Initial MPG thoughts?

Forget the throttle body spacer, save your money for fuel...these are direct injected engines....they don't mix fuel with the air like a carburetor. Most you'll get is a whistle noise from some spacer models.
As far as the trd exhaust, it's the only one imo, that has tolerable exhaust note. V6's sound like crap with most aftermarket systems. As far as any performance gains, don't get your hopes up.

 

For the first 3 years after I bought my Tacoma new, I had a 50 mile round trip commute to work, mostly highway miles. I was getting mid 18 MPG. Then in March 2020, my employer sent us all to work from home. So for the next 2 years, my driving was 80% on back country roads, maybe only 10 - 15 miles per day on average. My fuel economy dropped to low 18's/mid 17's.

In August 2022, my wife and I fled California for Kentucky. Towing our 20' travel trailed for 2400 miles killed my MPG average, I got around 9 MPG on that trip. I work from home permanently now, my average daily driving is around 15 miles/day. I'm not sure if it's a difference in the fuel here... there are no Chevron stations in the eastern US, Shell is the only top tier station, and almost all gas stations here have the ethanol mixed fuel, not 100% gasoline, so that also may play a part. But in the last 10 months since we've been here, I am very lucky to average 15 MPG.

I have used the Fuelly app to check and track my mileage since I bought the truck, I never, ever trust the vehicle's computer to tell me, because it has no way to determine how much fuel has actually been burned. With the exception of those 2400 miles during our CA to KY move, I have never towed or hauled anything or maybe more than 200 pounds in the bed.

 

Wow. So, have you checked your air filter? Is it possible your plugs are fouled?
One thing I do, if I take a really short trip to the corner store, I make sure I drive it for a few more miles. I had heard once that small short trips are a good way to kill a catalytic converter fast because of an over-rich condition.

 

Air filter is good, though I admit I still have the original factory installed plugs, I have 93K miles on the truck. Other than the decline in MPGs, there are no other indications that anything is wrong.

When the truck hits the 100K mile mark, I plan to take it in for major service - spark plugs, fan belts, U-Joint/driveline inspection, brake pads/rotors inspection, ....... Will see if any changes in the fuel economy after that.

 

My ‘18 OR averaged 18.5mpg, but somehow the identical ‘23 averages 19.5 in mixed use. No explanation but I’ll take it.

The OR & Pro packages are a case study in how to lower mpg: add weight, remove air dam, increase ride height, equip with A/T’s. The only item missing is a rear parachute.

All considered, if you can approach 20mpg in a bone stock OR, Trail, or Pro, you’re doing really well. From there, real world results vary greatly based on mods, tires, states of tune & driving habits.

 

Exactly... annoying enough to me (cruise + hills) that I did the OTT tune. Helps a lot. Much much less obnoxious.... and of course the other things it changes - throttle response, improved torque, and sane/ "normal" shifting points. '21 OR.

EDIT: I should add since this is an mpg thread.... The OTT tune certainly did not hurt my MPG's... at times, it's 2mpg better. I'm not the only one who has experienced this.

 

I understand it’s no dramatic gain, but the early 2000’s Acura MDX’s had a spacer that people would add to the CLs and TLs… while HP gains were questionable, the spacer increased the low end torque.

Agreed that you can’t tune an intake before the throttle body and magically increase the air that can go through it![/QUOTE]

Glad to hear that about the exhaust. I’m hoping for a little better sound — and not like it’s a muffler with a hole in it — but realize it’s never going to be a V-8! And yes, I do also like the fact that it’s all stainless steel.

 

Good to know! I currently enjoy driving the Tacomas more in ECT mode, makes me feel like I have better control over the gear shifts. I do plan to get tuned in the future, once I find a nearby place to get it done correctly or decide to buy the software to do it myself.

 

Yeah I don't believe those do much. I had a K&N on an old Mustang of mine. I found it didn't do much of anything and I got better mileage when I put a regular one back in. That being said, that filter was in there when I got the vehicle and I have no idea how well it was maintained or how old it was when I got the car.

 

So I go a little overboard when it comes to my spending and keeping track of it, but here is a spreadsheet of my fuel costs. I got truck last Oct, so as of Jan 1 I had 3,642 miles on it, which is why it didnt start at zero. I would have to check last years sheet to show you that.

Anywho, the truck is a 22 v6 4x4 with the 5ft bed. Its all 100% stock outside of tiny cosmetic changes like removing the chrome ring on the grill, changing the bumper caps out for ones that are color matched, etc. Nothing that would change the way the truck drove or affect its MPG.

If you look at April and wonder why the numbers are so much lower, its because I drove with ETC power on for the entire month so see how much it would change the overall MPG, and ass you can see it was a good bit different.

In late February I took a work trip traveling a couple hundred miles on the highway which is why you see that bump to 22 MPG, but most of my driving is small city and highway, so 45-80 mph.

 

Wow that’s some amazing detail! Interesting observations too, thank you

 

Glad to hear that about the exhaust. I’m hoping for a little better sound — and not like it’s a muffler with a hole in it — but realize it’s never going to be a V-8! And yes, I do also like the fact that it’s all stainless steel.[/QUOTE]
I have no clue what effect if any they have on the Honda's, but we've tried them on v6 and v8 toyota engines with zero performance gains...only more noise if you have a helix type spacer. The trd exhaust is a little throatier than stock, without the glass pack muffler sound a lot of those aftermarket ones make. On a v6 they sound like someone operating with a busted exhaust system. I had thought much of the stock tacoma exhaust is already stainless.

 

Nice, good to know... I know on the Honda/Acuras people swore the dyno's proved it. And of course on the MDX Acura went to the extra cost to manufacture and use the spacer. I guess with the Toyotas the "bottleneck" might be the TB itself.... wonder if increasing the size of that is possible or helpful?

I don't know about the stainless on the regular exhausts... I had no complaints with the stock one on my last Tacoma (2021 SR5)... I had only heard others say the TRD exhaust is all stainless. I have a chrome Toyota exhaust tip I was going to put on my SR5, but now with going with a TRD exhaust I like the fact that the end is welded on so its all one unit.

I guess I better research the sound difference a little more. I want more sound and better flow, but not sure I want it to sound like a busted exhaust

 

Bigger throttle body=bigger injectors which is going to be a new can of worm's to tune. These trucks are what they are.....stop making them what they not.

 

Agreed

 

The OP is in South Florida. As a native Miami (escaped), I know that life is unbearable without A/C, especially in the summer. At least the OP does not have a black Taco.
Wait until October, then try a tankful with the A/C off. You will be amazed at how much gas is needed to run the A/C on cars/trucks, especially with smaller engines.
You could try the experiment now, but I seriously wouldn't advise it...

 

Please don't buy anything from K&N for your truck. Read the data. You're far better off with the OEM paper air filters, but here's a great article to read and if you really still want one after reading, then by all means. Let's just say that my 911 run much better once I jettisoned the K&N that was in there when I bought it.

https://www.nicoclub.com/archives/kn-vs-oem-filter.html

 

@FBHam … and you aren’t kidding, that experiment will wait a bit, but good info, thank you.

 

@Sasquatchian , pretty interesting stuff! Thank you for sharing