Real World V8 4x4 Gas Mileage!!

[charlier180]

Once again....I simply don't know what to say. Sounds like you guys are cookin' the books.

Cannot talk about how other people arrive at their MPG numbers.
The MPG figures I post come directly from the spreadsheets I keep for my various vehicles.
All calculations are done using mileage to tenths of a mile and gasoline used out the three decimal places.
For my 4Runner, I also note the MPG reading from the dash display which is always 12-14% higher than the calculated MPG.
I find it interesting that the display in my 21 year old VW GTI 16V has always been within .1 MPG of the calculated MPG.

Some people believe that EPA MPG figures are 100% correct and cast in stone.
Over the years, I have many times gotten better MPG figures than the EPA numbers in every, single one of my vehicles.
I have also gotten worse than those numbers at times as well on occassion (Towing a trailer will do that).

BTW, you might want to ask some current diesel engine vehicle owners how accurate the published MPG numbers are for their vehicles.
Many of them will get a good laugh out of that question since the EPA MPG numbers tend to run 18-20% TOO LOW.
Even the EPA has acknowledged that their testing procedure for diesels is not accurate. Maybe someday they will address that issue.

 

[pickerdd]

That's excellent mileage! I get 15-16mpg on my daily commute which is all stop and go driving on back roads that are a little hilly. I do very little highway driving during the week, but when I'm able to hit the road I get 20-21 mpg driving 70mph. Not bad IMO. This isn't relying on the computer, it's hand calculated. My computer is consistently about 10% off.

 

[DaBoostCreep]

BTW, you might want to ask some current diesel engine vehicle owners how accurate the published MPG numbers are for their vehicles.

I can say this. My 99 F350 Powerstroke with a 4" lift and 35" tires gets the same fuel mileage on average when taking a trip to Tahoe/Reno from the bay area. About 16mpg

 

[AustinB]

my 2003 4runner v8 all time 4x4 w/ 145k is getting about 13-15 mpg, which is very sad considering i do almost all highway driving!

 

[Liq]

these numbers also blow my mind, Bay Area 4 mile each way commute im rocking 13-14 calculated, the computer says 15.1 stock height & tires.

 

[M1911]

I'm getting 14-15 mpg in my '03 V8 4WD Limited. Ouch.

 

[Ridger]

I'm averaging 15mpg in mainly city driving environment so far, all stock and 32psi tires. I'm soon changing my tranny, diffentials and T-case to synthetics and going to up my tire pressure a tad and will be interested to see if that makes any difference.

I'd really like to see more members sign up to "fuelly.com" like I have (see my sig) and start tracking their "real world" mileage. Of course there are many factors that affect mileage numbers, but it is still a good estimate.

Here is a link to the 4Runner mileage page.... and you can "filter" the list by engine size ...etc using the "drop-down" menu at the top of the page. I'd like to see more V8's on there. I just put a small notepad in my 4Runner and jot down the date, odometer reading, gas volume and price every fill up. Plus I also note the onboard computer mileage for comparison and reset it after each fill up.....
Browse All Toyota 4Runners | Fuelly

 

[airsix]

Mileage has as much to do with HOW you drive as WHAT you drive. Remember, the STIG flogged a Prius around the track and Carkson followed in an M3 and got better mileage. Some people will always get better-than-rated mileage from their vehicles. Unfortunately I am not one of those people.

 

[Nuke]

Nothing like resurrecting a 2 1/2 year old thread...

I do a lot of long distance cruises with the T4R. At a steady 70 MPH, my V6 averages 21 MPG hand calculated (the on-board reads about 23.5 MPG and is typically 2-2.5 MPG high). When I reduce that to 55-60 MPH I can average 23-24 MPG. I keep my tires in the 32 PSI range all around. My mixed driving highway and rural (NO city to speak of) nets me an average of 18-20 MPG.

If I'm really concerned about fuel mileage on those long trips I'd take the V8 Mustang GT. At a steady cruise at 70 I get 24 MPG and it's SO much more fun to drive. I can squeeze out 27 if I do a steady 55, but who can do THAT?

 

[Merle]

I jot down the numbers every time I fill up. Here's my summation for the past few years. Included in there are a tire upsize and lift which will affect mileage.

