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better gas mileage?

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by tlh178, Mar 5, 2011.

  1. Mar 5, 2011 at 12:45 PM
    #1
    tlh178

    tlh178 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    terry
    lake huron/sag bay
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    2012 4WD reg cab/ 02 SR5 Prerunner/07 FJC 4WD
    i have recently replaced both O2 sensor, new tires all the way around. replaced gas filter, and cleaned the maf sensor, plus new air filter. i'm getting 15.3 mpg. now the O2 sensor only have had one full tank ran thur my v6. what else can i do too boost my mpg? replace the plug wires? i have spent about a grand so far! thanks for any tips guys!
     
  2. Mar 5, 2011 at 1:02 PM
    #2
    rescuetaco526

    rescuetaco526 Well-Known Member

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    W. Kentucky
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    Diff Breather, Topper, airbag
    Have you looked into your driving habits? I remember reading in an article that a motor's butter zone is somewhere between 35-50 mph, and every 5 miles an hour over that you start losing efficiency. That's the skeptics logic answer, the better answer might be look into "hyper mileage driving." It gives some good driving habits that use a combination of patience and gravity to help with your mileage.
     
  3. Mar 5, 2011 at 1:25 PM
    #3
    tlh178

    tlh178 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    thanks seth, most of my driving is hiway and i try too baby when i can, other times my leadfoot takes over. its my business. if i'm late on a delivery, i have too push it. i wonder if changing the thermostat might help. on my fj crusier, the forum i visit said it does help.
     
  4. Mar 5, 2011 at 1:31 PM
    #4
    shitroc

    shitroc Master of War

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    New Brunswick, Canada
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    Listed in sig.......
    seafoam the engine,plugs and wires
     
  5. Mar 5, 2011 at 2:25 PM
    #5
    tlh178

    tlh178 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    terry
    lake huron/sag bay
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    guess i'll try new wire, she has new plugs and i have used the seafoam twice in the last 6 weeks in my fuel. guess i need too suck some up the vacumm line at the front brake? need some warmer weather here in mich, its snowing like crazy today!
     
  6. Mar 5, 2011 at 2:56 PM
    #6
    ScottyB

    ScottyB Well-Known Member

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    Kailua, Hawaii
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    Bilstein 5100's
    My truck gets about 16mpg driving her like a baby and (now) in really good working condition. unfortunately I live in Hawaii and have to drive over mountains and hills every day. Them's the breaks.
     
  7. Mar 5, 2011 at 3:54 PM
    #7
    TallTacoma

    TallTacoma Bear fvcker!

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    Come and take it from my cold, dead hands.
    3" suspension lift (ToyTec coilovers and wheeler leafs), Yakima roof rack, ARE tonneau, K&N FIPK.
    I get about 22 mpg.

    I never drive above 65 mph.

    I have a scanguage II and I use the "LOD" monitor to keep my foot off the accelerator. Before I had the scanguage, I used the shift below 2,500 RPM method, all the while slowly accelerating to 2,500.

    102,000 miles on the drive train.

    Michelin LTX-2 tires.
     
  8. Mar 5, 2011 at 5:05 PM
    #8
    tlh178

    tlh178 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    lake huron/sag bay
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    a scangauge would be nice too have for sure. maybe uncle sam will give me some cash back on taxes. also i have 265k on her and 15 mph is proably the best i'll do. my fjc gets 19mpg and its a 4x4. either way, its been paided for, 4 plus yrs now. i like driving the taco better then my fjc!
     
  9. Mar 5, 2011 at 8:05 PM
    #9
    Kelsey

    Kelsey Camping Lover

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    K&N, Redline Differential Fluid
    When I bought my '04 back in '07, I kept notes on the mileage for about a year as I did mod after mod. Finally got it up to 23 solid MPG (DC, 2WD, TRD, aggressive mud tires but nothing special). I was doing some hypermiling stuff, but not fanatically. The main success component was acetone.
    Coincidentally, right after the ethanol crap got going full blast my MPG dropped to 18, and has never recovered. I'm going to do the airbox mod and see if that helps. I'd thought about buying some less-aggressive tires because I don't off-road, but dang it, they LOOK GOOD! I washed my K&N (first time ever) and cleaned my MAF the other day, and I can tell there's an improvement, but I don't know how much.
    I've found a station where I can buy ethanol-free gas, so I'll keep doing that. I've not changed O2's yet 'cause I've only got 67000 on the clock.
    Funny thing is when I pulled our teardrop camper last June fully loaded with five people in the cab, mileage only dropped a mile or two!
    I believe that, because if I drive at 50 mph (I don't have to go far to work) my mileage is WAY better than above that. It goes to crap at 65-up.
     
