Real MPG, Range, Cost Averages based on 25+ fill ups

[JayRolla]

Just picked up my first 4 runner last week. It has BFGoodrich all terrains. I didn't expect "good" gas mileage , but I didn't expect it to be this bad ! I filled up past F and I've gone 144 miles and I'm pretty close to 1/4 tank left. Could this be from the All Terrains? Its almost all rural highway driving (95%).

Never seen a real fix for it. I got used to the crappy gauge.

 

[IBallEngineer]

I have a 2.7 and the gauge shows pretty much empty after using 15 gallons. With the factory 15" baby carriage tires I got 20 MPG pretty regular, sometimes 21, other times 19. I switched to 265/70/16 purely for the look, and to upgrade to the Tundra brakes. Since this slows down the VSS it now calculates to 18 to 19 MPG. So I basically get to go about 280 to 300 miles between fill ups. I know there is more fuel in the tank, and I could probably stretch that to 340, but I get nervous looking at the needle below the E marker. Shoot my wife thinks she'll be stranded on the freeway if it even get's close to the 1/4 tank mark. I drive 3-4 hundred miles a week so I will let it go to the E, but no more. Maybe someday I'll drive around til it goes empty and use that mileage as a better indicator, maybe.

:car:

 

[JohnMc]

Here's a graph of my MPG since I bought it with around 155K on it:

99 5 spd with 4.30 gearing and 32" Michelin AT2's on it.

EDIT: Whoops - those neat graph pics don't persist. It's right at 17, over 48,000 miles of use. Probably 75% city, 25% highway.

 

[Ed_C]

[MENTION=25434]BamaDrewski[/MENTION] at fill ups how many gallons do you usually put in and how many miles have you driven right before refueling? And how many miles do you get on half a tank?

I too don't use an obd2 device or app, but have checked the actual distance of my routes with google maps, my in-dash navi, and my iphone's map app and the indicated miles on the gauge cluster aren't way off. I used to average 200 miles @ half tank, 330-340 @ fuel light - I would refuel at this point and put in 14.xx gallons. I said "used to" because I've lost at least 15-20 miles per tank the last 2 months; it may be the change in my work schedule, same route as before but my drive home requires more aggressive driving since it's at the beginning of rush-hour AM traffic instead of an empty highway at 2 AM.

Depending on the model year, there's a TSB for the fuel gauge on some of these trucks. They hit empty while there's still 4 gallons left in the tank.

If the owner complained about it while the truck was under warranty the dealerships would fix it for free. It involved replacing the fuel tank sending unit, and on some vehicles they had to change something in the gauge cluster.

My truck has this issue, and if I stop to fill up when the light comes on I will consistently only be putting 14.5-15 gallons into an 18.5 gallon tank. On road trips that would net me about 265 miles until I discovered the problem. Now I take note of the mileage when the light pops on, and run about another 40-50 miles before I stop.

I actually don't mind the 14-15 gallon warning, it means I don't have to panic to refuel right away LOL. Do you know what's Toyota's actual specifications for how many gallons in-tank when the light turns on?

BTW it's a 2002 SR5 V6 4WD. No lift or aftermaket bumpers,etc. 245/75-16 General Grabber HTS tires (lighter,less rolling resistance than original 265s). New Walker catalytic converters earlier this year (replaced the front air/fuel ratio sensor last year), new Walker Quietflow SS muffler last month. Spectre cleanable/reusable OEM style air filter. No deckplate or other intake related mods.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

When my gauge reads a 1/4 tank left I fill up and only put in ~12gal. This morning I was a needle width below 1/4 and it was 11 gallons. I get about 150-165 miles out of this. Averages about 14.5-15.5. I could definitely go farther but with the gauge being that inaccurate I don't like to push my luck.

Same here. Looking at my Fuelly.com data, I have never had to put more than 13 Gallons in on a fill-up.

The longest distance I've gone without filling up is 194 miles (this is the adjusted calculation taking into account my 285/75R16 BFG M/T KMs). on average, I tend to swing by the fuel station for a fill-up every 150 miles (3 weeks).

My best MPG was a smidge under 16, my current overall average is 13.4MPG.

