2.7L MPG

I got an '01 PreRunner 2.7 auto Extracab with 3" lift, 265/75/16s, drop in K&N air filter, Flowmaster Super44, and Davico aftermarket post cat. When I moved to WI from the Bay Area, (before Flowmaster & post cat) i got over 30mpg, averaging 75-80mph. Right now I think I'm getting about 20-22 combined, being that a lot of roads around here are straight and 50mph+

 

recent NC to NJ trip yielded 31.09 mpg carrying camping gear, 100lb+ ARB style bumper for my Isuzu, me (225) my wife (145lbs 5' 9" ) and son (60lbs) and misc parts and food from the trip. about 800lbs of stuff....made it in ONE tank
it is 2010 2wd AC 5 spd.

 

I average 18mpg city/hwy...98 xt cab 4x4 on 33s with a 3 inch lift also

 

just filled up and got 21mpg with a mix of city and highway. 265/75/16

 

Trying to get as scientific as I can without going whacky trying to get the best mileage possible.

New single platinum plugs, 16's, CAI elbow mod adding 1oz of marine TCW-3 oil per 5 gallons and 3oz Lucas fuel treatment per 10 gallons to clean and tighten stuff up a bit. I accelerate slow and don't get it over 2500 rpms which limits me to right at 65 miles per hour max. Using momentum to carry me to stop signs in lieu of acceleration all the way to them and I still only get 21.8 on this 2.7 4cyl auto. I wish it had just one more gear to cruise at slower RPMs since I'm all highway anyway. These are 98% highway miles on 87 octane in Houston, TX (102+ degrees for months now). Oh yea, I drained my tires and filled em' with nitrogen at Costco to the door specs of 27 front 29 rear. Damn slushy but it does ride a lot smoother. I'm going to run a few tanks like this with this new top oil in the tank and see if I get that consistent 22'ish. After that, I want to air back up to my 33 to 34 psi to see if that makes a noteworthy difference. Just playin' around to try to see how the hell some people are getting 30???????? Maybe the newer Tacos eh?

 

Still getting about 26.5 on a full tank here. Scanguage ftw I still say

 

I wouldn't doubt if all the gas/oil treatments you are doing are having a negative affect on your fuel economy. And I can guarantee that lowering the pressure in your tires will not improve your mileage. It's also harder to improve your mileage with an automatic trans because you can drive slower, but you can't control your shift points.

30 MPG's in a 2nd gen Taco is easy if you know what you're doing.

 

One thing I found to be strange today is that at 6am on the way to work (82 degrees) my truk ran 2600-2700 RPMs at 65mph on flat highway with no wind at all. On the way home at 3pm with no wind at all and 102 degrees, she runs at 2300 to 2400 with the same speed. I guess with the oil hotter and thinner it runs more effiiently? So is it suggested to change over to synthetic oil with an older truck (2002 2.7 w/148k on it?

 

Gigem,

It is a pretty good possibility that your RPM difference is due to whether or not the torque converter is locked or unlocked.

 

I'm pretty much a total novice. I have heard of...but do not know what a torque converter is. Guessing something to do with the tranny? So is there a way to "lock or unlock" it? The automatic transmission does shift at pretty much the same RPMs into the next gear (around 2200 if I remember correctly) and does get into the highest gear at cruise with no issues, shuddering etc. The truck does seem to run fine, plugs look great (other than the burned out ones from the original replacement shortblock 80k ago or so.

Andrew commented on the fuel additives and that they may be negatively affecting fuel economy. I may have not mentioned but I JUST started using these additives 3 tanks ago. Up to that point, the best fuel economy I have realized is 19'ish. Of course I have never paid much attention to my driving habit to that point and now that I am thinking about it all the time while driving (just for the last 3 fills) I think that is giving me the 21+...not adding stuff to the tank. The plan is to go through the current tank and then air the tires back up to the 32 (front) 35 rear to see what the difference is over 3 more tanks. I expect slightly better economy. Then, I'm going to drop the fuel treatment all together except for the top oil. That surely cannot do any harm. All it is doing is lubing the pistons a bit more IMO? That is a totally ignorant and uneducated guess based on what the oil does for the pistons in a 2 stroke jet ski. Hey, maybe I should put some floats on this taco and see if it works as well as the ski?

