Getting 12mpg now

H

Hans Moleman

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So I changed jobs and now my commute is 1.5 miles each way. I know short trips will get worse gas mileage. So does 12mpg sound ok for such short trips?

For reference my previous commute used to be 10 miles each way with mixed stop & go traffic and short spurts of 50-60 mph. I averaged 16 to 17 mpg with this commute.
 
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I don't know if it's practical, but for that short of a commute could you just ride a bike?

Yesterday I was driving down a street and had to wait while a guy backed out of his driveway and then drove maybe the length of 2 football fields to a business on the other side of the street. It's not a place open to the public so I assumed he worked there. That would work out to be a commute of about 1/10th of a mile.
 
TheLincolnGreen said:
That's going to kill your exhaust system.
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The daily short trips would only decrease the life of the catalytic converters if that was the only driving you’re doing. If you take a longer trip (20-30 minutes or more) at least once a week, that will properly heat the cat up to temps and maintain a longer lifespan with all other things being normal.
 
Hans Moleman said:
So I changed jobs and now my commute is 1.5 miles each way. I know short trips will get worse gas mileage. So does 12mpg sound ok for such short trips?

For reference my previous commute used to be 10 miles each way with mixed stop & go traffic and short spurts of 50-60 mph. I averaged 16 to 17 mpg with this commute.
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Is there a bar between your new job and your home? Maybe you can stop for a drink and leave it running, see if that helps.
 
Accelerate more gently, don't try to keep up with the crazies, let off gas sooner and coast longer, then easier braking. You can get it up to 14 or 15 if you drive like my age group. Put a big ugly hitch ball in back to keep some of them back a little. Don't look in the rearview mirror.

Enjoy the T4 off-road, you did not buy it for mileage.
 
BobsTrail said:
Accelerate more gently, don't try to keep up with the crazies, let off gas sooner and coast longer, then easier braking. You can get it up to 14 or 15 if you drive like my age group. Put a big ugly hitch ball in back to keep some of them back a little. Don't look in the rearview mirror.

Enjoy the T4 off-road, you did not buy it for mileage.
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+1
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you live in California and drive to work a mile or 2 ??? ya buy a electric vehicle .. keep the runner for other travels ..loads of electrics in Florida also and Arizona..

up in my area snow belt and extreme cold not many have electrics .. rare..

runner plows thru the snow with no problems..electrics not a good day in snow ... LOL..
 
Something else to consider is in that short of a distance, you may not reach the normal operating temp of your engine. Without reaching operating temp, there is the possibility that condensation inside the engine is not burned off and can present issues internally.
 
To OP: Move at least 10 miles away from your work and your MPG will be back in 17ish range.

Jokes asides: with 1.5 miles commute 12 mpg is expected.... as well as all negative impacts on the engine, exhaust and battery- like others have mentioned.

Moreover, use of the 4Runner with 1.5 miles commute one way definitely qualifies as a “severe” condition for the vehicle use.
 
Will run richer at startup and when engine is not up to temp. Would probably be about right if you have a trail rig with larger tires.

How many days does it take to burn a tank of fuel at that rate?
 
12mpg is about right when I only had to commute 2 miles. good thing was I didn't have to fill up for weeks. Now i work 15 miles away, get better gas mileage but I fill up way more often......catch 22.
 
catrains said:
you live in California and drive to work a mile or 2 ??? ya buy a electric vehicle .. keep the runner for other travels ..loads of electrics in Florida also and Arizona..

up in my area snow belt and extreme cold not many have electrics .. rare..

runner plows thru the snow with no problems..electrics not a good day in snow ... LOL..
Click to expand...

Yes an electric vehicle does seem ideal with my situation. I never considered it before.
 
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