38 Gal tank experiences....

I forgot to mention that because of several factors, my MPG is down around the 12 mile mark. 4 wheel drive, large large ARB bumper with winch, 305 tires, 20" rims, bed cap and AMP retracting running boards. Oh and trailer hitch. Soooooo.....yeah....

 

Yep, you don't have any choice. It sucks but that's the way it is. I had a landscaping business for awhile.

 

Soo yeahhh. You answered your original statement for me. 26x12=312. Why waste the time with gas cans to prove math?

EDIT: you do you though and good luck! Maybe you’ll find something else out like a gallon doesn’t get used at all in the tank.

 

Well, I retired at 54 last June. I have nothing but time on my hands. I definitely understand not wasting the gas and money BUT well, I retired at 54......lol
I have nothing but time.

 

Haha well then perfect opportunity to get out of the house and get in the seat for a good drive.

 

Just for a data point - I have one typical camping trip we do that ends up with me running about 40 miles past the fuel light coming on towing at around 8mpg. At least 3 times last summer I did that trip and put about 34-35 gallons in. No issue with the truck. Very glad to have the large capacity. I live in Alaska. Things are far apart, including fuel stations sometimes. I did the Alcan highway during the summer of 2022 with our travel trailer and at stop in Canada it was $268 to fill up. I had to run the credit card 3 times. That's around $200USD. Could be worse though, some of the remote stations I was able to bypass with the big tank were over $2.50/liter ($10/gal). You could approach $400 CAD for one tank if you didn't plan your stops well.

 

Just my 2¢ worth of input:
I ran my 2021 completely empty, flat road, and put 1 gal of gas back in it to get to the nearest gas station, approx. 0.8 miles away. I then filled it up until I could see the gas in the fill neck, so every bit was full. I was able to put in 35.1 gallons, so even on level ground that comes to only about 36 usable gallons.

I have done this on every vehicle I've owned, and I hate to say it but this is the only time that the manufacturer advertised a larger tank than what's usable. To be fair, I've mostly owned Hondas/Acuras since 1994, until I bought my Tundra this year. Currently, I have an Acura TLX and an MDX, and both have tanks that hold 18.6 (+/- 0.15) gallons total, and reflect 0 miles DTE between 17.1 - 17.5 gallons used. According to both the dealership and owner's manual, these are 18.0-gallon tanks, and according to Honda Parts they are 18.5. I did own a Dodge utility van with a 35-gallon tank, and I would get between 34.8 - 35.5 gallons consistently. My nephew has a '22 Silverado and has an accurate 24-gallon tank in it. My in-laws have (2) F150s between them, both with 36-gallon tanks, and they both will get 36 gallons usable.

When people are shopping for a new vehicle and want a larger fuel tank, they generally calculate the minimum and maximum miles per tank and expect to get it. Although Toyota may not be technically lying by calling it a 38-gallon tank, given the fact that other manufacturers use values that are much closer to actual usable values, it's intellectually dishonest of them to advertise it as 38 gallons. Either these other companies are identifying the tanks by their usable capacities, or they have figured out a way to get more out of the tanks without leaving so much behind. Either way, the bottom line is that Toyota needs to learn something from its competitors.

 

That is pretty interesting. Makes you wonder why so many people have different results. I did a 1400 mile trip in my Tundra once, had just over 650 miles on the odometer, and put just over 36 gallons into the tank. I never ran out of gas and figured I had at least 1 1/2 gallons left after the pump clicked. It makes me wonder if the fuel float in the tanks get sticky, or don't lift all the way for some. Specs wise the tank is 38 gallons. Since the fuel pump takes up space maybe that eats up 1/2 gallon of room I don't know. Think of it as when you are in the bathtub. You fill it up but once you get in the water level goes up a few inches. It could be the same thing. I have actually held a Tundra fuel pump in my hand when helping a cousin change one out that burned out in his 2009 Tundra, and I would compare it to the same size as a 26 oz Yeti water bottle. It is not small.

