Best mods to increase Mileage?

Run 100% pure gas, no ethanol. Although its becoming harder to find, I noticed a 2 mpg increase or about 10%. It may cost about a dime more, but with gas at $4 a gallon..... it would have to cost 0.40 a gallon more to be a wash.

 

True, but PLEASE do not "DWL" in metropolitan areas when people are behind you.

YOU might be saving 1/4mpg or whatever, but it does nothing but piss off the person behind you who is not DWL, and costs them more MPG because they are running up on you, braking, backing off, and repeating.


If you don't want to drive 5 over, that's fine... but lead, follow, or get out of the way. Nothing is more irritating than someone who's speed constantly varies from 10 under to 10 over. Normally (in LA at least) this is the result of yapping on the phone or texting.

 

X2.. I wanna get out and beat those people.

 

Do you think that Toyota will continue the small-to-mid-sized pickup line and, if they do, do you think that the 2014 model will come with a diesel and/or hybrid option? What about the ABAT concept vehicle? Would anyone here trade in a Tacoma for a truck/SUV if it was capable of hauling several full sheets of plywood but still got 35 mpg?

 

Actually, a coalition of physicists and engineers in Europe have developed an inexpensive way of improving gas mileage on many vehicles. It involves a wide, four-segment, scoop under the front bumper feeding air into a series of ducts decreasing in size to the front of each of the four tires. Inexpensive materials and no moving parts.

The design of the sequentially decreasing size of those ducts reduce resistence from that front scope while greatly increasing the speed of the air exiting the ducts in front of the tires. As the high speed air from those ducts flow over the top of the tires, which travel in a direction opposite other airflow over the vehicle, resistance to airflow over the top of the tires is virtually eliminated. The result is an increase in gas mileage.

Studies suggest any increase will vary depending on vehicle design, tire size, and tire tread design, with aggressive tire tread designs, apparently on small to large trucks, gaining the most substantial benefit. Mercedes, Fiat, and Peugeot have all developed prototypes to test on their current trucks. Reports from all three manufacturers have been extremely positive, with hints from Mercedes that the system may be intregrated into several small truck, large lorry, and cargo van models as early as 2013. [ Source: Folderol ]


Update: Surprised this message remained for 24-hours without a single challenge. Read the definition of the word cited as the source (folderol; nonsense, hogwash, trifle, rubbish, trash, tripe). In other words, I made it all up - no such thing exists or would likely work. Decided to clarify before rumors of a new product spread.

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Not in the US. The EPA _hates_ diesels, for some reason. There have been several attempts, all whacked down.

Though, Mazda came out with their new modular diesel/gas engine (they're basically the same, one gas one diesel). It doesn't require the urea (or whatever) injection to stay emissions compliant. Sounds like a pretty impressive motor (Sky Drive-D, I think).

If Toyota makes one of those, they'd have a good shot at it.

 

Diesels are more consistent with mileage, certainly (regardless of what they are doing). My gramps used to always tell me "the gas engine will get to the top of the hill first, but the diesel will always do it at the same mileage". Most people on here report 10MPG or less when towing--ouch. A diesel wouldn't do that.

But, for a commuter, 18MPG isn't that great. I see a lot of them used to haul air as commuters, at speeds well over fuel-efficient speeds.

 

I've read this before in Bassmasters too. They had a guy from Nitro and a guy from Toyota going over how to get the most miles per gallon while towing a boat. It was back in like '08 when gas was up over $4. They both mentioned the 2000 rpm mark.

 

My boss drives the same way. Your neck muscles get a workout when riding in the car with him. It's either stomp the gas and go full throttle, or SLAM ON THE BRAKES at the last second possible to stop. Then his steering in parking lots at slow speed is really jerky. He wonders why the front brake pads went out on his Jeep Wrangler at 25k miles. I just replaced his rear brakes (wore the pads completely into the rotor) at 45k miles.

 

Bully dog gt