1500 mile road trip avg 17.3mpg!

We just don't spend hours and hours complaining about it. We either accept it or do something about it. But arguing about it and getting angry won't improve your fuel economy. I've always known that the window stickers are from the EPA. Ever since I watched car commercials in the 70s, they said that your mileage may vary. I've never expected Amy if my vehicles to get sticker numbers at 80MPH. Especially not a truck with its less than stellar Aerodynamics.

 

My 2017 Sport DCSB was stock with my my TonnoPro soft tri-fold, chin strap and OEM Toyo tires, I EASILY got 23 to 24 mpgs consistently on summer gas and I am told I kind of have a lead foot. Now, I have no chin strap, 265/70-r17 Bros and on winter Gas and I am still consistently getting 18's to 20's. I sometimes drive like a asshole, I travel 70 to 80 on the NH / VT highways... Not sure whatcha doing, but truck has been perfect for me, my needs, and my family needs.

EDIT - I have the MT

 

Nice argument to get the morning started!

 

or the Prius owner would bitch about erratic trans shifting, and the rear howling, which he obviously over looked during the test drive
https://media0.giphy.com/media/VMtTNzgBjvlHG/giphy.gif?cid=3640f6095c3949ce2e2f384d369f6f63

 

I think the complaining is a generational thing, where its acceptable to play the im a victim card for every decision that goes bad in life these days. instead of sucking it up and move on and learn from it.

 

See picture below. At some point you will push the truck to a lower gear/higher RPM because the truck can't generate the required force at the rear wheels to overcome the increased air resistance due to speed. At this point, if you can't understand this, I'll have to assume physics is beyond you or you are choosing to ignore it because it directly refutes your complaint.

 

EPA highway mileage calculations are done on a dyno with no terrain or wind effect and at an average speed of 48mph. Real world driving is obviously different and your reduced fuel economy is the result.

 

That is a great chart. What assumptions is it making on weight and frontal area I wonder.? Do not take my math here as gospel because the assumpti9ns of the graph are unknown, they are illustrative and hypothetical.
Converting this to American
80mph is 128.7 kph. Off that chart in power requirements. Let’s just say it needs 167 hp to maintain that speed. You need to feed the horses.

At 50 mph that is 80kph itrequires 56 hp. To go that speed. Mostly to overcome rolling resistance. Air becomes more of a problem nearing 55mph.
So 122 more hp to go 30 mph faster. I wonder where the energy comes from?

 

looki g at the resulting numbers I think that chart is off. Or it is for a much bigger heavier vehicle

You can exp3ct a near tripling of power needed from 50-80 mph it I am thingkig the hp required for 80 should be closer to 50-55

 

Even a Tesla pays the price. Physics doesn’t care

 

Like I said, you must have gotten a lemon. Sell it immediately and get a Honda Ridgeline.
Instead of arguing with everyone who's trying to explain things to you.

I haven't drank the Kool-Aid. I realize I bought a truck, and also realize the manufacturer geared it and leaned it out for maximum fuel mileage, just like everyone else is doing. My truck gets the mileage the sticker says it's supposed to get AT NORMAL SPEEDS. I also realize it takes probably triple the energy to push a truck around at 80 MPH as it does at 45 MPH. 8th grade physics.

Sell your truck TODAY and get off TW. Join the Ridgeline forum and start a thread titled "Boy, am I glad I got rid of that Tacoma." You'll make some new friends. Until you eventually start arguing with those who try to help you.

 

I just finished a trip from San Antonio to Dallas (5 hours each way) and averaged 21.5 mpg while driving 80+mph the whole trip. I'm still running stock wheels/tires/suspension.

 

That might make sense except for the fact that going downhill after the upshift that the only way to get back to 6th was to lift the pedal slightly. As I have stated over and over that my mileage got better after I started working the pedal.

 

With the recent cold fronts did you happen to have a 20 mph tailwind each way?

I love tailwinds.

 

Done four trips 1500 plus mile on my Tacoma now. Denver to Arizona three times. I don't push so typically a little under the limit. All three trips averaged right at 19.6 mpg/ I am pretty happy with that. Did a hunt up in Montana and the drive across Wyoming killed me. Average 18.2 on way up and only about 15.5 on way home (can you say wind). Had a 1995 Tacoma with the v6 and 5spd MT and that thing could never pull more than a hair over 18 no matter what I did. I know driving to the Denver Airport from my place ( 45 miles) along local routes I tend to average around 24 mpg. Generally don't get much above 55 on freeway due to traffic to get that MPG

 

Please, please read the links in my signature. Hopefully you will understand, but let me put it to you even more plainly:
It does not matter what you drive. Toyota, Ford, Chevy
What matters is: Weight, Drag and Driving Style.

That's it. No more. It's physics.

 

That chart needs no assumptions, just change the slopes to fit the values.
Our truck needs about 57 hp in stock configuration to go 70 mph.

 

Take a driving class...

 

It was a chart I found on the internet and is not for Tacomas. I used it to demonstrate that drag force is not a linear equation. The required energy to overcome change in drag force going from 20 to 40 kph is a lot lees than the change going from 90 to 110 kph.

 

I vaguely remember that for every 10mph (Or was that 10%?) increase in speed, the vehicle requires 50% more horsepower to move.