Questions on Improving Fuel economy

i have a '98 SR5 4x4, 31x10.50R15 Kelly Safari TSRs, i was averaging 18.5 mpg before. I drive almost 70 miles one way mon-fri, mostly open road, mostly flat, maybe 20% city. i did not car-pool last week and i spent $150 in gas!!! i was pissed!!! But i have changed plugs, deckmod last night, mobil 1 synthetic oil, so i have to try it out now and see what i got. I just bought another set of the toyota saw blade wheels with 31x10.50 summit ATs, but they won't be much better than my TSRs on mph. i can't find any used 225 or 235s so i guess i'm gonna have to buy them new, goodyear wrangler ATs have a special right now i can get a set for $430 out the door at the small tire shop i used to work at, i may do that. But i am looking to do what ever i need to do to get better fuel mileage in it, after all, thats why i bought a toyota. i am going to get an AFE pro-dry air filter, i am thinking about putting an exhaust system on it, but i do not wan't anything loud at all, or the humming or buzzing sound, i want somethin that flows good and is not loud, i use it for hunting too. I have thought about running true dual exhaust also with a good muffler setup, and would an H-pipe or X-pipe be better if i did? I just might make all the guts out of the cat.. converter too, oops, lol. Will a throttle body help any? Any little tips and tricks would be appreciated, thanks, and good wheelin to you!

 

oh, i forgot to mention, i did this because i do not feel like thread searching for an hour, i am too busy.

 

Now don't go blowing a fuse about this, I understand how much it sucks going by a gas station. I would try the tires first, put a set for lots of hightway miles and lower rolling resistance. I don't drive alot but I dont go off roading either, so I tried to balance the two for mine;
I don't want to come across as a know it all but as a fool who has spent alot of money on cars and nothing really to show for it, your big problem (and mine) is the fat tires. those mud tires really are not designed for highway(and gas) miles. I myself don't drive alot or off road alot, so i get my firestones, and planning my trips better,
there is not alot you can do to improve mpg esp when you sit down and do the math. cost of mods per small improvement in milage. Our trucks do pretty good for there size and engine, my uncle still has his 95f350 duelly that he loves because it runs good, with a 455cid in it. it get gallons per mile.
there are two sides on the air filter, and i would never do one again, just a waste of money.
as for the exhaust, money wise it is not going to make sense to replace it unless it is rusting out. and for god's sake dont mess with the cats. I dont know what emission laws you might have, but I am from charlotte, and I do know that every year the summer smog gets worse, and the rules get tighter. and it will mess with your trucks computer and see what mileage you get.
when opening up the exhaust you dont get the full benefit of improved flow unless you do headers. now I have just opened a can of worms.
I did alot of mods on my previous mustangs, 72 Mach1, 1985 MustangGT, and the one I did the most 2000gt and I will tell you the worst thing i did was put 18" ford racing wheels and wider tires and that alone killed the mileage.
I guess what I am trying to get across in a long way I have seen the price of gas go way up, to rationing on od and even days this up and down. try to sit tight, I just went by a station here and it was 4.65 and this is going to mess with the economy, so try to hang tight with some money.

 

Smart man Robert !!!

Keep the money,......better yet exchange $$ for gold/silver........ so when the economy busts

 

So true.

Smaller lighter tires/wheels will make the most difference..

I put on some heavy alloy rims and 31" mud grips Lost 100 miles per tank!!!

So I kept my stock wheels to use on road trips....

Beit my truck is not a daily driver.....just a toy.....

 

Changing your tire pressure can net you up to 2 MPG, depending.

 

This,
Basic stuff we all know but hate to do.
Less weight, lighter skinny tires and wheels, slower speeds, easy acceleration, let up early when aproaching a stop or red turning light.
Syn. oils will help but not enough to justify cost in fuel saving.
There is no free lunch. The guys that make big bucks in the labs are trying to squeeze every bit out of the vehicles that they can to meet the milage standards.

 

yeah i know the tires will be the biggest difference, i may have a good set of 235s for $250. well gas aint ever gonna get much cheaper so you might as well run some good exhaust and stuff, it will pay for itself in gas, i didnt want to go as far as headers, lol, but would like a better flowing exhaust to compensate for the extra air coming in via the deckplate mod, ive modded a couple of hot rods myself, but will not do it anymore, money shot out bigtime. i'm thinkin of putting a flow master on it, maybe some duals, don't know, but i want it to stay quiet, i have acess to a very, very nice pipe and iron fab shop, i love it, and i am a welder by craft. i usually keep 32 in the tires, but gonna bump it up to 35 in these, i have been babying it on the road and seems to help, i have someone to carpool with again now, so its better than before. lol, thanks

 

as a matter of fact, i needed my mud grips today, i have to pull my tractor out, lol, and go down a muddy road pickin up some goats (brushhogs) lol

 

well I might be wrong, but it cant stay like this or we will go back into recession,(still not sure we ever got out of one, go to shadowstats.com sometimes.) and they were telling us in 1975 after the arab oil embargo that we had to do something because america would run out of oil in 20 years.
my grandmother used to say "this world is knee deep in bull shit and I dont have my waders on!" well I am glad she is not around to see the last 5 years.

 

See this discussion on 'intake\exhaust'

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/performance-tuning/211318-intake-exhaust-they-worth.html