Are these lowering my gas mileage?

On my first ever tank of gas in my 09 dclb trd sport. just hit the 1/4 tank left line and ive gone 210 miles. i assume ill get anywhere from 250-280 out of this tank which puts me around 13 mpg. Question is on my truck specifically with the shell and 265/70/17 bfg ta ko's and 17x9 rims, are these things hurting my mileage?

I came from a crew cab silverado 4x4 and was getting 12.9 mpg doing the exact same route im doing with the tacoma.

How many miles are you guys getting out of your tank?

 

Hi, I have the same size wheels and a shell on my 4 door TRD Sport 4x4. I average 17.0 MPG with all around driving....keeping rpm's under 2,000 rpm at all times. I find that my fuel mileage really goes south if I go over 65 mph.

I took about a 1.5 mpg hit installing a shell and the 265/70/17 wheels.

For total tank mileage, I normally see my low fuel light come on at about 280-300 miles. You have 3 gallons of reserve....I always allow 30 miles past the moment the low fuel light comes on.

A typical tank for me is about 320 miles before I fill up....and yes, I have an OBDII reader and have done quite a bit of research to pinpoint what my truck is capable of as far as fuel. If you ever really need to get mileage out of her just slow to 55mph and you can get 50 miles past the low fuel light.

(side note: my overall mileage below is inclusive of me towing my boat around which happens almost every tank)

 

short answer - yes

 

Shell is more weight, so more effort from the engine to get you up to speed, so yes, it's hurting your MPG's
The more aggressive the tire the more rolling resistance and the more effort from the engine, so yes, they're hurting your MPG's.

But, 13 seems excessively low. I never averaged lower than 17 with Duratracs on my '10 AC 4x4, but without a cap.
But, the difference with these trucks and shift points is huge. If you're light on the gas & let the engine shift around 1300 RPM's or less you can get 2-3 mpg's more than if you let it rev to 2000

 

Welcome I see you bought the taco !

 

When I got my current truck I was averaging 20-21 MPG. It had the dinky 245/75/16's on it. I swapped to 16x8's and 265/70/16's in a highway tread (general HTS - they sucked) and dropped to 18 instantly. Last winter I swapped to 265/75/16 dynapro ATM's and now I don't see more than 17. Thankfully lifting the truck 2 inches had no effect on mileage. Kind of pathetic mileage considering my friends new 5.0 F150 regularly gets 19-20. Of course mine's paid for.

 

That does seem excessively low. I have 265/75 Duratracs and have never really gotten below 17mpg. I average between 18 and 18.5mpg. I may have missed it, but is your truck a manual or auto? I make sure to keep the shifts in my MT at right around 2500rpm to maximize mileage without putting undue strain on the engine from shifting at too low of an RPM.

 

I actually found that the shell didn't hurt and maybe even slightly helped my MPG.

Not sure about those tires/wheels though

I think your truck may need some maintenance done. Do you know the last time the spark plugs were changed? Etc

 

If you get 280 until the gas light comes on (17 gallons used) 280/17=16.47 mpg

 

Beat me to it

 

1) Do the math. Quit guessing. It's not hard.

2) Don't reach any conclusions until you've run a few tanks and averaged them together.

3) If the diameter of the tire is larger than OE, your effective gearing is changed. Your speedo reads lower than you are driving, your odo registers lower distance. Making your math wrong. Figure out the correction factor and see #1.

4) If the wheel/tire package is heavier than stock, yes, it hurts. Unsprung wt is the worst, as it affects acceleration, braking and handling. If there is more footprint on the ground that's more rolling resistance.

5) Any weight, including yours, gear and topper, negatively impacts MPG and a host of other things.

6) If you bought the vehicle for MPG, well, that's what other choices are for.

 

^ Listen to Bill. He is good people. He keeps this place sane.

 

Don't assume gallons by the gauge. Do the math at each fill up - correctly adjusting for tire size, if necessary. Average several tanks, since you'll be calculating from how many gallons go into the new tank - not what was in the tank you burned. My truck is super heavy and on 33s, and I get up to 18 mpg in regular driving conditions.

 

Please, no.

 

clearwater has it covered. 1/4 tank left? i bet most of our trucks swing wildly in fuel volume at that level. it's just a rough gauge estimate.

 

haha i never bought this truck for its excellent mpg. I believe a big problem is hwy. i usually do 70-80 mph so im sure it doesnt help. I am hoping for more mpg than my silverado which i know i will get so that battle has already been won. Plus, the v6 is so snappy in its acceleration, its addicting!!

 

Bill is truly a good people

 

I've gotten just at 20MPG on the highway with a tonneau cover, and my 235/75R16 KO2s. Holding close to 65 average.

 

looks like the 70-80 is really hurting me then

 

The higher the speed, the lower the mileage.