Gas mileage in 4lo?

I've been scouring the internet for the better part of an hour and can't find a damn thing about gas mileage in 4lo.

I have an '09 Taco AC OR 6spd w/ 3" suspension lift running 285/75/16 General Grabber ATXs on the TRD fake beadlocks.

Anyone with a similar rig track gas mileage in 4lo? I can't find anything.

My gas mileage in 2hi (currently, with lift and tires) is between 13.5-16.5, usually settling around 14-14.5 mpg. I got around 17.5 mpg on a road trip this past weekend and was pretty psyched lol.

I'm asking because I'm going to be investing in armor and sliders soon. I know it's going to take a hit. Going for an aluminum front bumper when funds are there, but steel on the rear and skids. Skids and sliders are first.

Planning and getting it prepped for a month long trip next October (I have plenty of time, I know), and I wanted to figure how much gas I'll have to carry for the offroading/overlanding bits.

If this has been asked a thousand times, I'm sorry. I really tried to find it on my own!

Thanks much, safe travels, sweet trucks, and cheers!

EDIT: ok, I realize now it's a silly question. Terrain and conditions and everything. Time is the way to gauge it. Thanks again.

 

Why would you want to track mileage in 4L? Are you burning through an entire gas tank in tractor gear?

 

I can drive 4-5 hours in 4 Low, burning half a tank of gas max.

 

I’m not an off-roader or overlander by any means, but I think the best way to answer your question is to get an obd scan tool or scangauge/ultragauge to see what mpg in 4lo is for your specific rig, as it probably varies based on the truck and conditions. Can’t say I spend enough/any time in 4lo to worry about mpgs

 

Plan for the worst, hope for the best!

EDIT: also, I was always taught it's better to run the higher gears in 4lo than to beat up the lower gears in 4hi. Maybe I'm 4lo-happy, but I'd rather not thrash my first and second gears from bopping around trails in 4hi.

 

Thank you for the lovely input, friend!

 

Hello, fellow Marylander. We did some trails in GW Nat'l. Forest and did a few hours in 4lo and I never got concerned. But we were also 10 minutes from a gas station at either trailhead. Didn't think to track my mileage.

 

I would suspect we would need to invent a new form of math to reach the low numbers needed to gauge Tacoma fuel mileage in 4low

 

Understandable. In my humble opinion 4L should be measured in hours, not miles. If you're going by distance then either you're not getting an accurate read, or your terrain is too consistent to even need 4L.

In scuba we go by the rule of 3: A third of a tank to explore, then a third to return to the boat. The final third is for unplanned emergencies. That works for gas tanks also.

 

So I guess my question was a silly one then.

I like that scuba rule though. Never been diving, but I feel like that's a pretty great rule of thumb.

Appreciate the wisdom!

 

Eh, I've asked dumber questions than that. Usually daily.

 

If you ask my boss it's many times daily for me lol. But thanks again!

 

Yes that's true. This is more apparent with a manual trans, when you crawl in 4hi and lower gear you end up needing to ride your clutch like crazy to keep from stalling over every little trail obstacle. In an auto I'm sure this translates into extra strain on the torque converter.

Better to use 4lo and all that added torque to help pull you along, 4hi is for cruising speeds where the added traction is needed. Crawling, climbing or descending steep hills it's better to be in 4lo

 

Also, who on earth has ever worried about gas mileage in 4lo lol

 

When creeping around off road where 4X4 is needed you're going to be in single digits. It won't matter if you're in 2hi, 4hi, or 4lo.