And we all thank you for doing your part on taking out those nasty blood suckers

Just for some fun tech to add here -and random stream of consciousness:

5th gen drag coefficient is 0.36. It's just a bit lower than a Tacoma at around 0.39. And much better than a Wrangler JL at .46.

Fuel efficient cars like the Prius or Tesla model 3 are more like 0.25 range.

Also to figure out the actual force required to push through the air you multiply the coefficient "Cd" by the frontal area and then by air density times velocity squared divided by two. So Cd*reference area*[(air density*velocity^2) / 2].

When you start screwing up the air flow with things like roof racks and tents, it gets a lot worse.

Smooth air flow over the surface like this probably keeps the windshield clean because the bugs are heavier than air and so they'll tend to be thrown out of the air flow as it changes direction. The angle of the windshield compared to the hood is basically why the bugs end up on the windshield and not flowing over top. It's very possible that the small bug deflectors really do make a big difference by deflecting air up before the bugs are ejected from the air flow. They probably also cost you about 0.5-1mpg at highway speeds.

GM published a pretty interesting article about this and how things like bug deflectors and fender flares can really hurt your mpg. They also said that a mesh tail gate is the worst possible solution, open tail gate is also worse than closed, and closed is best. Closed with a soft bed cover is actually the best possible truck configuration over a hard cover. And running boards actually help quite a bit if they're designed correctly.

For a 4Runner - I've always been curious about having a front air-dam to see how much it helps. Something remove able or maybe even an electric flip down part of the front skid plate. I think for the lifted 4runners like mine it could help significantly, especially if you made a similar drop down side skirt that became part of the rock slider when it lifted up. If I could net 2-3mpg on the highway, I'd probably do it. OTOH - the better solution to all of these areas is height adjustable suspension. I've tried, failed, but haven't totally given up on that. I can't work out a viable front solution that's doesn't' either involve dropping down to a small shock diameter and using a bag-over coil, or some sort of complex linkage based solution. The rear is easy.

finally, random though #? - for those of us who are older - I love seeing a windshield covered in bugs. It reminds me of how it used to be. Before we killed all the insects. A clean windshield is kind of a scary thought - because it means that there's no insects around. And I'm sure many of us have noticed the significant decline over the last 20 years in insects on our cars. I don't think it's all the result of better air flow. And I'm troubled that it's a sign of how we're killing our ecosystems in ways that we don't really measure very well.

Hit a love bug cloud yet? :0

Attached is a photo of my dash showing my MPG so far. I did reset the MPG at last fill up. I am waiting till the fuel light is on to fill up so I know exactly how much fuel I have left when the fuel light is on. This MPG is driving 80% highway and 20% local road. My 08 FJ with 191k miles on it also got close to the same mileage during the warmer weather.

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I roll 75-80 with a lifted Truck..........if I did 60 with stock tires I might get that!

“‘Bout as aerodynamic as a flow through tea bag with both ends plugged up.” Heard someone at the 1960 Oakland Roadster Show describe the XR6 roadster that way. HMMM, sounds like a ‘Runner. “Bugs don’t die on aerodynamic surfaces.” From a motorcycle mag in the ‘70’s.

Nice! I haven't reset mine in a while, so 21 is average over a couple months or so. Again, I think a light foot is a key contributor.

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I've heard its the aerodynamics and the angle of the front windshield that sucks things towards the windshield. This is also the reason I replace my windshield twice a year on average. I usually wait until I have at least 5 chips and a crack that is 7 inches long. Its brutal.

Buy a new house with a 3 car garage. Leave the 4Runner garaged except on trips and buy a Prius for around town and non-4x4 trips.

My father-in-law just got back from Kalifornia. Gas was over $4.50 a gallon. That's twice what it is in Texas. Maybe you should just trade in your 4-Runner if you live there.

Are you going solely by the on-board or are you hand calculating? Of the 6 vehicles my wife and I have owned with on-board fuel economy readouts, only 2 were typically within 5% of the on-board. The others were/are typically reading 1.5 to 2.5 mpg over hand calc.

Also, are you resetting the on- board at each fill up?

Aerodynamic drag causes a huge demand for HP, which means fuel consumption will go up. The gearing will also play a part. We would hope that Toyota is able to produce a power curve that results in the best BSFC ( brake specific fuel consumption) being available where the majority of the engine rpm range will be required. If we do things to our 4Runners that require a gearing change we could move our cruising rpm to a more inefficient point on the BSFC curve. But in reality, the 4Runner is not your most aerodynamic vehicle, especially when lifted.

Toyota improved the gas mileage on the 3rd gen Taco, but then people complained about the tranny searching for gears and it being underpowered....

My 4runner trys to get to 5th gear as soon as possible and I find myself planting my foot into it to get up the hills around here. I started manually shifting it and it helps. We dont have many flat roads around these parts.

I advise every owner to get a Pedal Commander......it is worth it and makes it drive like it should!