Ya'll wanted 30+ MPG?! 2GR-FKS enlightenment

Ladies and gentlemen!

What you are about to see is not a hoax. And they are US miles.

Driving conditions :
60-65° weather morning
No/Little wind
Departing Elevation 1500 ft ASL
Destination Elevation 400 ft ASL
Riverside to Vista California (I-215 -> I-15 -> HWY 78) Steep Hills/Small Mountains
~5:15 till ~6:15

Truck Config.:
2 min. Warm up
Heater and temp was set half way for 60% of the trip.
Headlights were on
Fog lights on
2016 TRD Sport DCLB 4x2 (V6 Auto)
Extang Solidfold 2.0 Tonneau
Stock TOYOs & No lift
Air Dam still in place
87 Octane
1/2 tank of gas when started
12.5k miles on the ODO
No ECT/Only Drive
All maintenance done by Toyota
Originally did come with low ATF, filled it myself.
EDIT: 34 PSI on the tires.

Result:
30.3 MPG
59.8 miles
60 MPH avg.
59 min.

Summary: Noticed that I was getting 24 MPG the first 10 miles and then decided to drive like a grandpa for once in my life. The key to reaching this MPG is luck (no traffic), patience, and more patience. I would let the truck slow down on uphills with a steady supply of gas. On down hills I would gain speed and tried to maintain it and sometimes let go of the throttle all together.

It's do-able. This engine is great. My transmission shifts when its supposed to and always seems to be in the right gear. There is almost no vibrations on my drive-train, just a buzz in the engine in the 2k rpm range(which I believe is sound/pressure resonance). So have faith my friends and learn how to drive it like a baby if you want MPGs.

Toyota if you are reading this, I would gladly accept a new Tacoma to test for you guys . I do have an engineering degree. Shoot me a PM.

 

But where's the fun in that?

 

you dropped 1100 ft in elevation. Good luck getting the same mileage on the return trip.

 

I know. None. So if people want to drive it like a truck, they shouldn't complain about the MPG's.

 

Damn straight

 

On the return trip I usually get 22 MPG actually. So average 26MPG?
And the road in between is not a straight flat down hill. People whom driven through there know that its all ups and downs.

 

Hear that folks, the trick is to just plan your route so you drive downhill at all times!

Another experiment I'd like to see is a long range comparison between manually calculated mileage and what the truck's dash board says. Multiple trucks, multiple sample sizes for each truck, filling up at the same exact pump every time using auto-stop with no topping off, dash mileage reset at each fillup. Full statistical analysis with error analysis and confidence intervals.

 

Umm, I still don't trust gizmos estimating mileages...
How about actually filling the tank and divide the miles from the last fill up by the gallons added to refill.
I drove to Tucson (400+ miles) and back (from San Marcos) using Premium one way and Regular the other. Stayed at the speed limit (65 to 75 depending on location). 20 (point something) mpg was the best and Regular beat Premium by a tad. My truck is a 2010 4WD, 4.0 V-6, Automatic, Doublecab, empty bed with Hankook Dynapro ATM tires, at 34 psi.

 

How much coasting was done?

 

I find that there's a certain point when you feather the gas that's just enough to maintain speed or speed up gradually.. Almost sounds like churning-maybe it's the atkinson cycle in effect. If disciplined enough I get 25mpg consistently..when I drive a little aggressive I get 23-24. The best I've gotten was 27 and that was crawling slow in the snow in the highway.

 

Not surprising considering I am averaging nearly 23mpg with an OR 4X4 with much of that highway driving at 70mph+ with high wind and hills. If I commuted in my truck I am sure my average would be 24mpg+ so a single trip in a 4X2 will less aggressive tires seems expect able.

 

There is virtually no flat areas. And I was going around 70 MPH on the FWY. In terms of letting go of the throttle only on down hills when I caught enough speed and merging/brakeing.

 

I test drove a V8 new tundra last week with the 8 feet bed .

Salesman kept saying on drive "don't you feel superior getting 11mpg compared to those Prius owners"

Very interesting how different demographics value mpg differently ...

 

Why would I want to pay extra to feel superior?

 

i'm a noob here but something tells me the MPG / KPL as been a staples of discussion here...

 

People often pay more for things to feel superior


His point (which I have heard from others is), if one could afford to pay 11 mpg it's a middle finger to the people who are driving econoboxes and can't afford it...

I am not saying I agree or disagree

Just observing that people see mpg in many different ways ....

 

That salesman is a retard and I would have let him know this and returned truck to dealer then left.

 

You drove 60 mph on the 15 and 78? Good lord, even the semi's must have been passing you.

 

Guy was hyper-miling just for kicks. Stop being so cynical people! I am sure he isn't gonna drive like that all the time. Good job, OP!

 

So you got good mileage for an hour of driving on a setup down hill route. Where is the impressive part?