Tundra v8 better mpg

Update....
So, mileage came down to 18.2 for the average. That's through four tanks of fuel. The biggest hammer on the fuel economy is the good 'ole stop lights in city driving which we've done a bit more of lately. (I can see why the '22 hybrid has so much appeal for you guys living in the urban sprawl.)
We live remotely and seldom sit at any stoplights, our town doesn't even have one; that's the biggest reason why I'm enjoying close to 19 mpg much of the time. I'd bet others doing similar #'s have the same scenario going on as well.

Can plainly see why you guys driving lifted beasts with 35" tires in the city have zero chance with economy. Toss in 80-85 mph on the highway and a heavy foot and it's 9-11mpg.

 

Big tires aren't a problem in town if you get good ones (low rolling resistance). A heavy foot and high speeds will kill your MPG though.

 

I had a different experience in my Tacoma. I went from a stock size Nitto Terra Grapplers P265/65R17 to one size up Michelin LTX P265/70R17 highway tires. After hand calculations and adding in the height difference the Nittos were by far more gas efficient. My comparisons went from brand new to 10k miles. Town or highway driving didn’t matter and the Michelin’s were a few pounds lighter. Weight definitely destroys a tires fuel efficiency however height plays a major role as well IMHO…

 

Nope. My tires weigh over 2x as much as my stock Bridgestones. 3" more diameter also. Better MPG at low speeds, worse on the freeway. Tire weight alone is a minuscule effect.

There is a vast difference in the rolling resistance of tires, and though big and heavy ones tend to have thicker tread and stiffer sidewalls, the difference in compounds and construction can more than make up for this.

 

I'm scheduled for my Defenders at Costco today. I know it's going to ride better. I tell ya, looking at the wear on the tires I wonder how often the dealer did rotate them. I know, why have the dealer do it... But I'm looking forward to the smoother ride.

 

What size are you planning to run?

 

275/65R18

Buying from Costco you can't get creative and put on non approved tires from what manufacture suggest. I guess you could buy non standard tires they wont mount them.
So what I thought was going to be a quick hit and git tire swap turned out to be a 6 hour ordeal. Tire tech couldn't find my lug lock then that has always been in the center console. Long store short, the dealer who I've always had it service by failed to put it back and I had to take it to a oil lube spot and get them to hammer the damn lock lugs off. I called the service manager at the dealer, wanted to get redneck with him but his wife goes to church with my wife so there's that...he's going to give me 4 standard lug nuts to replace those locking nuts that got hammered off.

But the tires road great! so well I don't think I need alignment now.

 

This same thing has kept me from making a fool of myself more times than I can count!

 

After an article detailing how Harley Davidson was seeing issues with their bikes running poorly in certain states, it said they did extensive testing on the crappy fuel offered around the NE, they determined that BP was the "best of the worst." I've used it religiously since, in everything I've owned. Then they couldn't keep their nose out of the political arena which is a no go with me so I switched to Sunoco. According to the truck's computer I've picked up .3 of a mpg. Not enough to matter at all but I thought it was interesting. Using the regular 87 from both places.

Figured you all might care slightly more than my girlfriend. I got that head tilted, blank stare as she waited for the good part of the story that clearly never materialized for her.

 

Get the alignment. Tires are too expensive to let a little toe in or out eat them up. You may not notice for several thousand miles, then the shoulder wear will already be done. Or cupping. Nothing brings a quiet tire roaring to life like a little tread cupping.

 

My taco would do about 14mpg.

 

Ouch…. I commuted with my 4.0 Tacoma and I averaged (hand calculated) 19.5 and that is with a little bumper to bumper traffic daily.

 

I mean I did have a 3in lift, 33 MTs, sliders, roof rack, bed rack and a hardshell tent. I did regear and tune which I think helped a good bit.

