Gas mileage, what the h.

[KGster]

Ok, I know that there are a lot of posts on here about poor mileage on these trucks but I feel mine is doing exceptionally poor. I've got a 2005 Doublecab, V8 with about 75,000 that is stock other than a bed cover. I've been averaging 14.5 on strictly highway and about 11 in town. I know that I am not driving it at speeds that the EPA mpg was set but I think it could do better. I absolutely love the truck but this really stinks!

Any insights as what to look for?


Here's a pic.

[Sportsmanphil]

When I keep it at 60mph I get 17.5 to 18.5. When I bump it to 75+ my mileage drops to 15 or so.

[characterzero]

Which tires are those? Pull the specs off the sidewall and look up the weight on tirerack.
OEM tires probably weigh 43lb ea, those probably 53lb...lots of additional weight to spin up.

[ZapcoTundra]

i get about 8 in town and up to 20 on the hwy. but as of recent i have been averaging around 12 in town with the winter blend gas. these trucks are underpowered and dont have the best of transmitions so theres only so much you can do to make them get decent milage. i quit caring about gas milage because its a truck and thats what is expected.

[Remmy700P]

You need clean, properly-gapped spark plugs, a clean air filter, a clean throttle body, properly inflated tires.

If you wanted to invest a little more, you can replace both upstream fuel-air sensors. After 75,000 miles, you might recapture 1-2mpg just by doing that.

As was mentioned, however, your biggest bang-for-the-buck is lightening up on the go-pedal.

[Sportsmanphil]

That is another thing to consider, your tire size and weight.

Mine roll .1 further than the odometer mile. Basically using my GPS mileage or the highway mile markers, I get 1.1 to ever mile. So when I calculate my mileage I have to add 10% to my trip mileage.

[characterzero]

Which tires are those? Pull the specs off the sidewall and look up the weight on tirerack.
OEM tires probably weigh 43lb ea, those probably 53lb...lots of additional weight to spin up.

[kerryman71]

As was mentioned, check the spark plugs, air filter, throttle body, proper tire inflation, alignment etc. Changing all fluids over to synthetics could help a little too. A lot of times you think you're getting crappy mileage because there's something wrong with the truck when it could be as simple as changing driving habits. Slowing it down a bit will help, but unecessary idling could be a bigger issue if you do it.

John

[Tundrasooner22]

Drive slower and ease up on the throttle.

[Highwaylizard]

Fuel Economy
Tundra Fuel Economy
Basic Maintenance Items to Check

I recommend getting up to date on all the maintenance points before looking into doing anything else.

[SuckersWalk]

Ok, I know that there are a lot of posts on here about poor mileage on these trucks but I feel mine is doing exceptionally poor.

You are correct in that there are a lot of posts here about poor mileage, especially withe the DCs. However, if you would take the time to read those threads you'll find that you are right in range of the mpgs that the average TS member with a DC experiences. My recommendation is to either deal with it, change your driving habits, clean and/or replace all the usual tune up parts, or any combination of these. As a last resort, you could always get a dodge with a tornado installed in the intake tube already.

Seriously though, trowing money in hopes to get numbers the lizzard sees is rarely a good return on investment. Happy trails bro!

[5 Speed]

There was a article posted by the National Highway Traffic Institute or something like that that showed that a vehicle going 75mph consumes 50 percent more fuel than a vehicle going 55 miles per hour. I don't think they were trying to prove anything else than the increase of wind resistance results in more fuel consumption regardless of profile or anything else. With my scanguage I can really see the difference real time. Speed costs.

[seanpistol]

Electric fans and a lighter foot.


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[tundrunk]

MPG threads... used to hate 'em, still kinda do. First thing's first here. How are you measuring your MPG's? Suggestions while I wait on the answer:

Keep a clean air filter. Keep your oil/trans/diff fluids changed frequently. Keep your tire pressure up, with winter time hitting it's the season to bump your pressure up. Run a good brand of gas, Shell or Chevron 87 octane is what I run on. Make sure your brakes are adjusted properly, if your drums are dragging they are adding resistance. Keep your truck clean, hauling around an undercarriage full of mud cakes won't help you. Old spark plugs won't help, if you need to replace yours look for Denso, but keep in mind spark plugs make a minimal difference unless you are replacing fouled plugs.

Driving wise, keeping a lighter foot is a general statement. From watching my Scan gauge as if it will give me the secret to life, I've found that a super slow start doesn't necessarily yield the best miles per gallon. If you under push the pedal, the motor doesn't reach an efficient RPM while building momentum, therefore is not providing the best mileage it can give. Drive around 2k RPM on streets, try to keep momentum at all times with minimal foot pressure. Coast to stops, no need to be the first guy at the red light unless you have some serious boogers to pick. (in which case you should wait till rolling again to release) Avoid short trips and idling for long periods of time.

The best thing I did to improve my mileage was pick up a scan gauge. I know there are cell phone apps out there to do a similar function, but I wanted something permanent that I didn't have to worry about occupying my phone with. I average 18 MPG on my commute to work and back, that's 4 miles of stoplights and 8 miles of highway through a canyon(uphill and downhill). On longer freeway trips I average 21 MPG, keep in mind I have big tires and lowered gears but I'm sure you can get more than 14 MPG if you adjust your driving habits. I invested about $100 in that gauge and learned a lot about how to efficiently drive my truck.

[hmgtundra]

Loose some weights! ahahah.. jk