fuel mileage question ???

[stormy76]

My daughter & son in law moved from Colo. to San Diego 2 years ago for military service after buying a 2012 4 runner, & their gas mileage has sucked since. Got better mileage @ 6000-8000 feet than @ sea level. I always knew the opposite to be true. Is there anything they can do, within reason, to get back the mileage they lost without causing warranty issues ? They understand that driving habits in Calif.- land of fruits & nuts- is way different than Colo., but are upset that my stock 1999 Dodge Cummins gets better mileage than their 2012 4runner. Car is completely stock, auto, 2/4whd, 30,000 miles.
Any help would be appreciated, Thanks stormy76

 

[BobsTrail]

Part of it may be the gas formula for California. It`s different due to emissions requirements. I always get slightly better mileage after leaving Calif and buying in another state. I don`t understand how using more fuel helps air quality.

Plus they are probably spending more time waiting for a signal to change, going nowhere with the engine running.

 

[VoodooTitan]

Eh, I'm not a expert but i'll reference a recent post from another more knowledgeable member on fuel. When it comes to gas, many factors, as you have mentioned take affect. Air pressure in tires, temperature, altitude, quality of fuel, type of tires, and primarily driving habits. One thing I would suggest is a scanguage2. It supposedly gives an accurate account of current mpg and can help the drive manipulate their driving habits to maybe squeeze out some better mpgs. I'm military too, and I'm trying to get back to SD still fearing the fuel prices. I know all too well about the traffic, freeways, and terrible gas prices. As long as the vehicle is running as is then it might just be external factors.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/172576-2014-gas-mileage.html - Specifically page 3. The post by [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION]