First long trip - pretty happy with mpg

So after listening to the 10,000th video that exclaimed what a gas pig the Tundra was, I was eager to see what it would do on a longer road trip. CT to NC and back over T-giving weekend and got this for milage - pretty dang pleased. No, I didn't drive it like I stole it, but also no, I didn't really baby it either. It was all highway, of course, and there are a bunch of hills in VA and WVA that brought it down somewhat, but overall I think I can live with this

 

Wow, that's pretty impressive on that leg. At 55-60 mph I think you'll get the best return of MPGs on just about any truck.

 

How did those numbers compare with filling it back up and dividing those numbers by the miles traveled?

I like that method better for tank to tank fuel efficiency comparison purposes....some vehicles are right on the money, others not so much.

 

I didn't actually check it manually, but plan to do that on my next trip (Tx this time).

 

The Computer wants you to think it is your friend.
The Computer is rarely your friend.

 

I would expect your mpg figures are from an overly optimestic computer. I have got 18.9 mpg on a trip, both the computer and my hand calculation were the same. However I think usually the computer will show higher than actual mpg.

 

So I should curb my enthusiasm until I calculate it by hand - got it. Just to clarify, I took that photo at a small section that was 55 mph but the large majority of the trip was 65-70....

OR...

I could take the blue pill and continue to let the computer lie to me so I can feel good .... decisions, decisions.

Ron

 

My computer is off by as much as a rounding error. As in, if the math says 17.1 mpg, the computer might read 17.3. None of this computer saying 20+mpg when the math at the pump says 17, that's ridiculous.

Either you guys are doing math wrong or you're running 37" tires lol

 

tundras that are unlifted and running stock size SL load tires can get respectable highway MPG. I have seen a hair over 19MPG on trips, hand calculated. Installing 33.4 E load tires changed that!

 

How much would you say you lost with the bigger tires, is your truck still stock lift?

 

Don’t bother tracking mpg. Ignorance is bliss.

 

My digital readout is normally within 1mpg to my hand calculation. Sometimes it's .2 difference.

My guess that 21.3 readout was probably closer to 20. Maybe 19.7 or so if hand calculated. Either way, those numbers are still good.

 

Yes, still stock suspension. Tires are 275/70-18 E load Wildpeaks, 33.4 tall. When I saw 19mpg it was the stock 32 inch tires in standard load and I really drove it like a grampa on a trip. My truck MPG ratings are 13/17, so 19 was certainly on the high end. MPG with the larger and heavier tires dropped about 1-1.5.

Now, driving the way I normally do I get around 12-13 city, 15-16 highway. Im sure I could get better if a paid more attention and/or kept highway speeds at 70 or below but Ill take the 1mpg hit and drive the way I want. What really KILLs MPG with a Tundra is highway speeds over 70 (its is a big brick) and ANY idling. Even idling 3-5 minutes each morning when it is cold will bring down the tank average by 1MPG.

 

That's good, even for a 55 MPH speed.

 

Most of it was actually between 65 and 70 but the section where I took the pick was 55.....

 

That must be downhill, engine off, on a flatbed trailer.

 

Going 68mph I get about 19mpg. The city driving is what kills me at 13 mpg.

 

My truck can see pretty wild fluctuations based on conditions. Hills, headwinds/tailwinds, loaded weight, ethanol free gas, speed, all move the needle quite noticeably (good or bad). I dread the day I'm loaded heavy, in hills, with a headwind, running 70.

 

Just completed a 1600 mile trip towing a few thousand pounds over a couple of mountain ranges. Have no idea what the computer displayed since I don't pay attention to it, but manually calculated 11.5 mpg.

 

That is really decent gas mileage while towing. I had Ford 3.5 EB and Ram Hemi trucks and that is what they got towing, they did a little better than the Tundra I owned when not towing (maybe +2 or +3 MPGs).