I am leaning towards the fuel float is why they are different for so many people.

 

Different years and models will affect the angle at which the tank resides, even on level ground because of the differences in suspension. That translates into how many usable gallons each vehicle has. Additionally, no road is completely level, not even the shuttle landing strip at KSC. If you stay in motion, you will likely get a little more usable fuel because you are constantly moving gas around the fuel pump, even if the overall level is just below the inlet. When the vehicle comes to a stop and the fuel settles, there probably won't be enough to restart the engine, which is what happened in my case.

That being said, my primary point is that the other manufacturers have figured out a way to sell their vehicles without having discrepancies between advertised capacity and usable capacity. At the very least, Toyota is being technically truthful but intellectually dishonest with this. If I was told in advance that the truck had a 35 gallon tank, I would have still bought it. But if I had seen this thread before hand, I wouldn't have because it makes me wonder what else Toyota is hiding.

 

Once my fuel light comes on it takes 30 gallons to refill

 

Yes, I concur. So I didn't my drive and turns out I got just a tick over 300 miles to the tank before running dry. 26 gallons. 307 miles. Now that was an exercise in discipline. That discipline was put to the test. Cruise control was put at 70 MPH and not everyone drives as fast as 70 even though that's the posted limit. And I couldn't ways pass. So I got a little frustrated at times. I think I was just cranky. Ha ha ha

 

Man, that has got to suck to only have a 26 gallon tank. I just filled up yesterday and got nearly 600 miles on the tank with plenty of gas left.

 

It does but whenever I do decide to put a bigger tank under the Tundra it's going to be one of the 46gal Transfer flow fuel tanks

 

I'm jealous!!! Thought about doing a conversion.

 

46??? Good Lord, I thought the 38 was big.

 

Fixed it.

 

You got 600 miles on a 38 gallon tank with "plenty" of gas left?

 

My computer will tell me I can do that if I disconnect the battery for a while.

 

I had this very same question on my ‘21 Tundra. It came with the 38 gallon tank, and I’ve run it very very low trying to fit 38 gallons in it. The most I’ve ever got in it is like 32 gallons in the tank.

 

Yep. Multiple times. Of course it is on road trips or when I am traveling to clients and only doing highway mileage. Here in Texas it is as flat as your wife's chest so I don't have to worry about anything other than head wind. In fact, we took a family trip for spring break last week to Santa Fe New Mexico to go ride some trails and play in the snow, and with my truck fully loaded with the family, entire back filled with gear, on the way back to Texas I averaged 17.5 mpg which got me 628 gallons on that fill. If I remember correctly I put 36 gallons in or something around that. I went longer than I wanted too but I needed to get home for a business conference and pushed it longer than I normally would. Typically 590-595 miles is where I will fill up.

 

The 38 gal tank is my favorite underrated feature of this truck.

 

I apologize ahead of time, I haven't read through 29 pages of comments to find out whom has done the conversion. Maybe I need to start reading. I could also do a search couldn't I? Yes, yes I could.

 

Wow!

 

I have thought about going with one of the 47gal aftermarket tanks instead of the OEM 38gal tank while I sit here with a 26gal tea cup

 

That's what I have is the 26. And as we know, there's no sipping going on.

 

If I had a 26, I'd opt for the 46 if upgrading.

 

That's what I was thinking.

 

I can understand not wanting to use gas with ethanol, although in a frequently used truck I don't think it is important, but why are you using high octane? Unless you have turbo/sc it is unnecessary and a complete waste of money.

 

Yep, before I retired I was running mid-grade and then switched to regular after I retired. I might get 2 more mpg using mid-grade. I ran it on high octane for awhile (several tanks) and it didn't get any better gas mileage or performance. YMMV

 

usually only costs me $6 more per tank or less to use clear/non ethanol 92