gas milage seems really bad at 12 mpg anyone else?

[thennen]

Mods definitely kill fuel economy.
I was getting 21.4 highway on my stock 2019 TRD OR. Going from factory highway tires to stock size Falken Wildpeak AT tires dropped the mpg to 20.7 mpg. The roof rack dropped it to 20.3 and now I’m at 19.8 with the 2.5” lift.

With a strong head wind It can be as low as 18 mpg and as high as 20 with a tail wind.

Sucks a little that I’m back near 5.7L Tundra territory again.

Yeah, Many years ago we took a long trip (6000 miles) out to the Rockies in my ‘88 with a car-top carrier. That added wind resistance killed mpg on the 22R-E.

 

[JAXJeremy]

Weight is a factor, but tires and commute distance probably have the biggest impact. Large tires/short commute = poor fuel economy..

My drive to work is a little of 6 miles, surface roads only with a bit of stop and go..my 4r is entirely factory and I average just a little better than 17 mpg.

 

[ADT_192]

Since I started tracking the MPG(October 2018), my total average is 15.5. The best tank had ~19.1 MPG, the worst one was ~10 MPG while off-roading. I use the SimplyAuto app to keep track.

I usually go 76 on the interstate and the instantaneous MPG reader reads ~20, so it is somewhat accurate. As others said any head wind will bring the MPG down by quite a bit, and I am sure with the lift and the box, you're hurting the MPG by another shot.

 

[Tejas]

1.5" lift, 275's (heavy E-rated), full length roof rack, sliders, and I average around 16-16.5mpg in town/stop and go under 40mph. On the highway it can be anywhere from 14mpg all the way up to 20mpg, it just depends on the speed but more importantly on the wind. A strong head or crosswind destroys the fuel economy on these vehicles. I have seen as low as 13mpg with Pelican boxes, Rotopax, and Maxtrax on the roof and the inside loaded down with gear and two people.

The heavier and larger tires and the roof rack dinged the fuel economy at least 1mpg respectively. I admit that I think the fuel economy is kind of a bummer on these vehicles, but that's par for the course with most any Toyota.

 

[Javin028]

The things that kill your mpg are the "leveling" lifts - I think these are the worst offender of all. Then the roof racks next and extra weight after that. I have about a 2-2.5" lift with factory rake and no roof rack. At 75mph I can still get about 19mpg calculated on the dash with 33" tires. Fully loaded with the fridge, camping gear, etc and roof rack with awning I averaged 16.7 on the dash over 1,400 miles on my last long road trip. That was with 34" E rated tires.

I really think it's changing the factory rake that causes the most MPG loss along with other stuff hung on the outside. That's why the TRD Pro also gets dinged by 1mpg is my bet. It's why I did the air suspension originally on mine and why I've been looking since then for a solution up front so I can run full air ride that I can setup to ride at least stock height or ideally 1 or 2 inches below that on the highway and then bump up to +3 for the trail.

Mileage is sort of a big deal for me. I removed my 4.56 diff gears and went back to stock because I was only getting around 15-16mpg on the highway. With 3.73 I'm back again to 18-19 again. If I ever go up to 35s or 37's all swap back to the 4.56 for sure. But for 33" tires and my normal driving (empty and a lot of highway miles with street tires on), the 3.73 just worked better for me. For the love of god someone needs to make a 4.10 gear set. Something in the middle would really be ideal. Or Toyota just need to give us the 6 AT or 8AT so we can get decent highway cruising mpg with 4.56 gearing.

I think this theory is correct. I recently went from Bilstein 6112/5160 to 8112/8100s and saw a drop from ~16.0 MPG to ~14.8 MPG. With the 6112's, the 4Rrunner had slight rake, but with the 8112's, it's now pretty much level. Everything else has remained the same; the suspension has been the only change. I'll be asking Bilstein the front a hair and report back. Obligatory pic:

 

[gainman]

If you have over sided tires, you mpg displayed won't be correct unless you geared it back to stock rpm ranges

 

[pswiss8]

I run a bone stock 18 4runner off road model, do a hour long commute in city of chicago, stop and go traffic and I averaged 13.9 mpg.

I was very disappointed to say the least. I checked my tire pressures and they were to factory specs. I decided to do some reading on my shit tires and turns out they have horrible reviews. Read that I should inflate them to about 38-39psi (factory has 34-35psi) and my mpg went up to about 15-16ish in city traffic.

Did a trip to Minnesota for memorial day, over inflated my tires to 39, towed a small trailer with an atv, hauled ass 80-90 mph, in pouring rain for the majority of the 7 hour trip, and I averaged 19.8 mpg. I was screaming with excitement.

Id say it all depends on your situation and how you are driving it. I would def recommend over inflating your tires 3-4 psi and you'll notice a difference. Note, your ride will be a bit bumpier as your tires are over inflated.

 

[Toffees]

Someone, maybe one of the engineeeeeers here, wrote a thread on fuel economy. I would link it if I could. But the basics are:

1) Math -- did you do the math to confirm what mpg you're getting?
2) Route and conditions -- obviously stop and go commuter driving gets poor fuel economy
3) Driving habits -- slow down maybe?
4) Wheels and tires -- without plunging into sprung and unsprung mass formulas that I can't complete, lighter wheels and tires produce better results; also, tire pressure
5) Weight -- not just your weight, your rig's weight, but watch your figure too
6) Suspension -- If you're not putting power to pavement, but it's getting soaked up by your suspension, that's bad; also, center of gravity, but it probably rolls into suspension
7) Aerodynamics -- we didn't have a good starting point, and most of us are making it worse

Is there more? Probably

 

[mustangr2]

I dropped a couple of mpg when I had the roof top carrier on. It was a really large one and an older style which I don’t think was very aerodynamic. I especially got way better mpg on the freeway.

