4x2 vs 4x2 PreRunner vs 4x4 MPG

Excellent, glad to hear that!
Dang I can't wait 'till March!

 

Homegrown....if you have the 2.7,AT coming in March,your one lucky dude.One of these days I plan on buying one...2.7,4x4.AT reg. cab more than likely,,,then again,might go with the access cab,not sure yet?.Let us know about your ride...pics,updates etc.

 

Recent observations on a 5-speed 5 lug. I cruised the interstate at 67 actual MPH, got 27 MPG. Another recent trip at 75 actual MPG, being in a hurry netted 23.5 MPG. These are logged in my fuelly account below. 65-67 MPH seems to be the sweet spot for interstate cruising if your not in a hurry.

 

where in ca do you live and where the hell do you go camping .... living in the northern outskirts of the sf bay area the only times i have mileage numbers close or above that is when i go out of state (mostly arizona) ... otherwise most of my trips consist of kings river, sierra city, ca, lake shasta, or places in lake county.

 

I live in Santa Barbara and go camping up on the east side, Bishop, Mammoth & Lee Vining, Yosemite, Death Valley, White Mountains, Mojave NP, etc. Throw in a little driving around when I am up there and 700 miles round trip is often an underestimation. Heck, a trip to the north coast redwoods is WAY more than that. It is 350 miles from here just to SF. Cali is a damn big state.

 

yea ive always wanted to check out the eastern part of the state more ... dont particularly care for yosemite though .... redwoods arent too bad from me but dont go up there much.

 

Very same experience, I just drove from KC to Wichita last week down I-35 and achieved 23.5, best mileage so far. A few things though, first I hit 1000 miles on my odometer, not sure what the "break-in" period is like on this truck as far a MPGs go. Second I have installed a tonneau cover. Third, I set the cruise at 74, which according to the GPS was 70 mph. I've heard that the speedos are off on these trucks by about that much, it was on my 94 Yota too.

Like others have mentioned so many variables for MPGs, throw in cold weather, snow and in town driving and my 5 lugger dips down to 16. Even my wife's CRV rated at 21 city 27 highway has seen horrendous mileage this winter between 16.5 city and 20 highway. I inquired with Honda during the last oil change and they said it must be because of the gas and cold. What it really comes down to is the type of vehicle, truck/suv vs car. As others have pointed out driving a heavier boxier truck down the road, you are pushing more air out of your way, where as my old Accord always got 29 on the highway and 25 in the city no matter how I drove it, or what the weather was like.

Next week I'm making a 1400 mile round trip to Chicago in the Taco, so we'll see what type of real world mpg I get on an extended highway trip.

 

A 4x4 has the transfer case that reduces the overall efficiency of the drivetrain. Even if the front hubs are not locked and the front drive shaft is disengaged, you are still losing power due to the transfer case. On a 4 cylinder engine this could amount to a few mpg drop over 4x2, but on a larger V8 like the 5.7L Tundra, the engine easily overcomes the extra resistance of the transfer case resulting in less than 1 mpg difference over the 4x2.

 

Good observation
You've documented what I've suspected all along. But I've gotten the 22 mpg number on a 75 mph highway trip with a 4x4 reg cab 5-speed. Never tried a 65 mph trip, but because of how the engine seemed to labor more at the higher speed, I suspected around 65 mph would net at least a few mpg better. Easier on the engine AND the wallet.