Crappy gas mileage on 4x4 V8

[mtnracer]

Hi all,

I've read a lot about people's mileage on this forum and I feel I'm missing out. I have the 2003 4x4 V8 and it's sucking gas like crazy. I always use premium and have every scheduled service done on time. The truck runs great and is responsive as expected but here are my mileage numbers:

Normal driving city / hwy: Computer shows around 16-17 which works out to 14-15 with manual calculation. Driving conservatively and taking care to stay under 2000 rpm if possible.

Highway cruise at 65mph: Computer shows 21 mpg which works out to real world 18.5mpg.

I have no performance mods to speak of but I do have a Yakima Mega Warrior on the rack. Everything else is stock.

What can I do to improve my gas mileage? It's driving me crazy to read about other people getting 2-4mpg better than what I can get.

 

[HiVel-JR]

Take the mega warrior rack off and put a parachute on the back. Same effect, looks cool, useless and not practical. That should do the trick...

:beer:

 

[Jacobzky]

use synthetic oil
increase tire pressure, say 36psi-38psi
take out unnecessary weight
use free flow air filter, i.e. k&n, trd air filters orthe likes

its a V8, you cant really ask much. and at least you got power & torque when you need it. good luck.

 

[toto]

I don't think your MPG is that bad. I'm getting 15.5 city / 19 highway.

Agree with removing anything you don't need.

Don't know about the K&N air filter. Others have posted that reusable filters have an oily substance on them that shortens the life of the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. I'd make sure you have a clean OEM filter at least.

 

[wasc007]

It's a V8 and 4WD! Why do you need better mileage? If you want better mileage, get a RAV4.

We need more global warming and Iraq Wars because Americans need to drive big gas guzzlers.

At least 4 runners gets TWICE as many miles per gallon as Hummers or Cadilacs.

 

[SciRunner]

Your MPG is within range. I use 87-octane which saves me ~$0.25/gal. vs. premium. Has anyone calculated the actual mileage by using a GPS unit. I know in my former car, the odometer/trip meter reads higher than actual miles driven according to the GPS unit. However the GPS unit does not account for idle or stuck in traffic time.

 

[toto]

I have verified my speedo with a GPS unit. It's right on. It's the first car I've ever owned where it's right on!! Most read high, even with factory wheels/tires.

The trip computer on the dash is worthless, though. Ignore whatever it says for gas mileage - it's wrong.

 

[Light_Mania]

Don't waste your money putting a free flow air filter intake on it in an attempt to improve mileage, that won't do it regardless of what other benefits (like increased HP) it may or may not provide.

 

[Traveler]

I'm curious as to why you're running premium gasoline. The 4R is supposed to be able to run on regular. I suspect you wouldn't see a mileage improvement on regular gas, but at least you'd be saving some money.

 

[Light_Mania]

Regular fuel is usually more energy dense than premium, so as long as the ECU doesn't have to retard timing too much for regular (and it shouldn't if you engine is in good shape) then regular will give a bit better fuel mileage than premium under normal use.

 

[Falls]

I know people buck the dash comp. but what I did was go out on a flat highway optimum weather conditions. set my cruise at 55mph , then reset the average speed to zero a an drove for about an hour.
The comp. did its thing and held at average 55 mph for the whole hour. Do how good of a test that is but it couldn't have been any more accurate.

gas milage. I do my calculations manually BUT I'm also running bigger tires so that throws it off,but not sure by how many % . Anyway when I figure it regularly/manually like I always do I've been getting 15-16 city driving and went on a road trip yesterday and it was all hiway 55-70 mph and filled when I got back and was 20.5 for that trip. Usually its around 19 hiway but the wife was driving the whole time and has a lot lighter foot.

Your milage does seem slightly low , but nothing really out of the ordinary. I also have an 06 V8 4x4. I am totally thrilled with my milage , its a full time 4x4 V8 , pretty good as far as I'm concerned.

Lose the roof rack , that is your culprit , if you not using your crossbars , lose them to until you need them. I do run my tires at about 38 psi.

 

[Loggie1]

Gas mileage

mtnracer,

Dude, your getting great gas mileage! I have an 03 V6 and my computer always averages 16. Most of the time it tells me 15.X and I think I've seen 20 on there once...when I was on the highway and reset the thing, when it came back...bamm 20 mpg.

Of course, I run with a Thule Expedition basket on top, Aries grill gaurd with PIAA 6" rounds up front...oh yeah and I live in Germany and my autoban speeds average 90 mph...peak at 105~110...maybe this is way you, with your V8 get the same mpg as I with a V6...and I almost never switch out of H2...

Either way I don't think your mpg is odd...seems most of the other V8 owners experience the same mpg as you...at least on average.

I know I didn't buy my T4R for the mpg...not even the V6!

The best thing to do is never put the computer in mpg mode and stop calculating...enjoy the 4runner...

 

[toto]

Re: Gas mileage

The best thing to do is never put the computer in mpg mode and stop calculating...enjoy the 4runner...

Agreed! I'm a lot happier since I quit worrying about MPG!

 

[mtnracer]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess the roof rack is the real killer. I use it to carry my bikes or Kayak and it is wayyyyy too much of a pain in the arse to take off every time.

I am planning on installing the Volant air intake shortly so we'll see if that makes a difference.

 

[alpha]

I was getting similar mileage numbers with my v6 when I had it.

But consider yourself lucky, right now with my accord, I'm getting about 15-16 mpg city.

 

[2003Can4runner]

Geeze i'm jealous of those numbers. I've been getting 9-10mpg in my 2000 V6 4x4. i ran a thing of seafoam through my last tank and it seems to have helped a bit...but man i'd me more than happy with 16 or 17mpg

 

[toto]

Geeze i'm jealous of those numbers. I've been getting 9-10mpg in my 2000 V6 4x4. i ran a thing of seafoam through my last tank and it seems to have helped a bit...but man i'd me more than happy with 16 or 17mpg

If you haven't replaced your MAF or your O2 sensors, you might want to. Even if they're not throwing codes, they could be far enough off to hose your gas mileage. I've seen posts on ToyotaNation about replacing the O2 sensors at 75,000 miles for max efficiency.

 

[spyne]

My '03 Limited w/v8 has averaged 15/16 around town and 18/20 on the highway from the day I drove it off the dealers lot. That's real calculated mileage not what the computer says.

I once managed to get 21 mpg, but that required filling up at the top of one exit ramp, immediately getting on the highway and driving for 2 hours with cruise control on until I exited the highway and then filled up at another station at the top of that exit ramp.

 

[rx900]

One simple, but kinda tedious way to save on gas, is turn the a/c switch off sometimes. This won't work when the selector is in windshield, or windshield & foot, but at least it can save you a little on gas. That's what I do. Plus, the roof rack is a gas saver right there, that is, if you don't need it. I havent noticed it too much on 4Rs, but a lot of RX300 owners back then removed their roof racks to get at least 1mpg.

 

[jacal]

I am awarding this this thread "honest post of the month".

I have the v6, and while I can get decent mpgs in the summer with an extremely light foot, since the cold has set in the mpgs have really degraded. Last highway trip I could barely crack 20mpg. Never mind what I am getting around town.

I'm testing out a few tanks of premium to see if it helps (not so far).


J