what did you do to get better gas mileage?
- Thread starter gindobuck
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What gas do you use? Regular, Premium?
I would check air filter and pressure, alignment in tires.
liqourish
New member
14mpg? are u sure ur calculations are correct? my stock 4x2 gets around 20 before i had headers/exhuast/intake. now regardless how i drive i get around 18. and yes i run it quite alot and floor it ever so often. is your car running normal or loud at highway speeds? the only way for me to get 14mph is to be driving in 3rd or 4th all day. id get your tranmission/engine look at, because if your not in 3rd or 4th then there is something potentially wrong.
your not going like 100 on the highway are you?
its not super charged is it?
btw the comp calculator is like 2.2 mph off.
your not going like 100 on the highway are you?
its not super charged is it?
btw the comp calculator is like 2.2 mph off.
Last edited:
charlier180
New member
Just wondering, when you calculated your MPG you did fill the tank TOTALLY FULL then use the gallons used along with the total mileage from the last TOTAL FILL-UP to do your calculations, right? Not trying to nit-pick but I have seen people post on other forums about poor MPG only to find out they were not filling their tank totally full each time. That will yield inaccurate MPG every time.
I would be more concerned if this MPG was over 3-4 tanks of fuel not just one. Over the years, I have run into pumps that turned off prematurely every once in a while which increased my MPG for that tank. Then on the next tank of fuel the MPG took a nose-dive.
BTW, with COLD winter temps and slow winter driving (ie snow, ice, etc) I sometimes see 12-14 MPG with my V8 4WD. With the 8-10 inches of snow last weekend and the current reading on my 4Runner dash display I am guessing my MPG for this tank will be around 14 MPG. Time will tell at my next fill-up. Historically speaking, my MPG goes down 1-2 MPG in the winter compared to the warmer seasons.
CJ3Flyr
Super Moderator
:iagree: 100% If you go 200miles and pump in 12.9 or 13.6 there's a huge difference in the outcome...
scottm
New member
In five days, how many tanks of gas have you gone through? To get a reasonably accurate measurement you need to keep track of fuel and mileage through several consecutive tanks of gas. The mpg readout on the dash is notoriously innacurate, but usually to the flattering side, perhaps for marketing purposes.
To answer your question, I'm doing the same I do on all my cars: good maintenance and synthetic fluids. Low tire pressure is probably the quickest way to poor mileage, along with big tires, aftermarket roof rack, lift, or a heavy foot.
I'd like to find a way to lower my truck an inch, since I bought it for mostly highway cruising. But the kits are more expensive than the feasible savings from better mileage.
To answer your question, I'm doing the same I do on all my cars: good maintenance and synthetic fluids. Low tire pressure is probably the quickest way to poor mileage, along with big tires, aftermarket roof rack, lift, or a heavy foot.
I'd like to find a way to lower my truck an inch, since I bought it for mostly highway cruising. But the kits are more expensive than the feasible savings from better mileage.
scottm
New member
I've heard that gas stations get a different blend in the winter that causes mileage to go down. I didn't look into it, but I wonder...
Sporin
New member
It used to be that way up here in VT, we got gas heavy with MTBE in the winter, but not summer.
But they outlawed MTBE and went to Ethanol instead and I'm pretty sure it's used year round now as a "gas stretcher" even though it drops MPG for everyone by 5%+. :bash:
FYI, my onboard computer Average is generally 1-1.5 MPG optimistic to my calculations.
eskimochaos
Banned
Its colder out thus more oxygen content in the air which ultimately means that more fuel is required for combustion. Gas mileage is always worse in the winter. Im struggling to get 13 with new tires.
snhrph
New member
:iagree:with scottm, 5 days is not enough time (or miles) to calculate your average. I calculated my average over 5K and 10K periods, and got very similar numbers - 19.8mpg combined.
Keeping your highway speed at 65 and accelerating slower "off the line" are the best bets to improve your gas mileage.
Another thing worth noticing is that MPG is usually very low on the new vehicles, and improves after the break-in period.
Sporin
New member
Agreed, with my V8, HOW I drive has a HUGE effect on my average MPG.
Slowrunner
New member
Give it some time. It is a brand new motor that hasn't been broken in. After 1k or 2k the internals will break in and it will help your milage. Like others noted, check tire pressure, and be light on the gas. I have never gotten below 20mpg with my v6. Everytime I drive I try to make the mpg calculator on the dash go up 1/10. sometimes its uphill where I am going, so I make sure to make up for it coming back downhill. Good luck, you'll love this car
Nuke
New member
5 days? Obviously this must be your 1st car. To get a good feel for what your gas mileage is, you need to hand calculate at least 6-12 fill-ups. There are som many variables that affect gas mileage. You could drive the same 400 mile stretch of road at the same speeds getting gas at the same gas stations and STILL get as much as a 4-5 MPG variance each time.
I have an '08 V6. If I can keep it at or under 65 MPH, I can average 23-24 MPG pump-to-pump, all highway, hand calculated. If I'm running errands around town with a lot of short stop-and-go trips, I get 13-14.
I have an '08 V6. If I can keep it at or under 65 MPH, I can average 23-24 MPG pump-to-pump, all highway, hand calculated. If I'm running errands around town with a lot of short stop-and-go trips, I get 13-14.
liqourish
New member
im guessing ur using the dash to do the math for you? cause i get 21.1(or less)
and manual math @ 18.5ish.
anyways .....okay......u just got it 5 days ago.....take it back lol. save you time and money. get a different 4runner or the 2010 or have them fix it.
Kramer420
New member
yeah the dash is a round-about guesstimate ive had my truck about a month now. i work 3 miles 1 way from my job and drive about 30 miles round trip for paintball on sunday. i was a little heavy on the gas when i first bought the truck and was averaging about 12-15 MPG. OUCH since ive been less of a led foot the last week or so my MPG has jumped up to 17-22! pretty good considering i got a surco rack and $hitty winter gas. we will see this summer how its doing. also like the guys have been saying in posts above me Break in period mpg sucks big time. use your cruise control as much as possible it works trust me!
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