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Poor mileage acceptable to Toyota
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Comments
You're still in break-in period, so don't worry. My milage went up by about 1-2mpg after it. I do run synthetic Amsoil oil, Amsoil air, but given the lead foot I have, I get very good milage (19sh on highway, 17.5-18 in the city).
Another thing to consider is this: you got a V8. Don't expect it to use same gas as a V6 Tacoma. 16-17 you get is fairly good for a V8.
- you're driving really easy, shifting under 2000 revs
- your 4-cyl truck has a 4-valve-per-cyl. engine
- you're not getting suitable mileage in town, but doing good on the highway.
This is perfectly logical. You're only mistake is thinking that mileage is inversely proportional to REVS when it is proportional to EFFICIENCY.
Small displacement engine designers increase power by reving the engine faster (to draw in more air & fuel). To increase efficiency at high revs, they've added more valves to let the engine breath. And they've likely optimized the engine timing, cams, etc. for a tradeoff between peak HP (good for marketing) and peak torque (good for acceleration).
Now shifting at 2000 revs is fine if you're driving a V8, but your engine is just starting to wake up. Its almost the equivalent of shifting a V8 at 1000 revs when you shift your 4-banger at 2000 revs.
On March 11th you wrote that the engine is turning 2200 RPM on the highway. And you're exceeding the rated MPG. Bingo! Try this:
- keep your engine OVER 2000 revs for one tank of gas. I'll bet your mileage is almost the same, maybe even slightly better.
- on the following tank, keep it over 2000 when accelerating (shift around 2500), but let it run below 2000 when decelerating before you downshift.
- eventually, with experimentation you'll find engine speeds that work.
But remember that with 4 valves, low RPMs will cause some fuel/air to blow right out the exhaust valve during the intake/exhaust overlap because the engine is designed to rev.
Let it run in the range the engineers designed it for and it will:
- run smoother
- be less stressed (lower torque required)
- last longer
- get better mileage.
If you really want good mileage at low REVs you'll need to change cams. Get an "RV cam" designed for torque instead of high-rev power and then its OK to drive like you do now. (that cam will have much less overlap) But I'd advise against it because you won't recoup your expenses and you may void your warantee. Your engine if begging to spin faster. Make it happy!
That's just one engineer's opinion.
What do the rest of you think?
(PS: My favourite truck was my Landcruiser Diesel Wagon...great MPG and built like a tank!
If you're serious about economy go to your VW dealer and ask for a Transporter Van with Diesel and 5-spd ... expect 34+ MPG in the city. My brother's friend just bought a used one with over 300,000 on the odometer and it gets over 30 MPG still. Just be careful on the highway because they are s-l-o-w
Changing cams is drastic, but synthetic oil is something most people can afford and seems to generate improved mileage in all driving situations.
89 octane gasoline boosts highway mileage enough to actually save money, but it does nothing for city mileage. Along with the oil, however, it does render the valves completely silent, which seems to me should decrease engine wear. Someone out there might have a more scientific opinion on the 89 octane stuff.
I have decided to change to a K&N air filter in an attempt to get more benefit from the higher octane in the city. It seems logical that boosting air intake has to help, and the K&N should help combustion even when idling.
And the lead-foot tendencies play a huge factor, of course. That's one of the reasons I really like diesels ... they are built to drive foot-to-the-floor and still return good MPG. (and its harder to get into trouble with the law!)
But the Jeep Liberty is avail. in a diesel (for 2004) and the VW Passat (sedan and wagon) also for 2004. But I haven't heard of any small pickups yet. Your current rig is probably almost as good as it gets!
re #65 the Liberty will not be available until 05 model year and as of last week VW is stating Passat TDI in sedan only initially and even then not until Feb. 04 at earliest. What is Toyota doing to improve MPG on it's trucks? I see no plans for hybrids and Toyota has no plans on bringing a diesel for it's Tacoma or Tundra. Even though Toyota already offers multiple excellent diesels for the Tacoma outside of North America.
Until something better shows up the Tacoma is the best option available in compact light truck and Tundra is a competitive choice in full size.