Level kit + larger tires = big mpg loss?

Hey guys, I'm new on here, but have read many many threads from Tacomaworld.
Does anyone know how much horsepower & mpg I will loose with a 2.5 level kit and maybe a rear add-a-leaf and bigger tires? right now i have 265/75R-16

Thanks in advance!

 

Really depends on driving style. The lift will affect your aerodynamics minimally, and if you get a a 32" All Terrain tire, as opposed to a 32" mud tire will also make a difference.

I went from stock Dunflops, to a 32" M/T and my fuel economy was so close... Unless youre driving it like it's stolen, your pocket book will be fine

 

Thanks, I live in the mountains, so I already have to downshift to make it up big hills in my 4 cyl. I am concerned that I will loose HP too..

 

It should be very minimal. I have 3 inch lift done by the dealer stock tires and I get 24 plus hwy with a 6 cylinder standard. So unless you go to some radical tire that lift itself should not cause any real mpg loss. Unless you have a 4 cylinder which is already under powered so you could see a drop with it.

 

Mileage will vary based on driving style and terrain. No one here can accurately predict how those mods will impact your fuel economy.


Horsepower -- I fail to see why people get hung up on horsepower ratings. First, you're not changing the engine (your power plant) so horsepower potential won't change. What you ultimtaely care about is torque. Consider this:


horsepower = torque X RPM / 5252.


I won't get into gearing at this point, but to make a given amount of horsepower you have to have the engine at a certain RPM (or a very, very narrow RPM range, like within 10RPM+/-). In fact, HP is a derived value in all the marketing literature, based on engine testing which directly measures torque over a range of engine speeds.

 

24 MPG highway? No way...

 

I live in Kentucky and before my lift and upgrading my tires from 265's to 275's, i got 21.9 mpg driving averaging 70mph (driving like i had an egg under the pedal) over jellico mountainon the highway. Now with my lift (3") and tires, I average about 15mpg and 17-18mpg on the highway. So yes, it is going to hurt a couple mpg.

I hade a 1st gen 4 banger before my 2nd gen v6 and adding bigger tires to it killed more of the power than it did on my v6 (obviously) So your loss is going to be a little more trying to use the 4 banger to power more tire.

 

How much money you got?

 

changing engine or not you will gain/lose horsepower because your tires is what is putting the power down to the road thats why people rate HP at the crank and WHP

 

I do drive very conservative. I always keep 2 to 3 MPH below the speed limit and usually never above 60 MPH. I time my stops and I never make quick starts. I get out of the lower gears quickly, usually shift around 1500 rpm, and never use 3rd and 5th gears for normal shifting. I run only pure gas (Conoco) which I have to ship in since there is none in my area and I use the 89 octane. The pure gas adds about 10 to 15 percent to the MPG above the conservative measures I take. I use it in all three Toyotas as well as my Ford which has over 400,000 miles on it and I use it in my boat as well as my yard equipment.

 

I run 91 ethanol free in my Tacoma also. I see an easy 10 % increase in mileage with it. But it does cost 10% more so its a wash, I just like running pure gas up here, and with 285's on a 4 banger, it needs all the help it can get. Filled it up today and at 305 miles, the light had just gone on and it took 16 gallons, or right at 19 MPG in the city with 285's. I can live with that. ( This is a work truck with at least a 600-800 pound load in it also.)

 

The reason HP is rated as crank (or BHP) and wheel HP is to account for driveline loses, aka parasitic losses. Parasitic loss at the wheels is not a loss of horsepower, it's a loss of energy in the drive system. At the crank output, everything is unchanged.

 

I have a 3" lift and 33" mud terrains. overall, I am still getting about 17mpg average with a V6 auto (see my fuelly link). in the summer months, I get better gas mileage than in the winter months. and I get better gas mileage on the surface streets than I do on the highway. turning these tires at 70-75 mph drops my gas mileage to about 15 mpg. on my last tank of gas, I got 19.6 mpg (summer gas on surface streets).

 

How does one do this? No station in my state or surrounding carry pure gas

 

I bought two 50 gallon tanks and mounted them in the back of a small utility trailer. 118 gal. is the max you are allowed to transport by hazmat federal law at a time without a permit. At first I had to drive 135 miles out of state to get the gas, but now there are some stations within 80 miles inside my state.
Here is a link that has many listings of pure gas all over the US. You might try a neighboring state.
http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp