Holy cow, winter gas mileage is horrifying!!!

[2003V8LTD]

Nowadays my commute is very short, about 2 miles, and we've been having weather averaging around 20 degrees. Have been driving the V8 a lot but haven't had it out on the highway for quite some time. The thing is in 100% perfect mechanical condition and if anything is over-maintained. Fresh plugs, filters, fluids, yadda yadda. Just use 87 octane gas.

I noticed my gas gauge almost visibly moving lately. Today I went to fill the old beast up and got out my calculator. The horror!!!!!

... 10.6 miles per gaillon!

In the summertime on a flat highway going 70 if I keep calm about accelerating I can get 19.8 mpg or so. But in the winter around town this thing likes gas like a fat kid likes cake!!!!

 

[Blue15]

10.6 wow, and to think I was pissed with 15.8 just before I traded-in my 15TE last month.
But yah the winter gas sucks.

 

[riceandpho]

check your tire pressure, i lost alot of air with the cold snap.

 

[Hunter61]

Does your 4runner spend a lot of time just idling when it's cold outside?

When the outside temps here drop into the single digits I'll start my car & let it warm up in the driveway for at least 5 minutes before leaving and once at work, I'll sit in the parking lot for 15--20 minutes checking text messages, emails etc with the engine idling to stay warm. Sometimes at lunch too.
Don't know how much gas a V8 4runner burns per hour while idling but I'd bet it's significant and can really kill the gas mileage.

 

[rdruss]

It won't get much better no matter what in the winter. If you only drive two miles each way to work each day the thermostat doesn't even open, engine never gets up to temp and fuel mileage will be what you are getting, but regardless in winter, tires are stiffer, fluids are thicker and engine is warm at best, it likes hot!

 

[ads2539]

I have never averaged even 15mpg for a tank in my V8, but I admit that I have never tried to see what I could get out of a tank. It has always run well, with no issues.

I do mostly local driving now, and with my lift/bigger tires/etc., I probably average around 10mpg, winter and summer.

If I drove a whole tank on the highway close to the speed limit, I might get 13mpg.

A long time ago, I was driving 80+ mph pulling an aluminum enclosed trailer, and only got 160 miles out of my 23-gallon gas tank, a whopping 7mpg! I think gas at the time was over $4/gal.

 

[2021nightshade4x4]

I’m 18.5 mpg any weather. Don’t understand how people get 20+


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[ghabe]

I have a 2004 V8 that I picked up last November. It’s pretty much stock with 97k miles. New spark plugs and air filter and fresh synthetic oil. It had some seized callipers when I got it so new brakes at all 4 corners. The only thing left to fix is a CEL with a P0420 code, most likely caused by an exhaust leak. So far, I’ve been averaging between 12 and 13 MPG (around 50/50 mix city/highway), while driving extremely carefully, pretty much never going over 2000 RPM… I wasn’t expecting great fuel efficiency when I bought the 4Runner, but didn’t expect it to be that bad based on what I read here prior to the purchase. I had planned on lifting it and getting larger tires in the spring, but I might put that project aside if fuel consumption doesn’t improve significantly once I fix the P0420.

 

[Bassturd]

When I first bought my 04 V8 it had 111000 miles on it and it was getting about 16mpg. Now…hahahahaha…she’s lifted I put a winch in the stock front bumper added a second battery built a heavy ass drawer system sleeping platform and just recently went to 285/75/16’s! I’m getting closer to 11 mpg now!! Really noticed a difference when I went bigger tires.

 

[LOSTR4]

Man oh man! I get about 15-17MPG consistentlyif doing short trips, I'm getting 15 but typically am gaining over 16mpg now...dropped the size of tires this winter to some Naka R10s in 265/70/17 in-lieu of my heavy ST MAXX 255/85s but I'm not complaining...

 

[gimlithepirate]

I hit 17 mpg the other day, after adjusting for my larger tires. That's the best I've gotten in a long time though, with lots of 50-60 mph driving. I more typically get 14-15, with a low of 12.

This is with 33's, a bumper, and a winch.

 

[Ripper238]

Yup, cold weather can reduce MPG by ~15%. Then add idling and lower tire pressure, especially short trips and it may be reduced by 20%+.

I'm hovering around 14-15 but my drive is an hour every day one way.

 

[techno]

I'm in the same boat. I'm only doing very short trips and the engine is never getting up to normal temperature. I'm averaging 12.6mpg with the V6.

 

[4.7V808]

Lots of states have different summer vs winter gas mixes with different additives that can impact mpg as well.

 

[rdruss]

When I first bought my 04 V8 it had 111000 miles on it and it was getting about 16mpg. Now…hahahahaha…she’s lifted I put a winch in the stock front bumper added a second battery built a heavy ass drawer system sleeping platform and just recently went to 285/75/16’s! I’m getting closer to 11 mpg now!! Really noticed a difference when I went bigger tires.

Keep up the good work, you can to single digits with a few more mods!

 

[Bassturd]

Keep up the good work, you can to single digits with a few more mods!

We are slowly working on it that’s for sure!!