  10. Mar 5, 2011 at 8:33 PM
    #10
    borderbrat

    borderbrat Watching Chris4x4 o.O

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    Victoria BC, Canada
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    (old truck 2008 AC ....PIAA fogs, led "puddle" lights, bed lights, in cab 115V, Toyota Devil emblem, Randy Ellis light bar with LED light bar, OME 885 and Dakar leaf springs OME shock all round, 2.5 Gal OBA system with air horns, iPod adapter, scangauge on blend mount, magnaflow catback, bike fork mounts, tinted 2009 tails.)
    Tires weight and driving habits will be the biggest killers. Highway tires will be the best for fuel economy down through all-seasons, all-terrains, snow tires, mud tires, crawler tires being the worst. weight minimize the crap you have hauling around in the truck. Right now I have about 400 extra pounds of crap I don't need to be carrying around and it's affected my fuel economy. Driving habits drive gently don't keep accelerating up to a red light just coast by the time you get there it might be green and you won't even have to stop. Accelerating from a stop uses lots of fuel. Get a scangauge or ultragauge to monitor vehicle parameters. I improved my fuel economy 3mpg just with driving habits and I still don't drive like a grandfather by any means. Slow down. Think about it say you have a 25mi commute and 20 of it is on hwy. The diffence between driving at 65 and 50 is like 5 minutes, leave 5 minutes fucking earlier. Last but not least you just spent $1000 trying to improve your fuel economy. 1000$ is like 4 months worth of fuel to me and i pay 4.50 a gallon.
     
  11. Mar 5, 2011 at 9:06 PM
    #11
    Kelsey

    Kelsey Camping Lover

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    Amen. It kills me at the folks who blow by me in the mornings to get to a job they hate at 70 just because they hate being behind someone who's driving 50. I laugh and laugh and laugh. Hope they enjoy the cool breeze blowing the money out of their wallets at the pumps.
     
  12. Mar 6, 2011 at 6:37 AM
    #12
    tlh178

    tlh178 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    i spent 600 on new tires cause i needed them bad. bald tires and the snow were my reason.
     
  13. Mar 6, 2011 at 7:45 AM
    #13
    TallTacoma

    TallTacoma Bear fvcker!

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    Come and take it from my cold, dead hands.
    3" suspension lift (ToyTec coilovers and wheeler leafs), Yakima roof rack, ARE tonneau, K&N FIPK.
    70? It's more like 80-85 here. People are in such a hurry that they steal money out of their own pockets by wasting fuel and earning traffic citations.
     
  14. Mar 6, 2011 at 5:15 PM
    #14
    Kelsey

    Kelsey Camping Lover

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    Well, that's on a 55 mph limit road. Yeah, I'm sure some of them ARE doing 80 or 85.
     
  15. Mar 7, 2011 at 6:49 PM
    #15
    Avsguy33

    Avsguy33 Well-Known Member

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    I get 19-20 in my V6 5 speed. Usually at 65-70 in town on freeways and 75-80 on 75mph freeways. All surface roads are usually 45-50. Im runnin on 31 BFG KM2s. My driving habits aren't exactly eco friendly either getting up to speed.
     
  16. Mar 8, 2011 at 9:59 AM
    #16
    Kelsey

    Kelsey Camping Lover

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    Jasper, Alabama
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    K&N, Redline Differential Fluid
    I did the airbox mod a few days ago, and I'm soon to do the inlet tube muffler removal mod. I had a nice surprise yesterday...
    Earlier I said I'd cleaned my K&N and MAF, and it appears to be getting results. I don't have hard numbers yet, but it's been a game with me to see if I can drive 40 miles before my gas gauge drops from full to 3/4. Up to now I haven't been able to do that, usually getting around 30-35 miles before the needle dropped below the mark. Yesterday I hit 42 miles coming home and the needle is kind of centered on the mark. So there IS some improvement.
    I'll report back as I see changes.
     

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