2008
27,374 miles
18.9 mpg average by trip computer
17.9 mpg average by hand
39.0 mph average
$3.281/gallon
$4,951.84 spent on gas
1,508.8 gallons of fuel used

2009
35,558 miles
18.6 mpg average by trip computer
18.0 mpg average by hand
36.5 mph average
$2.46/gallon
$4,753.16 spent on gas
1,974.8 gallons of fuel used

2010 (so far)
36,237 miles
17.4 mpg average by trip computre
16.6 mpg average by hand
38 mph average
$2.865/gallon
$6,181.64 spent on gas
2016.0 gallons of fuel used

Things that nickle and dime your mpg: larger tires, 10% ethanol on the west coast, winter before your 4runner has time to warm up, speeding and traffic.

 

[MikesToy]

My mpg went down from 17.1 to 15.2 today. :cry2: Maybe b/c of the cold temperature outside. It was @ high 18.4 during the summer.

 

[Ridger]

That's what is happening to me also Mike.

You can see on my fuelly link that my last 3 readings have dropped off by 1-1.5mpg from the previous ones and it is largely due to the cold weather and little bit of snow we have now. That extra "warming up" idling and driving through snow and slush...etc.

I suspect that in the summer I'll be getting 15.5-16.5mpg with mainly city driving, however, over the next 4-5 months I'll be more in the 13-14mpg due to winter (maybe worse - but hopefully not :wink2.

I signed up to fuelly and I'm planning on tracking my fuel mileage over a full year which will result in an average MPG over all 4 seasons.

 

[airsix]

During cold starts the EFI will richen the AF ratio and keep it rich until operating temp is reached. The colder it is the richer the start-up mixture will be. The more cold starts per tank the worse it'll ding your mileage. I did some programmable EFI tuning on a track car a while back and was really surprised at how much extra fuel is needed for a smooth cold-start warm-up.

 

[eskimochaos]

During cold starts the EFI will richen the AF ratio and keep it rich until operating temp is reached. The colder it is the richer the start-up mixture will be. The more cold starts per tank the worse it'll ding your mileage. I did some programmable EFI tuning on a track car a while back and was really surprised at how much extra fuel is needed for a smooth cold-start warm-up.

Is it actually richer or just greater amount - hence the increased RPM's when its cold or are the RPM's greater due to the richer mixture?

I get 14-16mpg on the screen nowadays - ~300 a tank.

 

[FourEyedWilly]

Is it actually richer or just greater amount - hence the increased RPM's when its cold or are the RPM's greater due to the richer mixture?

I get 14-16mpg on the screen nowadays - ~300 a tank.

Same. 255 75R17 and a 2/3 spacer lift. My driving is all around town. Barely any freeway.

 

[eskimochaos]

Same. 255 75R17 and a 2/3 spacer lift. My driving is all around town. Barely any freeway.

Sounds like its the lift and tire for you - mostly lead foot for me.

Those are highway figures.

 

[Bossman]

I've owned my 03 T4R V8 for three years now, and I calculate my mileage manually after each fill up and record the info.

Typical city mileage (spring/summer/fall) for me averages between 16-17 mpg.

Typical city mileage (winter) average for me drops to between 13-14 mpg.

I don't do much highway driving anymore, but I have recorded mileage of 23-24 mpg when I did.

Coming from my Lexus LS400 V8, the city mileage is a little worse and the highway mileage a lot worse in the T4R. But I can go places in the T4R I'd never even consider in my LS400.

 

[123GO]

13 mpg...

A couple common causes of MPG going down besides tire pressure are a bad "temp switch/sensor" and bad/dirty "MAF sensor". Sorry, if already mentioned I did not read all posts here.

Either sensor will cause a milage drop and a dirty MAF sensor also causes hard downshifts.
On mine I ended up replacing the MAF sensor at 106k after cleaning it several times simply failed to correct issues . A tiny tick turd of dirt in the right spot inside one can cause problems. :happens:
After replacing it my V8 4runner is shifting perfectly smooth and MPG up to 17 city again (air on/peddle down) from a terrible 13 mpg . Also' I disconnected my battery over night after clean/replaced so it relearned :wink2:.

Clean MAF Sensor..How?
How to Clean Your MAF Sensor

MAF Type? :lookout:
Mass Air Flow Sensor ? Air Flow Meters at Howrah

Coolant Temp Sensor...
https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-coolant-temperature-switch

Hope this helps.
*

 

[Rishi3]

All these V8s getting better mpg than my V6

Sent from my ZTE B2017G using Tapatalk

 

[LOSTR4]

No matter how heavy my skinny-pedal foot is, I get 15MPG...as it sits now...before modifications, I was averaging 19MPG...