terrible gas mileage

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hayes55987

New member
2004 Toyota 4Runner V8 Sport Edition here. 65,000 miles

Been getting really bad gas mileage again lately and I wanted to get any input as to whether it seems "normal" or I may actually have some problems.

I get about 200-225 miles per tank in the winter and maybe 280-290 in the summer. I drive about 50/50 highway/city. Not to heavy of a foot but occasionally I like to let loose and get some use out of my V8.

Winter:
I try to keep the tires around 38psi or so.
I am pretty bad (gulp) about letting my car properly warm up, etc. I drive it about 10 miles to work a day and it heats up after about 5 miles (halfway).
Haven't seafoamed and//or cleaned the MAF this winter
Need to check the tires this winter as it just started getting cold for pressure
haven't checked what it idle's at when it's cold but I've heard this can be an indicator

What else should I check for and/or does this sound normal for winter driving? I was hoping for about 275-300 for winter and maybe 325-350 for summer.
 
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Short commute, will always be a problem, even if it's mostly highway. Same issue with my V6 and 9 mile commute (and hilly terrain).
38 lbs in tires???? Really won't make a significant improvement in mileage. Stick with recommened pressure (32psi cold, I believe) Best for mileage, safety, handling, grip, tread wear....
And as noted already by gn86r , Winter formula gas probably has ethanol/methanol blend in it. Mileage is a bit lower in Winter.

If you can manage it, stay off the gas, under 3000RPM for awhole tank (yeah, it's not easy to do in real world), and see what the true mileage is ( drive a whole tank, TRACK MILEAGE, fill tank , then DIVIDE the MILES BY the GALLONS - Miles/Gallons=MPG ) Only way to see if there are any real improvements.

My V6 I ALWAYS get a consistent 15.5-16.8 mpg depending on temperature and amountof highway I do in any given week on weekend. It has never changed for me. My driving habits most likely. Best I ever got was coming back from Vermont (200+ miles) to Connecticut (21.3 mpg) in Summer. Also was a big change in elevation helped a lot.
 
I find in my V8, just flooring it a few times in a tank of gas shows a signifigant impact. I track my mileage, and buy a lot of gas.

Go a tank of gas driving it like an old man, and get back to us. :)
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. Nice to find people with some valuable input!!

I filled up today from a quarter tank to a full tank.
Ended up putting in only 14 gallons ( I thought i'd be putting in more) which brought my average to around 13.3 gallons for this tank.

My idle is definetely higher when I start the truck (cold) but in park sits around 800rpm when warm? and maybe...600-700 when in drive? On cold start its about 1400,1500. I am assuming this is what people mean by saying in the cold the car kind of steals all the gas.


I am thinking that'd put me around 275 per tank if I drove it little more highway and to the end. This seem's a little more reasonable to me. I am not thrilled about it but I didn't buy the car to get good mileage either.

Does this sound more reasonable??
 
275 sounds low to me. I just lifted my T4R with 275/65/18 Cooper STTs and I got 300 with the correction for bigger tires. With that said, I NEVER get my rpms over 2K. Even though I'm young, I have no interested in going fast or flooring it from a light. Its fun for a couple seconds, but in the end I'd rather have the extra gas in my tank. Before lift and all, I'd get like 320 a tank.

If you baby it, you'll get 300. Chances are over the summer I'm gonna switch back to my stock tires for when I have to drive far. Until then I'll keep my muds :D
 
Hmm... this is where I get worried.

I never know if the mileage I'm getting is correct, something is wrong with my car, etc. My local toyota place always scam's me and I feel like I can never trust their diagnosis.
 
Try seafoaming it, cleaning the MAF sensor, cleaning the throttle body, and removing the HCF. You'll probably be awarded with ~2 mpgs. Also changing the sparks might help as well. After I seafoamed mine, removed the HCF, and replacing the air filter with a K&N I got 2 Mpgs back.
 
i only get 15-16 mpg driving 100% hwy, doing 60-70mph, light footed.
plugs new, filters new. any ideas?

03 v8 limited. with 120,000 miles. seafoamed in summer

check engine light, likely due to cracked pass. side exh manifold
 
I drive mostly city with many trips less than 8 miles. I averge about 25mph. My mileage in the winter is about 14 in my v8 4wd.
 
RoyR said:
I get better gas mileage in my supercharged mustang than I get in this 4runner!
Click to expand...

And your point? Your comparing a 4500lb SUV and a 2dr car, there's a little difference. If you want better mileage, look into a hybrid escape!
 
I will never drive a hybrid....need the power, leave that **** for the hippies.

Fuel Economy

2005 4Runner 4WD, 4.7L 8 cyl
14/18mpg - $3169/yr

2005 Ford Explorer 4WD, 4.6L 8 cyl
13/17mpg - $3621/yr

So, I guess we just need to keep quiet and be happy! :) :guitar3:
 
I don't know why people keep making threads about MPG with their 4Runners. It's an SUV, not a Prius :dammit: I average 17-18MPG with my V8 AWD.
 
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