New tires = less mpg?

[P3t3r]

**UPDATED** - OEM = stock "sport edition" size tire (265/65R17)

Hey fellow T4R owners. I own an 06 V6 4WD Sport Edition. I recently switched out my tractionless oem spec Dunlops for a set of oem size Destination LE's. I have accumulated approx 4,XXX miles on the new set and I've noticed a drop in my calculated mpg (miles traveled/gallons consumed). I was getting about 19.5 to 21 mpg mixed driving on the Dunlops, and about 18-19mpg on the LE's. (on the same commuting routes) I was wondering if anyone noticed a similar drop in mpg after swapping out old rubber for new ones?

btw, The LE's are far superior to the dunlops in traction, handling and road noise. I think the increase in rolling resistance may be the culprit.

Please share your knowledge/opinion on this subject.

 

[Spider5]

Most have noted a slight decrease. You didn't indicate if your running a different size tire and I'm not familiar with the tires you selected. However, most tires are heavier than the Dunlops and give better traction. The combination of these two lower the MPG slightly.

 

[Nuke]

Most new tires, all else being equal, will reduce your gas mileage a tad. The old tires have less rolling resistance as a result of the worn tread.

I've run the Destination LT's and the AT's and both seemed to ride softer than my previous Bridgestone REVO's and Michelin LTX's. I run my AT's at about 35 PSI, about 2 PSI higher than I ran the REVO's and LTX's. You should experiment though to determine what pressure works best for you. I prefer the 4R to ride a bit stiff anyway...

 

[CJ3Flyr]

If mpg is an issue look at the sidewall... If it allows for 44psi max you could go as high as the 38-40psi range and still get good wear. Many Revo guys use 38-40psi with great success.

That higher psi would help with some of the mpg loss. If it's a 35psi tire then, as Nuke suggested, try 35psi.


:cheers:

 

[poolmanlex]

same thing happened to me. i put some BFGs on mine 31s and noticed the same MPG drop in my 4runner. they are the same size tires as stock just a thicker tread.

 

[chrismartin]

same thing happened to me. i put some BFGs on mine 31s and noticed the same MPG drop in my 4runner. they are the same size tires as stock just a thicker tread.

BFG tires are a lot heavier than some other brands of tires. I'm looking at tires on my truck. The BFG's weigh about 9 lbs. more per tire than other brands that are the same size.

 

[Gordo]

Yokohama Geolander H/T-S Decreased 2-3 MPG

My 05 4Runner is the first vehicle I've owned with a MPG read out. While I realize it's not accurate, I assume it is good enough to indicate trends.

Last fall I put new Yoko Geolander H/T-S tires on the truck, replacing my OEM tires with ~ 45k on them (BFG's I think).

First tank of gas I noticed my indicated gas milage went from 19-20 MPG (ish) to ~ 17 MPG. Same tire size, no other vehicle changes, same driving commute. Since I put the new tires on I haven't been able to get better than 17, even when driving very moderately. I've also experimented with different PSI (raising slightly but staying well under the max rating).

While this is really rather trivial, I was surprised how much of a noticable difference new tires could have on fuel milage.

Glad I found this thread, I thought I was nuts.

Gordo

 

[michael90630]

I switched to one size larger tires to LT265/70R17 (17" wheels) Yokohama Geolander AT-S with E rating (which is 10 ply sidewall). My OEM street tires were Michelin 265/65R17.

I have noticed quite a drop of gas mileage - maybe down to 15-16mpg. I calculate the mileage manually by the ODO mileage reading based on a full-tank of gasolone fill-up.

The significant drop is also because of adding 2 additional BudBuilt skid-plates components (the cross-member and transfer-case skid-plate) in addition to the other ones, ShrockWorks rock-sliders and Yakima roof-basket (aerodynamices!).

 

[michael90630]

BFG tires are a lot heavier than some other brands of tires. I'm looking at tires on my truck. The BFG's weigh about 9 lbs. more per tire than other brands that are the same size.

You are right. The Yokohama Geolander tires are lighter for equivalent size. I have heard they have good tread-life.