Improve Gas Mileage

Right now I am averaging about 17-18 MPG over the last 6 months I have had my 06 4 door tacoma.

I was wondering if you guys (or girls) could come up with a list of 3-4 things that could be done to improve my gas mileage.

I looked into some of those special Chips, but they tend to be more preformace based, rather than MPG based...

3-4 things that I could buy/do to improve gas mileage...

I am looking to average closer to 20.

Adam

 

coast alot

 

1. Stay under 2k
2. Cruise control and stay close to 65 mph
3. Don't speed up to a red light, time it and coast to the light
4. Don't do jack rabbit starts, its a truck

 

1. Accelerate slowly when you want to get your car in motion.
2. while driving keep as low as RPM as possible especially on freeway try to keep it under 2K RPM.
3. I heard but I don't guaranteed but put it in Neutral while you idling your car at a stop light.

try at your own risk...

 

I don't think automatic trannys should be put in nuetral and coast, I think the pumps don't run when in neutral and therefor its back for auto

 

I don't get close to 20 without driving max of 60 mph with no sudden acceleration and coasting down hills and up to red lights. I think if I drove max 50 I could get as much mpg as my 3/4 ton Dodge gets at 70; 22mpg. Sucks, don't it.

 

Adam, your best bet is to alter your driving habits. That is the single best thing you can do to improve gas mileage; I don't care what anyone else says.

1. If you see a yellow or read light ahead start coasting from farther out. You wont make it through so there's no point in accelerating into it.
2. Additionally, in the above situation, you should try and "get the roll" on the light. So when it turns green you are already moving and don't have to start the truck from a dead stop.
3. On the highway, try and use the cruise control more often. Go a touch slower at times (65 instead of 70) because wind resistance is a bitch.
4. Any time you have to speed up do it slower than you would normally. Doing so will keep the RPM's lower.
5. Buy a new air filter if yours is dirty. A dirty air filter will suffocate your engine.

 

Wow...we all posted pretty much the same thing in the time it took my to type mine out. Guess we're all on the same page.

 

Reducing speed can have the biggest effect on economy. Even a small reduction in speed will increase economy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_coefficient

Drag force on an object is proportional to the square of the speed.

Ever notice the faster you go the harder it is to accelerate.

 

+1, I got in my Tacoma 06' V6 4L, 22 mpg if I stay under 2k RPM or under 70 MPH.

 

My own spin on what everyone's said but it describes what I do to get 21.5-22mpg out of my truck.

1. Accelerate moderately and evenly up to cruising speed. No jumping off the line but also don't creep along like an old man... you'll get much better mileage when you're "up to speed" and using the skinny pedal just to maintain forward progress rather then speeding up.

2. Use cruise control whenever you're up to speed and on relatively flat ground. You don't have to be on the highway to use it... just be driving 40+mph and avoid using it in hilly areas since it lets you coast all the way down a hill then forces a downshift when attempting to accelerate up the next hill. You can usually do better on your own by accelerating gently down the hill then letting some of the speed bleed off going up the next hill.

3. When you see a stop coming up try to lose at least 25% of your current speed by coasting. 2nd gen V6 cuts the injectors when coasting above ~35mph so this saves a ton of gas. There's no sense accelerating up to a stoplight anyway... the gas you waste just turns into heat when you apply the brakes.

4. If you're truck already learned "bad habits" from your previous driving then disconnect the negative battery cable for ~1/2 hour to clear the ECU. Then start driving as indicated above to teach it lower shift points. I'm in 5th gear at 32mph on flat ground. Crusing at 35mph in 5th gear (assuming that's the speed limit) nets me 42+mpg according to my Scangauge II.

 

I think a scangauge II purchase was the best thing I did. It told me exactly when I am using the most gas so that I could back off on the accelerator.

 

SG II is helpful. It helped me see that I can gain 5 mpg (that's over 30% increase) driving 55 instead of 75.

 

IMO people shouldnt buy a truck if gas will be an issue BUT your not complaining about it.

i'de say make sure your tires are properly inflated.

 

These are all great tips! Thanks for all of the great explanations. I have really been trying to slow down on the highways...aka 65 vs 75. I have noticed a huge difference in just that.

I was looking more for small add-ons, intake, exhaust, chips, filters etc to improve. When I am on the highway for long trips, I have been able to get 22 mpg. I am just looking for something to improve my "around town" miles.

What is that thing you guys bought to tell you your mpg as you go? That may be worth getting if it help me "learn" how to drive better, as far as mpg goes. How much would that cost?

Yeah I can afford the gas, I just am looking for simple ways to improve it. A penny saved is a penny earned!


Adam

 

Adding a lightweight soft tonneau can help improve aero, as well as narrow tires. However, anything you buy (scanguage, tonneau, etc) will probably cost more than the gas you are saving. Spend $500 on those things and you'd have to save $182 gallons of gas (at $2.75/gal) to break even!!!

 

smaller and less aggressive tires, don't drive...thats all i got

 

Its winter. Don't know how long your trips are but if they are < 15 miles you might get some improved MPG from oil pan and/or block heater. Plug them for 90 minutes before each trip and you'll be up to temp in 3/4 of a mile instead of 3 or 4.

 

3 or 4 miles to op temp? I'm up and running in about 1-2!

 

I thought long and hard about this for a decent amount of time today.

So when you say, "cuts the injectors" do you mean completely turns off? If so, the engine would essentially be working as an airpump correct? Can anyone with a scangauge confirm that NO fuel is being used during costing over 35mph?