fuel millage !!!!!!

can i increase my fuel mileage by changing out the cold air intake and exhaust,


nautical.blue

 

ive heard that you can, what motor do you have?

 

4.0 auto

 

id say just keep a light foot, with the combination of the two you should see alittle bit of a gain but not much. with the cai its really only going to see differences in hi rpm's

 

do the deck plate mod and a high flow drop in air filter instead of a cai, a lot cheaper

 

Most say no and no on the 4.0 Auto

 

Save your money you are looking at minimal gains.

 

I have a question I have a 2012 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 double cab with a 6'' lift and 33x12.50R18 NITTO MUD GRAPPLER TIRE AND IM ONLY GETTING 11 MPG . does anyone know why im getting so little MPG ?thankz

 

^ This

 

Do an Advanced Search here to read up on several threads on the subject of improved MPGs. What you'll find is akin to what's been offered here already. The biggest impact on your MPGs is your driving habits, ambient temperature, local terrain, type of driving, and traffic. Getting a scanguage/ultraguage can provide you with realtime feedback to help you learn about your vehicle and driving habits. Good luck.

 

You would never make up the difference in fuel cost to cover cost of these modifications. IMO, I would save your money for something that really makes a difference. Good luck.

 

right on thankz

 

I have the URD 3" cat-back system installed and my mpg did suffer but I don't know if it's from the exhaust or from me stepping on it more to hear the roar!

RJM

 

How does not spending any money on mods, but still taking $0.80 off EVERY single gallon of fuel you buy?

If you drive 12,000 miles a year, spending $4.00 per gallon, averaging 18mpg you spend $2660.00 on fuel. This fuel cost is obviously high, but we're going with an even number.

If you buy a cold air intake, exhaust, scan gauge, etc and spend somewhere around $800 to increase your mileage 2 mpg over 12,000 miles, you BARELY $200 a year.

However, if you invested that $800 into fuel and just driving your truck, and you still drive the same 12,000 miles a year @18mpg, you are reducing your fuel budget by...$800.

This means the original $4.00 fuel is costing you $2.80 a gallon.

That is 30% off a gallon! So, if you're paying $3.00 a gallon, we're talking about 45% off a gallon. Even over the life of a vehicle, if you own it 5-10 years, you won't save this kind of money through modifications for fuel consumption.

 

How does not spending any money on mods, but still taking 30-45% off EVERY single gallon of fuel you buy sound?

If you drive 12,000 miles a year, spending $4.00 per gallon, averaging 18mpg you spend $2660.00 on fuel. This fuel cost is obviously high, but we're going with an even number.

If you buy a cold air intake, exhaust, etc for around $800 to increase your mileage even to 2 mpg over 12,000 miles, you BARELY $200 a year. Most members net less than a 2MPG increase, even with the addition of skinny tires with low rotational resistance.

However, if you invested that $800 into fuel and just driving your truck, and you still drive the same 12,000 miles a year @18mpg, you are reducing your fuel budget by...$800.

This means the original $4.00 fuel is costing you $2.80 a gallon.

That is 30% off a gallon! So, if you're paying $3.00 a gallon, we're talking about 45% off a gallon. Even over the life of a vehicle, if you own it 5-10 years, you won't save this kind of money through modifications for fuel consumption.

 

^ Hey! Thanks for adding that. I didn't add the scan gauge into my $800 estimate other than mentioning it as an expenditure - so I'll edit it out and hopefully my original post still stands as a viable train of thought.

I spent a lot of money trying to squeeze extra MPG's out of my last few cars - and eventually I did the math on how much fuel those mods would have bought. I never came out ahead.

 

I agree with VB - I have the Ultragauge and it provided me the data that allowed me to optimize my FE, especially around town. What you'll find is that in places where you would downshift to make an incline wasn't the best practice where keeping up the base speed prior to the incline was. Then again, there are places where it makes more sense to downshift. With the gauge, you can compare the data over time and learn the best practice. Or you might find that the longer ride to the store is more efficient than the short ride because of fewer stops/inclines to contend with. Driving blind (w/o the gauge) will generally take longer and not yield the same gains.

And I agree with pra4sno - the initial layout for the cold air intake/exhaust mods will never be recovered. Further, you are more likely to find that these mods reduce your fuel economy. As Loco has experienced, the MPGs dropped although most folks after these mods are for slight HP increases and throatier exhaust sound. So dependent on the individual, these configuration changes make sense, but for a different reason than improving the FE. And very likely...the majority of the FE loss is from a heavier foot. That being said, louder exhaust can have a positive benefit in that it gives audio feedback whereby some folks will go lighter on the foot in order to keep the sound down (e.g. just like when you lose your first muffler...you tend to be very conscious of the noise level and tend to be lighter on the gas).

There are a few things to consider though to improve your vehicle in order to achieve the best FE possible. Keeping the vehicle light (e.g. no extra payloads in the cab or bed) will help. Keeping it tuned, tires inflated, and properly lubed will help too. Running synthetic oil adds to the FE and helps with cold weather starts. Perhaps having a tonneau cover, but do your research here to determine where you stand on the matter. Most seem to agree that it is a benefit, but independent and validated data is difficult to come by...and debatable. In total though, these are second-order changes/improvements that will bump up you FE very modestly relative to the gains you will get with more focused driving. But in combination, the two can help you achieve very reasonable gains, and as some hypermilers have done, some significant gains over the EPA estimates. For tips, try reading some at CleanMPG.com. I don't recommend the advance hypermiler techniques, but the general stuff, while mainly intuitive to most drivers, is a good review on the do's and don'ts of efficient driving.

 

Not sure where you are getting the 30% off a gallon. If you gain 2 mpg avg you are only increasing your gas mileage by 11%.

 

I have a AEM CAI and a Magnaflow exhaust and I've gotten below 20 twice. When it was stock I got as low as 16.

I get about 20/city and 24/highway.

 

ecomodder.com

cleanmpg.com