24 MPG Highway, can i do better?

I just took my first unloaded Highway trip in my tacoma, i went 150 miles round trip with 97% highway. I filled up when i left my city, and when i got back 3 hours later i filled up at the same pump...putting 6.3 gallons in. BASICALLY I GOT JUST UNDER 24 MPG.

I want to improve this if possible, here are my specs:

I drove 60-65 mph the entire way
I have almost bald 265/70/17 tires
a. two of my tires are good year wrangler a/t
b. the other two are firestone hts
17 '' FJ Cruiser Rims
I have a 1 inch coil spring spacer, and 1 full size extra leaf spring
Deckplate Mod


Thanks for any input.

 

Thats about what you're going to get, I think. I have an '11 AC with the 2.7 and can approach 28-29mpg but the truck is long and low.

Make sure you drive on the highway with the tailgate up. yes, Up. mythbusters did a thing driving trucks at 55mph and found that the cab causes airflow over the tailgate when it is up and it smacks the tailgate and creates MPG-robbing drag when its down.

 

thanks for the tip, i did have my TG up though. Are you 4x4? If you are 4x2 i guess i could see why your mileage is so high, but that is awsome!

 

With your set up, I don't think you will be able to do much better unless you get a nice tailwind on your next trip.

But you can also try to increase your tire pressure and reduce rolling resistance.

BTW, I've pulled 30.9 MPG on the highway before with my 5 lug.

 

You're doing well given your tire size (rotational mass), ride height, and it being a 4x4. Very nice looking truck.

One thing I'm trying is I've found a station that has 100% gas with no ethanol in it.

This is my first tank of it, but it seems to be lasting longer even though I've had to do some higher speed highway driving and spirited stop and go acceleration in the city - both of which knock down the mpg. It kind of feels at the moment that I'm getting about the same mileage as if I was taking it easy with 10% ethanol fuel.

 

Synthetic fluids all around will help some. Also this might seem obvious, but use cruise control whenever on flat ground, but not on grades -- the system will go way overboard with the throttle to compensate for the speed loss, and use too much fuel as a result. It's better to cancel cruise and foot it more to get up some extra speed, then downshift if necessary to make it up the grade. And weather permitting, put a few extra pounds in the tires. Otherwise you can visit fuelly.com or other hypermiler websites for more MPG tips.

 

yeah, i have been reading that if i put synthetic in my axles ( already have it in the motor and trans) that i will get better mpg

 

congrats. i would be ecstatic if I got close to that mpg.

 

Regarding the using 100% gas with no ethanol for better mileage, I just had the best mileage so far since I've been recording it with 22.4 mpg. That was with a lot of high speed interstate travel where the mileage falls and a lot of city driving where I had to gun it a lot to merge. I really expected to have worse mileage.

I filled up at the same place tonight and will try to take it easy on the go pedal this tank to see what kind of mileage that yields.

 

Also since you are about in need of new tires. Consider the Michelin Latitude Tour's next go around if you're more interested in economy in a tire. They can still go off road, though not as good as the ones you have if they were new.

http://www.michelinman.com/tire-selector/name/latitude-tour-tires

Click on the specs tab. The P265/70-17 size is Green X rated. It's a low rolling resistance tire.

According to Tire Rack:

$309+ Michelin Latitude Tour HP ZP Tires

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Latitude+Tour

They weigh 39lbs each which seems pretty good for such large tires.

 

awsome, i am always looking for an economical tire. I had these tires given to me by the local tire shop because they...suck. But i made it though our WV winter just fine with them

 

i got 25.3 on a trip that was mostly highway i went something like 250 miles however my truck is newer and i have an undercover tonneua on it so id say you got great mileage....nice truck btw

 

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fuel-economy-mpg-modifications.php

 

Well, I see everyone has overlooked something important...speed.

When I used to date my ex, I had a rav4. I noticed when I drove the 110 mile distance, if I drove at 75 mph, I would use half a tank down and half a tank back. If I lowered my speed to 65 mph, I would use a quarter tank down, and a quarter tank back. When I did it at 50-55 mph, I would use even less gas.

There was a graph on a Prius form that showed that at 50-55 mph, the Prius gets the best MPG. I've seen this across the board that this is also true with many other vehicles including the TACOMA!

If your truck is in excellent condition mechanically, the tires are recommended tire pressure, you drive using hypermilling (basic) techniques, and you SLOW DOWN, and keep steady state on the highway. I bet you can get 26 mpg... maybe even 27/28 if you got a lot going for you (unloaded, wind favorable, no hills not in your favor etc..).

When I say hypermilling, this is what I do:
1) I don't use my brakes...I literally plan ahead, and coast to stops.
2) I slowly increase speed while driving to my maximum which is 55 mph.
3) Stay in the highest gear and at the lowest RPM.
4) Drift behind semi's and larger vehicles.
5) Coast down hills in gear (fuel shutoff).
6) keep weight down, and aerodynamics up

That's all I can think about right now... I don't do any of the crazy hypermilling those prius owners do.

To give you a good example of HOW this works out for me...

I drive a 2005 Toyota Tacoma v6 4x4 with slightly bigger than stock tires (slightly larger than stock), and I even have a LEER shell, tow ball, emergency kit, tow straps, and and emergency flashlights in my truck.

The EPA mpg for my truck is like 16 city, 19 highway. I get 18 city, and 22 highway REGULARLY. I've even gotten as high as 23/24 on highway with favorable conditions working for me.

In summary, its based on a lot of factors about the truck AND how YOU DRIVE!

Good luck!

 

mythbusters, "lowering your tailgate while driving will increase gas mileage by about .3

 

That's it right there.

With cruise control set at 62-63mph my ScanGauge reads 21-23mpg constantly on my lifted doublecab V6, 265/75/16 AT wearin' Tacoma.

 

Good Info. Honestly, when i started this thread, i was hoping that there was some magic emissions part i could remove or that i could cut a wire or something and gain mpg. I know that sounds stupid, but it was worth a try.

I did get alot of useful information from everyone. Thanks alot! In the future i will lower my speed even more, and in the far future (when i have extra cash) i will try out some newer, lighter tires.