This blog is about my search for better fuel economy for my truck. I have a 2004 Toyota Tundra Double cab with a V8 engine, four wheel drive, and a four speed automatic transmission. Of all the years the Tundra has been available it appears that the 2004 DC truck, because of its size and engine/transmission configuration, gets the worst mileage of all the Tundras. The Gross Vehicle Weight of the truck is 6600 pounds and the EPA fuel economy rating for the truck is 14 mpg in the city and 17 mpg on the freeway. In all honesty these fuel economy figures are both generous and unrealistic.
I have a personal Blog with more detailed information about my testing and my findings. Detailed spreadsheets of my fuel economy and test conditions can be emailed from my email account at highwaylizard@gmail.com
Please feel free to subscribe to my blog here on this forum through the RSS feed or my personal Blog.
Thanks for looking and ask any questions you may have.
I have a personal Blog with more detailed information about my testing and my findings. Detailed spreadsheets of my fuel economy and test conditions can be emailed from my email account at highwaylizard@gmail.com
Please feel free to subscribe to my blog here on this forum through the RSS feed or my personal Blog.
Thanks for looking and ask any questions you may have.
MPG Numbers 4-19-2009B
Posted 04-19-2009 at 04:40 PM by Highwaylizard
MPG Numbers 4-19-2009B
Filled up today:
I must say that I am quite pleased with these numbers as I had been expecting to only get between 8 and 10 miles to the gallon. The entire time on the freeway the cruise control was set at 70 MPH with the exception of running up the hills. On the hills I disengaged the cruise control to prevent the truck from dropping down a gear.
There were several instances where I had he truck completely floored in order to keep a dangerous driver behind me. This driver was running in the right lane behind a semi tractor-trailer and we were in the left lane. As I was approaching him to pass in the left lane he would wait until we were about ten feet behind him and then, without any turn signals or warning, would whip his vehicle directly in front of us. He did this each time we attempted to pass him. He was running at about 65 MPH until we started to overtake and pass him at which point he would whip over into our lane and hold us back until he got around the semi – another five miles down the road.
Upon arriving in Cromwell, Indiana, we discovered that the center cap on the passenger side wheel of the trailer was missing. Grease had been spun out of the hub all over the wheel. We borrowed a grease gun from the seller of the mower we were picking up and pumped it up for the run back to Indianapolis. I am not sure what happened to the cap but suspect a new employee tried to stand on the hub in order to look over the top of the walls into the trailer.
Tomorrow I get to go out and try and find a replacement. No telling how much damage was done so I will pull the hub apart for inspection. I have wanted to put a heavier axle under the trailer for awhile so this may be a good excuse.
I have a personal Blog with pictures and more detailed information about my testing and my findings. Detailed spreadsheets of my fuel economy and test conditions can be emailed from my email account at highwaylizard@gmail.com
Please feel free to subscribe to my blog here on this forum through the RSS feed or my personal Blog.
Thanks for looking and ask any questions you may have.
Filled up today:
- All highway driving with trailer
- 208.6 miles
- 17.938 gallons Shell87
- 11.6289 MPG
- .5533 increase in MPG since last of highway driving
- Overall average city driving for this month 14.0290 MPG
- Overall average highway driving for this month 15.3607 MPG
I must say that I am quite pleased with these numbers as I had been expecting to only get between 8 and 10 miles to the gallon. The entire time on the freeway the cruise control was set at 70 MPH with the exception of running up the hills. On the hills I disengaged the cruise control to prevent the truck from dropping down a gear.
There were several instances where I had he truck completely floored in order to keep a dangerous driver behind me. This driver was running in the right lane behind a semi tractor-trailer and we were in the left lane. As I was approaching him to pass in the left lane he would wait until we were about ten feet behind him and then, without any turn signals or warning, would whip his vehicle directly in front of us. He did this each time we attempted to pass him. He was running at about 65 MPH until we started to overtake and pass him at which point he would whip over into our lane and hold us back until he got around the semi – another five miles down the road.
Upon arriving in Cromwell, Indiana, we discovered that the center cap on the passenger side wheel of the trailer was missing. Grease had been spun out of the hub all over the wheel. We borrowed a grease gun from the seller of the mower we were picking up and pumped it up for the run back to Indianapolis. I am not sure what happened to the cap but suspect a new employee tried to stand on the hub in order to look over the top of the walls into the trailer.
Tomorrow I get to go out and try and find a replacement. No telling how much damage was done so I will pull the hub apart for inspection. I have wanted to put a heavier axle under the trailer for awhile so this may be a good excuse.
I have a personal Blog with pictures and more detailed information about my testing and my findings. Detailed spreadsheets of my fuel economy and test conditions can be emailed from my email account at highwaylizard@gmail.com
Please feel free to subscribe to my blog here on this forum through the RSS feed or my personal Blog.
Thanks for looking and ask any questions you may have.
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