Improving gas mileage

Hopefully a Toyota tech can chime in here with some factual details around this. But I'm 100% sure it's a "thing".

It was night and day difference after a couple thousand miles with the same commutes.

 

Totally anecdotal but this has been my experience:

When new, my truck would shift constantly on my daily interstate commute (56 miles R/T). The slightest incline and the trans would drop a couple of gears and RPMs would be between 2 and 3+K, often for miles at a time.

I noticed a big change between 2,000 and 3,000 miles. The tranny started shifting less, and rarely hung at 3,000 RPMs for any length of time. I use cruise control 100 percent of the time and (obviously) the route hasn't changed.

My conclusion is that the ECU is either learning something about my particular habits (granny driver) or the driveline is getting broken in and the reduction in friction is responsible.

EDIT: I keep the cruise control between 65 and 63 mph

 

2.7L

 

It is not linear...... probably a big reason why the driving experience with the gas pedal is less than ideal.

 

I have the perfect solution. Don’t drive it. Seriously though mine was the same but the more mileage I put on the better it got

 

My Taco practically uses no fuel at all 95+% of the time.

The rest, it gulps and gulps at every acceleration.

Maybe when it’s parked and shut off it uses less than when I’m out Mario Carting though the countryside?

 

Learn how to coast. Use breaks less. Im getting 18-22mpg just broke 1000 miles

 

How fast do you drive.

 

This has been my experience exactly. I have less than 400 miles on my TRDOR and with a 25 mile highway commute I’m averaging 15.2 mpg. Granted, I have started it to let it warm up a few times due to this Ohio winter weather.

I also agree that miles seem to smooth out the tranny shifts at highway speeds as other posters have mentioned.

 

As mentioned in my previous post...

Today, 2019 stock 2wd DCSB TRD sport with a bed cover. Orlando to Tampa, so basically flat, with maybe 3 traffic slow downs along the way. Cruise on at 70 90% of the way. Little bit windy today but it was a headwind so will probably do better tonight on the way home.

 

Great thread. Today I got a 2018 limited 4wd. These are good suggestions for better MPG. For work I will have to change my traveling routes to lessen stop and go raise tire pressure and keep the rpm's low. Well its all worth it the truck is awesome. I'm an old fart anyways. Still have the screaming V6 when needed.

 

Ye

speed limit, and soft acceleration. I’ve been putting quite the effort in improving mpg and nothing works

 

So as promised, opposite direction drive home from the one I posted above ^^^ earlier from Tampa to Orlando tonight. Same open hwy mostly 70 mph with about 10 miles on the in town expressway at 60, cruise and AC on, and just my 190 lbs aboard. Looked up the winds and they were mostly calm so wind is not a factor and a majority flat drive with minimal traffic. Again 19 TRD sport DCSB 2wd with a bed cover, other than that, stock and eating Shell 87.


I have zero complaints with this truck’s MPG ability, Just drive it normally. Obviously there are common mods that will effect these trucks and mine is a 2wd as it’s a daily driver utility vehicle but they are very capable in stock form.

 

Heavy lug tires? Tire pressure? City driving? Stop and go traffic? Roof rack? Hills? All these affect my mileage but with the I4 the worst I get is 21. Open highway, no hills and it jumps up to 25-27.

 

Bone stock, except the trd pro grill. No rack. Stock specs for everything. Lol at best I get high 17 mpg for a short period

 

I get between 17-20 on my 2018 Limited with 8k miles. The cold weather up here in MN has killed the gas mileage for the last month or so and I tend to drive too fast on the freeway. I think I was getting about 18 mpg when it was new.

 

I’m still in the 14-15 mpg range and just passed 2k miles. I have seen some improvement from since I purchased it and just hopes it keeps improving. Granted I do all city driving and commute is less than 10 miles. I need to get out of the city and see what I can get. Once it warms up, of course.

Tom

 

I don’t have any problem averaging 22 highway. Last week we made a trip to central Florida(flat roads) and at one time I was getting 24 average per tank doing mostly 50-55, although I didn’t calculate it at after a fill up. Stock 2018 SR5 with bed cover, 9000 miles. That’s a lot better than the 1999 Taco I had. I felt blessed when I got 17.

 

Still the number 1 way to get better or worse mileage in your Tacoma?...….Tire Pressure

2psi makes a HUGE difference. I'm running 28psi stone cold now and will increase to 30 or even 32 in the summer. Mileage changes instantly when the pressure is changed. For some reason my dealer lowered all 4 tires to 26psi at my last service and mileage dropped by 3mpg. I changed it back to 28 and mileage returned to previous level.


BTW...I drive my Tacoma like I stole it. My mpg averages 17 to 18.

Anyone that warms up their vehicle like we do in the winter will see significant mileage drop.....can't really track mpg now.

 

Already articulated by many above but winter gas, short trips, city driving where you are constantly sitting at red lights while getting zero MPG and break in period will really reduce MPG. But WTF 12? I don't think I could get 12 MPG even if I tried. The very worst tank full I've recorded was around 16 and I can explain most of that due to excessive idle time and driving about 50 miles with a refrigerator standing in the bed. I might be inclined to take it back to the dealership. There may be something wrong with the ECU or some such.