Good Gas Mileage!

[400excracer]

I just got my best MPG so far......18.5! This was driving back and forth to work which is a mix of country roads and city driving. I just bought a tonneau cover the other day so I am hoping to improve on that. We leave for Colorado next week and I am curious to see what I get out on the open road. I am hoping to hit the 20mpg mark!

['00 Tundy]

i wish i could see that..im stuck in the 11 or 12 mpg mark in the city where i drive..

[knucklebusted]

You can't push a brick through the air efficiently. These things are heavy and have a lot of frontal area. Gas mileage should not be the biggest concern when you buy a truck.

There are only a few things you can do to lower your fuel bill. Foremost is drive less. Second is to lighten your foot. Third is to lighten the truck. After that, it gets real hard to gain much. Clean air filter and properly inflated tires are cheap to do if they are a problem.

[Highwaylizard]

Originally Posted by 400excracer

I just got my best MPG so far......18.5! This was driving back and forth to work which is a mix of country roads and city driving. I just bought a tonneau cover the other day so I am hoping to improve on that. We leave for Colorado next week and I am curious to see what I get out on the open road. I am hoping to hit the 20mpg mark!

Those are nice numbers. I would be interested to see how long you sustain them.

Originally Posted by '00 Tundy

i wish i could see that..im stuck in the 11 or 12 mpg mark in the city where i drive..

Really? That is what I get pulling a landscaping trailer with my DC 4 wheel drive and four speed automatic

Originally Posted by knucklebusted

You can't push a brick through the air efficiently. These things are heavy and have a lot of frontal area. Gas mileage should not be the biggest concern when you buy a truck.

I am not sure the OP was complaining about or voicing concern over his fuel economy. To the contrary, he seemed rather elated at his numbers. Even if fuel economy was on his list of concerns would there be anything wrong with wanting to improve it?

[Henley32]

I have made the trip from Denver to Aspen and back twice in the last month (through the Rocky Mountains) and recorded just of 19mpg both times. I couldn't believe it the first time but the second time confirmed it.

2002 V8 AC 4X4 with a bed cover and Volant CAI, 265/75/R16. I also drove VERY conservative, never more than 5 over.

To calculate, I just divided divided miles driver by amount of gas consumed.

[landshar23]

dude that's good for your truck I think any time u can get over 15 your doing good I average some were around + or - 15 mpg but I have 36 and 9 inches of lift

[packeroni]

I just bought my Tundra, a 2000 4x4 TRD AC from my father. I live in Wisconsin, he lives in California. On the trip back I averaged 19.8 miles per gallon on the almost 2200 mile trip. That was going 75 on the highway, with AC on a majority of the time, and about 600 pounds of stuff he gave me. I thought this was pretty dang good given the mph and ac being on. Today I just cleaned the throttle body which was thick and black. Had I done that before the trip who knows, probably would have been above 20 mpg.

[kerryman71]

For the most part I do city driving, so my average MPG is about 14. I did got to NYC a few years ago from Central Massachusetts and got 20 MPG. The truck now has a little over 95,000 and runs like the day I bought it. I will be cleaning the throttle body and MAF sensor in a couple of weeks, so we'll see how that changes things.

I drive my truck very carefully, for lack of a better word, generally going five mph over the speed limit at most and never over 2,000 rpms.

Anyway, congratulations on the MPG. Good maintenance and treating it right should keep those numbers up.

[400excracer]

Originally Posted by Highwaylizard

Those are nice numbers. I would be interested to see how long you sustain them.



Really? That is what I get pulling a landscaping trailer with my DC 4 wheel drive and four speed automatic



I am not sure the OP was complaining about or voicing concern over his fuel economy. To the contrary, he seemed rather elated at his numbers. Even if fuel economy was on his list of concerns would there be anything wrong with wanting to improve it?

Yeah, I am not sure what his point is. I know that I am not going to get great gas mileage with my truck, but if I can do some things to improve it why not? I have always kept track of every tank of gas I put through my vehicles, so when someone tells me they are getting such and such mileage I always ask if they keep track or if they are just figuring in their head and 99% are just figuring in their head.

[Highwaylizard]

Originally Posted by 400excracer

Yeah, I am not sure what his point is. I know that I am not going to get great gas mileage with my truck, but if I can do some things to improve it why not? I have always kept track of every tank of gas I put through my vehicles, so when someone tells me they are getting such and such mileage I always ask if they keep track or if they are just figuring in their head and 99% are just figuring in their head.

I love it when I hear the "xxx miles per tank of gas." I ask them how they figure their gas mileage and their response is that they determine this by when the low fuel light comes on.

I have always kept track of my fuel economy since the day I drove my truck off the lot. I have to agree with you that there is nothing wrong with trying to get better fuel economy from our trucks. I get tired of the "if you wanted better fuel economy you should have bought a Prius" retort as it is just such bunk. The response to this should be;

• If you wanted a lifted truck you should have bought Bigfoot
• If you wanted more horsepower you should have bought muscle car
• If you wanted better towing you should have bought a semi
• If you wanted to go faster you should have bought a top fuel dragster
• If you wanted a better stereo system you should have bought a rock band
• If you you wanted a louder exhaust you should have bought a beater
• If you wanted a reliable truck you should have bought a Toyota - oh wait, you did.

[400excracer]

Well, I just got back from my vacation to Colorado and I did pretty well. I averaged 18.4mpg over 3000 miles. This includes the 4 hour trip up to Engineer Pass (elv 12,800 ft) in low 4. I am amazed how well my truck did climbing that mountain with being completely stock. The Jeep guys were amazed as well. My best tank was 19.8mpg.

[Highwaylizard]

Wow,

That five speed transmission sure makes a difference. I wish I had gotten a 2005 or 2006 as opposed to the 2004. Oh-well, I still love my truck. Nice numbers. A few modifications could push you into the 20+ MPG range.

[knucklebusted]

Originally Posted by Highwaylizard

I am not sure the OP was complaining about or voicing concern over his fuel economy. To the contrary, he seemed rather elated at his numbers. Even if fuel economy was on his list of concerns would there be anything wrong with wanting to improve it?

My post was not a "Get a Prius" post. That was not the spirit of my post. It was a simple stating of the obvious of what physics dictates. A 2+ ton truck can only be improved so much. The part you didn't quote was, among other things, the recommendation to lighten the truck as much as possible and keep it tuned up. Almost no fuel-increasing devices provide any benefit.

[nicculi]

I get 16-17, 32 mile round trip to work. 60/40 freeway/city. I'm pretty happy with that. My T-100 only go 19-20 at best on the freeway. with the added luxury and power, I love my Tundra.

[netrickyaz]

i always get 18.5-18.9 MPG and once i got 19.5 i would love to see 20 but people anger me so there are those times i cant avoid hitting the gas :P