Having lived in California for a few years and now in Maryland for the last 5 years, I can say that with my last vehicle, mileage went up 2mpg here. I think it has more to do with the additives used here as opposed to California. Not sure if that is the case now with the Tundra or not, but it seems like those in CA are not getting as high mileage...
For comparison's sake, I'm only getting 13mpg on my first tank. Almost all city though, and at the times of day when I'm on the highway, it's not any faster than driving through the city. I've most definitely floored my truck though... several times.
I always get 12-13 with mine so don't expect much if any improvement. I got 12.3 on my last tank.
Not true.. Ethanol based fuels actually have "issues" not because of octane but because of the way they burn. One gallon of ethanol doesn't produce as much energy as 1 gallon of gasoline. That's because ethanol and gasoline burn at different rates. It takes more ethanol to go 100 miles than is does gasoline. It's a known fact and is something that has been debated in the fuel circles for a long time. If vehicles were setup to run more on ethanol then we would all have to fill up more often.
"The other negative aspect of this inefficient fuel is that numerous studies have found that ethanol creates less energy than is required to make it. Other studies have found that ethanol creates "slightly" more energy than is used in its production. Yet not one of these studies takes into account that when E85 is used, the vehicle's fuel efficiency drops by at least 25% -- and possibly by as much as 40%. Using any of the accredited studies as a baseline in an energy-efficiency equation, ethanol when used as a fuel is a net energy waste." -- Ethanol: A Tragedy in 3 Acts
The mileage drop of 25% is not necessarily a rule. In fact no drop at all is possible with an engine setup to run ethanol. The problem arises when an NA engine is setup to burn fossil fuels or corn.
You're right a gallon of ethanol has fewer btu's than gasoline, but it has been demonstrated many times an engine setup to run strictly ethanol, 85% or 100%, mileage is actually better. MIT modified an engine to run up to 100% ethanol which resulted in a 30% increase in mileage according to them by changing the injection method. MIT Ups MPG 30 Percent With Ethanol-Injected Engine | TechFreep Automotive
Iowa State university recently had a Chevy Silverado at the Iowa State fair which I attended in which they changed pistons to raise compression and some timing modifications which resulted in a 3-5% increase in fuel mileage with e-85 from traditional 87 gasoline.
Saab is currently selling a turbocharged engine that when ethanol is used the boost is able to be raised which results in substantial power gains. 20% hp and 25% more ft lbs with ethanol vs gasoline with no loss in fuel economy. This technology also won Popular Science "Best of What’s New" award in 2005. The Biopower Beast!
On Saturday, I got the "Contractor" truck from my dealer until my truck comes in (this is the truck they give to the local contractor to test out for a few days). It read 16.9 MPG when I got it and you know that the contractors have been putting a beating on it.
Iowa State university recently had a Chevy Silverado at the Iowa State fair which I attended in which they changed pistons to raise compression and some timing modifications which resulted in a 3-5% increase in fuel mileage with e-85 from traditional 87 gasoline.
I would probably take an experiment like that with a grain of salt. I think it would be safe to say that Iowa has a vested interest in the success of E-85 and other ethanol fuels.
How would that experimental truck run with normal gas? The current vehicles that are E-85 capable are somewhat of a compromise because they have to run on both fuels.
I checked mine at 1200 miles and got 16.75 mpg. I checked it by dividing the miles by the gallons. Since then I turned off the vsc and my display is reading a little higher. It is at 17.3. It is reading about 1 mpg higher than before I turned the vsc off.
I would probably take an experiment like that with a grain of salt. I think it would be safe to say that Iowa has a vested interest in the success of E-85 and other ethanol fuels.
How would that experimental truck run with normal gas? The current vehicles that are E-85 capable are somewhat of a compromise because they have to run on both fuels.
Yes Iowa has an interest in ethanol. They made no wild claims, 3-5% is not much, and it cannot burn regular gasoline, has to run on e85 or higher. I think they just want to squash the myth ethanol gets terrible mileage.
The E85 capable engines of today are definitely a compromise but don't blame ethanol. The problem is an engine not designed for it. Saab is on to something with their variable turbos and timing.
Try turning off the traction control and vehicle stability system. You'll need to shift manually but it works great. Press the traction control button and hold it for 3-4 seconds while parked and you'll see 2 lights pop up on the dash rather than 1.
It seems to have added about 3 MPG for me!
What do you mean you'll have to shift manually? If what you are saying is like an infinity g35 i drove while in sequential mode. It actually is a sequential select if i'm not mistaken?
So if you select S-5 then it will not come out of that gear until you manually do it?
If this is what you are saying, then this is an awesome new feature.
What do you mean you'll have to shift manually? If what you are saying is like an infinity g35 i drove while in sequential mode. It actually is a sequential select if i'm not mistaken?
So if you select S-5 then it will not come out of that gear until you manually do it?
If this is what you are saying, then this is an awesome new feature.
If you get on the gas it will shift down...it just doesn't do it near as easily as running in full automatic mode.
I'm getting better fuel mileage on higher octane.....I think.
I've changed my driving habits a good bit so I think I will try different octanes again on the next couple of fill ups. By the way...Chevron Premium for me...from a month old station in my neighborhood.
Definitly NOT true I have found out. My truck is now averaging about 21.4 mpg on the way to work after switching back to the low octane 87. Lower octanes burn hotter. Higher octane is for high compression engines to eliminate pre-ignition which causes knocking that can damage these engines.
I will add a video for the non-believers HERE.
I set the cruise at 70 and put it in Sequential 6. Still doing more testing. Truck has about 870 miles on it now.
I got 17.9 on my last tank which included city driving in bay area for 2 days followed by a 2.5 hour drive towing the jetski on a trailer and then driving home. This included towing the jetski over a mountain and driving back over the same mountain with no jetski on the way home. I filled up around 45 miles prior to the end of the trip reset mileage and this tank hit 18.9 but is now at around 18.7. I think this proves just how much traffic sucks in my area. I had to leave the bay area at a time where there was no traffic to hit these numbers. But even with bad traffic I almost averaged 15 mpg according to the computer. I should manually check it and see how accurate it really is.
All that being said if I lived in country town type environment I think I could get high 16's to low 17's in town because there are less stop and goes.
Just got a new Tundra 4X2 SR5 TRD 5.7 last week from the company I
work for. Got 16.6 mpg on the first tank. Getting 19.1 on the current
tank. The truck is awesome. Ordered chrome door handles and will
pick them up at the dealer tomorrow.
Re: Good mpg!
All of it was city driving.
Re: Good mpg!
Linear Mode