I don't mind the poor gas mileage much as this isn't our DD.

 

[JeepKiller]

All you guys with your good mileage suck...... I'm stuck with 11-12 city/highway but that's mostly due to the 4 Hellas on my roof :bounce:

 

[RunnerLimited]

I track every gallon of gas, miles driven, cost per gallon, estimated fuel remaining, type of fuel, estimated range, remaining range, etc. Over the course of 25+ fill ups, here is what the average data shows:

Average Cost Per gallon: $2.16
Average City MPG: 17.16
Average EST Range Per Tank: 317.50


This is real data I write down at every fill up. This is not based on and OBD reader or app. I will be happy to send the spreadsheet to anyone who wants it. Yes, I am “OCD” about my truck and mileage. (2000 T4R LTD 4WD with 260K+ miles as of NOV '15)

HOLY!!! 317.50 range miles!!!, I get 300-320 KM (180miles) on mine, till the gas light turns on, i drive almost 1000km every week and hate having to go to the gas station everytime. id kill to last 317 miles before fueling up!

 

[Rocky5000100]

I get pretty close to what OP posted, and I've tracked every fill up since I bought the vehicle.

However, I have declined into the 16's overall. I've been towing my 7x12 Enclosed a lot this summer, and I only get 10-11.5mpg while doing so.

 

[BamaDrewski]

[MENTION=25434]BamaDrewski[/MENTION] at fill ups how many gallons do you usually put in and how many miles have you driven right before refueling? And how many miles do you get on half a tank?

I too don't use an obd2 device or app, but have checked the actual distance of my routes with google maps, my in-dash navi, and my iphone's map app and the indicated miles on the gauge cluster aren't way off. I used to average 200 miles @ half tank, 330-340 @ fuel light - I would refuel at this point and put in 14.xx gallons. I said "used to" because I've lost at least 15-20 miles per tank the last 2 months; it may be the change in my work schedule, same route as before but my drive home requires more aggressive driving since it's at the beginning of rush-hour AM traffic instead of an empty highway at 2 AM.

I actually don't mind the 14-15 gallon warning, it means I don't have to panic to refuel right away LOL. Do you know what's Toyota's actual specifications for how many gallons in-tank when the light turns on?

BTW it's a 2002 SR5 V6 4WD. No lift or aftermaket bumpers,etc. 245/75-16 General Grabber HTS tires (lighter,less rolling resistance than original 265s). New Walker catalytic converters earlier this year (replaced the front air/fuel ratio sensor last year), new Walker Quietflow SS muffler last month. Spectre cleanable/reusable OEM style air filter. No deckplate or other intake related mods.

ED C: Its strange. Looking at my gauge needle, I get between 45-60 miles when it hits the bottom line of the top quarter of the dash gauge. (Sometimes less). I NEVER TOP OFF MY TANK TO SAVE MY CHARCOAL CANISTER. When the pump hits stop, that's when I stop.

I don't like to have less than half a tank and usually, I get a minimum of 145+ miles per half a tank. (This is per the dash fuel gauge) When I fill up, I put in anywhere from 8-9 gallons to fill back up to full.

I am OCD when it comes to maintenance and preventative maintenance on this 15+ year old vehicle. I track everything with respect to fill ups and keeps spreadsheets and copies of invoices with respect to every service I have ever done on the rig. I have found the O2 sensors to make a big difference. Keeping them "fresh" helps. O2's don't always throw codes and noticing any rapid change in MPG has taught me to check them. When I change them, I replace BOTH at the same time. I run Denso Double Platinum plugs and keep them fresh. Mobil1 Oil in the engine, Mobil1 Transmission fluid.

 

[BE4Runner]

I just picked up my 2000 4Runner (SR5, 2WD, V6, no roof rack, no tow hitch) a few thousand miles ago. I use the manual pen and paper method at every fill up, then use an Excel sheet to track everything. Most of my driving is highway miles, though there is a decent amount of Houston city driving and Houston traffic as well, in there.

I am averaging just over 21 miles per gallon over 2000+ miles tracked. I don't drive super aggressively, but I am very happy with this so far! It's almost as good as my old V6 Camry that I replaced, but in a much more capable package. On longer highway stretches at 70+ MPH I've seen over 23 MPG.

