Thanks curserunner!

How does your rig handle on the highway? Also--HOW are you getting 20-19 MPG. I run 87 sometimes 89 and get, on the highway, 13.45 mpg no matter what. Going up hills with people in the back? 13.45. Heading on I-40 for 200 miles with no climbing or crazy passing? 13.45. Coupled with the shaking and the still loose steering, I just avoid highways.

Hey Keaton! My rig loves the highway honestly. It’s not winning any races, but if I can hit hills at 70-73 I can pull a lot of them in fifth, even if I end up doing 60-63. No shakes, no pulls, I am getting comfortable with taking 4th gear up to around 3300-3500 sustained to keep with traffic. That being said I try to stay out of the throttle as much as possible and let the truck set the pace - old 22re habits. I do have the knock sensor bypass (code 52) so I try not to bog it too much and err on the side of downshifting if I feel like it’s getting loaded.

I think there is a bunch of factors that go into the mpg.
Motor: cleaned injectors with fresh seals on them, valves cleaned and clearanced, oem plugs/wires/distributor, EGR/cat delete, fresh rings, synthetic 5/30, oem exhaust
Drivetrain: ADD delete, 5speed manual (this is a big one I think), 4.56 gears, synthetic fluids in all cases
Tires: 33.10.5.15 ko2’s which are lighter than most tires as well as not an overly beefy tread + aluminum SR5 rims
Other: I deleted the AC compressor and belt - I have had mixed reviews from old toyota guys. Some people say it makes no difference because if it’s on the truck but not on it doesn’t tax the system. I was the one that pulled it off and I saw the pressure that AC system had in it, pretty incredible. Kind of like your ADD hubs we talked about, they could be moving even when disengaged - I felt that way about the AC.
Making sure no breaks are dragging all the way around and that the hubs, bearings and joints are well greased and in good working order.
I have noticed a difference with running premium fuel.
Keeping the weight down with just the minimal amount of gear and no giant bumpers - I could probably get more if I pulled the roof racks off, but I really like the look and don’t get any extra sound from it. I will probably pull them next winter.
Sensors are another issue - I replaced the ignition coil module with a used module (was throwing a code), also replacing the fuel filter. The big one here was replacing the o2 sensor with a denso oem one - even though it never threw an o2 code.
Advanced timing to between 11-13 (possibly lessened the mpg, but I felt like i would be better off staying out of the throttle and letting the advance work then fighting the pedal and gears to keep up good speed.
Tires run at a firmer pressure.

And that’s basically it. Honestly I went from 15-16 average in town to 18 in one tank, had been running a few thousand at the lower average. They run the same kind of gas year round up here, so I can’t account it to that. I think the motor is just finally breaking in after the rebuild.

My truck sounds extremely similar to yours regarding what I've done. I still have smog/emissions and A/C (essential down here in Redneck swamp kuntry). 5speed, 4.56s, still have my OEM cat though, advanced to 12*, new O2, but I run smaller tires. Thinking about deleting ADD but that was one of the neatest features of the truck new. With the big 'ol roof basket off I wonder now if I get any better MPGs. That and keeping to 70 MPH. Too bad it shakes the sh*t out of you at that speed. Thanks for the info.

crap I miss living in alaska!
Adding that air brake CVT tent will cut your mileage a bit but it will be worth it. Nice being off the ground when camping

Got the RTT and awning mounted up and few test sleeps the last couple weekends. I sleep great on the memory foam, and it is super handy not to have to pull everything out of the back to go to bed. I am getting around 17.5 mpg city these days, driving conservatively. It is definitely a kite up there on the roof, but not as bad as it looks. It took some finesse to get the yakima bars and track mounts on the tent where I wanted it, but it ended up good. I am still in the process of trusting the tent up there at highway speeds, but getting more comfortable by the day.

Speaking of comfort, I ended up measuring my shock mounts and getting a rear shock that was about 3" shorter than what I had on there. Just some oreilly cheap thing, not even sure about the application. I had to drill out the stud holes on one end to work but got them on there. It solved my bottoming out issue I was having, which is great not to have to worry about.

I saved my old shocks because eventually I will go with cruiser coils in the rear and those shocks will work with that application.

Got all the gear sorted out and looking forward to hitting the road this summer!

Man I'm always worried about the shear factor on the bolts. A rooftop tent looks amazing though.

Wish my runner came with roofrails. I wonder how hard it would be to install factory rails if you're runner never came with them...

O.B.A.K: the mileage is awesome with the tent up there!
actually not too bad. i extended my factory rails about 20". I used a 1/4-20 nutsert kit off amazon
20180322_124327 by ocdropzone, on Flickr
i drilled the holes, just barely punching through the sheet metalI just sealed the holes with a liberal dose of silicone. 2 years later no leaks.

sorry for the thread jack

Your welcome to pop in any time dropzone!

Sweet build! Definitely how I see mine turning out until I can afford to dive down the SAS rabbit hole. It's also awesome to see you're getting some solid gas mileage out of your 3.0

Thanks Danny. Yeah the whole gas mileage thing has been the biggest surprise of this whole build. If I dropped down to 31’s I could probably break 20! I am pretty happy with the way the build turned out. Some days I look at it and want more stance-12.5” wide tires and offset rims or wheel spacers.

I think second phase of this build will be land cruiser coils in the rear, and it’s a toss up with what happens up front. I’ve read a lot about the blazeland long travel kits, and since it’s such a daily I am leaning towards that option more than an SAS at this point.

I’m very interested in the awning you are running. What brand is it? Thanks and keep up the work!


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Right on, yeah long travel is fun. I'm building my 06 Tacoma with LT currently, so that's why I'm leaning SAS. LT is a lot of maintenance though, and I think if you did the SAS right you could be pretty comfy riding around daily. However, LT is really cush and fun off road lol.

Hey Chazz thanks! The awning is a Tepui. 6x6 deployed, bought it through REi and had it delivered to my local store. ARB also makes a nice one that I was leaning towards, but this one had the right price with a discount.