 

Frankly, I don't think I've ever been interested in any vehicle that got even decent mileage. Tradeoff I make constantly. Then I go buy a somewhere North of 5200 pound vehicle, shaped like a brick, anti-mileage rear gear ratio and then I stick tires on all four corners that weigh twice what the stock ones do...Wasn't expecting to out mpg a Prius at this point. I can probably get down to near 10 mpg with the TRD intake and leaving it in "haul ass" mode more often. I do wish gas prices were where they were a year and a half ago though; just sayin'.

 

I bought mine from Costco as well. After closer inspection of my wheels I saw that they scratched two of them. It wasn’t enough to make me go back and complain but definitely hacks working there.
After driving around the city and stop and go traffic and putting a K & N air filter in it looks like I’m hovering around 13 MPG’s‘s. I thought of returning them but I didn’t want my wheels to be mangled and the ride is awesome as well as the responsiveness of the truck compared to the heavy LT falcon Wildpeaks I had previously is it

 

In that case…it makes sense.

 

Yes, he is gouging you good bro!

 

Well I gotta say I had a good experience with the Costco guys. First time it was tires for the Venza. They had them swapped out before we were done shopping. This time it was a tough situation not of their making. They offered me they couldn't hammer off the locking lugs due to policy, I get it, but they called the lube shop across the street and they were glad to do it.
It took a while for them to get my truck back in the shop because of appointments but it is what it is.

 

Man... I'd be super happy with 18mpg! I get 15-16 on average with 37's only after re-gearing to 5.29s.

 

I'm intrigued ... tell me more about the re-gear - brand, cost, etc. !! Can't believe that kind of fuel economy could possibly be had on 37" tires ... I never saw better than that on my truck when it was stock!

I'm barely seeing 13mpg now with a mild Bilstein 6112 'lift' and 34in tires (295/60/20 WildPeaks) ...

 

15-16 is pretty great for that rig!

 

It was deceiving at first bc the break in process was grueling. But, after that and servicing both 3rd members I'm getting a solid 15-16mpg.

Cost will vary greatly. I went from 4.30s (stock) running 33s to 5.29s w/ 37s but, I also added front and rear lockers. The lockers alone (parts and labor) added approximately $3,200 to the total bill.

One shop quoted me at $6,200 total. Unfortunately I waited too long and they closed their business. My more local shop quoted my at $12k and finally, the last shop (that I ended up going through) did the job for $7,400. If you don't need the lockers, you'll save yourself a sizable chunk.

Also, if you're going to do it, you'll want to start shoping for the gears and lockers asap. It took me a 13 months to find the gears and lockers. Everyone was out of stock and I am not sure if that's changed. I think I just got some help from God, honestly. Stock is very scarce on everything. The ko2s weren't my first choice of tire but it's all I could find in a 37 at the time. 4.88s are pretty much available but the 5.29s were not an easy find.

 

I'm actually stepping 'down' to 285/75/17 KO2s on Rock Warrior wheels tomorrow. I don't like the mileage or the 'poke' I'm seeing with the +18 offset Methods, and I'm over the bronze thing.

I've got a GFC wedge camper, Decked system, and a fly rod carrier that collectively don't help at all with wind resistance and weight ... but if re-gear without lockers is feasible, I need to look into it.

Like you said, availability will be critical for some time to come - I don't see any near-term inflation or supply-chain relief happening.

 

Yeah.... honestly, I think the market is going to get worse. :/

Man, I'd love a GFC camper. I saw a rig with one out on the trails in Northern California and it seemed super awesome. Does it seal the dust and water out of the rig while wheeling?

 

I see that in 17" rims those come in C or D load, rather than E. That might be helping your mpg as well.

 

Great point!

 

All depends on the tailgate seal ... that's where the major gaps are for moisture/dust intrusion. I got mine sealed up fairly well, so it does a pretty good job but it's not perfect.

 

The flexible frame on the <2022 Tundras makes that tough... need to allow for lots of movement.

 

Does it still flex? I thought it was the same frame as the Sequoia and LC300. Those closed cab SUVs can NOT flex at all

 

The 2022 Tundras are fully boxed, so should be very stiff. Ours (previous versions) flex quite a bit though.

Maybe you misunderstood my symbol... "<" means less than.