V6 Consumption
- Thread starter AlexJet
- Start date
boston_kevin
New member
JB. said:
You have entered... The Twilight Zone...
Honestly, the first 3k miles I was averaging around 17-18 MPG, which I figured was pretty good considering this thing weighs in at almost 2.5 tons. Afterwards I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic, set the tire pressure to 35 and Zaino'd the car for the spring... After about 5k miles I noticed my gas mileage went up to 18-19 average, and I was routinely getting 380 miles per tank with 20 left to go on the range. Summer came, and I spend a lot of time commuting 130 miles each way from Cape Cod to where I work 2-3 times per week, and after 8k miles, my average was getting up around 20-21 average (lots more highway) and I was filling up at 420 miles (per the odometer) with 25 + left in the range. Only a couple of times did I ever see the yellow light come on to tell me to fill it up. 2 weeks ago I went to get an oxygen sensor replaced, and I decided to go check out the window stickers on the '05 V8s and V6s, that's when I saw the averages that they based the EPA estimates on.
Where I think the V6 with the 4spd is lacking is trying to find the right gear for speeds between 30 and 45, 45-75 seems to be okay for 4th gear, and after 75, its just outside the torque curve to really accelerate. However, this seems to be good for gas mileage.
boston_kevin
New member
beeper said:
And the V8 has different brake systems than the V6? Not... All 4th gen's have the same braking systems, unless you have an '03 SR5 with 16" wheels. The V6 can be fitted with the same trailer hitch as the V8 by the dealer, so unless you know something Toyota doesn't, this should work ok. Any trailer that can haul a load greater than 3500 is required to have at a minimum, surge brakes. With the correct hitch, trailer brake system, and tranny cooler, 7000 is the limit according to Toyota specs for the V6, 7700 for the V8. Toyota doesn't market that hitch for the V6 because who would use a V6 for regular towing? I normally use my wife's Yukon for towing, but my 4Runner has been used to bring the boat (about 4500 lbs) back and forth a couple of times. I also installed the tranny cooler (well, dealer did this for me).
Personally I think anything over 5k is straining the V6 because of the torque required to get the whole rig moving, but braking is no bigger issue than it is on the V8.
greasefingers
New member
One for certain is that you will never actually get 30 mpg. A Camry doesn
boston_kevin
New member
lbrunner said:I could be wrong but the 05 V8 SE has bigger front disc's than my friends 04 limited V8. I think the spec's show this. Don't have time to look now
I measured my front rotors with a friend's '04 SE and they were the same size. Had nothing to do with the V8 vs the V6. Originall this was just for the SE versus the other versions, but any vehicle with 17" wheels should have the same front rotors.
Hank
New member
boston_kevin said:
I agree with you that the V6 can tow over 5000lbs when properly equipped (i.e.- tranny cooler & wd hitch), but I don't believe the V6 would be straining to tow over 5000lbs. I think it's safe to say the V6 can handle 6000lbs easily, but 7000lbs maybe pushing it a bit if there's steep grades. The Taco, with the same engine and tranny is rated to tow 6500lbs. However the Taco is about 500lbs lighter than the 4R, so to compensate for the difference, the 4R should be able to handle 6000lbs. The limiting factors between the V6 and V8 are the tranny cooler, wd hitch, and extra power/torque since both share the same frame and tranny (except for the 4spd). Just my 2 cents
BTW: When I used to travel alot for work, I was driving 95% highway & 5% city and I would only average between 16.5-18mpg due to my bad habit of driving over 80mph. I think the V8 might get better gas mileage if the vehicle is constantly driven at high speeds. The worst tank I had ever (excluding towing) was 16mpg (95% hwy) w/my roof basket/rack on. FYI, I have the 4spd and have always used premium up until last month when I alternate b/t prem and mid grade and occasionally regular
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quote
Any trailer that can haul a load greater than 3500 is required to have at a minimum, surge brakes
boston-kevin....
I would like to rent a car trailer with brakes but all I can find like U HAUL is a car trailer that weighs 2000 lbs and does not have any brakes . Got any suggestions ?
Any trailer that can haul a load greater than 3500 is required to have at a minimum, surge brakes
boston-kevin....