 

[bewell]

16.5 mpg. Interstate driving 80mph + and some light cruising around construction sites with AC on full blast all day (phoenix heat).

 

[joshoowa]

I consistently get 16.4-16.5MPG have full steel front and rear bumpers, sliders, trd skid plate, roof rack with light bar, 33" tires on 17x8.5 wheels. I do about 50/50 city hwy driving. I do drive like a snail though.

 

[willo]

1) I'd double check your math.
2) I'd check for a stuck caliper.

I got 12mpg on my jeep wrangler with 35s and a roof basket on one road trip. I've never seen anything that bad on my 16 trail with 34s.

 

[mrblah]

if i drive at speeds less than 70, i get around 16 to 18 mpg.

If I drive at speeds greater than 70, i get around 12 mpg.

So i typically get around 12 mpg cuz I have absolutely no patience when i'm driving.

 

[teotwaki]

2016 trail version. tires are bigger than stock but didn't need any fender mods. no roof top tent, i do have a plano box up there. looking at my recent mpg and it says 12 mpg!!!

noticed this on a approximate 200 mile trip. mostly highway and graded dirt. never went over 75 mph on highway. one 20 mile barely technical section. just don't get it. i need to get at least 15 mpg to consider keeping this pig.

what sort of long term gas mileage are folks getting.

MPG death by a thousand cuts: there is not a single magic bullet so address a number of areas to regain some mileage.

- A heavy foot (75mph) on the gas is a negative for MPG on even a stock vehicle. I have a ScanGuage 2 and watch the MPG meter in order to optimize my speed.

- What has been mentioned about the front to back rake; More chance of air passing under the truck creates a lot of turbulence. That is why some people with full skids see a slight increase in MPGs.

- Big roof racks suck gas (as suggested, look into a wind deflector)
- Plano box on top of the rack sucks a bit more gas
- Bigger tires with aggressive tread suck gas, especially upon initial acceleration.
- Different shaped and heavier front bumper with a winch sucks a bit more gas.
- Weight overall is above normal so watch tire inflation for a good contact patch.
Roads over hills and headwinds eat more gas.

 

[dot_tom]

- What has been mentioned about the front to back rake; More chance of air passing under the truck creates a lot of turbulence. That is why some people with full skids see a slight increase in MPGs.

This. I am a firm believer in the "leveling" or reverse rake casuing lower MPG. Vehicles are designed a certain way and lifting the front without the rear throw that all off.

I saw this in my 2016 Tacoma. When I lifted the front I lost MPGs, of course since I got bigger tires also. Once I lifted the rear to regain the factory front to back rake ratio I regained a consistent 1 mpg.

At home in GA I get a solid 13.5 MPG with my 295s and 4.56 gears. I'm always 75-85 mph on the highway.

My trip out west had lots of extra weight, Gazelle tent, pop up awning, and 5 front runner boxes on the roof but kept speed at or under 70 mph and saw 16.5 mpg.

too bad I can't drive slower all the time....

:worthless

 

[rockwind1]

285 E rated tires hurt mine the most so far. What tires do you have?

i have 285/70 r17 cooper discoverer at3 E rated. what did you wind up with milage wise?

 

[rockwind1]

This. I am a firm believer in the "leveling" or reverse rake casuing lower MPG. Vehicles are designed a certain way and lifting the front without the rear throw that all off.

I saw this in my 2016 Tacoma. When I lifted the front I lost MPGs, of course since I got bigger tires also. Once I lifted the rear to regain the factory front to back rake ratio I regained a consistent 1 mpg.

At home in GA I get a solid 13.5 MPG with my 295s and 4.56 gears. I'm always 75-85 mph on the highway.

My trip out west had lots of extra weight, Gazelle tent, pop up awning, and 5 front runner boxes on the roof but kept speed at or under 70 mph and saw 16.5 mpg.

too bad I can't drive slower all the time....

:worthless

mine is lifted of course, it seems pretty level, but it could have a slight reverse rake as you mentioned.

 

[rockwind1]

lifted limited here with 285s. i sit in a lot of stop and go traffic and my long term avg is in the high 15s

i was going off my long term average, 12.9 over 28,000 miles.

 

[rockwind1]

Not all cars calculate mpg the same. Some calculate mpg averaging in when the car is stopped and running. I have another car that gives me the option to stop the calculation when the car is not moving. Makes a HUGE difference. The 4R averages in when at idle, just sit there and watch the avg drop. I guess you could argue either way, but published averages don’t include sitting stopped in a traffic jam for an hour with the ac blasting.

Anyway, reset it on the highway and see what you get without stopping, you will feel better. Or do as others have suggested and calculate it yourself.

Although I do have a full rack I made a fairing for it, I went from 18mpg (rolling highway, lots of traffic, 5,000 ft) to 19.8 with a fairing. Finally a mod that helped! Took averages on the same section of highway 4 times, 60 miles each way then averaged with and without fairing. Could have been better because the fairing also included a rod vault.

so you MADE your own faring? or purchased it? does it just go from the roof rack to the roof? or does it extend to protect stuff on the rack from wind as well? any pics?

 

[rockwind1]

step 1 is verifying your MPG by actually calculating it at the pump, have you already done that? it will be a lot lower than stock though - you lifted it, put heavier tires on it, and added wind resistance and weight so yeah nothing you can do about that

are your tires properly inflated?

i will work on doing that. and i am pretty sure they are properly inflated, i looked at the sticker inside the drivers door, i think it says 30 psi all around.