the horrible gas milage my 04 is getting

I figure we spend an extra $100/mo. on gas in our 4runner compared to the Toyota Matrix we used to have. It is cheap insurance for the safety of my family compared to smaller cars.
 
I also am getting about 15-16mpg.

I might need to clean my MAF and Air Filter also.

These are some cool apps I need to try.
 
the past few fillups put it at 280 miles! But this morning, after reading this and in need of a full tank of gas, I went premium and it displayed 330 miles. MPG's also increased to about 19.. Originally I did premium just to run a tank of premium through it since I never have before. But if the MPG's stay elevated I may just keep using premium.

I'll have to try premium next fill up at the same station/same pump just to cross out octane level as a variable.

You said your MPGs increased to 19 after filling up with premium but is that reading from the computer or from a hand calc you did?
 
How much highway driving do you do Chris?

20 mile round trip everyday. 4 miles on highway and the rest in 55 zone so I don't see much city driving but we don't have much of that in Truckee. If I did more city driving I would get right around what your getting. I fill up every 11-12 days, less now with it being 15 out when I start my car every morning. Now we just need snow!
 
Now that you bring it up, for those who have used premium what's the difference you've seen? Always wondered but never did it.
 
wait..wait....you only fill up twice a month?? is it your daily driver?? i fill up twice a week and I'm all highway...jealousy is setting in

Lol yes. Every two weeks, I drive about 150 a week or so.

Its my daily driver. I don't drive a whole lot, work is fairly close to home and I only work 14 days a month. When I drive to work it sits there my whole shift then I drive it home when I get off. The other driving I do is just around town. If we go out we take my fiancee's ford fusion quite a bit to save on gas.
 
From my experience with using premium (91+) vs regular (87), it is my understanding that the premium is designed to ignite at a higher temperature. So, if your engine is not a high compression/high temp running engine, premium is a waste of money as you are not completely burning the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. Could it hurt to use premium? Maybe long-term use, both mechanically (excess build-up) and financially (wasted money), but it probably wont blow up your engine. As far as MPG increase, again, long-term MPG may go up, but I wouldn't hold your breath or expect some dramatic short-term increase

thats my .02 cents.
 
From my experience with using premium (91+) vs regular (87), it is my understanding that the premium is designed to ignite at a higher temperature. So, if your engine is not a high compression/high temp running engine, premium is a waste of money as you are not completely burning the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. Could it hurt to use premium? Maybe long-term use, both mechanically (excess build-up) and financially (wasted money), but it probably wont blow up your engine. As far as MPG increase, again, long-term MPG may go up, but I wouldn't hold your breath or expect some dramatic short-term increase

thats my .02 cents.

could premium hurt mileage at all? long term wise..??
 
The owner's manual clearly states which fuel octanes are approved as well as what can be expected when using a particular octane.

OP - Have you considered checking the driveline bearings? (wheel, driveshaft, etc)



In other news, I'm happy to report I'm getting 20.5 mpg on my V8 using 87 octane

:D
 
:iagree: with magert...once for kicks I drove like a granny to see how good my mileage could be and I got 18mpg...great it was nice to know that I can but screw that...I get 12mpg cuz I love hearing the engine roar, and thats why I bought a V8...if I was worried about mpg I would still drive my corolla!
 
could premium hurt mileage at all? long term wise..??
if you are speaking in terms of how many miles you will get out of the engine, I believe that premium could hurt but not kill. How? Well, the excess build up caused from un-burned air/fuel mixture will definitely cause premature wear on valves, cat converters, exhaust manifold etc.

In the end though, there are a number of things more likely to happen to the engine or drivetrain due to wear/tear that could cause the vehicle to stop working. Gas type may be a contributing factor to a failure, but not a definite cause.
 
Again, the owner's manual states which types of fuel are accepted for these vehicles as well as what to expect when choosing an octane. Hi-test fuel is not going to hurt anything, be it short term or long term, in these engines.

As far as carbon buildup due to unburnt gasses damaging things....not likely. It's not 1967 anymore.
 
The owner's manual clearly states which fuel octanes are approved as well as what can be expected when using a particular octane.

OP - Have you considered checking the driveline bearings? (wheel, driveshaft, etc)



In other news, I'm happy to report I'm getting 20.5 mpg on my V8 using 87 octane

:D

bergs: when you say driveline bearings do you mean to check to make sure they're lubed?

Anyone know of any test one can perform to make sure the engine is operating at peak efficiency and not spiraling downwards? I know this will eventually lead to a CEL but if it takes a while to get the CEL I'm sure I as well as others would like to nip problems in the bud b4 it happens.
 

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