Anyone get 20 mpg with 4.0L V6 ?

In the V6 automatic, tranny unlock when accelerating, instead of staying in locked position, when you accelerate juste more than "granny mode", which, even if way slower, is more economic than accelerating quicker with the tranny unlocked.

 

Part of me wishes I'd have bought the automatic. I won't let that part win.

Usually with an auto, above its converter lock speed it'll let you give it around the area of 75-80% load before it downshifts out of top gear. IF they were smart about it.

Then again, this is the land of the ultra-downshifting cruise controlled tacos.

Out of curiosity, what's the minimum speed for converter lock? Most other vehicles are in the neighborhood of 30-45 mph.

 

35-40 mph , seems about right from experience

 

20mpg?! Dang I wish!!!!!

 

I'll give you the details I know about the tranny, I won't convert units as I need to go to work :

tranny will lock at 62 KM/H when engine temp is at 60 deg celcius minimum

tranny will lock at 50 KM/H (fifth speed) and lock from second to fifth speed when engine is at 60 deg celcius minimum, and tranny temp at 90 deg F minimum

once up to speed in fifth gear, tranny will unlock at 91-94% load depending on speed

once up to speed, tranny will downshift at 99% load

between 50KM/H and 62 KM/H tranny will lock slower, and the lock is easier to break when playing with throttle.

when accelerating from zero, you need to stay below approx 75% load for tranny to shift like a manual tranny (locked all the way up to fifth). (this one I am unsure of the load % as it is kinda hard to observe, as the load constantly changes).

I had the 4 cyl manual before, and GLAD I got the automatic. When in ''granny mode'' in city driving, I can get very satisfying fuel economy, and on highway my 6 is as economic as my 4cyl manual.

 

I checked mine just yesterday (2/22/2012)
I got 20.097 mpg using 87 octane.
I also have about 150lbs of stuff in my tool box.

I will say, I do not drive mine hard and try not to let it get over 2000rpm
unless I'm going up a hill or passing ect. I've found these truck drink gas at about 2500rpm.

 

AWESOME information supralight! I bet more than a few people with SG/UG will find that very very useful.

Translation for SAE folks or those with the first gen UG:
60C is 140F
62 kph is approx 39 mph
50 kph is approx 30 mph

I know what you mean about hitting that load. It's hard enough to nail it with a live time readout, it's pretty well impossible without the gauge.

If it'll allow 91% without unlocking in 5th but only 75% in 2-4, well that goes out the window as a means for guessing throttle position for accelerating.

 

Nice explanation , thanks

 

can you guys talk a little more about this tranny lock/acceleration/egg under foot stuff? i'm always wondering about how i should be accelerating from a stop at stoplights and also how fast to take it up to highway speed on ramps, etc. want to maximize fuel consumption. there's gotta be a "best" throttle rate somewhere in there and i just don't know what exactly that is. generally, i just try to keep it under 2000 rpm and hope for the best.

another thing i've noticed with these tacos is that they don't like slow down/speed up in rapid succession in town... today i was driving in a small town where there were now stop/yield signs on any of the streets. so every block i had to speed up to ~30mph while driving down the block, then slow down to ~20 as i approached next corner, then when i hit gas again to get back up to speed, the engine just revs like it's stuck in a lower gear or some really wierd thing happening. it's always at about that same speed and always when slowing then accelerating (but it does happen too at different speeds). it's just that it doesn't like the sudden acceleration after slowing... when accelerating from a stop it doesn't do it.... anyone experience this? it's gotta EAT gas like crazy.

 

Shoot I drive an hr to work one way everyday and I get 20mpg easy. And its moslt interstate with some good hills to climb. The only thing that kills my mpg is city driving and it only drops it 1mpg and I have a 06 dbl cab off road.

 

im getting 21.1 with generally highway/city 60/40 ratio 2011 dblcab shortbed trd offroad pkg

 

Yes I get that some also. And I have talked to toyota and I have z family member who us s mechanic and they both said its the way the 5 speed Tran is designed. There is nothing wrong with it. Also when I take off I just take it easy and don't Rev it to much or just enough gas to get going and not fell like its lugish. That's the best I can think of and it helps my gas a lot.

 

We talking engine load or relative throttle position or absolute throttle position?

 

I got 28 going from va Beach to greensboro NC.

 

I've been getting 19.5 mpg consistently with in town and highway combined. Not too bad with my 4.0 and 285's. My best was from the Grand Canyon to Flagstaff, 55-60 mph and 26.3 mpg!! I was freaking shocked. Chris said it was the type of fuel they sell up there and the altitude.

 

I started messing with how I accelerated and found out that just accelerating normal off lights and onto the highway actually gave me better overall mileage than babying it off the line and slowly accelerating. Normal acceleration for me is keeping it under 2k RPMs (sometimes it goes a little over 2k RPMs in the first 2 gears just because they're so low).

What I found made more of a difference is what you do when you're up to speed. The drive by wire system is pretty sensitive so you can ease off the gas, hold the same speed but the instantaneous MPG read out by the Ultragauge would be 3 - 4 MPG higher. Easing off the gas when I see an upcoming light, being smoother with acceleration and holding speeds through corners, etc. In the summer I'm usually right at or just below 20 MPG and I'm slightly lifted with oversized tires and carry a decent amount of weight full time. Holding speeds on a 55 MPH backroad I can hit 23 MPG.

 

I recently got 17-18 mpg towing a 3500 lb. Trail Manor camping trailer from Denver to San Francisco. I actually started out getting 13 mpg going through heavy winds, but once I got past that area it was 17-18 mpg the rest of the way, including the mountains. If I do a lot of city/stop and go driving I sometimes don't get 17-18 with only me in the truck. I used 91 octane for towing which helped with engine power, but I don't know how much it helped with gas mileage.

 

still hovering between 15-16mpg. City/Highway. On a recent trip to Socal all free way I was getting even worse MPG. ( Truck loaded with 5 people and some stuff ) Took a whole tank + 1/4 tank to get to Socal. The way back was the same but I got a softtopper on the back so that probably didn't help.

 

the best i've gotten out of my fjc 4.0 was 22.4.

 

Keep in mind that Denver is the "Mile High City" and San Francisco is at sea level. Your trip was generally downhill. I doubt you would get the same mileage going the other direction.