First big road trip, AWESOME MPG!

[4RunnerRon]

Went on a road trip last week in my 06 V8 4WD S.E. I was on the freeway about 80% of the time during the tank of gas I went through. I got about 340 miles out of the tank, which I thought was a pretty good range. The MPG computer showed just over 17 MPG average for the trip and when I calculated it by hand at the next fill up, it was pretty accurate, if not just a tad bit low. I suppose my gas mileage could have been much better, but I have the V8 and even though I was being pretty easy on the gas pedal, I was still cruising at around 75-80 mph most of the way.

Since I bought the 4Runner in January, I've only put 1600 miles on it. I'm hoping that by the time the engine breaks in a little more and I do the first oil change, mileage will increase somewhat. We'll see.

 

[rweddy1]

That's excellent mileage! I've been consistently impressed with the mileage of my 4Runner since I've gotten it. I'm sure the new 5-speed helps out mileage a bit.

Actually the final drive ration on the 4 and 5 spd are the same. The 5 spd gets you a lower 1st gear not a higher final gear.

 

[LS1JAY]

I'll be taking a trip to Murphy North Carolina next month. It's almost 560 miles from here in Central Florida. I'll have to see what I can get out of mine.

 

[kimboy]

Did you count the last fill up in your equation? You really have to fill the tank back to its original level and count the gallons it took and add that into the total.

Without this last figure, your numbers may be in error by 10%

just my 2 cents

 

[boston_kevin]

Actually the final drive ration on the 4 and 5 spd are the same. The 5 spd gets you a lower 1st gear not a higher final gear.

They are very close, but the gear ratio of the 5th gear is 0.716, the 4th gear (4 spd) is 0.705, so they are actually a bit different, but what we are talking about might contribute 0.5 MPG better than the 4spd since this should keep the engine in the torque band longer. 3rd gear (on the 4 spd) and 4th gear (on the 5 spd) are the same at 1.000...

 

[bolt]

:dance:

 

[rweddy1]

This does make a diffrence, the fill up must be uniform. I get a extra 1-2 gallons filling mine up to the neck. I get about 20/21 on my v6 00 but rarely bring the rpms over 2k. Cya

BTW this is terrible for you truck and the environment.
You will saturate your charcoal canister by doing this, not to mention most of the gas will slosh out or evaporate. The net of this is you are damaging your trucks emissions systems and wasting money on gas.

 

[imprttuner88]

Did you count the last fill up in your equation? You really have to fill the tank back to its original level and count the gallons it took and add that into the total.

Without this last figure, your numbers may be in error by 10%

just my 2 cents

i most certainly did factor in my last fill up into the equation. My intial arguement against the T4R before my wife talked me into it was the fuel economy. ( I drive a 93' corolla dx 75miles a day to work) So needless to say I got the good old "I told you so" speech from the wife.

And I must admit, I am glad she talked me into the truck...........I absolutely LOVE IT!

John

 

[imprttuner88]

ok, a few pics of the truck.

 

[NCSCOTT]

imprttuner88. Is that the V-8 Hitch on a V-6???? Nice to see another NC member also!!!!

 

[imprttuner88]

uhmmmm, good question. I went to uhaul and asked for a hitch. This is what I got. Wife talked me out of getting one at dealership. Well that didn't last long, got this one........they did a great job and cheap too.

John

 

[Atomic 4Runner]

Gas Mileage after Engine Break-In

Some of you have posted some very impressive mileage with your trucks, both the V-8 models as well as the V-6s.

Did you find a significant improvement in your fuel economy after the engine the"brake-in" period? If so, at what mileage did you notice the improvement?

I've seen fuel economy improve on some V-6's around the 5,000 mile mark, yet other engines never changed much from the first day.

Thanks for your input.

 

[NCSCOTT]

There is nothing wrong with it. If you add a tranny cooler I believe you could tow about 6500 lbs with the weight distributing hitch, trailer brake controller, tranny cooler, and the sway control bar. I think I am off on the weight though. Anyway, that hitch is just connected to the frame in more places. Therefore "Weight Distributing".

 

[Uneek]

uhmmmm, good question. I went to uhaul and asked for a hitch. This is what I got. Wife talked me out of getting one at dealership. Well that didn't last long, got this one........they did a great job and cheap too.

John

imprttuner88,

Could you take a few more pictures of your hitch, some from underneath if possible? Did it require cutting of the bumper? How much was it and did you install it yourself?

I'm thinking of getting the HiddenHitch, but I think it requires some trimming on the bumper.