Speed!

[Jan777]

Who can share some experience about driving the V8 long distance in high speeds?
I am in Europe and every weekend I am driving of 1200 miles, 600m each way. 90% of it highway. European driving style is faster than in the US and I usually have a speed of 95-110 mph.
The speedometer ends with 110 - but the engine seems to have lots of reserves. I know a SUV can loose stability with the high point of gravity, but I am mostly in empty straight highways. Anyone got experiences with taking the 4R above 110?
Then a question on fuel economy: I make 14-15mpg on high speeds, around 18 when I drive like a snail. Any tips how to keep economy in higher speeds?
thanks

 

[wnelax04sr5]

Who can share some experience about driving the V8 long distance in high speeds?
I am in Europe and every weekend I am driving of 1200 miles, 600m each way. 90% of it highway. European driving style is faster than in the US and I usually have a speed of 95-110 mph.
The speedometer ends with 110 - but the engine seems to have lots of reserves. I know a SUV can loose stability with the high point of gravity, but I am mostly in empty straight highways. Anyone got experiences with taking the 4R above 110?
Then a question on fuel economy: I make 14-15mpg on high speeds, around 18 when I drive like a snail. Any tips how to keep economy in higher speeds?
thanks

Best way to get good mpg? Slow down.

Other than that, be super light on the throttle, feather it, and let it coast down hills, and don't accelerate hard. But the best mpgs you'll get will be around 65-70

 

[MikeInNH]

Then a question on fuel economy: I make 14-15mpg on high speeds, around 18 when I drive like a snail. Any tips how to keep economy in higher speeds?

You can't. Wind resistance increases by the square of the speed.

At 50mpg you're wind resistance is 2500. At 70 it's 4900. At 90 it's 8100. That's almost 4 times the wind resistance then if you were driving at 50.

There is NOTHING that will help gas mileage better then by SLOWING DOWN...PERIOD.

 

[Ghost.]

Man we are all old

 

[JB.]

Any tips how to keep economy in higher speeds?

Just one.

 

[Dry-fly]

Lord, that thing is ugly.

 

[bopp95]

The speedometer ends with 110 - but the engine seems to have lots of reserves. I know a SUV can loose stability with the high point of gravity, but I am mostly in empty straight highways. Anyone got experiences with taking the 4R above 110?
Then a question on fuel economy: I make 14-15mpg on high speeds, around 18 when I drive like a snail. Any tips how to keep economy in higher speeds?
thanks

I drive over 350 miles a trip from home to college many times a year on Texas highways. It's incredibly easy to find yourself going 85+ after a while. The spedo does stop at 110, but me being a stupid kid maxed my V8 out at 115, there's a rev limiter in 5th gear at around 5000 rpm. On a completely flat road with no curves it felt as stable as when you're going 80+, just a lot more wind noise.
Recently with the warmer weather, I crept up into the 18 mpg range (hand calculation at the gas pump, not based on the car's readout) going between 65-70. The patience of going slow was worth the gas savings in my opinion. This is really the only way to get decent mileage.

 

[hearno]

cruise control is your best friend for better mpgs but with a blocky V8 suv there is no such thing as high speed fuel economy.

 

[MikeInNH]

Lord, that thing is ugly

Several years ago...a guy that worked for me....lowered a Honda Civic (to about the height of that 4runner). It cost him a girlfriend. At the time his girlfriend was living at this apartment complex...and they had about 10 speed-bumps. First time he visited her after lowering his civic...he got stuck on one of the speed bumps. He couldn't park at the apartment.....couldn't even pick her up for date. She ended up dumping him..

 

[seeking3rdgen]

I wouldn't take it over the limiter without new, higher-speed-rating tires. From the factory, the limiter matches the tires... probably 112mph and Q-rated tires. Get the right tires if you do this, but 110 mph sounds pretty dangerous in these soft, floaty vehicles.

 

[Minn3sota]

cruise control is your best friend for better mpgs but with a blocky V8 suv there is no such thing as high speed fuel economy.

Cruise control is ridiculous with the V8. It kicks down a gear on simple inclines. Than hauls ass over the set speed, and kicks back up a gear. It's annoying.

The best way to simplistically improve MPG is to use a premium petrol. Over inflate your tires ***slightly*** and use the draft.

The draft is huge.

 

[chmura]

lol economy and high speed? Those two shouldn't even be in the same sentence with each other.

I had an 2011 M3 in Germany back in 2011 during my euro trip and I was literally spending $100 usd on fuel per day.

You have to pay to drive fast simple as that.

