Bad mpg, low mpg, poor mpg, low fuel mileage, any ideas?

[jsun_2k]

>"Is the on board mpg readout fairly accurate?"

Sighs... the on board mpg is usually er... 'optimistic'.

Usually get 17-18 in town... 21-22 on the road with cruise control.
23+ on the road if I drive manually and keep the 'eco bar thing' from misbehaving. (Slow though.)

...

pretty close to mine:flamethrwoer2:

 

[mashalatheballa]

Im new to the 4Runner thing, but my '19 ORP is getting 15.5 ish MPG so far. Wish it did better but that's just what you get I guess. Does anyone know if there is something out there to put a tune on the computer to increase MPG and/or performance?

yes, you can do a few things to increase mpgs and also performance. I'm also new to the 4runner thing and have found the performance lacking to say the least. Cold air intake (trd pro, afe, k&n, etc) should give you a slight bump in both areas. Headers, y pipe, and exhaust should also do the same ( keep in mind some of things will make your suv 'illegal' for highway use for emissions). Once you have added some or all of those mods, then something like the URD MAF sensor calibrator will really tune it all together for even better performance and increase in mpgs ( i'm going to try to get a group buy going for it if you're interested). Lastly, you can also add on a pedal commander or sprint booster to give your gas pedal feel alot more responsive instead of the stock sluggishness. I hope that helped a fellow newbie to t4r

 

[NauticalT4r]

yes, you can do a few things to increase mpgs and also performance. I'm also new to the 4runner thing and have found the performance lacking to say the least. Cold air intake (trd pro, afe, k&n, etc) should give you a slight bump in both areas. Headers, y pipe, and exhaust should also do the same ( keep in mind some of things will make your suv 'illegal' for highway use for emissions). Once you have added some or all of those mods, then something like the URD MAF sensor calibrator will really tune it all together for even better performance and increase in mpgs ( i'm going to try to get a group buy going for it if you're interested). Lastly, you can also add on a pedal commander or sprint booster to give your gas pedal feel alot more responsive instead of the stock sluggishness. I hope that helped a fellow newbie to t4r

I was looking into those things as well. They are on my list of "to-dos" for the truck. But keep me in the loop about the group buy thing. Thanks for looking out!

 

[4RExplorer]

On my fairly new 2019 TRD Off-Road, I was at 18.1 mpg, then after taking a 300-mile trip mostly on the highway, it went up to 18.6 mpg.

 

[FrontRange4Runner]

2012 Trail with 97k. Averaging 18.5 with load range E Falken WildPeaks AT3Ws. Seems like our driving styles could be similar as well. I agree with the plug change, and I am going to be doing the same on mine soon. As someone suggested above, you could also have a frozen caliper - it is a fairly common issue. If it is neither of those, I would consider taking it in.

 

[Seafury]

Thanks for all the other ideas everyone.

Air filter is like new. Tires are at about 34 or 35, forgot what i set them at, but it was 2-3 above the door rating, still chilly here in the morning, keeps idiot light at bay from the temp pressure change.

The fluids are good, just bought it from a Honda dealer, and had it Serviced at my local Toyota dealer.

The brake rotors are warped in the front, but I am debating on dealing with it until it needs pads, it's only annoying when medium to hard brake is applied, but when you do the steering wheels shakes.

Guess its plugs and intake, idle, maf, fuel injection cleaning time. Maybe also a fuel filter. Sucks but that's what I get for buying used lol.

No pulleys binding that I can tell, idle is right, engine runs good and strong and smooth. Although I swear the first time I ran the ac for an hour or so, the mpg went UP like 2 mpg, then went back down lol.

Did I mention I hate the nanny HVAC system that wants to control things based on temp settings against my will? I am convinced this is the evil thing killing my mpgs :biggrin1:

 

[Jernik]

Those last couple of sentences made.me chuckle!

Good luck, keep us in the loop when you find the culprit.

 

[kenwilliams0803]

Clean MAF, replace air filter, reset ECM. I dunno, I get over 20, but I drive a lot of highway. Like 90%. 120k on the 4runner, and oh yeah, the spark plugs are fairly fresh too.

Not sure what could be causing your issue other than that stuff, or it may be just driving conditions.

