9 MPG

I was just wondering if there was a way to get better gas mileage. I average around 9.5 mpg and it’s killing me. I have 33s on 17s and from what I can see, people with 35s are getting better gas mileage than me. Don’t know if there’s something that I should replace. I’m at around 103k miles and just did spark plugs a few days ago. I drive pretty regular for the most part. Might have to race people every now and then to merge because I live in California, but I regularly try to be gas efficient.

 

Some other factors that may be the culprit:

• traffic patterns – do you sit in stop-and-go traffic often?
• idling for long periods in general – these engines do not sip gas when parked.
• parking brake drag – the dealer I bought my 4runner from replaced the rear brakes and mis-calibrated the parking brake in the process.
• heavier weighted oil will drop you 1mpg or so – if you're using 5W30, for instance, go back to 0W-20.

The other thing is, if that number is your dash readout, and you haven't corrected your speedometer, it is off. Your tires are X% larger than stock. Find that number and add it to your dash readout.

For what it's worth, I'm getting 16mpg combined if I stay under 65 on the highway. I'm on skinny 35s.

 

A few little things to check....air filter, throttle body plate.

 

the tires are the biggest factor, from the factory tires 255/70-18 to 275/70-18 I drop 2-3 mpg...with LA, San Diego traffic, you lucky you see 9...lol

 

I ran 275/70's on my 2013 as well as a 285/70 (34) and still got 14.5 average.

 

I get around 9 with my Limo.... Sitting on a 3" lift and 275/70/18s.... Does not matter if you drive it like you stole it or like a 95 year old man, I still get 9. Bought it with 18k on it last year and have 31,500 ish on it now! And on top of getting 9 its got the 38 Gallon Tank...

 

I went 33’s and still average in the 14’s.

 

Looks like OP responded and then deleted it. He said he is in lots of stop and go traffic in San Diego. Coupled with racing people to merge, I doubt there is some mechanical factor that is giving him such low fuel economy.

Still worth checking it all out.

 

Yea I accidentally deleted it. I’m trying to figure out how to respond to people. I think I figured it out

 

I get about 13-14mpg average. I drive more highway with some city start/stop traffic with the occasional rush hour creep if I get caught in the city during those times. (I live outside of Austin, and I travel to client sites in the city frequently for work). I generally do the speed limits, and I am generally pretty laid back when driving. I am running 305/55r20’s for tires. I figure my mpg when I fill up, and I usually get 1-2 mpg better than what the dash readout shows.

 

It's the stop & go traffic that's killing your fuel economy. If I mostly drive around town (gym, groceries, etc), my tank average is in the 10-13 range. However, if I do a road trip I easily hit 16-18 range.

Reality is that the Tundra is a heavy truck with a large, thirsty engine. Having to make it start from a stop over and over is incredibly fuel intensive.

Edit: This does remind me of a funny anecdote. Right after I purchased my Tundra (coming from an Elantra), we went on a road trip through the smokies. At one point, we stopped at a lookout on top of the mountains before proceeding into Gatlinburg. My trip economy from the mountaintop to Gatlinburg was like 38 mpg

 

At Christmas time we took a 2.5 week trip down to Florida and hit the Keys and put a little over 3100 on the truck and averaged 13.8 mpg. And that was loaded down for the trip down and back, the 8ft bed was pretty full lol.

 

I get 10-12 towing a 4400# trailer.

 

stop and go and ANY idling to cool/warm the truck KILLS MPG avg for the entire tank. I have e load 33s and couple inches of lift and see 12-13 city and 16ish highway, driving normal. If I baby it I can get better mpg, but a half a MPG, 1 MPG really does not make much difference. So yes, based on replies and my experience you are low on MPG.

proper tire pressure, keeping up on maintenance, filters, plugs, MAF cleaning all help keep truck running good and MPG as good as a 400HP V8 can get. Low tire pressure alone can drop MPG by 1-2 points easy.

 

Make sure you have proper tire pressures. An easily overlooked item!

 

Which motor do you have

 

Welcome from San Diego! A whole bunch of us on here. Head on over to the SoCal group and introduce yourself.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/wel...ns-tundras-and-what’s-happening-thread.19581/

 

I have the 5.7

 

Yea. I usually keep them at 40-45 psi. Some people think it’s too high but it works good for me

 

I try to keep up with the maintenance and check the tire pressure every other fill up or so. Just wish I got at least 12 mpg lol

 

That tundra is super clean man. Looks good

 

Thanks!

 

I’ve always gotten 9.9-10.1mpg. Lots of stop and go but I will say it stays the same no matter how I drive it and even with the addition of bigger tires it did not change. So needless to say, most days I drive it with authority.

 

What size tires do you have? I want to get 35s, but I’m worried I’m going to get even worse gas mileage. If it’s minuscule then I’ll definitely upgrade

 

I kept my tires at 50 psi.

 

damn 9mpg is pretty bad. My excursion gets better than that with the 6.8L V10 and being 22 years old. How do your fuel trims look? Do you have a way to monitor?

 

Mine are 34’s. Cooper rugged trek so a pretty meaty tire but not as heavy as some of the other brands.

 

Something is wrong if you only get 9. You have to have a lead foot and sit in traffic all the time.

My 5.7 gets 10.5 mpg with 37s and stock gearing. The front bumper is a lot of wind drag. It actually does a little better in town or drafting someone i can get about 12.

Not sure where i would start. Perhaps clean the MAF and replace the upstream O2 sensors. Or buy a honda civic to commute in lol.

 

How old is the rear end gear oil? That stuff can get thick and goopy if it's left in there for a decade. Similar effect if it's heavy stuff like 85w140