2009 Taco Fuel Info

2009 Double Cab TRD-Off Road Silver

First, thank you all for your help and passion about taking care of what you have! I plan on owning this truck till the wheels fall off and with your help I think that it is going to be a long time from now!

Question: I have been scouring the site for info on how to make my truck more fuel efficient. I am a concervative driver, I have changed out the air filter with the high flow model, and am considering a scan-gauge. I recently rode in a buddy's 2007 toyota mini-van and his overhead info-panel had everything a person would want to know about fuel economy standard!

• Why the hell does my truck not have this information built in when the mini van does?

Just because I am a truck owner doesnt mean I dont care about fuel consumption.

• Is the scan-gauge worth the $?

Thanks!

 

Welcome. I can't answer your questions other than be mindful of how you drive. I am in a different situation with a 4-banger and MT. Someone will jump in here though, and there are other threads that address this particular question.
Good luck and enjoy TW!

 

welcome to tw.i have an 09 dc 4.0 4x4 sb,it drinks more gas than an eighteen wheeler.if you figure out how to get more than 20mpg please let me know.

 

Welcome
The ScanGauge will help in that it makes it very easy to keep track of your MPG. I run mid grade gas and my average MPG is 20 ish. I have done as high as 22 on the highway loaded for vacation (truck was loaded, not the driver).
90% of my driving is on the street, 40 to 50 MPH.

 

My scangauge over the last few tanks has me around 16-19 mpg. I drive mostly city stop and go driving. I'd say its pretty accurate, and I look at it quite often to find that sweet spot in mileage.

 

Does the van have 9 traction modes ?

I am wagering Toyota spent money on that kind of stuff instead of do dads

 

i use excel

 

I just got back from a trip from CT to TN and back. I averaged about 18.5 MPG but my best tank was 19.9 MPG. I got this by running at a pretty steady 68 MPH as indicated by my GPS. Use the cruise control but cancel when you come to hills to avoid the down shift. My best tank was BP 87 octane FWIW.

For a truck, I find this more than acceptable and the trip was extremely comfortable. I am curious to see how the mileage drops when I tow my 2 motorcycles to TN in May.

 

Seems like the "sweet spot" for the 4.0 regardless of 2wd or 4x4 is 2K rpms. That should be about 55 mph on a 6spd and 67 on an auto. Try shifting and driving at or below 2K and see the difference.

 

Yup, keep it between 1.5 to 2K I get 20 MPG combo of City & Hwy.
Last weekend got on the Interstate and drove 70 to 75 MPH and it dropped off to 17.5 MPG.

 

kind of makes cruise useless on a trip from CT to TN

I use 89 Octane and I drive from TN to KS via interstate every couple months at approx 75 mph. Truck empty other than myself and light luggage I average almost 17 mpg. For a 4x4 I am extremely happy w/ that number. I use cruise control the entire drive (other than the obvious heavy traffic or rain).