For instance, I know my wife would never get even a hair over 13-14mpg on mine. That's due to her commuting patterns and driving style mostly.

 

[a47chuck]

‘19 Limited Nightshade, 1900 miles, front leveling kit, 265/60R20 KO 2’s & a Magnuson supercharger ... 17.5 to 18.5 mostly rural with some city & hiway. We can’t pump our own gas in Oregon so that’s computer mileage. I have done the math and they’re pretty close.

 

[Texas_Ranger]

2015 Trail Prem. with 3 inch lift, 33's and roof rack was getting 17.2 on avg. Just installed the sprint booster on setting green 4 and after 3 tanks, I'm getting 18.2 with no change of driving than before. I was a little shocked at the immediate change in mpg.

 

[rwrobs777]

Seems like it may be running a little rich !!....You already changed your air cleaner and that would be a definite cause...I would find someone with a scan tool and look at your fuel trims and a couple other PIDS to maybe get some "direction" !!

 

[jmf_tracy]

Thanks, this is what I have heard.

I am almost at 11 mpg stock lol....... something is off.

Math shows about 12.5 mpg.

OP,
looking at your original post I see you have AWD and 97K miles.
AWD will get even worse mileage than part time 4WD and you are driving in stop & go traffic. stop & go traffic is a MPG killer. My Stinger gets 13-15 MPG in traffic, but 20-22 MPG driving 80+.
I don't think anything is wrong with your T4R.
I would advise to change the plugs & air filter and run some injector cleaner in your fuel.
I doubt that will make much improvement if any, but it really is maintenance that won't hurt.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

I think our 2010 SR5 2wd with stock tire size gets around 16 to 17 in the city. You have to get on the gas a little aggressively off the line or the computer will short shift and it will lug getting up to speed. Hence the bad mileage.

 

[rdruss]

have an 03 V8 and meter reading is at 17.00 and this is about 2-3 months w/o reset. Was on 16.9 for weeks, warmer temps finally moved it to 17.00, but measured is 15-15.2 never matches meter, never has. Most of my driving is almost taxi-like.
Vehicle is virtually stock, 265-70-17 Michelins LTX and synthetic fluids.
A 200 mile highway trip in summer and 16.5-17 if keep under 70 mph.

 

[Soneill]

I tried every way I can think to search for bad mpg, low mpg, fuel mileage etc.
Zero results.

Stock 2011 Limited, stock narrow Bridgestone tires. 97k miles.
Just replaced front left wheel bearing/hub, slight improvement now.

Is the on board mpg readout fairly accurate?

I am struggling to reach 13.5 mpg, commuting 12 miles each way in 30% stop and go traffic, mixed speeds 35-60, some elevation change.

I am driving like a grandma trying to keep the eco meter in the green. Is this normal?

It can't be when I see stuff like this > Edmunds link

Engine runs fine, pulls hard, nothing seems out of the ordinary.
Mostly getting 12.5 mpg and that is with rarely pushing the gas much past the eco bar.

Something must be wrong. At this rate, if I lift it 2.5/1.5 and put on 285/70/17's im gonna be in single digits like my 98 4runner with 294k miles on 285-75-16 E Trail tires.

Air filter is clean, nothing leaks, rides quiet and smooth after bearing replaced. Just purchased this truck. Mpg is extremely disappointing, consistently getting around 250 miles to a tank.

Help lol.

Thanks!

I'm right there with you. The best I have seen is 14.2mpg and that was all highway for 2hrs. I even replaced the plugs and everything else. Not sure what is up but I guess I'll just keep dealing with it.

 

[mo_mo]

I think our 2010 SR5 2wd with stock tire size gets around 16 to 17 in the city. You have to get on the gas a little aggressively off the line or the computer will short shift and it will lug getting up to speed. Hence the bad mileage.

This is 100% true. I ran with the eco light & meter for the first few months trying to keep it in the green/eco zone. When I stopped and started driving more regularly, but still economically (no Rabbit starts, coasting in traffic, etc) at the same overall speeds (cruise set), it definitely bumped my mpg ~.5

 

[Brick Layer]

My 2019 Pro with 3400 mi. mostly stop & go gets 17.3 mpg and i thought that was awful compared to my 2017 Off Road that got 19 mpg. I attributed the difference to the tires.