MPG Mods

22 mpg at 70 is great. I get around 19 or 20 but if there is any crosswind at all, 16. I am looking forward to improving the aerodynamics of the truck so I can get above 20 mpg at 70mph.

 

Not uncommon obviously, someone else with a similar truck driving the same route would do about the same.

 

According to some reports at TireRack.com some folks are getting 2-4 mpg increases with either Firestone or Continental tires.

 

I gained 2MPG with Bridgestone Dueler Alenza Plus. But I also went from a heavy 20" rim to the TD FJ 16" rims. Anything LRR will help, but I've read a lot of bad reviews on Continental.
I would have for sure gotten Michelin MS2 if not for my firestone discount.

 

idk what vehicles you guys are driving but i get no where near these MPG numbers...at all. i have a brand new 2015 Double cab TRD sport long bed 4x4 and off the lot at 210 miles on the odom, 15 mpg! i have since tried premium gas, mid grade gas, staying under 2300 rpm, driving easy off the lights etc. and cannot get over 15.4 mpg. I am now at 2300 miles and looking to add an exhaust system (muffler or cat back or duals) and a cold air intake to find the missing MPG's!!! I traded in my lifted 2005 double cab long bed prerunner with 4" of lift and 33" tires that was getting 17.4mpg regularly... WTH happened to the fuel economy of this truck?!!? the sticker on the truck said the same ol 21mpg city and 24 highway...my A$$! i asked the dealer about it several times now and they say im just driving it too hard but when i trying to accomplish max MPG that is not the case at all. any ideas or related stories would be great?

 

How many miles does the truck currently have?
These trucks need a good amount of miles to break in (~1,500 IIRC).

 

2300 rpm is a little high. And 95 taco there are 2300 miles on his truck.

Zak I can tell you right now an intake will not help your mpg! It will just make noise but I can't speak from experience, that is just the consensus. There might be a muffler that would help you but I'm not certain and tooter can tell you more on that.

Try shifting at 1700 rpm and don't go above 60 on the freeway. Also take the money you were going to use for an intake and buy an ultra gauge or scangauge. Once calibrated they can really boost your driving habits by telling you what is and is not efficient.
Btw, I'm not certain... but 21/24 on a v6 4x4 dclb is complete balogna. More like 19 21 or 22. Those sound like the numbers for a 2.7l 2wd

 

wow...thats highly disappointing though! So much a for it being the best midsize, economic truck. 15 mpg is horrible completely stock! Now i understand the thought behind keeping the RPMs low and babying the gas but i dont feel thats a realistic expectation here in jacksonville, FL haha. and regardless you should not have to drive it INCREDIBLY easy in order to not kill your gas for example 60mph or slower?!?! thats just ridiculous and not even staying with traffic.

 

Your truck is rated 16 city 21 highway, not 21/24. There's reasons why a pre-runner gets better mpg.

 

Many will call the Tacoma the best midsized truck but not the most efficient by any means. I wouldn't go slower than 60 on the highway but I've made a lot of commutes and going 70 vs going 60 has not gotten me anywhere any faster. I drive 60, get decent mileage, and get where I need to go on time. I also come up on people who passed me going 70 or 75 miles back when we come to an intersection. I can get about 22 to 23 out of mine but it's difficult. If it makes you feel any better you're really only saving a few hundred bucks per year by getting 3 or 4 more mpg.

The only time I would go 70+ is with passengers or on a very long stretch of highway.

 

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interestingly enough your correct. just pulled the sticker up and looked at it again. and the only logic following a prerunner getting better mpgs is weight? which id have to think the 3" of lift, new bigger thicker leaf springs, solid steel rims and oversized tires should of created that issue of weight lol. Idk just trying to figure out why this truck is so bad on fuel. and... how to improve it! Not to say its wrong, its not, but less than 70 on the highway is just not how I drive and that being the case, I feel there has to be a way to improve "at speed" MPGs! What about a tuner? Bullydog and things like that?
I know this is off topic but is there a tuner that I can set for different modes and just switch between em? Towing/highway-distance/sport or race mode?

 

Here is the EPA fuel economy loop. Note they never go above 60 mph. Nothing is going to help you at 70+ except improved aerodynamics.

 

I can't agree more on the Scangauge/Ultra gauge. Just seeing the effect of throttle position on instantaneous mpg makes you more conscious and mpg goes up.
I get 22+ consistently and pretty much stay 5-10mph over all the time. It is mostly in the maintaining momentum and not big acceleration for me.
The one physical mod I did that may have helped is the LCE headers. I think they let me stay one gear higher around town, which helps mileage.
The headers are sexier, but the Scangauge is better bang for the buck.

 

Springs and lift don't affect weight. Steel wheels and larger tires will hurtmpg. The only way to improve highway mpg without regearing is low rolling resistance tires and aero dynamics. Such as belly panels or air dams.

I've wanted headers but the fact that the mpg won't pay for them keeps me from buying them.

 

Most mods will never pay for themselves. The majority just make you happy. That is cool too.

 

Yeah I know but that's the point of most of the ones in this thread did they improve mpg at all though or just power?

 

Aerodynamic streamlining has essentially the same affect as increasing horsepower on high speed performance, except that it's better because it allows the user to experience fuel efficiency increase simultaneously.

 

Is there an optimal regearing that suits offroad-ing as well as an mpg increase?

 

lower gears should increase city mpg as u will be in less load at lower speeds but it will hurt ur hwy mileage. smaller tires would help more and provide a lower gear ratio as well but ur gonna lose ground clearance

 

And that's why I want to take a whack at streamlining my truck when I get the time this summer.

I would like to know the answer to that but I don't think there is any perfect gear ratio that will accommodate all situations. I would think stock 3.73's are your best bet.

Pretty much this as far as my knowledge goes. Although I have seen some hardcore offroaders add what they call a crawl box and it may have something to do with gearing but I really have no clue.