Why does my mpg suck so bad?

The best mpg Ive ever calculated is 19.8. Most of the time its 17 or 18 mpg. I don't know why. Heres what my driving is: I drive 3 miles on a freeway every day on the way to my High school, 60 mph @ 2000 rpm, then come home the same way, except I have to go up hill that decently steep grade for 3/4's of a mile, but that should even out becuase I coast down it in the mornings. Then everything else is city driving with the occasional 30-40 mile soujourn down the highway. The truck is a 2011 Regular cab 4X2 Auto 2.7, it has about 3000 miles on it. I dont really have a led foot or anything either. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions please tell me.

 

Buy a Ford Fiesta if you want good mpg. Quick starts off the line will also eat up gas like no tomorrow. Try driving like there's an egg under the gas pedal too and see if that helps.

 

winter gas mix?

 

I'd say a combination between this and quick starts/ underpower so you have to give it more gas to go faster. And keep in mind it's a truck.

 

For mostly city driving and with winter gas that's really...normal.

 

Sounds about right to me. My 09 2.7 5speed gets 18-19 pretty consistently. Mostly in town, occasional ten to fifteen minute jumps on the freeway at 70MPH or so. It is significantly loaded down, probably 1000 pounds in it plus me. In our experience with our work fleet (two 09 5 speeds, one 04 5speed, one 05 automatic, all 2.7 Tacomas) the automatic transmission seems to hurt the mileage. That truck also has a high top shell on it, which hurts mileage. It gets about 16MPG with a light foot. If you take it on a long trip you should get better MPG, but around town will never be all that great I don't think. I know people with 4cyl auto compact cars that get mid twenties in town.

Edit: Another consideration is that three miles at a time will barely let the truck warm up. Always uses more gas till up to temp.

 

This too. Even though California gas is oxygenated all year round, I do notice my 06 has dropped from 16-17 avg down to 15 or so the last couple tanks.

 

Because you're constantly climbing grades! Easy fix, move out east.

 

The city rating is 21 MPG, and that testing was done on a dyno, which SIMULATES read world driving. Plus that engine is fully warmed up for some of its testing. If your are only driving 3 or 4 miles at a time, you are getting good mileage. In the winter after arriving at your destination, your enrichment circuit is still probably active at least somewhat.

I have averaged 25 MPG over the last 30,000 miles. It is because my average trip is 25 miles on urban interstates at 60-70 MPH. On several occassions when making no long trips for several weeks 17-19 MPG is what I see running around town with lots of starts and stops, and only a 4 mile trip.

 

All of that up there sounds correct.

- winter gas mix
- running rich due to short trip
- having a grade one way
- everything else is city driving

You're probably about right.

Make sure even while you're accelerating that you don't go over 2000 rpm. That equals pressing the pedal maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch down. The truck is pretty heavy, and it takes a lot of energy if you accelerate it quickly.

I also have my tires pumped up to 40 psi. I think it says to use 32 psi in the door, but the tires I have can handle up to 44 cold so I took it up to 40 to lower its rolling resistance.

 

You'll get better MPGs as the engine fully wears in (around 50k) but the short trips you're taking don't allow the engine to fully warm, so you're probably running a bit rich most of the time as 91r100gs said above. Hills don't make that much of a difference overall because you gotta go back down eventually and will get good MPGs on the way down. I think you're doing OK with 19.

 

Yea, I used to live on the country side which I drive 30mins of 70mph interstate. Now living in the city with 15min 65mph commute, I am definitely getting 1-2 mpg less - at 20mpg

Look for "real" gas.

 

Your recommendation to warm up 5 minutes before driving will reduce the OP's mileage even more. Plus it will dump lots of fuel into the oil during the warmup period, that will have no chance of being burned off during his short drives. NO modern vehicle needs more than 30 seconds of running prior to driving. I agree with your non-ethanol recommendation, but its getting harder to find all the time.

 

Who sells ethanol free gas these days? Very hard to find in the Midwest as most of the farming states mandate it.

 

Simple answer is don't expect good mileage from a Tacoma, renowned for their toughness and reliability(at least the old ones), engine design dictates that you will be complaining about mileage for a couple hundred thousand miles at least.

 

AUTOMATIC. This will lessen your mpg, especially doing hill climbs, in winter, with ethanol in your gas, with short trips & in a truck with that few miles on it. Lead foot will only make it worse. What oil are you running? The dino from dealership? Change it to synthetic and since it is winter use lowest viscosity mentioned in manual. Just for comparison, my lifted access cab with 32s on it and 5 speed got 17-19mpg even using AC all the time. I know OP isn't needing any AC in SF area but running fan on defrost or heat will run the compressor to dry the air. Try just putting it on fresh and heat or def and not running the fan, that way it doesn't use the compressor.

 

Also in California they probably have more corn squeezin's than in the Midwest. The CARB wackos have a different blend with lots of ethanol for each area of California. Here in KC it is next to impossible to buy 87 octane without 10% ethanol, because state law mandates it. But you can find 91 octane in several locations that is ethanol free. Works great in my early 90's motorcycle.

 

pure-gas.org/

 

I guess the solution to a warmer vehicle is an oil heater and/or block heater to get it operating in closed loop faster.anyone have much personalexperience or knowledge with that? I've been contemplating doing it to my truck

 

thanks guys. I guess it sounds like my mileage is about right.