MPG Issues Resolved - Enter Here

OK, I have seen tons of MPG issues threads recently so i decided to do an experiment, try to get the best MPG I can.

I have 2006 DCSB TRD Sport 4x4 with about 66k miles on it. I drive 45 miles (all highway) each way to work 5 days a week.

Filled up on Sunday drove 4 full round trips, never really breaking 70 mph or 2k RPMs. I got 19.7 MPG, while my previous 4 fill ups were 16.6, 17.8, 16.4, and 16.8 MPGs.

Trick is to drive like an old lady.

Recent Fill up
367 Miles
18.61 Gallons
19.7 MPG

 

I thought the trick was to install a flux capacitor?

 

I know yours is 4x4 but when I drove from winston to raleigh the other week for a meet i set the cruise at 65 both ways and got 24.9 mpg. I was in shock.

 

Also, cruise control works great on flat ground, not to great on hilly highways.

And I am sure it is obvious, but my truck is a 4.0 V6.

 

Wow, quite an epiphany! I thought the tricks for max mpgs included 800 pounds of armor, 285 Es, extra ethanol and pedal to metal....
Yeah it is simple and bottom line is we all drive trucks, not 2200 pound econo boxes.

 

mine too, but im a prerunner

 

Exactly, which is why I laugh everytime I see one of these threads bitching about poor MPGs.

 

I calculated 16.6 mpg on my tank of 91 octane today when I filled up. Oh well - maybe I should put those 245's back on...not.

 

i went from 16.7 to 18.2 just by removing the secondary filter and then to 18.9ish with 91 NON ethanol

 

I don't have huge tires, but I have 265/70 17s, on Pro Comp steel wheels, front lifted 1.75 inches.

 

mine's stock

 

That's a good improvement!

I gotta brag...

I've got the 6 spd averaging just a tick over 21 mpg on winter E10 in 35 degree weather . Though I do have to break 2k rpm just because 2k is exactly 55mph.

My last recorded tank I did 60 miles with a trailer and still averaged 19.4 mpg.

Who says the 1GR has to always be a gas hog? Although the cold starts SUCK. When it's warm the engine takes between 0.3 and 0.4 gph to idle; when it's cooled to near the freezing mark it wants almost 1.5 gph, even with synthetic oil in there.

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Doesn't hurt to break the status quo sometimes. For some reason there's this belief that it's ok to drive conservatively in an econobox (even though they use so much less fuel anyways) and that it's necessary to drive as inefficiently as possible when driving a modern tank of a truck (when they use a lot of fuel to start with). Even worse, combining the former techniques with the latter vehicle really upsets people, which I don't understand. Sharing tips on saving money is translated as "complaining." Is it really?

 

It's funny to watch people on here make fun of guys trying to get decent mileage. Nothing wrong with saving money.

 

I have a hard time buying that. I have yet to see any factual evidence to back up claims that removing the secondary filter on the V6 makes any substantial difference on MPG. Most reports I have read indicate that it makes no difference on the V6. The I4 guys seem to see a definite improvement though. Perhaps you did something else that tank? Like check tire pressure? Or change air filter at the same time you removed the secondary air filter?

 

The OP is in New Hampshire and you are North Carolina.Some parts of NH are more hilly than Winston-Salem area.This makes a difference also.When I drive through WV I always drop about 2 mpg.Also you may be driving like a older lady than the OP.I get around 23 to 24 on my V6 4X4 driving around NC and SC.I wonder if some areas of the country have more ethanol than other parts which can make a difference also.

 

best tank..LA to PHX. i got just a tad less than 23 mpg. cruise control, RPM just under 2k. put me at 68 mph, i think.

worst? let my wife drive. she got 17.8. that makes me the "old lady". whatever.

 

nope just removed it hadnt even started to run 91 at that point in time... and i always run pure gas NO ethanol....

oh wait, i had just debadged it, so it weighs less and is more aerodynamic

 

As I'm sure most of you have noticed... speed and acceleration are what kills your average mpg. If you click on my fuelly link below, you can see that during the summer months, when averaging 55-60 mph on 80-90% highway driving, I averaged over 24 mpg and got 25.4 mph (backed it up with another 25.1 mpg). There's nothing to say that a truck can't get decent gas mileage

BTW- The winter months absolutely suck for getting decent gas mileage. When the gas changed (late September'ish ???) and the temps dropped, I easily dropped 4-5 mpg per tank. On the bright side, plowing through the snow and sliding around definitely make up for the decreased gas mileage

 

Forgot to mention... I have a v6 (access cab), 4x4 with stock steel wheels and Firestone Destination AT's (as expected, lost about 1.5 mpg after putting them on).

Overall, I'm super happy with the gas mileage my truck gets (after all, it is a truck)

 

i've been putting in 87 in my truck and i'm getting between 17-18 mpg in mixed city/highway driving, this is with the 4.0 auto dclb. this tank i decided not to run it over 68 mph on the highway (was previously running 75) to see what difference it might make. looking forward to a small improvement.