 

Stock Tacoma Ex. cab, 30 x 9.5 tires, 3:58 gears, 5 speed manual, 2.7 L.
I've been keeping track for a couple months and I am getting 23 MPG driving the back roads. Hills, some gravel, stop and go. 3rd and 4th gear most of the time. Some in town driving. 2000 to 2500 RPM's

Yesterday I drove about 180 miles on the interstate at 60 to 65 MPH (about 2000 to 2200 RPM's) and got about 26 MPG. I expected better but I'm not complaining. I think a highway tire might improve MPG a little for trips. Maybe next month.

 

just fille dup today.. went exactly 330 miles and used 17.3 gallons.. got i think 19.1 MPG which i think is pretty good considering i have a tube bumper and 265s.

 

you can with slap shift man

 

Got a chance to run a couple tanks thru my new (to me) 03 XtraCab 4x4 2.7L 5spd w/ 265/70/16 Big O Big Foot A/Ts.

First tank was purely city commuting driving (56 miles per day)... got 22mpg driving like I stole it when the road was open 70-80mph on the freeway, and in rush hour stop and go. Cannot complain. I wasn't even trying to get good mileage. I know it could do better if I toned down my speed (which is tough on Phoenix freeways).

Second tank was a split tank (ie, ran half tank out and measured then refilled and ran half tank out and measured again). First half tank was open road climbing out of the Phoenix valley to the high country of the Mogollon Rim. Got 22mpg (mostly all uphill!). Second half tank was return trip down from Rim country back to Phoenix... got 25mpg (and I wasn't babying it... ie, I was clipping along at a pretty good rate... though when I had good stretches of open downhill road I would slip it into neutral and hyper mile a bit).

Anyway, pretty happy with what I am getting.

 

2010 5lug extended cab 2.7/5speed SR5 with standard 15 inch tires the cleanable air filter and scan gauge trip computer.

Driving between work and home with 5 miles of freeway and 5 miles in town with about 500 feet elevation change per trip gets me 27MPG.

Important things for keeping the MPG up. Drive like an old man, keep the speed down to 63 on the freeway, let it coast down the hill in neutral.

I have found that it is very important to keep my speed on the freeway down but still go fast enough where people don't run over me. The farther you get over 2 thousand rpm the worse the mpg gets. Here in Oregon they still have 55mph speed limits on the secondary roads. Driving 55mph gets me 30+ mpg. Driving on a recent trip on the freeway at 75mph got me 23 mpg.

I often wish I had one more gear for freeway driving. I have occasionally though about putting 16inch wheels on the rear to act like a 6th gear. Has anyone else put 16 inch tires on the 5 lug version? I know that the pre-runners with the 16 inch wheels have a lower rear end ratio to compensate for the larger tires.

The scan gauge computer is kind of a fun thing to have btw.

I spend 1/2 the year in Arizona. My mpg goes up 2 or 3 miles per gallon in Arizona. The reason is that Oregon has a law requiring 10% ethanol year round in gas less than 100 octane. Ethanol is a bad thing. For awhile I was paying extra to run 100 octane without ethanol till they raised the price way up and it did not pay any more.

zdog

 

Here is an interesting number. If you drive 20,000 miles a year and get 27mpg your cost is $2,775. If you drive 20,000 miles a year and get 22mpg your cost is $3,408. The difference is $633. This is figured using $3.75/gal for fuel.

For what its worth.

zdog

 

jus filled up today, mostly city driving, 21 mpg, 360 miles on 17.2 gallons.

dont mind my fuelly i never update it haha

 

Let me add my 2 cents for your 20,000 mile comparo. 27mpg = 60 mph = 333.3 hrs, 22mpg = 75mph = 266.6 hrs.

A savings of 66.7 hours, but at a cost of $9.50 an hour.

 

I have a GPS also and my speed-o is up to 3 or 4 mph off. This is a common problem. I have checked my odometer several times and it reads 2% more miles than I actually travel. So If I am claiming 27mpg I am only getting 26.46mpg.

zdog

 

I did it the old fashioned way with mile markers and found the same error, my scangauge is adjusted accordingly.