! I wish I could get real gasoline here in California. I would go to Baja more for gas, but the border wait northbound is just too long for anything less than a 3 day weekend trip!

 

A clean air filter always helps, as well as synthetic oil and an additive like Engine Restorer for higher mileage engines. I don't know what kinda testing or emissions laws are in effect in BC, but you could gut or remove one cat (on vehicles with 2 cats, or vehicles with 2 cats per exhaust on a dual setup) and install an oxygen simulator, as well as install a performance muffler (anything higher flow than stock), and see some big mpg increases. It would basically make the "stock" exhaust into a fairly-high-flow-but-controlled-emissions exhaust. I mean for a 4-cyl, mileage could go from +/-22mpg to 28+mpg with fairly conservative driving. And if you feel really brave, you could spend $1000s on computer equipment and automotive training and reprogram the ecu regarding air/fuel ratio among other things... But the most realistic, effective and legal-everywhere thing to do is, as some have already mentioned, drive conservatively.

 

I only used ethanol free fuel from my local Shell until I went to Salt Lake City this summer for work...Always thought that my truck was special getting Average 21-24MPG on my local WY gas, tracking it with every fill up.

In Salt Lake it was next to impossible to find ethanol free fuel, and while I was there got 17-20MPG. Now Im back in WY and back to getting 21-24.

Ethanol sucks

 

Just put ethanol free in and seeing a difference already. Hit 15mpg before last fill up. Now have 130 miles and just under a 3/4 tank. Cost $100 or 5.37 gal here for 91. Should brake even, even with this price. Ill fill up over the boarder next time. 4.20 for 91 E0.