MPG’s - Fact Or Fiction??

Latest top off today: 223.3 miles/13.35 gallons = 16.72mpg. Trip computer = 16.9mpg. Mostly from commute to work and home. 15 miles each way mixed city and hwy miles. Commute home for first 8-10 miles is usually gridlock. Also, I think I gave up a few tenths mpg stuck idling and inching through a parking lot for 30 minutes for free compost day.

These mileage posts lack a lot of context regarding driving habits. My guess is the highest MPG here are people cruising downhill on a long trip. It's doable under ideal conditions.

 

That's definitely not right, mine has no trouble warming up in below 0 degree f temps. Wonder if you have a failed thermostat or something

 

STOCK, ECT Always on, Sport 4th, keep it under 65m.p.h. and my truck gets 23m.p.g. in hilly N.W. PA.
Oh yeah easy on the starts...

 

Picture with trip miles (substantial amount) plus Distance to Empty miles that exceed 400 miles this weeds out the fake in a hurry. On fill up my trucks Distance to empty is ~ 440 miles.

 

This

Yesterday I saw 26 on my scangauge and 25 according to the vehicle... with a 15mph tailwind. Earlier that day I saw 13 with a headwind, but thats not worth bragging about in MPG posts...

Reality is, everyones conditions are different. Some folks might be just telling us the best they've seen without realizing it was with a 20mph tail wind they weren't thinking of. Some folks use a feather to press the long pedal. Some folks don't know how to maths.

General consensus, as well as Toyota, says you'll see 17-20 highway in stock or near stock form. Thats what the majority of us get, the rest of these claims are unicorns that can't be consistently reproduced or verified.

 

Nice. That's impressive mpg numbers with hills. Hills and climbs absolutely wreck the 3rd gen mpg numbers due to our low torque at low(er) RPMs.

 

I have an 18% grade near my house, when I go down it I get 30 mpg....I don't look at the mpg when I go up it

 

Indeed.
I get 15 in the foothills.
I think the inertia lost in the twisties kill it more than anything else.

 

Fact not fiction.

Back when I was stock I could eek out 22-23mpg on most highway trips (running near the speed limit.)

I'm now re-geared (4.88), lifted with larger tires, armor and ~100 lbs of equipment.. and those numbers are unattainable without perfect road/weather conditions (flat terrain) while using all the hyper-miling tricks (slower speeds, snail like acceleration.)

Still loving the truck at 105k miles and averaging 17.5 mpg.

 

Downshift

 

I do. Every time.

 

Left mine out of the OD gears going to and from the Diode Dynamics open house last sat. Haven't really driven it like a Subaru in a long time.

Mpgs be damned, them smiles per gallon were worth it

 

Unsure that you know which thread you're in... it's on the topic of MPG. So no.. you don't downshift to improve mileage.

 

I'd have to pull over and call and Uber if I didn't downshift or floor it. lol

 

Look at the comment I'm replying to, regarding the engine having next to no torque low in the rpm band.

Something I taught my siblings when giving them stick lessons, power is more important than mpg, esp when on a hill, or merging on a highway etc.

Interestingly enough, when I had mine zipping around this past weekend, keeping it in 4th and lower.... Still netted 18 combined MPG. I chalk that up to power delivery being in or near peak range, so the truck didn't have to continuously work as hard to get where it needed to.

 

It picks up laser just fine. I'll get a reading around 3 miles away.

I travel 95 from Palm Coast to Ormond Beach a lot. Around 75% of the time I see a state trooper sitting in one of their little spots between north and south bound, they won't have any radar going. It still fucks up the traffic thou.

$485 Uniden R7 EXTREME LONG RANGE Laser/Radar Detector, Built-in GPS, Real-Time Alerts, Dual-Antennas Front & Rear w/Directional Arrows, Voice Alerts, Red Light and Speed Camera Alerts

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PJ2ZX6R?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

Let me clarify, I have to go almost 5 miles before it comes up to temp and even then the mpg's are a struggle. Noticeably different in warmer weather. Next year I will put a cardboard in front of the radiator. Did that on another vehicle with success. The radiator is made more for warm weather towing.

 

As cold as it is where you're talking about, that actually sounds normal. You're definitely going to slaughter fuel economy putting your engine under load while it's still cold. Also, not sure the cardboard over the radiator would work since your thermostat won't open until you're at operating temperature anyway. So essentially your radiator is inert until then.

 

I drove 150 miles round trip yesterday. Fairly flat highway and it did a real world 24 mpg. On the highway, speed is the biggest factor. It’s basic high school physics. The faster you go, the more mass the air you move in front of you has, requiring more energy to displace.

 

All this makes sense except when I rarely tow a 4x8 utility trailer either empty or with fairly light, dry, yard debris, the MPGs drop 5+ which seems excessive and I can't even tell I'm towing anything when I am. Not a big deal, just wasn't expecting it.