 

[BamaDrewski]

I just picked up my 2000 4Runner (SR5, 2WD, V6, no roof rack, no tow hitch) a few thousand miles ago. I use the manual pen and paper method at every fill up, then use an Excel sheet to track everything. Most of my driving is highway miles, though there is a decent amount of Houston city driving and Houston traffic as well, in there.

I am averaging just over 21 miles per gallon over 2000+ miles tracked. I don't drive super aggressively, but I am very happy with this so far! It's almost as good as my old V6 Camry that I replaced, but in a much more capable package. On longer highway stretches at 70+ MPH I've seen over 23 MPG.

One thing I forgot to mention. I always have my ECT button "on" when I drive. I have found that despite what "they say" driving without the ECT on, I get WORSE gas mileage!!!!

 

[BE4Runner]

One thing I forgot to mention. I always have my ECT button "on" when I drive. I have found that despite what "they say" driving without the ECT on, I get WORSE gas mileage!!!!

I always have ECT on as well. I saw conflicting information on here when I bought my truck, so I just decided to leave it on. It's been working out well for me!

 

[Unner]

I too always have ECT on. I'm running 255/75/17 BFG M/T's, a WMW rack with fairing, two ditch lights, and 100lb sliders. I just got back from a all highway trip for the most part and had 18.6 MPG with mileage adjusted. This is exactly what my scangauge read too, so it's nice to know that it is accurate.

18.6 is not too bad I think. I also had about 350 lbs of stuff other than just me in the truck between a passenger, dog, and stuff we brought. I drive speed limit everywhere though which makes a huge difference in MPG in these trucks. anything over 70 and you can just watch your MPGs go down. They're not the most aerodynamic vehicle, believe it or not...

 

[jeremyc74]

It's a 2000 SR5. I will get in contact with the previous owner and ask him about this issue. THanks

IIRC it's model years '99 and '00 that were effected by this. Mine is a 2000 and it has the issue for sure. I was going to try and fix it but it's more trouble than its worth.

 

[BamaDrewski]

IIRC it's model years '99 and '00 that were effected by this. Mine is a 2000 and it has the issue for sure. I was going to try and fix it but it's more trouble than its worth.

The cool thing about our 3rd gen rigs is that the fuel pump assembly is easily accessible under the driver's side rear seat. There is no reason to drop the fuel tank to do the repair. Might be the next thing I tackle....

 

[jeremyc74]

The cool thing about our 3rd gen rigs is that the fuel pump assembly is easily accessible under the driver's side rear seat. There is no reason to drop the fuel tank to do the repair. Might be the next thing I tackle....

I honestly didn't realize that. I thought the tank would have to come down. I have my truck all torn apart right now doing some stereo work and a few other things to the interior, so I may look into doing it too.

I read the TSB at one point, and there were two issues that they would correct. One was the scenario where it says its empty too early, and that was just replacing the sending unit. The other was that the gauge would drop after the truck had been turned off for a while, and they had to replace something in the dash.

Mine does both, but all I'm really worried about it knowing when it's actually empty. Even though I know there's fuel in there it bothers me driving around with the gauge sitting on Empty.

Edit:
Here's a link to a PDF of the actual TSB for the '00 model.

http://www.toyotapart.com/FUEL_GAUGE_INACCURACY_T-EL010-00.pdf

 

[cashmoney]

Wrong thread.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

One thing I forgot to mention. I always have my ECT button "on" when I drive. I have found that despite what "they say" driving without the ECT on, I get WORSE gas mileage!!!!

Interesting. I'll have to try a tank or two with the ECT on full time. I've never really used this feature except to try it out.

 

[JayRolla]

Interesting. I'll have to try a tank or two with the ECT on full time. I've never really used this feature except to try it out.

If you had larger tires it would always be on. With the stock gearing and early shifting without ect on makes the 4runner a dog. Shifts out of the power band.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

If you had larger tires it would always be on. With the stock gearing and early shifting without ect on makes the 4runner a dog. Shifts out of the power band.

I'll try it out. I'm pretty sure the previous owner always had it on.

I have stock 4:30 gearing with 285/75R16 tires.