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 6-04-2009
Posted 06-23-2009 at 10:37 AM by Highwaylizard
Filled up today:
These miles were generated with all city driving while pulling a trailer for most of those miles. At least 75 of those miles were with the trailer very heavily loaded while we were doing tree work. For the heavy trailer/tree work scenario the truck was loaded up with three guys and all my tree equipment. The weight of the tree equipment was another 300 pounds in the bed of the truck. Even so, despite the significant weight and all city driving the in-city loaded trailer miles per gallon actually went up by nearly one full MPG. I attribute this to the new gears.
Recently I switched out the front and rear differential on my truck from 4:10’s to 3:91’s – not exactly by choice. I had expected this changeover to have a detrimental effect on my mileage when pulling the trailer. I have been pleasantly surprised to find that the opposite has occurred; my mileage has gone up. I do have a little concern about how this re-gearing will affect my transmission and I am careful to take the truck out of overdrive when pulling the trailer. I do not expect to be pulling the trailer much longer as I have the business for sale.
Not much else to report. I have not been able to post with regularity as the business and trouble on the home front have taken the majority of my time and energy. I am hoping to be able to find some time to write more often. As of this writing I have eight posts that need to be written up and posted to the Blog.
As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to email us. For more information about my testing take a look at my personal blog at Tundra Fuel Economy. Feel free to drop in, look around, and drop some comments or ask questions.
- All city driving mostly trailer with very heavy trailer because of tree work
- 282 miles
- 20.307 gallons Shell87
- 13.8868 MPG
- .9521 increase in MPG since last of city driving with the trailer
These miles were generated with all city driving while pulling a trailer for most of those miles. At least 75 of those miles were with the trailer very heavily loaded while we were doing tree work. For the heavy trailer/tree work scenario the truck was loaded up with three guys and all my tree equipment. The weight of the tree equipment was another 300 pounds in the bed of the truck. Even so, despite the significant weight and all city driving the in-city loaded trailer miles per gallon actually went up by nearly one full MPG. I attribute this to the new gears.
Recently I switched out the front and rear differential on my truck from 4:10’s to 3:91’s – not exactly by choice. I had expected this changeover to have a detrimental effect on my mileage when pulling the trailer. I have been pleasantly surprised to find that the opposite has occurred; my mileage has gone up. I do have a little concern about how this re-gearing will affect my transmission and I am careful to take the truck out of overdrive when pulling the trailer. I do not expect to be pulling the trailer much longer as I have the business for sale.
Not much else to report. I have not been able to post with regularity as the business and trouble on the home front have taken the majority of my time and energy. I am hoping to be able to find some time to write more often. As of this writing I have eight posts that need to be written up and posted to the Blog.
As always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to email us. For more information about my testing take a look at my personal blog at Tundra Fuel Economy. Feel free to drop in, look around, and drop some comments or ask questions.
Total Comments 0
Comments
Recent Blog Entries by Highwaylizard
- MPG Numbers 6-30-2009 (07-08-2009)
- MPG Numbers 6-27-2009 (07-08-2009)
- MPG Numbers 6-25-2009 (07-07-2009)
- MPG Numbers 6-24-2009 (07-06-2009)
- MPG Numbers 6-22-2009B (07-02-2009)