 

[Jan777]

ok guys got the message

Ok got it! If I wanna drive the 4R fast - unlike one of these penny-saving 50 mph drivers - this is going to happen:

a) I am going to loose my girlfriend (ouuch)
b) I will end up every two hours at a gas station paying 100USD+
c) the cruise control is going to blow me off the highway when accelerating

and generally I am just going to make a fool of myself!

Uff!
-

Looks like I have to use my 20 years old diesel Benz for the long-distance trips, got an mpg over 22 when on constant travel speed of 100 mph and with some noise cancelling headphones its actually bearable

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Well I mean, if you're gonna buy a V8; factor in the gas costs? My '93 S10 Blazer has roughly the same mileage I get in my V8 4th Gen (the 4th Gen gets slightly better mileage.) So while $80-100 a tank is expensive, its on par for what I have been paying for about 5-10 years.

There's a limiter at about a 120mph (I pegged the 4Runner one night on a freeway that had no one on it for miles and no shoulder for cops to hide on, not the smartest thing in the world I admit... but I survived...) and was like, "neat to know... never need to really go this fast again." I don't usually go beyond 90mph in the 4Runner on long trips, most of the roads I have been on just aren't good for a heavy brick to be flying that fast down them.

But to each their own, you could always go for the Diesel swap since you're out of North America and could get a 1KD-FTV easier if gas is that big a deal?

 

[HokieRunner]

Ok got it! If I wanna drive the 4R fast - unlike one of these penny-saving 50 mph drivers - this is going to happen:

a) I am going to loose my girlfriend (ouuch)
b) I will end up every two hours at a gas station paying 100USD+
c) the cruise control is going to blow me off the highway when accelerating

and generally I am just going to make a fool of myself!

Uff!
-

Looks like I have to use my 20 years old diesel Benz for the long-distance trips, got an mpg over 22 when on constant travel speed of 100 mph and with some noise cancelling headphones its actually bearable

is the factory roof rack still installed? If you don't use it I'd pull it off. Should save a couple mpgs.

 

[wnelax04sr5]

Ok got it! If I wanna drive the 4R fast - unlike one of these penny-saving 50 mph drivers - this is going to happen:

a) I am going to loose my girlfriend (ouuch)
b) I will end up every two hours at a gas station paying 100USD+
c) the cruise control is going to blow me off the highway when accelerating

and generally I am just going to make a fool of myself!

Uff!
-

Looks like I have to use my 20 years old diesel Benz for the long-distance trips, got an mpg over 22 when on constant travel speed of 100 mph and with some noise cancelling headphones its actually bearable

its gonna be more than pennies. why don't you just leave for your destination earlier and slow down?

 

[MikeInNH]

If I wanna drive the 4R fast - unlike one of these penny-saving 50 mph drivers - this is going to happen:

You're driving an SUV FAST..and you're complaining about gas mileage. I don't get it. You can have one or the other...NOT both (or in this case all three (SUV, Drive Fast, Good mpg)).

If you want to keep the same vehicle then the BIGGEST factor to improve gas mileage is to drive slower. There is nothing more that will have a larger effect.

Driving 70mph compared to 100mph could easily see a difference of 4-8mpg. That's a significant difference.

 

[wnelax04sr5]

You're driving an SUV FAST..and you're complaining about gas mileage. I don't get it. You can have one or the other...NOT both (or in this case all three (SUV, Drive Fast, Good mpg)).

If you want to keep the same vehicle then the BIGGEST factor to improve gas mileage is to drive slower. There is nothing more that will have a larger effect.

Driving 70mph compared to 100mph could easily see a difference of 4-8mpg. That's a significant difference.

no you don't understand, its pennies.

 

[Jan777]

just to end this thread

let me share some observations I made over the last months driving long distance trips 500miles+:

- the T4R is safe also in high speeds, I did a constant of 100-110 mph over many hundreds of miles and technically the engine runs just as smooth as in lower speeds, and otehr parts do not show any sign of wear

- fuel economy is not really great with the V8 - but in return you get (nearly) unlimited power in all situations, on high speeds 14-15 is best I can do

- the cruise control is actually fine calibrated, yes it does accelerate quiet harshly when reaching the fixed travel speed, but its reliable and reacts perfectly

- for long distance my favorite car, I am much less tired than in my other Totyota with manual gear shift and no cruise control, so far I am also quiet happy with the stock stereo, just needed to add a connector for my iPod

So will keep the T4R, although for my daily street battles through urban traffic I rather use my old diesel Benz

 

[RedSled]

If i was going to drive long distant at high speeds very regularly, I would consider re-gearing. You are at high RPMs, And that is very hard on the engine. just MHO.