Will removing my rear seats add mpg?

I own a crew cab and I was wondering if removing the rear seats will effect my mpg because I know the more weigh you shed the better your mpg. Barely do I ever use my back seats.

 

Probably not a noticeable amount.

 

NO.

 

As much as losing 30 lbs

 

About the same amount as stickers that add HP.

 

No.

 

Yes. But it might only be .01mpg. Reducing weight does increase mpg to a point. 30lbs will be negligible, but not zero. Not worth removing only for that reason for sure.

 

Heck, I’ve got a Reg cab. Doesn’t help with mileage. Don’t even have the weight of
that whole extra cab you’re carrying. LOL

 

Couple of internet sites info:

An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2 percent. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

Heavier vehicles use more energy to move and have greater rolling resistance, which increases fuel consumption. For every 100 pounds removed from a vehicle, fuel economy can increase by 1–2%. This can translate to fuel cost savings of $0.04–$0.07 per gallon.

 

Yes. If you take them out, sell the truck and buy a Rav4. MPG will greatly increase.

Otherwise, No.

 

No, don’t do it.

If you are that concerned with saving 30lbs of weight to improve fuel economy you could also fill up with 5 less gallons of gas in your truck. One gallon weighs 6.073lbs. I’d rather drive with 5 less gallons of fuel than remove my rear seat…but I wouldn’t do this either.

 

Would the weight savings from 5 less gallons offset not having those gallons with slightly worse mpg???






Its always nice getting good mpg, but I bought a truck to have and use a truck. Poor mpg is the cost of having a vehicle that meets my needs. Never been upset with it.

 

Getting good gas mileage requires a "cumulative approach". You have to do several things all at the same time or there will not be any noticeable gains.

1. Driving style really affects gas mileage more than any other aspect.
If you accelerate like you are in 1/4 mile race from every stop you will never have good gas mileage.
Analysis by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that aggressive driving behavior, characterized by speeding and rapid acceleration and braking, can lower fuel economy by 15%–30% at highway speeds and 10%–40% in stop-and-go traffic.

If you drive faster than the past 55 mph causes the same affect.
According to most automotive experts, driving just 5 miles per hour above the speed limit can noticeably decrease your gas mileage, with some studies indicating a drop of around 1-2% in fuel efficiency for every 5 mph increase in speed beyond the optimal range, typically around 50-60 mph.
Generally speaking, every 10 mph you go over 55 mph your mpg falls by 8% to 12%.


Tundra's mpg rating is calculated at 55 mph, and decreases 20% at 70 mph and 30% at 80 mph.

To get good gas mileage on long trips you should leave very early in the morning and drive at 60 mph on the interstate. Avoid rush hour traffic at all costs. Any time spent idling in traffic negates all of your effort.
Idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and air conditioner (A/C) use. Turn off the engine when the vehicle is parked. It only takes about 10 seconds worth of fuel to restart the vehicle.

2. Failure to maintain correct tire air pressure (MOST IMPORTANT), clean air filter, oil changes, fluids, etc. All of these need to be maintained or just one is off and it by itself can kill your gas mileage.

3. Cool looking truck = bad gas mileage. Wider tires are heavier than stock and lower gas mileage. Wider tires have a larger footprint than stock so they have more friction/cause lower gas mileage.
Lifted or leveled trucks get worse gas mileage since you took away the aerodynamics design that gets posted gas mileage.
Aftermarket parts/bumpers/winch/racks/accessories that are far heavier that than stock cost 2% in gas for every 100lbs you add.
A roof rack with items on the rack is the worst item you can add because it drastically lowers your fuel milage.
Hauling cargo on the roof of a vehicle increases aerodynamic drag (wind resistance) and lowers fuel economy.
A large, blunt roof-top cargo box, for example, can reduce fuel economy by around 2% to 8% in city driving, 6% to 17% on the highway, and 10% to 25% at Interstate speeds (65 mph to 75 mph).

Dirty Deeds Exhaust cost me the most on my mileage. I added it last year. It sounds so great when you give gas that I tend to punch it a lot more and keep it punched longer. Sounds so good.

Some days when I go on long highway trips I drive like a saint and get great gas mileage. Some days I speed like a demon and get horrible gas mileage. Some days I just say it is a truck and drive it without paying attention to mileage and just listen to music as I drive.

 

Dunno about the MPGs but removing your back seat makes the truck significantly noisier on the highway.

 

Or leave the tundra at home and buy a cheap 30mpg beater. Depending how much you drive it could pay for itself in as little as one year.

 

…minus however much the additional insurance costs on the second vehicle. Including to minus oil changes, tires, and other maintenance shtuff that rears its head from time to time.

 

Going from 14mpg to 32mpg, 35000 miles a year is about $5000.

 

Fair enough. But i would hate to drive 35,000 miles a year unless my job was to drive all those miles. I can’t think of anything that’s worth commuting that many miles for.

Even if you’re saving $5000, what does insurance cost a year…$1200? Plus you’d go through a set of $800 tires every 1.5 years. Oil changes every 3500 miles (or 10k+ miles with some sort of Slick 50 additive). Brake fluid flushes, coolant flushes, random fixes (such as CV’s, tie rod ends, AC parts and pieces, shocks/struts, ect, ect). Plus the most unobvious of all, whatever we farkle-ize the 2nd car with…fancy wheels, loud stereo, hot air intakes, Loco-motion stickers, Black Ice air fresheners (you get the idea). I just think it’s not as much savings as we all think it will be.

 

When I take my rear seats out my MPG goes right in the crapper. I mean it drops big time. The only things I do differently are remove the rear seats and hitch up the travel trailer.

 

I knew it won’t affect it much. Happy with my tundra. Had it since 2020 sold it back in 2023 and bought it back a couple weeks later because as much as I like the Avalon I had, it wasn’t the right car for me.

 

Up here we call it a beater with a heater. You don’t do all that crap, oil is low? Add oil. Brakes wear out, keep pushing until ya know it’s metal on metal. When after 4-5 yrs of abuse and neglect ya sell it to a
student. The only cost is gas. Tires? When the belts tear and make ‘em go flat.
Some people have no choice, they need that commuter. Keep that nice truck at home. Damned tundra brakes alone cost more than that beater.