Gas Mileage

QUOTE="Insomnivore, post: 26705859, member: 378090"]Been tracking my mpg on various vehicles for many years and I have noticed a consistent drop in mileage when the gas is changed to winter blend. (I'm in New England) Also a sharp increase in the spring when summer blend gets delivered.

It appears that different parts of the US have different regulations on gasoline blends so maybe this accounts for some apple-orange differences being reported here.

My results are my own and just an opinion.[/QUOTE]

Do you run studded tires in the winter?

 

My house is at over 5,400 ft and I am running some heavy plus sized KM3s (great tire, just heavy) and I am averaging 16.5 and that is when I keep my foot out of it; otherwise 15.

 

I live at 7,500 ft and it appears that elevation might have an effect on the computer. It usually computes about 0.5-1 mpg higher than hand computed values. Over 83K miles the truck has averaged 22.8 mpg. Hard acceleration and speeds above 70 mph will definitely make a dent in fuel economy. Driving like there's a full wine glass on the dash is the way to go. When I visit the big cities (Denver and SLC) the mpg takes a big hit. I just switched over to E-tires and am getting an Ovrlnd camper installed in April. Could be my days of 20+ MPGs are numbered.

 

Yep, my tires are E rated. I have been able to get 22ish on the highway at 67 MPH, but not mixed. Good luck

 

Do you run studded tires in the winter?[/QUOTE]
No. Winter tires on the Tacomas but installed well after the mileage drop, same for the Subaru. ATs on the Silverado and F250 year-round.

It's anecdotal stuff I know. Could be many other factors. Air is denser when it's cold, I'm wearing heavier boots, traffic is going slower due to road condx, lights are on longer due to darkness.

The mileage shift never seems to correspond to the weather, more the calendar.

 

It’s your driving. Come to Malvolio’s School of HypermilingTM here in lovely Southern California. I’ll get you north of 20mpg and kill any fun you’ll ever have driving the truck. (I’m getting 23.5 on my 2wd SR5.)

 

Its exactly what i'll get in the summer with my sr5 4wd.

 

My favorite part about this coming up repeatedly is that there's always at least one guy yelling "its a truck!" Seemingly unaware that modern full size trucks are getting better mpg than the Tacoma while having more power.

To the OP. You have to love the 3rd gen Tacoma to keep it. It has some strange things going on, no doubt. Most can be fixed with tunes and swapping for aftermarket parts, but the MPG just is what it is unless you drive it painfully boring.

I love mine, keeping it for a long time, but I'm not in the cult so I'll admit where I see flaws.

 

I love my truck but lets face it the Toyota 3.5 liter is living on borrowed time. No different than the 5.7 liter that was in the Tundra. Both are solid dependable engines but incredibly under powered based on displacement and produce low fuel economy as compared to other manufactures. As an example the Toyota 3.5 liter has 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. In comparison the 3.5 liter Eco-Boost has 400 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque and produces better fuel economy, I know because I have both. To be fair the Eco-Boost is turbo charged and the Toyota is not. The future recognized by other manufacture is smaller displacement and forced induction will produce more power and better fuel economy, the Ford Ranger is a great example yet the truck is an ugly sight. Toyota is 8 years behind the curve but they are following suit as is represented in the new engine in the Tundra, twin turbo 3.5 Liter. The Tacoma will follow soon as well with a four cylinder turbo engine as other manufactures have already mover to. Tacoma is a great truck, very dependable, has low maintenance cost and the best resale value bar none. The mileage and power is lacking, I knew it going in but all the other midsized trucks are hideous looking. Best thing anyone came do is not look at the gas gauge and enjoy your truck.

 

Exactly. And thats why I want to do this swap when my engine bites the dust.

https://dieseltoys.com/2016-tacoma-diesel-1gd-ftv

 

Idk about the eco boost getting better milage in the ford ranger. Been told otherwise by a local water company employee that drives both the toyota 3.5 sr's they have, and the newer ford rangers. The ranger uses more fuel on average when towing their trailers around to jobs, but does well when not. The toyota's have been work horses over the last few years making up for it in reliability. The fords have yet to prove themselves.

 

I wouldn’t say that the 2GR fks is underpowered at all, stock or tuned it’s got almost 300 hp…

And you can’t compare TT 3.5 in a Ford to a NA 3.5 in a taco. Obviously the 3.5 in the taco will outlast the ecoboost, while getting similar or better mpgs. Advertised gas mileage for the 3.5TT is a bit misleading when compared to real world driving.

 

Yep, once you get into that boost, bye bye MPGs.

 

Torque > horsepower

 

My truck has been floored maybe 10 times in 72k miles. It has enough power stock for what I do.

 

Ok?

 

Swoosh

 

Can’t have torque without power.
BAM!




Torque=Power/Angular Velocity

 

Obviously you need both as they are tied together but the eco diesel has more torque than horsepower while the 2gr-fks has more horsepower than torque.

 

Excellent. Now that is much more understandable than “torque>power” lol.