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General Thoughts on Fuel Economy

14K views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  Highwaylizard 
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The subject of Tundra fuel economy is a reoccurring theme here on the forum and one of personal interest for me. While the subject of fuel economy is a valid one it is only a matter of time before the smart-aleck comments about "if you were worried about fuel economy you should have bought a prius" and the like start showing up. Personally I find these observations to be completely asinine. I do not troll the forums on suspensions and tell guys they should have bought a monster truck, tell guys seeking information about stereos that they should have bought tickets to the Who concert, or tell guys on the towing forum they should have bought a Class 8 tractor. I think most of us are cognizant of the fact that energy prices as a whole are never going to go down in the overall picture. Prices may dip temporarily but as a whole, so long as our energy needs are fulfilled by non-renewable resources, the cost of energy will always increase. There is nothing wrong with voicing concerns about dwindling fuel economy or looking for ways to improve it. The day complaints take on the nature of asking why a Tundra gets worse fuel economy than a Camary then I will be the one to break out the flame thrower.

I have logged every single mile I have driven the truck since the day I drove it off the lot. I purchased my truck used at just a little over 100,000 miles and currently have 194,454 miles on the odometer. Up until the madness of the last year I kept insanely accurate track of my fuel economy. Initially my fuel mileage was 14-15 MPG on the highway at the speed limit. I now run 70+ MPH and average 17.5 MPG. My best highway MPG's to date is 21.4 MPG (scroll down to September 15th). I test various aftermarket components and fuel saving devices on my own dime. I research various theories and test those as well. I make up my own theories and test them along with designing my own fuel saving devices. It consumes nearly 100% of my Walter Mitty mind but who cares - I like my hobbies and the Future Mrs. Lizard puts up with all of it rather well.

There are a few approaches to fuel economy that I see:

  • restoring lost fuel economy
  • maintaining fuel economy
  • finding or freeing up "hidden" horsepower in order to realize a gain in fuel economy
  • driving habits or characteristics
  • fuel grade (winter/summer) as well as quality (freshness)
From a very early age I can remember thinking and wondering about fuel economy. While yet still quite young I came to the conclusion that absent drastic change in fuel economy it would be rather likely that we would run out of petroleum in our lifetime. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to improve fuel economy and have tested many of my personal theories and inventions. I have also tested devices or products available for sale to the general public. Some of these devices have worked while others have only served to lighten my wallet. I take nothing for granted and have found in a few instances that the general consensus is off base or completely wrong. I am a hands-on kind of guy and most of what I write about is based on my personal observations and testing.

If you have questions please do not hesitate to shoot me an email at highwaylizard@gmail.com and I will do my best to get an answer out to you in a timely fashion. My in box here at the Forum fills up pretty fast so you can get through to me much faster through my email address. Be advised that I am a single father working and raising a son in conjunction with my research so if I do not respond to you right away send me another email a week or two later. In the meantime feel free to visit my Blog on Tundra Fuel Economy.
 
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