I would like to rent a car trailer with brakes but all I can find like U HAUL is a car trailer that weighs 2000 lbs and does not have any brakes . Got any suggestions ?
boston_kevin
New member
Uhaul auto transport spec's:
http://www.uhaul.com/guide/?equipment=autotransport
Note bullet 5 on the features list:
"Automatic hydraulic surge brake"
http://www.uhaul.com/guide/?equipment=autotransport
Note bullet 5 on the features list:
"Automatic hydraulic surge brake"
AlexJet
New member
Hank said:
You are partially right. At constant speed vehicle use less power to maintain it => less gas, then when accelerating/decelerating.
You should also keep in mind aerodynamics. As faster you go as more gas you'll burn to go through wind resistance. This means that most aerodynamically efficient speed is 50-55mph.
As an example, my previous truck. 90l (24gal) tank, at 90km/h (~55mph) => 850km (530miles), at 110km/h (~70mph) => 720km (450miles), at 130km/h (~80mph) => 540km (330miles).
Hank
New member
I agree that at higher speed, aerodynamics is a huge contributing factor to fuel efficiency. What I really meant to say is that with the increased wind resistance when driving well over the speed limits, the V8 wouldn't be stressing as much as the V6. At high speed and when driving against head winds, I think the V8 wouldn't need to push as hard as the V6. Under normal driving conditions (i.e..- below 65-70mph and flat roads) the V6 should have better fuel economy.
JungleJim
New member
quote:
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Originally posted by Boaz
I bet he didnt use an entire tank
Get 30MPG after using an ENTIRE tank of gas. You just went on a highway trip, refilled and calcuated. All of my MPG calculations are from an entire tank of gas.
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If it makes a difference whether you use a half tank, 3/4 tank, or a full tank prior to calculating, then by that reasoning waiting until you use up a full tank hurts the mpg. I don't understand that logic, but then again I might be missing something.
The calculation is the same, no matter how much gas was used. I agree that if you only drove a few miles prior to refueling that you probably wouldn't get an accurate reading, but I disagree that you would need to use an entire tank to get an accurate reading.
By the way, I've experimented in the past with refueling at half a tank and refueling close to empty. I got the same mpg. But after talking to my mechanic, he told me that it's not good for the fuel pump to run a vehicle down to empty.
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Originally posted by Boaz
I bet he didnt use an entire tank
Get 30MPG after using an ENTIRE tank of gas. You just went on a highway trip, refilled and calcuated. All of my MPG calculations are from an entire tank of gas.
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If it makes a difference whether you use a half tank, 3/4 tank, or a full tank prior to calculating, then by that reasoning waiting until you use up a full tank hurts the mpg. I don't understand that logic, but then again I might be missing something.
The calculation is the same, no matter how much gas was used. I agree that if you only drove a few miles prior to refueling that you probably wouldn't get an accurate reading, but I disagree that you would need to use an entire tank to get an accurate reading.
By the way, I've experimented in the past with refueling at half a tank and refueling close to empty. I got the same mpg. But after talking to my mechanic, he told me that it's not good for the fuel pump to run a vehicle down to empty.
Hank
New member
Not to spark a debate, but the mpg calculation is affected if you refill when the fuel levels are low versus when it's near full. A full tank of gas weighs about 184lbs and there should be about 16lbs of fuel left when the range displays 0 (approx 2 ga remaining). So theoretically, the 4R would get lower mpg when full and higher mpg otherwise. By doing the calculations based on a full tank and driven until about 1/4 or 1/8 of a tank remaining, the higher & lower mpg figures would average each other out. I'm not saying that everyone should drive until the fuel levels are really low due to possible fuel pump damage/wear (depending on the pump design), but with less weight to move, you will get better fuel economy.
greasefingers
New member
Some closer estimates:
The density of gasoline is 6.167 lbs/gal
A full tank of gas (23 gal) weights 141.86 lbs
2 gallons of fuel weights 12.33 lbs
I am not sure that carrying the extra 129.5 lbs makes any difference. If so, then one should be careful with fuel calculations. In others words don
The density of gasoline is 6.167 lbs/gal
A full tank of gas (23 gal) weights 141.86 lbs
2 gallons of fuel weights 12.33 lbs
I am not sure that carrying the extra 129.5 lbs makes any difference. If so, then one should be careful with fuel calculations. In others words don
