Improving gas mileage

i have a new 2019 tacoma limited with 500 miles why is my average fuel mileage only 12.4 gals per mile the truck should get 18 on average

 

Are you making short trips?

 

yes

 

Short trips will typically result in poor fuel mileage.

 

With only 500 miles you are just getting broke in. Also so many other factors, gas quality, driving style, driving distance, temperature to name a few.

 

Where do you live? A lot of stop and go?
I commute 32 mes each day to work. Half is 22 is highway driving (65-75) the rest is stop lights (35-55). I average 19-20 mpg daily. We took a little trip that was about 80 miles away through back country roads last weekend and managed to get an estimated 22.1mpg. This is and around Columbus, GA on a 2018 DBSB TRD OR 4x4.

 

Those numbers are lab results, not real world figures that are guaranteed. It all depends on how you drive, temperature, altitude etc.

There are hundreds of threads about the same issue.

 

Unless we know the manner in which you are driving the truck, we cannot help you. Are you driving like someone that is fuel conscious? Or are you driving like a race car driver?

 

ok i don't have a heavy foot i just cruise around

 

I'm at roughy 700 miles with mostly short trips, had some highway travel at 80mph (not an efficient speed) I manage 17mpg....doesn't seem to matter. I'm fine with 17 though as I don't put a lot of miles mine.

Surely when you travel more after the break in period you will start to see a realistic high teens average settling in.

There is an area where I get to drive occasionally at 45mph for 4 miles or so... during that period I get like 25 mpg.. so knowing that's basically how they test it (believe it's 50 mph) it seems like a fair assessment.

 

ok

 

This^

I averaged 15 and under for the first five hundred miles. Once past 1,000, and even with the addition of a set of Ridge Grapplers, I'm up to a daily average of 17-18 on the same commute.

 

Mine sucked too at the beginning. Maybe computer learning or something. Not sure. Tank averages are usually mid 19s now

 

I should be getting 18 combined but I only get 16 highway

 

Short trips kill mileage. I plow my 1500' driveway with my 2011 one storm will cost me somewhere between 50 to 100 miles per tank depending on the snow depth. Summer with normal trips average around 18 MPG. Winter in general drops the mileage a good 2-3 MPG. Mind you I live where the temps drop to below zero pretty regularly so down south the hit won't be as bad.

 

Man at 12.4 gallons a mile you sure are burning a lot of fuel! Must be that limited engine you got there

Your short trips will kill your MPG’s and I’m assuming by cruising you mean driving around town which will also contribute to low MPG in stop and go traffic. Your truck is still getting broken in, and you probably are heavy on the gas off the line. Your location will play a role too. At the best when my truck was stock I was getting 19, so just try to keep it below 2500RPM for best MPG.

 

From the portrait photo of your truck, it's fairly easy to see why.

 

Believe it or not I did old school math and these tires actually give me better mileage

 

Driving style and driving environment will always determine your MPG.

 

I have managed averaging between 19.7 to 21 mpg lately. But I am waiting for the day someone honks at me (nah not really that slow). My method is watching my RPMs not to hit more than 2K. I have a heavy right foot since I transitioned from the "ultimate driving machine" to my "Mean TACO". So initially I was getting 17.5 - 17.7 mpg until I decided to be a little more conscious with my acceleration. This is stop and go traffic and highways too. Well, at least thats what the truck says; how accurate it be, I can not be certain until I refuel and do calculations (I've been lazy and not been doing so).