Aftermarket Bumpers and MPG, Tube & Plate POLL

[Whitson Metalworks]

OK, I've been chasing down a lost 2 mpg since around the time I finished my front bumper, a tube/plate hybrid design. I've tuned up as much as I can tune up, changed fluids, checked tire pressures, etc... and I'm hoping its not a mystery problem with the truck but rather a drawback to having a kicka$$ bumper(s).

My poll is to see if you lost MPG with your tube or plate bumper. My theory with mine at least, is that its obviously not as aerodynamic as the stocker and the front tires get plowed into a lot more air than when they were largely hidden.

Thanks for any input!

 

[eightyhd]

might consider winter gas, 10% ethanol added to 87.

I average about 17MPG

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

Never heard of that in Florida but I do run 89 every other tank, no difference noticed.

 

[ALBPM]

ARB and no change in mileage.

 

[dtc81]

I haven't built/bought a front bumper (yet) to notice a difference in that respect, but as eightyhd mentioned winter gas, I always notice a 2-3 mpg decrease around late october-may with the same driving habits...

 

[02_SE_Runner]

:lol: Anyone want to donate one for testing? lol

 

[BrianSD_42]

The roof rack, especially with lights will probably change the aerodynamics a lot more than modifying the front bumper.

MPG conversations are all blah. If you getting 15-19 then that is within government specs for 3rd gen V6 4Runner. Some of the guys with SCs installed seem to get 17-22 or so they say. Unfortunately I only get 16-18 but hey I'm happy.

I think the biggest issue / slowdown is WEIGHT, everyone adds a lot of weight.

 

[98OzarksRunner]

When I put on my ARB and winch, the extra 160# cost me about 1 MPG, but I still average 18.0 city/highway.

 

[Qyota]

I just noticed the change to "winter fuel" a few weeks ago. I've made no changes to my truck, yet the drop was significant...about 2-3 mpg.

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

i would love to point at gas as the culprit, but i cant find any solid info that winter blend gasoline is used in Florida. Whats strange to me is that my scanguage data hasn't changed, i still cruise around and see the same TPS readings, the same instant MPG, the truck feels great...

 

[Snowy21]

I didn't notice any significant change with my tube bumper. 19 at 70-75 on the interstate and 15 in strictly city driving

 

[4Running Daily]

I didn't notice any significant change with my tube bumper. 19 at 70-75 on the interstate and 15 in strictly city driving

That's what I get with 265's, no armor at all, and a 2inch lift.

Maybe I should try driving slowly.

 

[snow junky]

extra ethanol in your gas will kill a few mpg. weight of bumper wouldnt kill anymore then a passenger


Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

 

[nissanh]

I noticed a big change after moving from CA/NV to LA.

In CA/NV highway : 21 max and City 17-18
In LA Highway: 16-17 Max and City : No, I am not going to find it out. If I do, I will sell my 4runner!

 

[fish0281]

I didn't notice any change with my bumper and like a few others have said, the weight difference (and aerodynamics for that matter) would not likely be enough to cause a difference.

Have you checked the brakes/bearings/drivetrain to make sure everything is ok?

 

[Greg_Canada]

It's not just winter gas that effects your MPG, when air is colder, it is more dense, so more fuel is needed to maintain the 14.7:1 stoich ratio. The colder it is outside, the worse MPG and more power you will get. It's science.

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

ok, i understand everyones winter related concerns but i'm in Florida, throw everything you know about winter out the window. a few days ago i was wearing shorts, today it'll be low 70's, it's rarely cold enough to even frost here. still searching the web for info on where, if anywhere, in my area winter gas is used. I've never seen it posted at a gas station or anything though.

 

[fish0281]

It's not just winter gas that effects your MPG, when air is colder, it is more dense, so more fuel is needed to maintain the 14.7:1 stoich ratio. The colder it is outside, the worse MPG and more power you will get. It's science.

You're right that cold affects efficiency, but your explanation isn't quite right. It's more likely that your fuel economy suffers in cold weather due to other factors than the density of air (changes in density due to temp are extremely small):

- Overall efficiency, i.e., cold oil is more restrictive to motion
- Fuel doesn't atomize/vaporize as well in colder temps so it doesn't burn and ends up going out the tail pipe (or burning up in the CC if you have a working one)
- The heat transfer of the hot engine to the cold surroundings is increased, thereby converting less of the combustion energy to power (think heat engine)​

Anyway, sorry to derail your thread, I just am avoiding work at work and felt compelled to chime in on this winter talk that doesn't matter to you since you're in Florida... that being said, winter blend fuel usually just equates to more ethanol in there and they don't advertise it anywhere that I've seen. It just happens and it might still be the case down there (doubtful though). If you've tuned up the engine in all the reasonable ways, check the brakes to make sure none are dragging or anything weird.

 

[Hepar]

I noticed a few mpg drop with the addition of the sliders and bumper. I have a tube, but it's a pretty heavy one. The top side is plate and the whole center winch is an even thicker plate. Think it's close to 100lbs.

The biggest drop in mpg's I noticed was from my tires. They're E load and killed both power and mpg's by a good bit.

 

[Coastal616]

You're adding weight and decreasing aerodynamics. It's not rocket science.