Increasing MPG without voiding warranty...

In the first two weeks of owning my Tacoma I have already put 1,000 miles on it averaging 18-23 MPG out of my 4.0L 2WD DCSB and would like to see how I can improve my mileage, if at any. What options are out there to maximize the MPG of my Taco without voiding the warranty?

I would like to hear what others have done such as throttle body spacers, intake and exhaust changes, computer programming, etc... I am very mechanically inclined, and think about engine efficiency often.

What has everyone tried and what have their results been?

 

i've done the "park the truck at home and drive the camry mod" im saving about 40 bucks a week

 

Yeah there is not much

Go to a AFE Pro Dry Filter
Change to synthetic oil
Do the Right Foot Mod (press the accelerator like there is an egg behind it & not break it)

There are many threads that discuss this & pretty much say the same thing.
Welcome to TW & congrats on the new truck!

 

TB spacer won't do anything but whistle.
Didn't notice any change with intake or exhaust in terms of miles per tank.... I don't keep track of mpg.


Only ecu mods I tried was the maf calibrator, but that had nothing to do with mpg for me... It did do its job and lean things out in open loop and made the truck more responsive tho.


Keep an eye on your tire pressure.

 

Good driving habits is the only way you're going to improve MPG's. Some shells help MPG but, given the cost of the shell, it's not a cost effective solution. Some tire selections can impact MPG's but the stock tires are pretty timid so I can't see them hindering your mileage.

 

Thanks for the tips so far. Well, my wife's car does about 2:1 in MPG of my truck - I'd love to have that mileage but it won't do what a Tacoma does.

I'm ordering a UltraGauge to watch my mileage real time and maybe find the sweet spot in speeds to gain the most mileage. Otherwise, I do kept up with the tire pressure. Good to know the spacer and exhaust stuff haven't really improved mileage.

 

Good idea on an ultragauge or Scangauge..... My Garmin actually has a mpg calculator that u enter gallons filled, and price per gallon.....

Then before it powers off after a drive, it displays (going from memory).... Eat gallons used for that trip, mpg, and cost of the trip.

I have it set to off, as long as I still get my 320 to 350 miles per tank roughly (I only run it till the light comes on about 1 time a year, and regularly fill the tank when I hit a quarter tank.... This ensures proper fuel pump operation and longevity).

2" lift, sliders, avid off road light bar, sliders, 75 series load range C a/t tires, supercharger, headers, y pipe, 3" exhaust, afe intake, toolbox, I avg 230lbs but lately since injury sit around 270, drive up the Cuesta grade in San Luis obispo regularly, and I drive the truck hard.

So I think I'm getting decent mileage considering I actually do more city than highway driving lately.

 

Dump some wieght and wind drag. lose ur hood and tailgate, should pick up .5 city may lose on hwy because of aerodynamics. rear bumper could go too and lighten ur load. just a thought.

 

That's actually pretty good for a 4.0. As your new engine breaks in your gas mileage will improve.

The one thing that can improve gas mileage the most is the driver.

Greg

 

http://ecomodder.com/

 

hmm, can't seem to post a link. I'll cheat: ecomodder dot com

These guys are pretty intense. But I have picked up some good tips there.

 

The best MPG mod is also the cheapest, in fact, it's FREE and that would be controlling your right foot.

Roll into the throttle easy as you can and roll off early. I don't drive perfectly but in town, stop and go daily driving, I consistently get 19.82-19.98 and that is with a 2013 dbl cb 4x4 with a TRD SC installed. For freeway driving, 2,000 rpm is the magic number. Keep it at 2k rpm and under you'll get 23+ easily. Anything 2k and over and it starts dropping off and the faster you drive the faster it falls off. This summer I made a trip that I averaged, for that tank full, 80mph. I knew when I filled up the mpg was going to be bad but it was reallllly bad as I didn't even get 18mpg on that tank full.

 

LOL, yup just what we all need to do is fabricate and install a kammback/boattail to slipstream our trucks...

Add full belly panels with full bumper to bumper skirts....

 

Haha, yeah, like I said, they are pretty series about their MPG there. But simply driving different can make a big improvement.

 

Many hypermiling techniques you can try.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510

 

Some days, I do the "leave truck parked, ride scooter" sometimes. I get about 90+ MPG

 

What a great thread. Using my TACOMA (07 TRD SR5 PRERUNNER, V6, 16" michelin all season tires, KnN cold air intake). I average 24.6 MPG, 700 miles per week annual average.

- Rapid RPM changes cause the engine to work less efficiently as mapped.
- Plan trips >25miles for 45-65mph light-traffic, few lights, roads
- Cyclo-breaking techniques work (worked in up-armored hilux too), plan ahead, 10ft per 10mph spacing allows you reaction time to minimize momentum loss due to repeated breaking/acceleration (the power is there to escape as needed)
- Avoid traffic jams and lights, idle = ZERO miles/gallon
- Control momentum changes: Ease on acceleration, +100 rpm/sec, <2500 RPM city, cruise-control for highway changes under 5mph (Warning: on cruise, stay near your brake, other drivers are: chatting, texting, talking on their phone, zoned out or drugged)
- each 5 mph you drive over 50 mph is like paying an additional $0.25 per gallon for gas.
- Stay <70mph. Im a pilot, aero modeling on the 4DR TACOMA PRERUNR w/ 6 foot bed, air turbulent post pass over 73mph, increasing drag gradient.
- Fill tank at no < than 1/4 tank, insures ample head pressure on intake side of fuel pump, and insures you wont run out of fuel, which sucks.
- Cold air intake. K&N, $300 drop in mod, improves air intake on a quick acceleration "gulp". Permanent filter, just rinse it. This way, instead of the fuel being "metered-out" by the ECU due no air on a rapid accel, air needed to accelerate is there when you need it.
- Drop weight. Tail gate drop doesnt work, actually increased drag over 70mph modeled
- avoid large lift kits, I use a front end ground effect trim piece, bolt on, looks stupid, even in black, but keeps underbelly drag down, and is easily removed for off-road
- 16" wheel diameter. All-Road (not off road) tires. Bottom line: smaller tire, better milage and handling. Also, if you must have a big tire, switch to light stiff performance rims (TRD Rock Warriors are not all light)
- Drive off road like a mad-man and use up all that fuel you saved. I do, thats why I say I am a 21st century environmentalist.

P.S. I've had a couple folks ask me what modeling software I am using, rules of the forum prohibit advertising, its a 2D airfoil-object modeler for low speed modeling. I also worked on airfoils in ground effect for years.

 

You had me at everything but the K&N intake. Those are a waste of money, OEM intake IS cold air already.

 

^ plus ud never recoup that $300 bucks if it saved .5 mpg even that's a 2.5% increase from 20, $50 a week in gas will net u a savings of $.13 a week, that's about $1.56 a year so in 200 years or so u would break even.

 

Check your math. 20years, your point still works though. But there is no mpg gain, so it will never pay off.